Crossing the Red Sea

Transcription

1 Session 8 Fall 2018 Middler Crossing the Red Sea EXODUS 13:17 15:21 prepare PRAYER God, I long for the wisdom that leads to freedom and love. Accept my desire, and lead me on my journey. Amen. PURPOSE STATEMENT To journey with the Israelites as God frees them from slavery STORY SUMMARY God led the Israelites through the wilderness with a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. Pharaoh sent an army of chariots after them. The terrified former slaves cried out to God. Moses stretched his staff over the sea. The waters divided so the people could walk through the sea on dry land. The Egyptian chariots were destroyed as the waters returned to normal. Miriam led a celebration of music and dancing. teaching tips for middler At times, middlers can surprise us with their bold and fearless zest for life. However, most people, regardless of age, experience some fear of the unknown. In fact, the joy we experience when we accomplish a task or overcome a challenge can quickly fade when we re unsure what will happen next. This is exactly what happened to the Israelites as they gained their freedom, but with no guarantee of the future. God was leading, but where were they going? Pillars of cloud and fire, the dramatic parting of the sea, waters rolling over an entire army all are food for a vivid imagination. Pay careful attention to how these vivid images are received by the children in your group. Guide them in wondering about the Israelites longing to be free and God s powerful protection on the journey. Decide which Explore options to offer, and check Supplies and To do throughout this session to see what needs to be prepared. 48 / 8 Crossing the Red Sea October 21, 2018

2 dig deeper by Andrea Saner Confrontation at the sea The conflict with Pharaoh s army at the Red Sea first elicits great fear and doubt from the Israelites. However, God s miraculous deliverance transforms Israel s fear into faith. Historians and archeologists have long debated when and exactly how this event occurred. However, the important point is that Israel understood the deliverance of God at the sea as their own history, and as the church is incorporated into Israel, so also does this event become our history. The church is compelled to declare and to confess that God triumphed over Pharaoh and his army at the sea, even as God s triumph cannot be either proven or disproven through standard historical investigation, given that this victory involves realities that must be known by faith. Overcome with fear When they see the advancement of the imperial army against them, the Israelites complain to Moses with questions that demonstrate how much their fear of the Egyptians has taken over their imaginations and reasoning abilities. They sarcastically and desperately ask if they have been brought to the wilderness to die because of a dearth of graves in Egypt. They blame Moses, and pretend that they knew this would happen all along. Shockingly, they suggest they would have been better off enslaved to Pharaoh (Exodus 14:11 12). Even if slavery to Pharaoh was brutal, they think, it was better than death on a battlefield, which they see as their certain future. Though the reader may empathize with the Israelites fear, we must recognize that it demonstrates lack of trust in the God who has already demonstrated his will and power to deliver them, such as through deliverance from the plagues. Stand firm Moses admonishes the Israelites, Do not be afraid (14:13). The Israelites are not to fear in the face of their Egyptian pursuers, not because of their own great military strength, but because God will deliver them. Israel is described as an army (14:19 20), in conflict with Egypt s GENESIS EXODUS 11:1 9 13:17 15:21 army. But Israel has no weapons, and their bodies have been beaten and weakened by severe, forced labor. Moreover, Moses declares that the people are to stand firm that is, not respond in fear and keep still (or remain silent ; 14:13 14). The Israelites are an army that does not fight. Although the Old Testament does not contain a universal command to nonresistance akin to turn the other cheek (cf. Matthew 5:39), a central and consistent point throughout the Old Testament is that the people of God should trust God for their protection and preservation, because God will fight for them. However unsettled we may be by the identification of the caring, compassionate God as a warrior (cf. Exodus 15:3), this is a central feature of the exodus testimony. This same tradition leads to the claim that Israel has no need of a standing army or foreign alliances, because they trust in the Lord to defend them (cf. Deuteronomy 17:14 20; 20:1 20). From fear to faith The Israelites do as Moses asks them, but it is not until the conflict is over and the Lord has triumphed that they respond in faith. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great work that the Lord did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses (Exodus 14:30 31). Seeing what is in front of them physically the dead Egyptian army leads the Israelites to see also by faith the great work that the Lord accomplished. Such seeing leads to a different type of fear. Once terrified of their enemies and former masters, Israel now fears the Lord that is, they respond to God with awe, reverence, and trusting obedience. SOURCES: Janzen, J. Gerald. Exodus. Westminster Bible Companion. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, Lind, Millard C. Yahweh Is a Warrior: The Theology of Warfare in Ancient Israel. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, White, Thomas Joseph, OP. Exodus. Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, Exodus 13:17 15:21 / 49

