Date: September 9 & 10, 2017 1.2 PONDER POINT: GOD IS REDEEMER Fall of Mankind Genesis 2 3 After mankind sinned, God promised to send the Redeemer to restore relationship with Him. PONDER POINT: GOD IS WORTHY OF WORSHIP Tower of Babel and Abram Genesis 11 12; 15 God scattered the people working to build a tower to the heavens. Later, God called Abram and promised to bless him. The people who built the tower of Babel worshipped the sun, moon, and stars. God was angry about their efforts to build the tower, so He confused their language and scattered them over the face of the whole earth (Genesis 11:9). Abram s family and nation were, no doubt, also devoted to various gods and goddesses just like the people of Babel. God later changed Abram s name to Abraham. Read through the biblical account of God s promise to Abram in Genesis 12:1 8. Explain to your children that God wanted Abram and his family to worship God and God alone. He is the one true God, and He wanted the worship of His people. Spend a few moments worshipping God together as a family. Pray together and thank God for who He is. What did God tell Abram to do? What promises did God make to Abram? How can we worship God? opportunities to bring conversations about how God is worthy of worship into your everyday life as a family. (Child s name), may you remember that God is worthy of your praise and worship.
Date: September 16 & 17, 2017 1.3 PONDER POINT: GOD IS WORTHY OF WORSHIP Tower of Babel and Abram Genesis 11 12; 15 God scattered the people working to build a tower to the heavens. Later, God called Abram and promised to bless him. PONDER POINT: GOD IS THE LORD, PART 1 Moses Exodus 2 4 God revealed Himself as I AM to Moses. When God revealed His name to Moses in Exodus 3:14, He said, I AM WHO I AM [Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh]. By making Himself known through the name Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh, God revealed that He exists, has always existed, and will always exist (in contrast to the Egyptian gods who did not exist). The name Jesus (Yeshua) means YHWH is salvation. In Jesus, Ehyeh-Asher- Ehyeh became a man in order to fulfill His covenant promise. In the New Testament, Jesus indicated that He was YHWH by calling Himself I am for example, in John 8:58, Before Abraham was born, I am! Through this and other confessions, Jesus revealed Himself as the everlasting Ehyeh-Asher- Ehyeh the Lord of all. Find a spot in front of a fireplace, campfire, or even a candle. Read through the biblical account of God s call on Moses life in Exodus 3:1 4:17. Ask your children how they might have reacted to hearing God s voice coming from a burning bush if they d been there. Remind them that only a powerful God could do something like that. Discuss together why God asked Moses to take off his sandals. Why did God tell Moses to take off his sandals? What did God want Moses to do? Why did God want to free His people from the Egyptians? opportunities to bring conversations about how God is the Lord into your everyday life as a family. (Child s name), may you know that God is the Lord of everything.
Date:September 23 & 24, 2017 1.4 At HomeWeekly is designed for you to use during the week with your son or PONDER POINT: GOD IS THE LORD, PART 1 Moses Exodus 2 4 God revealed Himself as I AM to Moses. PONDER POINT: GOD IS THE LORD, PART 2 Ten Plagues Exodus 5 11 God showed His power over everything by sending plagues to Egypt. The Israelites needed to learn more about their great God. They needed to trust Him and know that He is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. God chose specific plagues that corresponded with the deities of the Egyptians. When God changed the water to blood, God judged the Nile River itself, which had been deified as a god. When dense swarms of flies poured into every place and throughout Egypt, many assert God was judging the Egyptian god Uaticht. The plague of boils was not only painful but also an embarrassing judgment on the Egyptian obsession with physical cleanliness and beauty. Through all of the plagues, God proved He alone had the right to His people. He alone is the Lord. Each night this week, take your kids outdoors. Read Exodus 5 11, one chapter per night. Each night, after you ve read, ask your kids how they might have reacted if they d been there to witness God s power to control nature. Point out that God was proving that He alone is God. Why did God want His people to leave Egypt? Why did God send the plagues? How does God show His power today? opportunities to bring conversations about God is the Lord into your everyday life as a family. (Child s name), may you give thanks and praise to God because He has power over everything.
