Powerless
WELCOME TO WEEK 1
We sometimes feel helpless, and we don’t know the right solution to our problem. Even when we don’t have all the answers, we can trust God will help us. This week we will read a story about a family God helped when they didn’t see an answer to their problem.
BIBLE STORY
We all need help sometimes from the people around us. Listen to the following statements and decide who you would call on for help.
-your house is on fire
-you can’t tie your shoes
-your cat is stuck in the tree
-you are stuck on a test question
-you ate something bad and your stomach hurts
-you are afraid of the dark
-your car is broken down on the road
-you don’t know what to order off the menu
-you want to learn how to double dutch
We all need help sometimes because we can’t do something on our own. We can ask help from community helpers, our parents, teachers, pastors and friends! Sometimes we need help that only God can give. Can you think of a time that you needed God’s help? Our story for this week a family needed help protecting their baby. God provided protection and helped not only 1 family, but ultimately an entire nation of people, through this one baby. Let’s read in our story to find out what baby was saved and how God helped this family when they may have felt helpless.
In the story of Joseph there are some happy and sad moments. Through the sad and difficult moments, Joseph still trusted God would fulfill what He said He would do. God had revealed to Joseph that he would run over others but it took some time for it to happen. When God makes a promise He keeps that promise, even when it doesn’t happen in the time we think it should.
Read or listen to the Bible story Exodus 1:22-2:10
What did Pharaoh order to all his people? (To throw all Hebrew boys into the Nile, but let girls live)
How long did Moses’ parents hide him at home? (3 months)
What did Moses’ mom make as a new way to hid him? (A papyrus basket coated with tar and pitch)
Where did Moses’ mom place the basket? (In the reeds along the bank of the Nile)
Who found Moses in the basket in the Nile? (Pharaohs daughter)
What did Moses’ sister suggest to Pharoah’s daughter? (That she would get a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby)
How long did Moses stay with his mother before going to live with Pharaohs daughter? (The woman took the baby and nursed him and when he was older she took him to live with Pharaohs daughter)
BIBLE STORY ACTIVITY
God helped Moses’ parents hide him in the brush of the Nile in a basket boat. When Pharaoh’s daughter found him she rescued him and sent him back to be raised by his mother before bringing him to live at the palace. God helped their family and ultimately rescued the nation of Israel.
Activity
Moses’ mother weaved a basket that she placed him into on the river. Try your hand at weaving. Create a simple loom to weave strips of paper, material or clothes. Use additional materials such as paint, colorful tape, beads or sequence to make it your own. Use the following website for more detailed instructions on how to create your loom.
Materials: clothes, craft sticks, rubber bands. optional: paint, beads, sequence colorful tape
Alternate
Using a large plastic laundry basket, give your small child a ride on the river in their basket boat. As you move them along the “river”, ask them questions about the story. Who was the baby in the boat? Why did his mother place him in the boat? What was Pharaoh trying to do to all the Israelite baby boys? How did God help this family?
Materials: plastic laundry basket
Independent activity:
Complete the following activity sheet matching the picture with how God helped them.
Materials: printed activity sheet, pencil, crayons
ARTS & CAFTS
CRAFT 1
Complete the following Moses paper plate craft
Materials: Regular-sized Paper Plates, Water Color Paints and Paint Brushes, Green Construction Paper, Crayons, Magic Markers, or Colored Pencils, Glue Gun, Scissors, Card Stock (Heavy Paper)
Craft 2
Coloring page
Materials: printed coloring sheet, crayons
FOLLOW-UP
Who was placed in a basket on the river?
Why did Moses’ mother place him in the basket?
What was Pharaoh trying to do to all the Israelite boys?
How did God help Moses’ family?
Where did Moses live when he was a baby?
How does God help you?
How do your parents help you?
Practical Application at Home
We all have people in our lives who have helped us when we needed help. We can trust that God helps us as well as other people in our lives. Think of situations this week and month in which you needed someone’s help. Did they know to help you or did you have to ask for help? Were you afraid to ask for help?
Tell how the following people have helped you in a situation this week or month.
Dad
Mom
Aunt
Uncle
Grandparent
Brother or sister
Teacher
Pastor
Friend
Additional Resources
Outings to Reinforce Lesson
Donate to a local food shelter or toy drive this Christmas season. As a family, volunteer together or pick out toys you think another child your age might enjoy.