Freedom
Exodus & Wilderness
Our journey together this year is exploring God’s Big Story in the Old Testament! In our first unit, we looked at the Beginning stories of God’s Creation in the first part of Genesis. In our second unit, we then explored the second part of Genesis where we learned about some of the first leaders and families in the Bible. Now, we are in the book of Exodus and will be learning about Moses and the Israelites!
It is encouraged that families watch the videos, read the texts, reflect on the summaries, respond to the questions and pray together. However, Club 56 participants can also do this on their own- you might need a journal for journaling some thoughts!
Invocation
Find your Club 56 Candle (or a Candle) that you can light.
Invocation: the act of inviting or welcoming or acknowledging that God is present in our space.
As you light your candle, say this invocation out loud: “I light this candle in the name of God, our Creator; Jesus, our Savior; and the Holy Spirit, our Inspirer. The three in one!”
Connect Video
Get a taste of this week’s theme by watching ONE of these videos!
Exodus Video
Reflection Question:
If the Israelites would have had a choice to follow Moses or to safely return to slavery in Egypt, which do you think they would have chosen and why?
OR
Wilderness Video
Reflection Question:
A few months in the wilderness is one thing; 40 years is another. Would you have left Egypt knowing what was ahead? Why or why not?
Connect is a curriculum from SPARK that is specifically designed for 5th and 6th graders.
Read, Reflect & Respond
Take some time to dig in deep to the Bible!
Need a Bible? Contact Leah M!
Our first reading is about the exodus, check it out!
Read the Text: Exodus 14:21-30
After you read, write the definition of the word “Exodus” in the margins. It means “the leaving of the Israelites from Egypt.”
Reflect on the Summary:
“Moses was summoned by God to rescue the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, but the journey was not easy. After escaping Pharaoh, Moses and the Israelites found themselves trapped between an approaching Egyptian army and the Red Sea. With the Egyptian army approaching from behind them, they were left to wonder whether they were all about to die.
But God had promised to be with Moses and equip him for the task to which he had been called. At God’s command, Moses lifted his staff, and the Red Sea parted. In faith, the Israelites stepped into the path between the walls of water, and the sea remained parted. God was with them. When the Israelites needed God, when their hopes had been dashed, God heard their cries and responded. The Israelites walked away from slavery across the Red Sea.”
Respond to the Questions:
- Before you knew of God’s plan, what would you have said to Moses as Pharaoh’s army approached?
- How do you feel about what happened to Pharaoh’s army?
This week we are reading two texts! Check out the text below about Wilderness.
Read the Text #2: Exodus 16:1-8
After you read, write “God is always with us” in the margins because God is always with us, even when we complain like the Iraelites.
Reflect on the Summary:
“Setting out into the wilderness is a frequent biblical theme. For ancient people, the wilderness represented danger. Many were called to travel into the wilderness. God often used the wilderness to refine and transform God’s people. In the wilderness, everything was stripped away, and God would begin to work. After being led by Moses across the parted Red Sea, the Israelites traversed the wilderness for 40 years. Wilderness life was difficult enough that they missed the security of the oppressed life they had left behind. When everything else was gone, the Israelites were forced to rely on God. Though their approach was whiny, God provided all they required to survive, including bread that rained down from heaven. In the wilderness, the Israelites were being prepared and refined as God’s people, but they were also being tested. In their fear and distress, they were quick to forget what God had done for them. Even when they were ungrateful, God continued to form them as God’s chosen people.”
Respond to the Questions:
- What would the world be like if we got everything we demanded?
- Is taking issues to God is a faithful thing to do? Why or why not?
Remember (Club 56 Binder)
Our Club 56 Binders are for taking notes and helping us remember details in God’s Big Story!
Need a binder? Contact Leah M.
Get out your Club 56 Binder and find the green page with the chariot (labeled Exodus) AND the page with tree (labeled Wilderness). Find the paragraph about why we are using a chariot and boom tree as a symbol to remember these stories and read about it!
On the chariot, write important key words, people, events or notes that you want to remember about the first text you read. Then, on the boom tree, write important key words, people, events or notes that you want to remember about the second text you read.
Need help? Revisit the texts we explored today or read the paragraph at the bottom of the paper.
“Here I am” Craft Video
Find some time to do this craft! When you are done, share a photo with Leah!
Supplies should have been delivered to your house- let Leah M. know if you didn’t get them.
Prayer
“Ever Present God,
Thank you for always being there for us! We know that we complain and ask a lot of you and you continue to give us what we need. Help us continue to look for you and thank you for all the wonderful gifts in our lives.
In your name,
Amen”
Benediction
It’s time to blow out or turn off your candle and go on with your day with a blessing.
Benediction: a blessing that sends you out on your day!
As you turn off your candle, bless the people in your home by saying,” May God bless you and keep you, may God’s face shine upon you and may God always go with you and give you peace!”
Quoted texts are revised from:
Connect Leader Guide. Unit 3—Freedom: Exodus. wearesparkhouse.org © 2013 sparkhouse. All rights reserved.
Connect Leader Guide. Unit 3—Freedom: Wilderness. wearesparkhouse.org © 2013 sparkhouse. All rights reserved.
May be reproduced for local use only provided each copy carries this notice.