Exodus 16:2-21; 17:1-4 Israelites long for Egypt

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1 Exodus 16:2-21; 17:1-4 Israelites long for Egypt Bible Story: Israelites long for Egypt Exodus 16:2-21; 17:1-4 Bottom Line: When you focus on what you used to have, you can miss what you have now. Memory Verse: I have learned the secret to being content no matter what happens. I am content whether I am well fed or hungry. I am content whether I have more than enough or not enough. Philippians 4:12b, NIrV Basic Truth: Philippians 4:12b (NIrV), I have learned the secret of being content no matter what happens. I am content whether I am well fed or hungry. I am content whether I have more than enough or not enough. God doesn t leave us. He never lets us down. Yet, in spite of that, we tend to worry and forget to trust. But the truth is that God is faithful. He cares for the littlest details of this world. God will care for us, and we can be content with what we have. Community: Establishing relationships in your group between kids and kids / leaders and kids. (Life Groups, 15 minutes) Before kids arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your group for the first time. Your kids might not struggle as much with wanting what they used to have when they were little, but they all struggle with letting something make them miss (or not see) what they have now. Ask God to bring to kids minds some of the things they have now that they can be aware of and be content with. 1. Early Arriver Idea: Whine-Free Zone What You Need: White board and dry-erase marker OR paper and pencil Choose a word from the list below. Don t let kids see the word bank. On the whiteboard, make a dash for each letter in the word. For example, if the word is whining, you would make seven dashes. Let kids guess letters in the word. For each correct letter they guess, write the letter in the corresponding blank. Keep a list of the letters they guess that are not in the word. The object is to figure out the word before they have seven incorrect letter guesses. (Feel free to change the number of incorrect guesses allowed. If you think it will be hard for them to guess the word, increase the number of guesses from seven.) Word Bank: Whine, grumble, complain, bellyaching, gripe, moan, mope Can anyone tell me what these words have in common? Are they ways we can show contentment? If you are whining, complaining, and grumbling do you think people will think you are content? Probably not! 2015 The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Adapted by Adam Clarke/The Peoples Church/Jan

2 [Transition] Let s head to Large Group to hear about a group of people who were big on complaining. In fact, they were so busy complaining and whining they forgot to be content. Groups: Creating a Safe Place to Connect (Life Groups, 25 minutes) Create a safe place to connect and learn how the Bible story applies to real life experiences, through interactive activities and discussion questions. 1. Mingle for Manna and Meat (application activity / review the Bible story) What You Need: Mingle! Activity Page cards; 1 set for each kid, Mingle! Master Activity Page Show kids the Mingle! cards and ask prompting questions to lead kids to recall the story. Post the Mingle! Master page where every kid can see it. Gather a set of Mingle! cards for each child. Shuffle the deck well. Deal each kid five cards. Guide kids to look at their cards and refer to the master to determine which card(s) they lack. Explain they only need one of the Israelites focus on Egypt cards. Guide kids to mingle around the room, trying to find other kids with whom they can trade Go Fish style for the card(s) they need: o Child 1: Do you have an extra quail card? o Child 2: Yes. o Child 2: Do you have an extra Egypt card? o Child 1: No. Kids part ways. o Child 1: Do you have an extra quail card? o Child 3: Yes. o Child 3: Do you have an extra manna card? o Child 1: Yes. Kids trade cards. The game continues until every child has all five cards. Why did the Israelites complain and grumble? (Pause for responses.) How did God respond? (Pause for responses.) Even though the Israelites experienced God s miracle of quail and manna, they STILL complained when they reached a place where they needed water. They even asked, Is the Lord among us, or not? (Exodus 17:7, NIrV) God continually gave the Israelites what they needed when they needed it. But the Israelites were so focused on what they used to have in Egypt that they kept missing out on the fact that God was with them and that He was providing for them The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Adapted by Adam Clarke/The Peoples Church/Jan