3 Bible memory cards (from Ad ditional resources) Shine Songbook and CD Annual Shine Songbooks CD player Card stock Paper cups Blindfold Candle and matches (or battery-operated candle) Colored pencils or markers resource pack Bible memory poster (Exodus 20) God is with us poster to do Make copies of the Bible memory cards from page 91 of this guide. media connections Parting of the Red Sea scene in the movie The Prince of Egypt Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford Wikipedia page on the Crossing of the Red Sea (Sistine Chapel) for leader interest Daniel Goldstein s Pillars of Fire and Cloud for an artist s interpretation of the story (Internet) gather BUILD COMMUNITY Learning to lead and to follow is part of living in community. Have the children experiment with being leaders. Set up paper cups randomly on the floor. Blindfold one child and give him or her the task of moving from one side of the room to the other without touching the cups. The rest of the group will lead the child by calling out directions and warnings to successfully navigate around the cups. Repeat for others who wish to take a turn being blindfolded. WORSHIP TOGETHER Gather the children and light a candle for worship. Highlight the presence pin on the God is with us poster. Tell the children that we light a candle in worship to remind us of the very important truth that God is with us always. That doesn t mean that nothing bad will ever happen in our lives, but that God will never leave us. Sing together When We Walk (track 12, page 20). Pray, thanking God for being a constant presence in our lives wherever we go. SPIRITUAL PRACTICE All of us have times when we feel sad, afraid, angry, frustrated, or stuck, but no matter how we feel, God is with us. Invite the children to hold one hand in a fist as they take a few moments to remember a situation in which they felt troubled or alone. Then invite them to take their other hand and slowly wrap it around their fist like a blanket, to remind them that in times of trouble, God surrounds us with love. Close by taking a deep breath to rest in God s love. Bible memory Read the passage from the Bible memory poster together. Give each child a Bible memory card copied from page 91 of this guide. Remind the children that these commandments are for every one of us. Invite the children to write their names in the blank provided and to color or decorate the page as they like. Collect the cards for use in later sessions. teaching tip Being blindfolded can be frightening for some people. Always ask before blindfolding children, and respect their response. 50 / 8 Crossing the Red Sea October 21, 2018

4 experience SHARE THE STORY The story of Moses is an epic, a long journey made up of many adventures. So far, Moses heard and answered a call from God from within a burning bush, and he and his brother Aaron confronted Pharaoh, asking him over and over to let the Israelite people go, but Pharaoh refused. After the last sign from God, Pharaoh finally said yes, and so the people of Israel were on the move at last. Point to the Epic journey poster. Highlight the sandals and bread and read the words from Moses on the poster. Share the story from page 48 of Shine On. Tell the children that when you speak of the pillar of fire, the pillar of cloud, or the waters making a wall, they will need to quickly form themselves into those objects as a group and then sit back down when the story continues. WONDER AND REFLECT Share these wondering questions, allowing time for the children to ponder: I wonder what the Israelites thought when they first saw the pillars of cloud and fire. I wonder what it sounded like when the wind divided the waters of the sea. I wonder if Miriam knew in her heart, from the beginning, that God would lead the people to freedom and safety. I wonder what you feel like saying or singing when you know you are safe and protected. PEACE NOTES God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt, but as Pharaoh s army caught up to them by the sea, they were afraid. They said to Moses, It would have been better to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness! Sometimes when we re afraid, we would rather run back to what we know, even if it isn t the best place to be, than run forward to a place we do not know. Have the children recall a time when they were afraid to go somewhere unknown, like a new school, a new home, or a new summer camp. Invite the children to stand in a circle, all facing the back of the person in front of them. Next, have them each put their right hand on the shoulder of the person in front of them. Pray the following: Moses said to the people, Stand firm and trust God. Thank you, God, that like the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire, we can trust that you are always before us and behind us. Amen. Crossing the Red Sea Exodus 13:17 15:21 Shine On, p. 48 Bibles Shine On: A Story Bible resource pack Epic journey poster to do Display the Epic journey poster. Practice telling the Bible story so you know when to pause so the children can form the pillars and the walls of water. teaching tip Sharing your own personal experience of being afraid can go a long way to making children feel comfortable sharing their own fears. Encourage the group to listen with respect to one another s stories. Exodus 13:17 15:21 / 51

