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Welcome back to our third week of Learning Together! I am glad you can
join us in our last online lesson this month about the story “God Makes a Way.” This story is found on pages 92-99 of The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. Children: This week I would like you to reread the story yourself, aloud or silently, or maybe read the story to another family member or friend. Was it hard for God’s people to trust God that He would save them from the soldiers and the Red Sea? What do you think they must have been thinking as they walked through the pillars of water to the other side? What would YOU be thinking at such a moment? Is it hard for us, God’s people nowadays, to trust in God? Why is it so difficult at times to trust? What can we do to make our faith stronger? Please share any of your thoughts and comments with all of us on our RLC blog! Pastor Steve will enjoy hearing your opinions and how you feel about the story. Adults: The Biblical reference for this story is Exodus 14-15. To complete our discussion of three adult modern-day truths learned from the Red Sea miracle, our last is We Are Never Alone. (The first two are God Can Be Trusted and Focus On God, Not The Problem.) Just as God did not leave the Israelites alone in their fleeing from Pharaoh and the Egyptian army, God will never leave us alone. The Lord promises to be with us every step of the way. Even when we think we are alone, we are not. Whether we are walking down the street or we are sitting alone in a room, the Holy Spirit consumes the space around us. This can bring great comfort to your soul and give you peace. We can overlook this particular truth while reading the account of the Red Sea miracle because all we see is that God parts the Red Sea for Israel. We do not equate God doing the same for us. However, as believers in Christ, we are now all chosen, as were the Israelites, and dearly loved by God. The parting of the Red Sea is a major turning point in the Bible during Israel’s exodus from Egypt. Without God’s provision, the Israelites would have been recaptured, re-enslaved, or even killed by Pharaoh and his army. Thankfully, the Israelites were not alone because God was with them. In the same way, God can help us “part” the Red Seas in our lives and give us relief from our troubles. Your comments/questions as adults are also important to our discussions. Pastor Steve appreciates others’ opinions Please feel free to respond on this blog. ~This week’s prayer: I thank my dear Lord for surrounding me with His Holy Spirit. Amen This lesson concludes our online study of “God Makes a Way”. This coming Sunday, September 24, Sunday School will meet at 11:00 am. after church services to discuss our story and do a craft. Hope to see you there! ~Margo Greer
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Hi Friends! Here is the second September week of Learning Together and
another opportunity to listen and read and imagine and pray around this month’s selected story, “God Makes a Way”, found on pages 92-99 of The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. Children: At the close of the first lesson, I asked you to imagine you are one of God’s people who had made it to the Red Sea only to look back and see the Pharaoh, his chariots, and his soldiers coming to re-capture you! What words came to mind? Listen to the story being read aloud to you again, but this time, I would like you to follow along in your own books. Check out each picture, which is also called an illustration, as you listen. You can always pause the video if you need more time. Maybe you would like to draw your own illustration(s) or write out the story in your own words. (Remember, books are available for free at our church or could be ordered online.) Can you answer the following important story questions about the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea? *How were God’s people trapped? (The pharaoh and his soldiers were coming from behind, and the Red Sea, too large to swim, was in front of them.) *How did God save His people? (God caused a strong wind to blow that parted the water into two towering walls on either side, and God’s people could walk through on dry land to the other shore.) *What happened to the Pharaoh and his soldiers when they tried to follow God’s people through the pillars of water? (The walls of water crashed back down on them, and they all drowned.) We will discuss each of these questions at our Sunday School meeting on 9/24 at 11 am. If you would like to ask Pastor Steve, our interim pastor, any questions or offer any comments about this story, please do so on this blog. He will respond to you. Adults: The Biblical reference for this story is Exodus 14-15. As you may recall, the adult section of last week’s lesson spoke of the first of three truths that we as adults can learn from the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea (God Can Trusted). Here is second truth: Focus on God, Not The Problem. The Israelites were afraid of Pharaoh and the Egyptian army storming behind them, but they did not need to be ruled by fear because they had Someone the Egyptians didn’t - God. Sadly, the Israelites created a historical habit of doubting God and grumbling against Him and Moses, yet God did not punish them, but rather, He parted the Red Sea and delivered His chosen people despite their sin. Instead of focusing on the problem (Pharaoh and his army), the Israelites needed to focus on God. In our lives, we need to do the same. In our present-day, hectic lives, it can be hard not to obsess over our problems, but the Lord does not want this for His children. Anxiety, stress, and worries need to be given over to the Lord. Give all of your concerns to Him. God will give us peace if we ask. No matter what your problem is, God is bigger. We should always keep our eyes focused on Jesus. Like the Israelites, we have Someone too! As with Pastor Mary, our interim pastor. Pastor Steve, will welcome and respond to any adult questions or comments on this blog. ~This week’s prayer: I pray that I will put my fears and worries in God’s hands each and every day. Amen There will be one more online lesson for “God Makes a Way” next week, and then Sunday School is meeting on September 24 at 11 am. for discussion and a craft. So long for now, Margo Greer Welcome back after our summer break to the first of the 2023-24 online Learning Together/Sunday School series! As before, each month we will explore a new Bible story with three weekly online lessons, and we will meet as a Sunday School on the fourth Sunday of each month, from 11 am. to 11:45 am., to discuss each story and do a craft. You and your family are invited to listen and read and create and pray around the selected story, which this month is ”God Makes a Way.” It is found on pages 92-99 of The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. If you would like your own copy, our church has extra copies to give to you, to keep as long as you would like. Children: Please begin by listening to the story read aloud to you in our Learning Together email. As you listen, close your eyes, and imagine you are one of God’s people who is fleeing from the Pharaoh, an Egyptian king. He had been holding you and the rest of God’s people as slaves for years. After he finally agreed to set you free (Remember the 10 plagues?), he changed his mind and wanted you back to be his slaves again. How would you feel when you saw the chariots and soldiers chasing you down? Adults: The Biblical reference for this story is Exodus 14-15. The parting of the Red Sea is a story that many people hear in Sunday School. However, not many people associate the parting of the Red Sea with their adult life; it seems grownups leave this miracle tucked away in a child's picture Bible. There are several truths we as adults can learn from this groundbreaking miracle. Here is the first one: God Can Be Trusted. Often, we can be guilty of not trusting God. Rather than trusting God, we tend to worry, fret, and panic. The parting of the Red Sea reminds us God can be trusted. The Lord divinely protected the Israelites from the Egyptians by day and by night. Pharaoh and his army were on the heels of the Israelites; they were going to overpower and recapture the Israelites. Despite the odds, the Israelites escaped the clutches of Pharaoh and his Egyptian army because of God's gracious plan. When we read this account of the parting of the Red Sea, we often forget that God did the impossible and protected the Israelites by giving them dry land to cross. No mere person could make a dry path in the midst of the Red Sea as it was done by the mighty hand of God. Since God did this amazing feat for Israel, why is it so difficult for us to trust Him with the troubles of our lives? Instead of giving in to the constant worry in our heads, we need to dive deep into the love of God and simply trust Him. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” God knows every single problem, worry, and anxious thought in our hearts and He yearns to relieve us of this burden. We can trust God because He has proven Himself faithful not only by parting the Red Sea, but also by redemption through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. If we can trust God with the salvation of our souls, we can definitely trust Him in our everyday lives. Trust God and lean on Him. He will never fail you.  ~This week’s prayer: Thank you God for hearing our prayers. Amen
There will be two more lessons online this September about the “God Makes a Way” story. This month’s Sunday School will meet at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 24, after church services. All are welcome to join the discussion and enjoy a craft. Have a safe week! Margo Greer |
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