Week 4: God is Powerful

This week's lesson combines the story of the 10 plagues with the Israelites crossing of the Red Sea. This means that this weekend you have a neat opportunity to talk about either or both because both of these events show that God is Powerful.

The Plagues

Here they are and some fun ways to make the story come alive for the kids.

• Rivers, streams, creeks, even water in the buckets turns to blood killing all the fish and the water will stink.

Hold out a stick/rod/staff over the pretend river. "Watch" it turn to blood. Ask the kids what color would it be. Ask them what color should it be. Have the kids hold their noses b/c the smell is so awful.

• Frogs everywhere

Now have the kids jump around like frogs. Talk about where they Egyptians might have found frogs - on their tables, in their seats, in their dishes, in their ovens, etc.

• Gnats everywhere

Now strike your stick/rod/staff on the ground. Explain that when Aaron (Moses' helper) did this the dust became gnats. Help the kids understand what a gnat is and how they fly in your face, they get up by your eyes, they just pester your skin and how you have to swat them. Have the kids swat them everywhere.

• Flies everywhere

Continue with swatting the gnats but explain now there was flies everywhere. Buzzing here and there. Have the kids buzz. But explain that God did not send flies where the Israelites where; He kept them safe. Make a "safe" zone in your classroom and have the kids fly there, buzzing as they go and then stop buzzing and moving once in the safe zone.

• Animals die

Have the kids act like different animals. Pick some to be cows. Some donkeys. Some camels. Have the kids move and sound like them. Then explain that God caused all the animals to die. Have the kids fall down on the ground dead. But remember that God protected the Israelites' animals and have the kids move to the safe zone where they begin acting like animals again.

• Boils/sores on their skins

Now have the kids hold their arm or their leg like it is hurting, like it is burning. Explain that God sent boils and sores on all of the men and any animals left.

• Hail

Ask the kids if they know what hail is. Describe what it is to them: hard ice that falls from the ground. God send hail all over the land. God warned everyone that they should find shelter and bring all their animals because the hail would be so bad that anyone or any animal left outside when be hurt and die. Have the kids run around the try to "hide" and find shelter before the storm comes.

• Locusts everywhere who eat everything

Once again explain what locusts are to kids. Animals that fly and make noise and they fly in great groups - sometimes there are so many they look like one big giant black cloud. They like to eat up crops. So the locusts came and ate up all the crops - corn, wheat, fruit and all the trees. Have the kids pretend to duck as you make the noise of the locusts- humming softly at first and then louder as they come closer.

• Darkness all over

Then God made it dark outside for three whole days. None of the Egyptians could leave their house because they couldn't see any thing. It was so dark. But the Israelites had light where they lived. Divide the kids in 1/2 and send on group to one side of the room and the other to the other side. Have one group get down and huddled together. They are scared and can't leave b/c they can't see it's so dark outside. Have the other group be the Israelites and have them run around b/c they can see.

• Death of the first-born child of all Egyptian families

Have the kids sit down and explain that the last plague is a very sad plague. The Pharaoh wouldn't let the Israelites go and be free. He wouldn't obey God so God said that the first child of every family, of every animal would die.

End this discussion of the plagues by discussing how powerful God is that He control everything - animals, the water, the sun, even life. And God was powerful enough to protect the Israelites.

Word of Caution - when telling the last plague, remember the focus is that God is powerful and can do anything. At this age do not stay too long on this last plague b/c we do not want children going home scared or thinking if they disobey God he will strike them dead. The focus should be on the fact that God controls everything - even life and that He was able to protect the Israelites and even Moses and Aaron while they talked to the Pharaoh.

I would recommend this for the 4 and older crowd.

Crossing the Red Sea

Divide the kids into 2 groups. One is the Israelites and one is the Egyptians. Have the Israelites march around the room. They are heading to the freedom. They should be shouting and be happy and dancing. And then they should see the Red Sea. They can't cross and now they cry out and say, "OH NO!" They start to cry. Then they look back and the Egyptians are marching toward them. Have the 2nd group march slowly toward them. Then have Moses (the teacher) stretch out the stick/rod/staff and ask God for help. The Red Sea will part and all the Israelites should cross. And then once they have all crossed have them sit down on the floor and watch what happens to the Egyptians. Have the Egyptians begin to cross and have the kids act out what would happen if the waters fell on them. They would drown. They would fall to the bottom. They would float away.

Talk with the kids about how God is powerful and can do anything. Talk about how He is different from super-heroes. He is real and superheroes have special powers but they are limited. God is not limited. He can do anything!

Fidget Buster & Prayer Helps

Here are two good Fidget Busters to do with our kids that tie into the rainy weather we have had this week and to our theme of building.