5 explore CONNECT When the Israelites were finally free, they praised God, sang, and danced. Invite the children to explore other biblical examples of praising and worshiping God with music on pages in Glow. Have children look up the scripture references in their own Bibles. Bibles Glow magazines Pencils MOVE Give each child a sheet of paper. Form a single-file line on one side of the room. The first child in line will lay down a paper and step on it, then reach behind to take the sheet from the next child in line. The first child will lay down the second sheet and step on it, as the second child steps on the first sheet and reaches behind to take a sheet from the next child in line. That child will then hand the paper forward so the first child can continue moving across the room. Continue on this way, with the goal of getting everyone safely to the other side. Ask the children to reflect on how the Israelites might have felt, moving one step at a time across the sea floor between the great walls of water. A sheet of paper for each child (pages torn from an old magazine or paper from a recycling bin would work well) RETELL Retell the story using play dough (recipe on Extras web page) or modeling clay. Invite the children to create a sculpture of the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire to recall God s guiding presence. Then ask them to reshape those pillars into the sea. Give each child a plastic knife to cut the sea sculpture in half and form walls as you remind them of God s plan to rescue the Israelites from the Egyptian army. Finally, ask them to rejoin the two portions to represent God s promise of freedom for the people. Play dough or modeling clay Plastic knives other ideas Go outside and have children create paths or mazes using sidewalk chalk. Invite them to take turns journeying on one another s paths. Older middlers may enjoy researching Yam Suph to learn about the relationship of the Sea of Reeds to the Red Sea. Miriam led her people in a celebration of song and dance. Choreograph your very own dance of celebration. GLOW God led the Israelites in the wilderness with pillars of cloud and fire, providing direction and safety. Ask the children to think of ways they are led in their lives. As they wonder, have them complete My pillars on page 23 in Glow. Glow magazines Pencils 52 / 8 Crossing the Red Sea October 21, 2018

6 bless PRAY With instrumen ts and dancing, gather to praise God with the song My Soul Cries Out (track 14, page 22). Invite children to join in on the chorus as the song becomes familiar. Pray: God, thank you for freeing the Israelites from slavery. Help us to remember that you are with us, turning our world from suffering and slavery to freedom and peace. Amen. leader s closing prayer SEND Gather in a circle as instructed in Peace notes, and invite children to receive this blessing: As we go from this place, let us remember that God is with us, behind and before us, always. Amen. Celebrating and praising God for the good in our own lives while seeing the devastation in others may feel contrary to God s shalom. However, living a life of gratitude can soften our hearts to the pain and suffering of others so that we can reach out and be Christ s hands and feet in the world. Thank you, God, for your constant presence and guidance. Create a spirit of gratitude and thanksgiving within me so that I might walk faithfully with you. Amen. Shine Songbook and CD Annual Shine Songbooks CD player Musical instruments One small act that is meaningful to the children is to meet them at the door, both when they enter the classroom and when they leave. Hearing their names spoken with a little word of encouragement or a question about their personal lives makes them feel special. Mary Lou Beck Pettisville, Ohio Exodus 13:17 15:21 / 53