July 4, 2020

“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”  So says the psalmist in chapter 119, verse 103.  May you find encouragement, joy, and a sweet taste, as you explore this week’s lesson.

We continue the theme of science and nature as we attempt to answer the question:  What can fresh spices tell us about God?  Once again, the teaching points and discussion questions are embedded in the activities.  Your choices will appeal to your senses of smell and taste.  After you do some cooking and eating, you might want to make some summer-time potpourri.

Psalm 34:8 says “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.”  My spice cabinet contains cinnamon for cinnamon rolls; nutmeg, cloves, and allspice for apple pie; lemon pepper for chicken; basil, oregano, garlic, and parsley for tomato sauce.  Just like different spices flavor different foods, the words of Jesus and his Father meet different needs on different days.    

While you are completing this week’s lesson, my hope is that you have fun exploring flavors and scents, and that you find something meaningful for your family.  As you contemplate the truths of this lesson, and do the chosen activities with members of your household, I invite you to share photos or videos with the LMC family.  Maybe you can catch the expressions on your children’s faces as they do some of the taste tests!

To submit a picture or video, open your favorite browser and type “drop box sign in to account.” When it pops up, choose sign in. The username is lmc.secretary@gmail.com.  The password is isaiah40kjv  .  To the right you will then find a tab that says “submit file” .   To see what others are doing during this time of physical distancing, click on the Sharing Time tab in the blue box. 

While you are visiting www.lebanonmennonite.com, take time to enjoy the Encouraging Encounters. 

Vicki Williams

PS  Check back later this week for new additions to the Outside Resources.

Moses is Born  Exodus 1:1 – 2:10

Joseph and his brothers had many children.  Their children had children and their children’s children had children.  Over time, Israelites filled the land.  Egypt’s new king, called Pharaoh, did not remember how Joseph’s people had helped Egypt.  He said, “There are too many Israelites – and they are too powerful.  If we go to war, they will join our enemies and fight against us!  We need a plan!”

The Egyptians decided to wear down the people with work.  Task-masters forced the people to build cities for Pharaoh.  They made them do every kind of field work.  But the Israelites still multiplied and spread.

Pharaoh became so afraid that he even commanded people to kill the Israelites’ baby boys.  Two midwives named Shiprah and Puah disobeyed the king and let baby boys live.  Pharaoh angrily questioned them, but Shiprah and Puah said, “There is nothing we can do!  The Israelite women give birth before we even come to help them.”  Because of their courage, God blessed the two midwives.

When one Israelite mother had a beautiful baby boy, she hid him.  But after three months she could not hide him anymore.  So she got a basket made of papyrus.  She put the baby in the basket and placed it among the reeds on the riverbank.  His sister stood nearby to watch over him and to see what happened.

Pharaoh’s daughter came to the river to bathe.  She saw the basket and sent her maid for it.   When she opened the basket, she saw a crying baby, and she felt sorry for him.  The baby’s sister came up to the princess.  “Shall I get you a nurse for the baby?” she bravely asked. 
“Yes,” the princess replied.

The girl went and got her mother.  Pharaoh’s daughter said, “I will pay you to take this baby home and care for him.”  So the mother took her boy home again, and she was even paid to do it!  When the child grew old enough, he went to live with Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him and named him Moses.

Text is from the Shine On story Bible

Thinking about

Moses is Born

Today’s story highlights several women who showed courage.  Puah and Shiprah were midwives who disobeyed Pharaoh’s orders. Pharaoh’s daughter also disobeyed her father by rescuing and taking care of Moses.  Moses’s mother and sister acted bravely to save the life of baby Moses.  During this lesson, we will be encouraged to think about what it means to be brave, and to look for opportunities to do so.  Usually, we do not want to break rules or disobey laws.  So this is a chance to discuss with your family the concepts of right and wrong, and the motivation for disobedience.  Is it appropriate to disobey if we are acting out of our understanding of what it means to walk with love, mercy, and justice? (Micah 6:8)

As you read and discuss the story, you might think about and share these “wonderings”

• I wonder why Pharaoh worried that the Israelites might fight against him.

• I wonder how Shiprah and Puah felt when they were questioned by Pharaoh.  Is it easier to be brave when you have a friend standing with you?

• Imagine what it would be like to stand before Pharaoh, having to explain why the baby boys were still alive.

• I wonder how Moses’ mother hid him for three months.

• If I had been Pharaoh’s daughter, knowing about the king’s law and how angry he will probably be, would I have helped baby Moses?

• Sometimes doing the right thing makes us feel scared or uncomfortable.  When did I do the right thing even though it was hard?

• I’m sure that the Israelite mothers were grateful for the bravery of the midwives, thankful that their baby boys were saved. I wonder what I am grateful for right now.

