.
Scripture: Exodus chapters 6-12, with emphasis on Exodus 12:21-42.
Memory Verse: Romans 8:39: Nothing in all creation can separate us from God's love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord! (CEV).
Concepts:
·
God
helps people who suffer.
·
God
remembers and keeps God’s promises.
·
God
commands us to remember God’s salvation in worship.
·
God
saved God’s people with a mighty hand.
Objectives:
1.
Children
will learn the story of Moses and the Plagues
and Passover by acting.
2.
The
children will recognize that God kept God’s promises to protect suffering
people.
3.
The
class will celebrate Passover with pita bread and grape juice.
Procedure:
Welcome and Introductions:
1.
Greet
the children and introduce yourself.
Wear your nametag.
2.
Explain
the purpose of this workshop. Children will act out the plagues and celebrate
Passover.
Scripture/Bible Story:
1.
Review
the history of Moses briefly. The Israelites have been slaves in Egypt and wish
to leave, but the king of Egypt won’t release them. God has told Moses to lead
the Israelites out of Egypt and has promised to help him. Moses and his brother
Aaron speak to the king requesting that the slaves be released from slavery,
but the king refuses. Aaron performs the miracle of turning the Nile to blood;
still the king is not convinced. Through 9 plagues the king’s heart is hardened
and he refuses to let the Israelite people go.
2.
The
plagues are blood, frogs, gnats, flies, dead animals, boils, hail, locusts, and
darkness. Finally Moses warns the king that the Lord will pass through the land
and every first born Egyptian will die. Still the king refuses to release the
Israelites.
3.
Have
the children use their Bibles to locate the scripture for this lesson (Exodus
12:21-42). Make sure that all children are able to locate Exodus. Assist the
kids having trouble.
4.
Once
all children have located the passage, read it together as a group. They may
take turns reading or you can read it to them.
5.
Ask
if there are any questions. You may need to explain the terms, plague, locust
and boil. If this is the first week of rotation you may want to show where
Egypt and the Nile are on a map or globe.
Application:
Go
as a group to each plague station. The Israelites (the whole class except those
being Pharaoh or God) say, "Will you let our people go?" Each time the king replies “No!”
Blood plague: blue towels
lined up to represent the Nile.
Israelites: Will you let our people go?
King: No!
God: Then Moses will touch his
stick to the water and the Nile will turn to blood.
Children throw a red
streamer into the Nile to represent blood.
Frog plagues: Have a bag of small plastic frogs or cardboard pictures of frogs and a pillow and bowl.
Israelites: Will you let our people go?
King: No!
God: Then there will be a plague
of frogs. Frogs will be everywhere, in your food bowls and in your beds.
(Children each try to toss a
frog into the “kings” bowl or pillow)
Lice plague: Lice can be small paper shreds, rice or confetti.
Israelites: Will you let our people go?
King: No!
God: Then there will be a plague
of lice.
Sprinkle
a few pieces of confetti into each child’s hair.
Fly plague: flies are small pieces of black paper on a tray.
Israelites: Will you let our people go?
King: No!
God: Then there will be flies
buzzing everywhere.
Children each take a turn swatting flies.
Dead animals plague: have some stuffed animals or bean bag animals and a basket.
Israelites: Will you let our people go?
King: No!
God: Then animals will die throughout the land.
Children toss “dead animals” into basket.
Israelites: Will you let our people go?
King: No!
God: Then the people in this
country will develop a skin disease and have boils on their skin.
Children stick “boils” to their arms.
Hail plague: Have ping pong balls and throw them at a poster board picture of crops (wheat or corn, etc.)
Israelites: Will you let our people go?
King: No!
God: Then great hailstones will
destroy the crops in the fields.
Each child throws a “hail
stone” at the crops
Locust plague: Have clothes pins painted green for locusts, and fake tree or plant.
Israelites: Will you let our people go?
King: No!
God: Then great swarms of
locusts will destroy what is left including the trees.
Each child clips a
“locust” to a tree.
Darkness plague: Table covered with dark cloth.
Israelites: Will you let our people go?
King: No!
God: Then there will be darkness
both night and day.
Children crawl under dark
table.
Death of first-born children:
Israelites: Will you let our people go?
King: No!
God: Moses, tell your people to
mark a red cross on their doors tonight. All firstborn sons in Egypt will die,
but I will protect the houses with the red crosses, the illness will pass over
these houses.
Children each draw a red cross on the white board or poster.
God: The next day Moses and his
people were safe but there were many Egyptians dead.
King: Moses, you and your people
must leave this country. Take your sheep and go away, but ask your God to be
kind to me.
God: Moses, you and your people
will celebrate Passover to give thanks that your first born children were
spared from illness and to give thanks for your freedom from slavery.
At this time the workshop
leader directs the children to the Passover area, either a table or carpet
squares.
Leader shows a basket of Matzo crackers with the explanation that bread without
yeast (flat bread) was eaten at Passover because the Israelites had to leave
Egypt quickly without time to let bread rise properly. A lamb or other animal
was killed and its blood used to mark the Israelites doors so that death would
pass over that house. The lamb also represents Jesus who is the Lamb of God who
takes away the sin of the world. Israelites sacrificed lambs to save their
first-born children. God sacrifice Jesus (who is called the Lamb of God) to
save us from sin.
The
leader says a blessing over the food. The class shares the matzo and grape
juice.
Reflection Time:
1.
God
helped the Israelites suffering as slaves. How does God help us when we suffer?
God gives us comfort when we pray, parents to help us feel better, doctos and
nurses to heal us when we are sick, friends to cheer us up when we are sad,
helpers like rescue workers, police officers, and fire fighters when there is a
disaster, teachers and tutors when we are struggling in school, etc.
2.
How
can we help others who are suffering? We can help with kind words, hugs,
prayers, or larger things such as donating food, time and money to those who
need it.
Ask
the shepherds to pass out the journals and pencils/markers.
Prompts
for journal writing: What ways do we remember God and his promises to us? By worshipping,
singing, praying, learning about God and by our loving behavior every day
(being kind to and helping one another.)
Prayer: (suggestion) Ask for prayer requests and
include them in your prayer. Thank you, God, for helping people who suffer and
for keeping your promise to us by sending your son Jesus, the Lamb of God.
Amen.
Tidy and Dismissal: Ask the children to help
tidy up. Place plague stations
material in a box to be used for next week.
Teacher preparation in
advance:
1. Read the scripture passages and attend the Faith Quest Leaders Bible Study.
2. Prepare a closing prayer.
3. Check out the room before your first Sunday workshop so that you know where everything is located.
Supply List
·
Blue towels and
red streamers
·
Bread bowl,
plastic or cardboard frogs
·
Paper shreds or
confetti
·
Black paper
scraps, fly swatter, tray
·
Large basket,
stuffed animals
·
Sticky paper
circles
·
Ping pong balls
and poster board
·
Clothes pins
painted green, fake tree or bush
·
Table cloth and
table
·
White board and
red marker
·
Carpet square or
table and chairs for eating
·
Matzo and grape
juice
·
Cups and napkins
References
· Egypt to the Promised Land: The Plagues in Egypt, from Creative Bible Learning Series.
· Rotation Lesson Sets: Exodus Rotation Overview. Rotation Workshop Book by Neil McQueen.
· Life of Moses Museum, Children's Ministry Magazine, September/October 1998.