Basics – Page 18 – Family Faith Companion

Breaking down the Moses, Plagues to Passover story

Posted on February 9, 2012February 11, 2018 by Carol Hulbert

Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh

We are about to embark on a follow-up Rotation on Moses. Last month we covered Moses from his birth to his encounter with God in a burning bush.

That was a lot of ground to cover in the Bible, as is part two: Plagues and Passover. But have no fear! Here is a reading plan for your family group to use, to break down this month’s story into manageable chunks. (For the part one reading plan click here.)

Might I suggest covering our story over several days? Start off with a review of God’s call to Moses. (The Burning Bush!) The next day, read about Moses and Aaron’s first encounter with Pharaoh. (See picture above.) On subsequent days you can read about each plague, as God displays his power to Egypt. Eventually you’ll read about the first Passover and about how a lamb’s blood saved the Israelites.

As an added bonus there are questions for discussion at the family dinner table. (Or wherever your family is gathered together.)

If you’d like to print out this reading plan/discussion guide (I’ve tried to squeeze it into a one-page document!) click here.

Read	Discussion question
Exodus 3:1-6	Why take off your sandals? What sort of relationship to God does this imply?
Exodus 3:7-15	What does God want Moses to do? How many different ways does God identify himself?
Exodus 4:1-17	Does Moses sound like he is whining? When was the last time you whined? Reread verse 11. Which of your perceived limitations needs this sort of talking to?
Exodus 5:1-18	How did you expect Pharaoh would react to Moses’ request? Tell about a time you asked for something and were turned down. What can help you to keep in mind that God is with you in times of stress?
Exodus 5:22-6:8	Do you suppose Moses is ready to give up? So soon? When have you felt this way?
Exodus 7:1-7	Why do you suppose God “hardened” Pharaoh’s heart? Or did Pharaoh harden his own heart? What do you hope to be able to accomplish at age 80?
Exodus 7:8-13	How do you suppose Moses and Aaron felt when Pharaoh’s magicians made their staffs into snakes? Who (in your opinion) “won” this round?
Exodus 7:14-24	To the Egyptians the Nile River was a god. What does this say about God’s power? Do you see “magicians” in society who try to mimic God’s power?
Exodus 8:1-15	How do you suppose it would feel to find frogs in your oven and in your mixing bowls? Why do you suppose the magicians didn’t try to stop the frogs?
Exodus 8:16-19	Starting with this plague, the magicians were no longer able to reproduce a plague. Why do you suppose this didn’t have an affect on Pharaoh?
Exodus 8:20-32	What sort of pattern of behavior is happening? Starting with this plague, the Hebrews were unaffected. What sort of message did this send to Pharaoh? To the Hebrews?
Exodus 9:1-7	How do you suppose Pharaoh planned to recover Egypt from these plagues?
Exodus 9:8-12	God didn’t tell Moses how many plagues would happen. How is Moses likely feeling?
Exodus 9:13-35	What does the warning in verse 19 say about God? How about verse 32?
Exodus 10:3-20	If God knows that Pharaoh will change his mind, why does he keep stopping a plague when Pharaoh says he will let them go? Why does Pharaoh ignore his officials advice?
Exodus 10:21-29	The sun was a god to the Egyptians. What does this story teach you about your allegiance to the “gods” of today’s society?
Exodus 11:1, 12:1-13	Why do you suppose there are such explicit directions for a Passover feast? How does Jesus’ Last Supper relate to this story? How about Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross?
Exodus 12:21-30	In the manner of verse 26, discuss your family traditions.
Exodus 12:31-42	What sort of blessing do you suppose Moses gave Pharaoh? Have you ever received a blessing? How do you suppose the Hebrews felt as they left town in a hurry?

Photo credits:
Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh by Benjamin West (1738-1820) in the Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Holy ground

Posted on January 26, 2012February 11, 2016 by Carol Hulbert

Our current Rotation on Moses is so full of areas for contemplation. We can’t do it all in 45 minutes of Saturday or Sunday’s Cool! Here’s a topic which is not touched on but is still important. Ask these questions at the family dinner table. (Or wherever your family is gathered together.) To print out a one-page family discussion guide go here.