If you are with small children, you might say a prayer similar to this:

God, you blessed the midwives who were brave and protected the helpless babies.  Bless us today.  Give us the courage to work together to do what is right, even when it’s hard.  Amen

If they are comfortable doing so, older children and youth can simply speak from their hearts.

Responding to

Moses is Born

Now is the time to do something, to be creative.

You might gather paper, Crayons, markers, glue, watercolor paints, and scissors. 

• You could re-create the scene on the river bank, make some simple puppets, and re-tell the story.  Ask someone to record your work, and put it in the dropbox for Sharing Time at LMC.

You could search YouTube for a paper basket weaving video

You might create costumes and re-tell the story

You could do a Google search and read the stories of others who disobeyed rules or laws that were unjust.  Examples are: those who worked on the Underground Railroad, protected Jews during World War 2, or worked to improve the lives of Native Americans during our country’s westward expansion.

You might talk to your mom, or video chat with your grandma or a favorite aunt about what it is like to care for a newborn.  They can help you imagine what it was like for Moses’ mom to hide her baby for three months.

The Last Supper

Matthew 26: 1-5, 14-30

It was getting close to the time of the Passover festival in Jerusalem. The temple leaders were looking for a way to put Jesus to death because of the way the people were flocking to him. They were happy when Jesus’ disciple Judas came to them with an offer. In return for money, he would tell them where they could find Jesus with no crowds around.

Jesus sent Peter and John to arrange for the Passover festival. “Listen,” said Jesus, “once you are in Jerusalem, you will meet a man carrying a jar of water. Follow him into the house that he enters. Say to the house’s owner, ‘The teacher needs a room to eat the Passover meal with his disciples.’ He will show you a large room upstairs.”

Peter and John went and found everything as Jesus had said. Together, they prepared the Passover meal.

That evening, Jesus and the disciples ate their Passover meal together. Jesus said, ‘” I have been looking forward to this Passover, the last Passover before my great suffering.” Then he held up the bread and thanked God. He broke off pieces for everyone. Then he said, “Take this bread and eat it. This is my body, which is given to you.”

Then Jesus took a cup of wine. He thanked God for it and then shared it with the disciples. Jesus told them, “ This is my blood, which will be poured out for many.  When I die, there will be a new covenant between God and all people”

The disciples wondered why Jesus was talking about suffering. Then Jesus said, “One of you here is planning to betray me.”

All the disciples except Judas were upset at hearing this. Each one asked him, “Surely, I am not the one, am I?”

Following the Passover tradition, when they finished the meal, they sang a hymn of praise together. Then they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Text is from the Shine On story Bible

Thinking about  The Last Supper

If you are sharing this experience with children, you may need to do some explaining to establish context.

Passover is a time for the Jewish people to connect with their family and friends, to remember the story of how God led their people out of slavery a long time ago, and to be thankful.

Covenant is a promise, in this story between God and His people. (us)

After you have read or told the story, you might think about and share these “wonderings”

• I wonder what it would be like to share a meal with Jesus. What would we eat? What would we talk about?

• I wonder how sharing a special meal together helps us to remember. What do we remember as a family?

• I wonder how the disciples felt when they heard Jesus talk about the suffering that was coming.

• I wonder where I would have been sitting if I had been in the upper room that night. Would I be as close to Jesus as I could get? Would I be farther away? Why? What would I be thinking?

• I wonder what the disciples were thinking as they left to walk with Jesus to the Mount of Olives.

• I wonder why Jesus was kind to Judas, even though He know Judas was going to do something very hurtful.

• Jesus and his disciples ended their meal together with a song of praise, of thankfulness. I wonder what I am grateful for right now.

If you are with small children, you might say a prayer similar to this:

Jesus, during your last meal with your friends, you shared food and song and time with them, even though you knew one of them was going to betray you. Today, we remember how much you loved your friends. You love us and call us your friends too. Thank you for loving us. Amen

If they are comfortable doing so, older children and youth can simply speak from their hearts.

Now it is time to DO something.

You might gather paper, crayons, and markers.

       • You could re-create the scene in the upper room as you see it in your  imagination

       • You could draw a picture of a favorite family gathering that you remember

You might create costumes and re-tell the story.

You might use toys to build the set and tell the story.

You might call a friend or family member to talk with them about what they think is important about this story and tell them what you think, too.

You might bake bread together. I am attaching Dorothy Good’s recipe for unleavened bread.

Recipe for Dorothy Good’s

Unleavened Bread

One cup flour

3 T sugar

1/3 tsp. salt

2 – 2 ½ T milk

Sift together the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in shortening. Add a little bit of milk at a time, and only enough to form into dough. Roll dough using a floured rolling pin to ¼ inch thick. Cut into ½ inch squares. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until done.

Dorothy’s handwritten note: “I rolled it thinner and checked it frequently after 10 minutes. They shrink so keep that in mind when cutting into squares.”