The Tabernacle, the Ark, and the Priests: Exodus 25:10-22, 26:1-37, 28:1-2, 41

Story

We discussed three things God asked Moses to make/do in order to demonstrate to the Israelites how holy He is: the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, and the Priests. (Exodus 25:10-22, 26:1-37, 28:1-2, 41)

Big Idea
God is holy: perfect and special.

Bible Verse
Leviticus 11:45b - "Therefore be holy, because I am holy."

Misc
-To remember the three things God asked Moses to make/do in order to show the Israelites how holy He is, we used three "P" words and three props:
     1. The Tabernacle was God's special place. (We used a fancy bedsheet to represent the cloth of the Tabernacle.)
     2. The Ark of the Covenant was God's special package. (We used former Pastor Hadley's fancy, old cigar box.)
     3. The Priests were God's special people. (We used the most person-like action-figure I could find!)

-As we learned our verse, we played a game of Limbo. Why limbo? Well, in our lesson, we had discussed how the Ark was so special and represented God's presence that no one was allowed to touch it. The priests had to carry it using long wooden poles. So, mix the no-touching with the wooden poles, and you get Limbo!

-We discussed ways we could treat God as holy and special, such as giving Him our time, our things, and our talents.

Materials We Used
1. Lesson Plan
2. Small Group Leader Sheet
3. Verse Activity

Wandering the Desert, part 2: Be full of thanks, not complaints.

Story
Various stories about the Israelites wandering and complaining in the desert, Num. 11:4-35, 20:1-13, 21:4-9
-God provides lots of quail to eat
-God provides water from a rock, Moses
-God sends snakes and helps those bitten by them

Big Idea
Be full of thanks, not complaints.

Bible Verse
Philippians 2:14 - "Do everything without arguing or complaining."

Misc
-We talked about how no one wants to be around a complainer. Hearing complaints constantly can fill us with frustration and anger, like a balloon filled with air until it pops! We wrote out things we complain about on a balloon and then popped it. (Those in in the community next door probably heard it!)

-In the three parts of our story, the Israelites complained about something. To find out what they complained about, we inflated balloons that had the Israelites' complaints written on them. ("I'm soooo sick of manna!", "We're going to die before we find water!" and "No food, no water, and I'm still soooo sick of manna!"

-As we learned our verse, we played musical chairs. Instead of using a normal song, we listened to a really goofy song I made that helped get today's verse stuck in the kids' head. You can listen to it here (it's a Youtube video with only sound and a still image) or you can click the link below.

Materials We Used
1. Lesson Plan
2. Small Group Leader Sheet
3. Verse Activity
4. Verse Activity Goofy Song (WARNING: You cannot un-hear this song!)

Wandering in the Desert: God Takes Care of Us

Story

God provides water and manna for the Israelites, Exodus 15:22 - 17:7

Big Idea
God takes care of us.

Bible Verse
Philippians 4:19 - "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

Misc
- We played a game-show-style game called "Mystery Bag." We'd tell part of the story and then stop to select one of three "mystery bags." Each bag held a possible answer for the next part of the story, but only one was correct. The kids then picked which answer they thought was correct and which ones they though were false.

- The kids earned "valuable" prizes for each round of "Mystery Bag," including:
     - Pop Rocks (for when Moses struck the rock and water came out)
     - Gummy Worms (for when the manna went bad and became covered with maggots)
     - Popcorn (the Bible describes manna as white, flaky, and sweet, so popcorn is pretty close)

-We listed ways God has taken care of us. Some of the things the kids mentioned were: food, water, air, shelter, beds, parents, friends, the Bible.


Materials We Used
1. Lesson Plan
2. Small Group Leader Sheet
3. Verse Activity
4. Mystery Bag Answer Cards
5. Answer Cards