Fidget Buster 6: Caught in the Rain

Taken from Fidget Busters 101: Quick Attention-Getters for Children's Ministry by Jolene L. Rochlkepartain.

Tell children that they're plants and must stand with their feet firmly on the floor. Without moving their feet, they must react to different kinds of weather like a plant. Then announce these different kinds of weather. Do the actions with them.

• Rain
• Sun
• Breeze
• Snow
• Wind
• Hail

Say: Let's uproot ourselves and plant our selves back into our seats (on the circle) to learn more about our lesson.

Fidget Buster 21: Fix the Room
Taken from Fidget Busters 101: Quick Attention-Getters for Children's Ministry by Jolene L. Rochlkepartain.

Say: Did you know Jesus learned to be a carpenter from his dad, Joseph? Let's pretend we're carpenters and fix up the room. Have children run to an area you call out and fix it in the way you say. Do the motions with them. For example:

• Hammer the floor
• Saw the door
• Measure the window
• Drill the wall

Then say: You're all such good carpenters! You'd make Jesus proud. Now let's make noises like drills and drill our way back to our lesson so we can learn more about him.

Prayer Help: See & Touch Prayer
Taken from Hooray! Let's Pray! by Group

Truth: Everything we see reminds us to give thanks.

Cut scraps of different colored paper into pieces no smaller than 2 inches square. Collect scraps of material of different textures. Place the paper and the material scraps in a bag. Let each child pick an item from the bag and say a prayer of thanks to God for something that is the same color, or something that feels like what he or she is holding. For instance, he or she might thank God for the blue sky, a fuzzy bunny, a shiny red apple, or a soft doll.

Week 3: Moses & the Burning Bush

This week we are learning about God calling Moses. Moses sees a bush that is on fire but is not burning. Could you imagine this? I think of all the forest fires out West. Could you imagine those fires burning fierce but nothing being burned up, nothing being destroyed? That's how amazing our God is: He can consume without destroying.

But even seeing this amazing thing Moses wasn't sure he wanted to do what God was asking. And he had real reasons to not want to. He had lived with the Pharaoh; he was royalty himself raised by the Pharaoh's daughter. He knew the laws of the land; he knew the power of the Pharaoh. He also knew that he had killed an Egyptian and aligned himself with the Israelites in doing so. He was a wanted man and God wanted him to march into the court of Pharaoh and demand that Pharaoh release the people of Israel, the people which the Pharaoh used to increase his riches and his domain. It sounded like a crazy plan to Moses; it was a crazy plan.

Christ calls us to obey Him in the face of many obstacles and many times what He asks is crazy. He tells us to love our enemies; to go the extra mile with no expectation of anything in return. His way is not our way. Our kids experience this on a daily basis. They have to make choices about whether to obey mom or dad, whether to share their toys, whether to be kind to their sibling, whether to lie when in trouble. It isn't always easy and doesn't always make sense to do the right thing. Moses, standing at the burning bush arguing with God, is a reminder that God not only loves us and has a plan for us (why else would he allow Moses to argue back) but He wants us to succeed and is willing to help us. He gave Moses help and He will help us and our kids to obey Him.

This lesson ties in directly with our memory verse: I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me. Philippians 4:13. Spend some time with your kids reciting the verse and talking about real life situations they face and how Jesus can help them obey.

In Your Class

Play a game of "Mother May I?" Each child gets a turn to ask you (or another child) if they can do an specific activity such as run, jump, close their eyes, clap, stomp, turn around, sit, etc. the only rule is they have to ask by saying, "Mother may I?" Then you or the child leading can tell them "yes" or "no". They must obey whatever the leader says.

After playing the game talk with the children about how God has given us rules to live by. Have the kids see if they can name some of those rules: be kind, don't shove, share, listen, etc. God gave us those rules so that we could have a good place to live and He knows if we obey Him it will be a better place to live. And just like in our game we all had to ask the leader if we could do something and we had to obey if the leader said "yes" or if the leader said "no", we have to obey God too.

OR

Teach the children the song Head and Shoulders, Knees & Toes. To teach them though do not tell them what you are going to do. Explain that they are have to do whatever you tell them to do and when they are done they will have learned something new. Start by having the kids say "knees and toes". Then have them say "knees and toes" while touching their knees and toes. Then have them say "head and shoulders". Again have them repeat it touching their head and shoulders. Then have them do all four, "head and shoulders, knees and toes". Then have them fall down. Then have them get back up. And fall down again. Now explain that by obeying everything you told them to do they are now ready to sing the song.

Head and shoulders, knees and toes. Knees and toes.

Head and shoulders, knees and toes. Knees and toes.

We all fall down!