Date: September 30/October 1, 2017 1.5 PONDER POINT: GOD IS THE LORD, PART 2 Ten Plagues Exodus 5 11 God showed His power over everything by sending plagues to Egypt. PONDER POINT: GOD GIVES NEW LIFE Passover and Red Sea Exodus 12 14 God rescued His people from Egypt and parted the Red Sea. Many of the images of the Passover feast point to Jesus. God commanded the Israelites to kill and eat a perfect lamb. Similarly, only through Christ s perfect life and His death can we be saved. God commanded the Israelites to put the lamb s blood on the sides and tops of the doorframes of their homes. By doing this, the Israelites affirmed their belief that God would save them by the blood of the lamb. In the same way, we actively submit to Christ in order to be saved by His blood. To commemorate this moment, God instituted Passover a meal that both reminded the Israelites of their liberation as well as pointed toward Jesus, the Lamb of God whose blood takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Gather your children and sit in a doorframe. If you want to go a step further, frame the top and sides of the doorframe with red fabric or red paper to remind you of how God s people painted their doorposts. Read through the biblical account of the Passover in Exodus 12:1 29. Close your time by praying and thanking God for giving us new life in Jesus. Why did God want His people to paint their doorposts with the blood of a lamb? What was the last miracle God performed to free His people? How does God give us new life? opportunities to bring conversations about how God gives new life into your everyday life as a family. (Child s name), may you always remember that God has a plan for your life, and He is in control.
Date: October 7 & 8, 2017 1.6 PONDER POINT: GOD GIVES NEW LIFE Passover and Red Sea Exodus 12 14 God rescued His people from Egypt and parted the Red Sea. REMEMBER & CELEBRATE Festival of Passover: Celebrating God as Deliverer The Israelite people celebrated seven annual festivals: Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Festival of First Fruits, Feast of Harvest, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths). During the feasts, the Israelites ate, danced, sang, played instruments, prayed, and offered sacrifices to God. During the Feast of Passover, the Israelites celebrated their deliverance from the Egyptians as well as God as their Deliverer. The Feast of Passover was fulfilled by the death of the Messiah. Have your children think about something that has been delivered to your home a pizza, a package, etc. Talk about the journey this item might have taken to arrive safely. Then share how God rescued and protected the Israelites and brought them out of Egypt. Explain how He delivered His people safely to the land He had promised them and how they remembered and celebrated their delivery with Passover. Read Psalm 18:1 3. Put on some of your favorite worship music, and dance and sing together. Then pray together, thanking God that He protects and delivers us. What does this psalm praise God for? What does this psalm say that God provides for His people? How can we celebrate God as our Deliverer? opportunities to bring conversations about God as Deliverer into your everyday life as a family. (Child s name), may you celebrate God's grace and the freedom He offers through salvation.
Date: October 14 & 15, 2017 1.7 REMEMBER & CELEBRATE Festival of Passover: Remembering and Celebrating God as Deliverer PONDER POINT: GOD IS PROVIDER Wandering Exodus 15:22 17:7 God provided food and water for His people while they were in the desert. According to the Bible, manna had the sweet taste of honey. The Israelites could grind the manna and pound it into cake. Jesus, during His earthly ministry, referred to Himself as the bread of life, pointing back to the manna God provided in the wilderness. In the desert, God provided for Moses and the Israelites physical sustenance. He gave them what they needed to live on earth. However, Jesus provides us with something much greater: life eternal. Place a jar or a clear plastic container filled with bread, cereal, or cookies where everyone in your family can see it. Then read through the biblical account of God s provision in Exodus 16. Ask your children to tell you their favorite part of this passage, and then share with them your favorite part. Talk with them about how they might have felt if they had seen food literally rain down from the sky. Then point out the container of food and tell them it s a reminder of how God cares for us and meets our needs. How did God give His people the food they needed? What are some ways you ve seen God take care of our family? How can we thank God for providing for our needs? opportunities to bring conversations about God is Provider into your everyday life as a family. (Child s name), may you rest in the knowledge that God knows what you need and will take care of you.
Date: October 21 & 22, 2017 1.8 PONDER POINT: GOD IS PROVIDER Wandering Exodus 15:22 17:7 God provided food and water for His people while they were in the desert. PONDER POINT: GOD IS THE ONE TRUE GOD Ten Commandments Exodus 19 20 God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. Of the Ten Commandments, the first four commandments focus on relationship with God. The fifth commandment focuses on our relationship with parents. The last five commandments focus on our relationship with one another. As the laws stood, they only brought knowledge of sin. God knew this, so He sent the Holy Spirit to enable us to obey the law that He writes on our hearts (Hebrews 8:10). At bedtime, read Exodus 20:1 17. Share that just as your family has guidelines, such as a set bedtime, God gave His people guidelines to live by too. Ask your kids to tell you which commandment stood out to them. Share with them which one stood out to you. Also share that these commandments pointed the Israelites toward worshipping God as the one true God. Remind your kids that the Holy Spirit helps us to worship God as the one true God. Why did God give His people the Ten Commandments? How can we love God? How can we love others? opportunities to bring conversations about God is the One True God into your everyday life as a family. (Child s name), may you walk in all of God s ways and obey His commands. May you serve God with all of your heart and all of your soul.
