Young people's session

Read Bible notes on Exodus 14:19-31

The story of God parting the Red Sea and leading his people to freedom from the Egyptian army is one of the most visually striking stories in the Bible. It is a powerful demonstration of God’s rescuing power.

Can you think of difficult time when you sensed God’s presence leading you through it?

In this story, Pharaoh represents ruthlessness and cruelty, while God’s actions come from a place of love and freedom. Pharaoh leads his army to death. God leads his people to freedom. This emphasis could clarify how what happened to the Egyptian army was less a punishment from God and more a consequence of Pharaoh’s selfishness. While the parting of the Red Sea can feel more suited to a fantasy movie than our everyday lives, the forces of selfishness, arrogance and cruelty on display are sadly very much still relatable in our modern-day lives.

Don't forget:
Check-in: a weekly biblical reflection on youth and contemporary culture.
Thrive: A resource to encourage family faith at home.
Plus: Images and links to templates, music tracks and other online resources.

Rescued E S

You will need: multiple dice, toy figure.

Sit everyone in a circle/round a table. Place a toy figure in the centre. Players each roll a die. If it lands on the number six it becomes a race to see who can snatch the figure from the centre of the circle quickest. Repeat a couple of times and see who the best rescuer is.

Explain how today we’ll be thinking about how God wants to rescue us from things which are not good for us and show us love.

First impressions

You could also use the image and following questions to help introduce the theme.

Click on the image to view a larger version or use the Jump menu to go to This week's images. For artist's details, see this issue's illustrators.

Questions

• Would you be willing to walk on this bridge (Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge, China)?
• When have you stepped out in faith?
• How can you encourage others on their journey with God this week?

The Hebrews’ shoes E S

You will need: pens, paper and the events of the journey breakdown (see below).

• Read through the passage. Break down how the events of the journey unfolded and ask the young people to draw a sketch for each of the six different parts.
• Then ask everyone to walk back and forth across the room as if they are the people leaving Egypt. Can they match their walk to how they think the people felt at different parts of their journey? For example, leaving Egypt: excited/surprised/tired? The hours while God keeps the Egyptians at bay: fearful/anxious? Being chased: scared/panicked? When the waters’ part: amazed/apprehensive? Safe on the other side: joyful/relieved?
•  Play/sing ‘No longer slaves’, Bethel Music on We Will Not Be Shaken, noting how the lyrics fit with the Bible passage and theme.

Events of the journey breakdown

1. God leads the people through the wilderness as a pillar of smoke during the day and pillar of fire at night.
2. When the Egyptians appear the Pillar of Smoke and an Angel move to the back of God’s people and this keeps the army at bay.
3. God commands Moses to stretch out his hand and the Red Sea parts. He leads the people through using the dry path that has formed.
4. The Egyptians pursue the Israelites, but their chariots get stuck in the mud.
5. God tells Moses to stretch out his hand again. This time the waters come crashing down, destroying the Egyptian army.
6. God’s people are now safely on the other side. They’ve been rescued!

Would you rather go… W E

A game about making a choice to go

You will need: game instructions (see below).

• Play the ‘Would you rather go?’ game.
• Discuss how God rescuing us is an active process. We have a choice about who we follow, who we go with. In our story there were two leaders – God and Pharaoh. God’s love led his people to safety. Pharaoh’s cruelty led his army to death.
• Ask: Can you think of times when we must choose who we are going to go with? For example, in school it can be easy to go with the crowd and make fun of people, or will we choose to be different?

Game instructions

Suggest two places and the young people choose where they’d rather go. Play this several times. Check out these examples of potential places below or come up with your own.  

Would you rather go…  

• To Disney World™ or on a city break?
• To the moon or the bottom of the ocean?
• To see a play or to see a concert?
• To the beach or to climb a mountain? 
• To a cake shop or to an ice- cream shop? 
• To the dentist for a filling or to the doctors for an injection?  
• To the Lego™ store or to the Apple™ Store?
• To Old Trafford or to Anfield?
• To see a movie or to go bowling? 

or

Sea painting S A

An individual painting activity reflecting on rescue  

You will need: straws, paper, paint, paint brush. 

• Use straws to create a blow painting of the Red Sea. You can find tips here. Ask the young people to blow the paint to the left and the right so to leave some sort of gap in the middle.  
• In that gap, draw stick figures to represent people or groups they would like God to help and rescue. 

When the going gets tough W A

An activity about God being bigger than our fears

You will need: examples of optical illusions, pens, pencils, paper, additional leader notes (see below).

• Search for ‘optical illusions’ online and show the group some examples. Discuss how optical illusions rely on people’s perspective changing. Invite the young people to make their own optical illusion.
• In our Bible passage, God’s people were in an impossible situation, but God showed that he was bigger than their fears by parting the seas. God changed their perspectives.
• Ask the young people to write down any situation in their own lives which they find daunting. How can God help them?

Additional leader notes

This could be a delicate subject. We want to celebrate times when God answers prayers without making people feel that if God didn’t answer a prayer or a situation didn’t resolve itself in a way that they hoped, that doesn’t mean that God wasn’t there for them, or somehow they did something wrong not to be rescued or helped.

If the leaders feel comfortable, it might be useful for them to share some of their own experiences as you discuss this topic. There could be stories of deliverance where God answered prayers in an amazing way or where, looking back on the situation, it is clear that God answered prayer in an unexpected way. For others, it might be a story where rescue still hasn’t happened/didn’t seem to happen and their rescue comes in knowing God is with them through difficult experiences.

Whatever stories you share, make sure they are appropriate for the age and context of the group, and they are told sensitively.    

God with those who go A

A prayer activity for refugees

You will need: blankets, tarp, refugee statistics, copies of the prayer (see template).

• In our passage, the Israelites went into a scary situation because no matter how scary those walls of water must have felt they weren’t as scary as what was behind them – Pharaoh’s armies. In this activity we will connect that image with the humanitarian crises that are going on in the world at the current time.
• Put together make-shift shelters with the blankets/tarps. Would the young people want to live in these shelters?
• Across the world, millions of people are in risky situations because they are fleeing danger. Read out some of the current statistics about displaced people/refugees.
• Sitting in these make-shift shelters, write prayers for displaced people around the world using the prayer framework.

Check-in: Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues

Available by 10 am on Thursday 10 September 2026.

• Challenge the young people to do as many star jumps (or other task) or see how much of the Bible passage they can memorise, in one minute. Ask: How easy was it? Training for a sport event or learning lines isn’t always easy. But if you are an athlete or an actor, choosing to do something difficult is important if you want to succeed.
• So it is for us as Christians. We can all experience freedom as part of God’s family, but we have to participate in that rescue. Ask the young people to think about difficult situations in their lives. What difficult decisions/actions are we being called to make so that God can lead us through?
• Play ‘O lead me to the mountain’, Joyful Noise on Our Everlasting Hope to finish.

Go with God challenge W E A

Write down the name of someone you know who is having a difficult time and pray for them every day this week.

Thrive

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