3 [Make It Personal] (Tell about a kid-appropriate time when you were so focused on what you used to have that you missed out on what you did have.) [Bottom Line] When you focus on what you USED to have, you can miss what you have NOW. And what you have now is a God who loves you and cares for you. So focus on what you have thank God that He is always with you, that He provides for you, and that you can trust Him no matter what. 2. What Do You Have NOW? (application activity) What You Need: White board, dry-erase marker, eraser Review the Bible story with the following questions: o Who were God s people in the story today? (Israelites) o For hundreds of years, the Israelites lived in Egypt. What was their life like in Egypt? What was their occupation in Egypt? Was it a hard life? Why or why not? (Their lives were hard. They were slaves to Pharaoh and had to do whatever he said.) o Moses, with God s help, led the Israelites from Egypt and slavery to freedom in the desert. What was something God provided to the Israelites while they were in the desert? (On the whiteboard, make a list with the kids of all the things God provided for the Israelites in the desert. At the top of the list write, God Provides ) o How did the Israelites thank God for providing for them in the desert? (The Israelites didn t thank God. Instead they complained and wished they were back in Egypt) The Israelites were so focused on their life in Egypt they forgot to be content with what God was providing for them in the desert. They forgot about the manna (erase manna from the list), they forgot about the water (erase water from the list), and they forgot about the quail (erase quail from the list). Just like the Israelites, [Bottom Line] when you focus on what you used to have, you can miss what you have now. (Make a list with the kids of things God provided for them today. Be sure to focus on today. Don t erase the list, because you will use it during prayer time.) Wow! Look at all the things God provides for us today right now. Sometimes especially when things aren t going exactly like you planned it s hard to remember God is still there for you, still providing for you. Sometimes, right now is hard school is difficult or your friend moves or you have to eat broccoli for dinner. While it is okay to miss your friend or to hate eating broccoli, it is not okay to forget to thank God for what He provides for you even if it looks different than you want. Make it a habit to thank God each day for what you have right now! Remember, [Bottom Line] when you focus on what you use to have, you can miss what you have now. 3. Trace It (memory verse activity) What You Need: Bible, Verse Page Activity Pages; 1 for each kid, crayons, smiley face stickers Read Philippians 4:12b aloud from the Bible The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Adapted by Adam Clarke/The Peoples Church/Jan

4 Hand out the Activity Pages. Tell kids this week you re focusing on the second part of the verse. Read the verse aloud from the Activity Page and ask kids to repeat it with you. Tell kids to trace over the word content. Hand out smiley face stickers for kids to place on their pages. If you have time, allow kids to color their pages. We can be content at all times, no matter what s going on, no matter if we re hungry or not hungry. When we focus on God and on what we have now, we can be content and happy. It s funny how the Israelites were disappointed and discontent at both the beginning and the end of this story, even though God did something amazing in the middle. But they were so focused on what they had a long time ago that they weren t able to see what God had given them right now. Let s not be like the Israelites. Let s look at what God has given us today and be thankful for it. [Bottom Line] When you focus on what you used to have, you can miss what you have now. [Make It Personal] (Tell kids an age-appropriate story about a time when you weren t content with what you had because you were thinking about what you used to have. How did you feel during that time? Why do you wish you had stopped focusing on what you used to have?) 4. Application and Bible Story Questions: [Make It Personal] (Give kids an example of something you used to have. Ask kids to give you examples of what you might miss now by focusing on what you use to have. For example, I used to be on a competitive tennis team, but I injured my hand and I can t play anymore. If I focus on not being able to play tennis, what could I miss out on now? Or I used to be part of a great group of friends who studied the Bible and did life together, but I moved and I can no longer meet with them. If I focus on not being part of that group, what can I miss out on now? ) (Note: If you have kids who share about something they used to have and they are struggling because they wished they still had it, this could be an opportunity for the group to help them see what they might miss out on. Be careful that you don t take over the conversation and just give kids the answers. Try to let them help each other and discuss together. But don t put kids on the spot to share.) Describe the way a person s life looks if they are always looking back. Now describe how a person s life looks if they are able to be content and live in this moment. Do you know someone who is content? Describe this person. If you focus on what you used to have, if you are looking over your shoulder at the past, what does that show the people who are in your life right now? What does it show people what you think of God s provision for you today? (Use the following as a conversation starter for another conversation kids should have at home this month.) Think about a time when you lost something important to you or maybe it was taken. How did you feel? How long did you look for it? Sometime this month, go talk to someone who was there when this happened. Ask them to tell the story as they remember it. Do you think their version will be the same as or different from yours? What would happen if you got stuck on this moment this time that you lost something special? 2015 The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Adapted by Adam Clarke/The Peoples Church/Jan

5 What if this was all you could think about and talk about? What would the people around you think or do? How does this relate to our Bible story today? Who were God s people in the story today? (Israelites) For hundreds of years, the Israelites lived in Egypt. What was their life like in Egypt? What was their occupation in Egypt? Was it a hard life? Why or why not? (Their lives were hard. They were slaves to Pharaoh and had to do whatever he said.) Moses, with God s help, led the Israelites from Egypt and slavery to freedom in the desert. What was something God provided to the Israelites while they were in the desert? (On the whiteboard, make a list with the kids of all the things God provided for the Israelites in the desert. At the top of the list write, God Provides ) How did the Israelites thank God for providing for them in the desert? (The Israelites didn t thank God. Instead they complained and wished they were back in Egypt Pray and Dismiss What You Need: Whiteboard with the list of things kids are thankful for Sit in a circle and put the whiteboard in the center of the circle. Pray with the kids, thanking God for what He has given us today. Give each child a GodTime card. Pass out Parent Cue cards as adults arrive to pick up The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Adapted by Adam Clarke/The Peoples Church/Jan