Date: November 4 & 5, 2017 1.9 PONDER POINT: GOD IS THE ONE TRUE GOD Ten Commandments Exodus 19 20 God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. PONDER POINT: GOD INITIATES RELATIONSHIP Mount Sinai Exodus 24 God made a covenant with His people. God initiated relationship with the future Israelites through the covenant He made with Abram (later Abraham). In Exodus 19 24, God gave His people the Ten Commandments as part of the Mosaic covenant. This marked the beginning of a new era in the history of God s people. The Mosaic covenant demanded not only that the Israelites conform to a set of laws but also that their hearts be oriented toward God. The Mosaic covenant also gave a foretaste of what was to come the new covenant that would not be written on tablets of stone but on the hearts and in the minds of all those who believe (Hebrews 8:10). Surprise your children by preparing them a sweet treat maybe cookies, ice cream, or another treat they don t eat very often. When the treat is ready, call your children to the table. Spend some time talking with them about their day or just enjoying one another s company. Read Exodus 24:12 18. Tell your children that similar to how you called them to the table and initiated your time together, God initiated relationship with His people and continued to pursue them through Moses. Explain that God calls each one of us to relationship with Him through faith in His Son, Jesus. Why does God want a relationship with people? How does it make you feel to know that God wants to have a relationship with you? Do you have a relationship with God? If so, would you like to tell us about it? opportunities to bring conversations about God Initiates Relationship into your everyday life as a family. (Child s name), may God remind you this week that He reaches out to you and invites you to be a part of His story through the love and grace of Jesus.
Date: November 11 & 12, 2017 1.10 PONDER POINT: GOD INITIATES RELATIONSHIP Mount Sinai Exodus 24 God made a covenant with His people. PONDER POINT: GOD DWELLS WITH HIS PEOPLE Building of the Tabernacle Exodus 25 40 God told the Israelites to build a tabernacle. When God called Moses to go up Mount Sinai, He revealed His instructions for the tabernacle, the ark, and other structures. Through Moses, God gave His people exact measurements, weights, sizes, colors, proportions, and more for every curtain, hook, beam, covering, and decoration to go in the tabernacle, Just as God s Spirit dwelled in the tabernacle and His glory filled the temple after Solomon s dedication, [we] are God s temple and God s Spirit dwells in [us] (1 Corinthians 3:16a). Read Exodus 40 while sitting around the dining table. Have an empty chair placed at the table, and tell your children it s there to remind them that God dwells, or lives, with us. Ask them what they might say to God if He was sitting right there with them. Then remind them that the Holy Spirit does live within us, and we can talk to Him every day! Share with them that just as God s Spirit dwelled in the tabernacle, His Spirit can live inside of us. Why did God want His people to build a tabernacle? How is God closer to us than He was to the Israelites? How does God dwell with us today? opportunities to bring conversations about God Dwells with His People into your everyday life as a family. (Child s name), may you know that God is with you, no matter where you go.
Date: November 18 & 19, 2017 1.11 PONDER POINT: GOD DWELLS WITH HIS PEOPLE Building of the Tabernacle Exodus 25 40 God told the Israelites to build a tabernacle. PONDER POINT: GOD NEVER FAILS Joshua Joshua 1 4 God's people entered the Promised Land. God never failed to keep His covenant promises and that included giving His people their initial inheritance in the land. When Moses died, God, in His sovereign timing, appointed Joshua to lead these people to inherit the land [He had sworn] to their ancestors to give them (Joshua 1:6). God commanded Joshua not to plan strategies or lead armies because God Himself would do that. Instead, Joshua was to meditate on God s Word and model this for the Israelites. Joshua modeled for the people how to follow God s instructions. One evening, choose someone in your family to lead everyone else around the house for a few minutes. Encourage the leader to get creative in the path he takes and in the moves he makes, and have him end at the sofa or table. Read Joshua 1:1 18. Point out to your children that Joshua listened to and obeyed God. Ask your children if they would like God to lead them in some specific areas of their lives. Remind them that God will never fail them. What kind of leader did God desire for His people? In what ways was God faithful to His people? How is God faithful to us? opportunities to bring conversations about God Never Fails into your everyday life as a family. (Child s name), may you know that God will never fail you.