Freedom
Promised Land
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!
Promised Land Video
Reflection Questions:
- Have you ever gone on vacation then whined about it? How did adults respond? How long do you think it took the Israelites to start complaining about their new land? What might they have disliked?
- When have you achieved something that took a long time? How did it feel?
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!
Read the Text: Joshua 4:19-24
After you read, make a river or a stone path drawing next to the text. The stones memorialized not just crossing into the Promised Land, but all God had done for the Israelites.
Reflect on the Summary:
“The Israelites crossed the Jordan River on the anniversary of the Passover, the moment God freed them from enslavement in Egypt. After 40 years of journeying in the wilderness, the Israelites were able to celebrate Passover by finally entering the Promised Land.
Hundreds of years had passed since God made a covenant with Abraham and Sarah that their descendants would be a great nation. After generations of suffering, waiting, and wandering, those descendants arrived at the Promised Land. There they built a memorial from river stones. Future generations would see the stones and inquire about their meaning. It was important that the Israelites retell the story of how God delivered them. The Israelites would soon have the responsibility to tend to the Promised Land as God’s people, but they could not do so without remembering how it was that they got there. The God who brought them out of Egypt was forever part of the Israelites’ collective story.
As the Israelites settled as foreigners in a land occupied by others, they soon realized that the Promised Land wasn’t a pampered world of Eden. God expected a lot from the Israelites in the Promised Land.”
Respond to the Questions:
- Forty years was a long time to journey; how would you have kept faith in God’s promise?
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 flag (promised land). Find the paragraph about why we are using a flag to remember this story and read about it!
On the flag, write important key words, people, events or notes that you want to remember about the first text you read.
Need help? Revisit the texts we explored today or read the paragraph at the bottom of the paper.
Prayer
“Ever Present God,
Thank you for guiding us and always being true to your promises! Help us to remember that you are always there and you will provide for us. Be with us as we continue on our day and help us share Your love with all that we meet.
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: Promise Land. wearesparkhouse.org © 2013 sparkhouse. All rights reserved.
May be reproduced for local use only provided each copy carries this notice.