Children's session

Read Bible notes on Exodus 14:19-31

This passage about the Israelites being led by God, through water, to the Promised Land recalls the resurrection and links to the story of salvation. It is part of the wider narrative of the Israelites travelling from an oppressive regime in Egypt under Pharaoh, through slavery and exile to freedom and restoration. Approach the passage cautiously with younger/sensitive children, and emphasise that it is Pharaoh’s cruelty and stubbornness that causes the defeat of the Egyptian army. You could use the Under 5s version instead, if you need to.

The theme of journeying is a powerful one, particularly during September as we journey into a new academic year. On the journey, the presence of God is visible and powerful, leading the group. Does that make a difference to our experience of walking with God?

The Israelites become God’s people on the journey, rather than when they reach the Promised Land. Focus on the idea of transformation as we walk with God, and the power of relying on God as we journey together as a community.

Don't forget:
Activity and colouring sheets
Thrive: A resource to encourage family faith at home.
Plus: Songs, Prayers, Images
and links to templates and other online resources.

Green means go  W E S

You will need: images or objects which mean ‘Go’ e.g. a green traffic light, a chequered flag, a gate opening (e.g. in a train station), a ‘go’ sign, hand signals or see examples above. Click on the individual images to view larger versions.

• Display the images/objects and ask the children what they all have in common. Explain that they all tell us to ‘go’ and that they also are a sign that it is safe to go ahead.
• Explore how it would feel to see this sign but not know what was actually ahead, e.g. the other side of the road or around the corner – would they run, walk, or go at all?

Stuck in the middle  E

•  Ask the children to stand in the centre of your space and choose two children to be ‘it’. Explain that the aim is to get from the middle to one wall, in either direction, without being tagged. Say that if they are moving in one direction, if they get tagged, they must go back to the middle and start again and move in the other direction. Additionally, if they get tagged, they must stand still until another player frees them, by tapping their shoulder. 
• Have a few rounds of the game, changing who is tagging children each time.  
• Explore together what it feels like to be stuck and not be able to get to one side or the other, or not to do so without challenges ahead.  

Read the story and pause at the  to share these points with the children (see Stop and share below). Then use the activity to explore the passage together. (10 mins)

Click on the image to view a PDF. Once loaded, and depending on your browser, you may need to click on the three dots in the top right or the page view icon to view it as a 2 page spread.

Stop and share

During their years of wandering in the desert, God’s presence was with the Israelites in the form of a cloud and a fiery pillar.

War chariots were two-wheeled, horse-drawn vehicles, which allowed soldiers to shoot arrows or hurl spears while moving. They were symbols of military power, like modern-day tanks.

On the move W E

You will need:

the following items from the Moses children’s overview page:

1. Moses timeline Red Sea picture (colour);
2. printouts of the corresponding small colouring-in picture for this week;
3. the children’s Moses story booklets from last week;
   plus colouring pencils, scissors and glue.

• Tell the story by moving through your space with the children as best you can. Begin by moving from where you are to the middle of your space and on the word ‘trapped’ ask everyone to freeze. Next, invite everyone to lie down on the floor and pretend to sleep.
• As the reading continues, choose someone to be Moses – stretching their hand out and walking with the children through the middle of the space, miming looking from side to side as if there are walls of water surrounding you.
• Continue, increasing in speed until ‘God had rescued the Israelites’ – now encourage everyone to jump and celebrate until the passage concludes.
• Finally, introduce the A4 Moses timeline Red Sea picture (colour) to be added to the timeline from last Sunday. Invite children to colour in the corresponding black and white storybook picture and stick it in their booklet.

Pillar of cloud  E

A solid sign of God’s presence

You will need: paper plates, blue and yellow pens/pencils, lots of large white marshmallows.

• Give each child a paper plate and invite them to colour a pathway through the middle of their plate using yellow pens/pencils and then the edges, either side, in blue. This shows the path through the sea which was made when Moses held up his staff. Ask if they remember the sign God gave the Israelites. Explain that you will add this to the scene.
• Have a simple and fun competition to see who can balance the most white marshmallows on top of one another to make a pillar of ‘cloud’. Discuss how it would have helped the Israelites as they made a difficult journey, particularly thinking about how the cloud made a barrier between them and the Egyptians. What does that tell us about God?

or

Take the plunge E S

A game about trusting enough to follow

You will need: two large pieces of blue cloth

• Introduce a game where four people hold up two large pieces of cloth to represent the Red Sea. Ask them to make one whole piece of blue, with the cloths joined together. 
• Invite the children to consider where they are with trusting God as they look at such a difficult obstacle to cross. Then ask them to imagine Moses with them as leader. Encourage the children to stand at the edge of the sea if the presence of Moses increases their trust in God enough to follow Moses into the sea.
• Next, describe the power of God dividing the sea as Moses stretched out his hand. Ask those holding the cloth to part it in two, making a gap in the middle. Invite the children to walk into the sea if their trust in God has increased after this miracle.
• Finally, describe the pillar of cloud showing God was with the Israelites all the way as they walked through the sea. Encourage anyone else who feels able to trust God to now stand and walk through. You could add that the Israelites were travelling as a group and maybe, even if we are still not sure, travelling with others can help us. Encourage everyone to walk through together.  

Sending out E S A

Make a reminder of going with God when you leave church/group

You will need: paper, pencils, scissors, felt tips.

• Give each child paper and a pencil and help them draw round one of their feet. Ask them to cut out their foot shape.
• Next, work together with the children to think of some things God might be asking us to go and do. Encourage them to write or draw one idea on their foot shape, e.g. go and help others, go and tell people about Jesus, go and be kind.
• Go as a group to the door where the children leave the church/your space. Help everyone put their foot shape on the floor in a space and encourage them, each time they leave to step onto their footprint before they leave, as a reminder to go with God and do the things God is calling us to do.

Talk together and talk to God

Discuss the theme, then bring your thoughts together in prayer

• Have you ever been on a journey with someone guiding you?
  What did that feel like?
• In the passage, the Israelites can see God is with them through a cloud.
  Is there anything that helps you to feel God is with you?
• What does it feel like to think that God is already ahead of us and knows what our Monday morning will be like?

Walk and pray E S

Consider God with you on a journey

You will need: sticks e.g. bamboo garden canes, one per child; space (ideally outside) to walk in; prayer text to print out (see below).

• Give each child a stick and give these directions: Begin by placing it out ahead of you and thinking of God going before us on our journey. Next, step alongside the stick and think about how God is with us and near us. Finally, take a step ahead, leaving the stick where it was, so it is behind you. Now think about how God is behind us, watching over us wherever we go.
• Finally, invite everyone to purposefully place their sticks in those three different ways one more time, as you all pray the prayer below out loud.

  Prayer text

  Thank you, God, that you go ahead of us to prepare the way.
  Thank you that you are with us on each step of the journey.
  Thank you that you are behind us to watch over us as we journey on.
  Amen. 

Activity and colouring sheet

Click on the graphic to view this week's sheets.

• Ask the children what a visible sign of God being with you in the group would be, e.g. a cross, a lit candle, a Bible. Find, draw or display on a screen what they choose and talk together about how God is always present, but how helpful it is when we have something we can see.

Go with God challenge E S

Carry a visible sign of God’s presence with you this week, e.g. a cross, as a reminder that wherever you go, you go with God.

Thrive

Before you finish,
give out the Thrive
resource to encourage
faith at home.