Moses met God at the burning bush. God’s first instruction to Moses was: take off your shoes. (Okay, he called them sandals.)

“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Exodus 3:5

“Holy,” in this instance, means “set apart,” “specially recognized” or “declared sacred.” What made this spot holy for Moses, was the presence of God. Anywhere we meet God can be considered holy!

Ordinary desert dirt became holy ground.

When you hear the words “holy place” what do you think of? What/where are
the holy spots in your life? Mention a holy place and right away our thoughts go to chapels, churches and cathedrals. Think of our church sanctuary. The word sanctuary means “safe place” or “holy place.” Churches are places designed for us to have an encounter with the holy. The next time you are waiting together as a family for worship to begin, talk quietly about what parts of the sanctuary help it to feel like “holy ground.”

At home, where can you talk to God? Discuss how any space can feel like holy ground, an acceptable spot to meet God! Anywhere we talk to God can be considered a “holy place;” it’s not that a space needs to be holy before God will enter! How do you prepare yourself to enter holy ground?

Do you suppose there ought to be a special “holy spot” in your home that
reminds you that God is near? What should that space feel like? Look like? Spend time arranging such a holy place – a bench or a chair or windowsill. Encourage everyone to spend quiet time in this holy location.

Photo credits:
Empty shoes by Jérôme, who licensed this photo on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.

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A Blessing: celebrate God with you

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Carol Hulbert

God used a burning bush to speak to Moses. I don’t know about you but I’ve never encountered a burning bush; at least not one of the caliper that Moses described. I have, however, encountered God reaching out to me in other ways: Through the Bible, through books, through other people, through nature… God is always waiting for us to notice his intersection into our lives. Isn’t it wonderful? Something to celebrate! Use this blessing with your child(ren).

Say your child’s name and…

May everyday be a celebration of God’s presence with you.

Click on a box if you would like to…
Satisfy your curiosity about why you should bless your child.
View other suggested blessings.

Photo credits: Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Into Your Arms by Darrel Birkett, who licensed this photo on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.

What does “God at work” look like?

Posted on January 19, 2012February 11, 2018 by Carol Hulbert

Moses’ story, from his birth to his experience with the burning bush, is rich in content, and opens numerous chances for discussion. One of our targets for this Rotation is to help kids recognize God “at work” in the lives of Moses and other story characters. A second objective is to apply the concept of “God at work” to their own life. Great topics for families to discuss!

What does God at work look like in this portion of our story?

Read the scripture together as a family. Since it’s a long story, use the following chart to read and talk about our story in stages, over the course of several days. (If you’d like to print out this reading plan/discussion guide, click here.)

Read a passage and then ask where you see God making his presence known. I’ve provided some suggestions. Feel free to comment on other ways you notice God taking action.

Read	Discussion points. How is God at work in the lives of story characters?
Exodus 1:1-7	Fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham to have as many descendants as the stars in the sky (Genesis 15:5).
Exodus 1:8-21	What are two Hebrew midwives able to do?
Exodus 1:22-2:4	Imagine the trust in God necessary to hide your child in a basket in the river!
Exodus 2:5-6	Just at the right time, Pharaoh’s daughter decides to take a bath.
Exodus 2:7-10	Miriam showed some courage. And Moses gets the best of two worlds – being raised as a youngster by his family (and being seeped in Hebrew culture) and life in Pharaoh’s palace.
Exodus 2:11-15	What good ends up coming from this bad? (It does require knowing the rest of the story.)
Exodus 2:16-25	Moses lived in Midian for 40 years. I wonder what sort of “learning” Moses needed to acquire during that long time in the “wilderness.”
Exodus 3:1-4	God is starting his rescue plan! I wonder what would have happened if Moses hadn’t said, “Hmm, that’s unusual. I’d better go and look at that.”
Exodus 3:5-12	This one is obvious: God speaks to Moses!
Exodus 3:13-15	Pagan gods never revealed their name because disclosing a name was like giving away power. But our God is a personal God; he has a name!
Exodus 4:1-9	God gives Moses concrete examples of his power. I wonder how Moses will feel when God doesn’t seem so close at hand?
Exodus 4:10-12	God really wants Moses to do this job. I wonder why Moses is so hesitant?
Exodus 4:13-17	What does God give Moses to remind him that God will be with him?

What are ways that you see God at work in your life?

Photo credits:
Burning bush by the Providence Lithograph Company [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

It’s still looking like Christmas

Posted on January 5, 2012January 6, 2017 by Carol Hulbert

The Christmas decorations are being stored away for another year, but the story of Christmas is still being talked about! And rightly so; we can talk about Christmas every day! (After all, the whole story is about Jesus.) So for this reason, it shouldn’t seem strange that this coming weekend, the Cool Disciples will be reviewing the story of Jesus’ birth.

Continue to reinforce the learning happening at church, by talking about this story at home; how about around the dinner table?

Ready for some family discussion about our story?

Time Out. Talk about… A speech bubble
Jesus described himself as “the light of the world” (John 8:12). Name some ways that your family used light to celebrate this season?

In the Art workshop for this Rotation, kids were creating stained glass candle holders. I would have liked to have seen them all lit up with the light shining through the various colors!


1st graders use colored pieces of felt representing various story elements to tell the story; creating stained glass!	3rd graders use stick-on lead lines and glass paint to create.

Time Out. Talk about… A speech bubble
“The Light of the World” was just one name Jesus had. He had many other names with different meanings; the name we normally use, Jesus, means “God saves.” Jesus was also called “Immanuel.” What does Immanuel mean?


2nd grade enacts visitors to the newborn King.	1st grade enjoys their first visit to the Drama workshop!

Immanuel means “God is with us.” God sent Jesus to be with us! God meant for his son Jesus to live as a person like us, to show us how to live, and ultimately, to die for us so that our sins could be forgiven.

Time Out. Talk about… A speech bubble
How have you experienced God with you?
Do you suppose our interactions with God will be a dramatic experience like a visit from an angel, or could it be in a quieter way?
What are some ways that God connects with us?


4th graders use the game wheel to determine how many points a correct answer was worth.	2nd graders are eager to hear the next question. They’ll ring a bell if they know the answer!

Time Out. Talk about… A speech bubble
The questions asked in the Games Workshops highlighted the difference between what the Bible tells us, and what people think the story says (in a fun way). Here are a few to try out. (Check a Bible if you’d like; the kids were allowed to do so!)

How did Joseph and Mary get to Bethlehem?

Which animals does the Bible say were housed in the stable where Jesus was born?

How many wise men came to see Jesus?


6th graders assemble a bag of snacks to use to retell the story.	Playing with their food! Exactly what I hoped they’d do!

Did you find the answers to the previous questions? In all cases, the answer is: the Bible doesn’t say! Were you surprised?

Finally, I just had to share this picture.
Care to join us in our workshops? You may get drafted to play a role! (But not unless you want to do so.)

Drama Workshop - 1st grade - everyone poses for a picture!

1st graders in the Drama Workshop with their Shepherd and Workshop Leader. Fun!

Photo credits:
Photos by Carol Hulbert and Beth Pascoe. Used by permission.

Is blessing your child awkward? Practice blessing yourself!

Posted on January 1, 2012December 31, 2016 by Carol Hulbert

Perhaps you never heard words like this when you were growing up…

You are very special in God’s eyes. God loves you very much!

Could that be why saying blessings to your child(ren) feels awkward?

Would it help if you first received a blessing for yourself? I’ve written one just for you! It’s a little gift to get you started on blessing your kids.

Sunset through the trees

(Are you ready? Just insert your name in the blanks as you read this to yourself.)

A blessing for caregivers…

_______, may you see every day as a new gift.

A new chance to be guided by God through all the moments,
both the taxing and the tranquil.

God is constantly whispering to you.
Do you hear?

“Hello _______. Today, let me use you to touch the lives of little ones around you.
(And the not so little ones too.)

You are perfect for the job I have for you.
Did you see the way I painted the sky with shades of pink, purple and orange?

You too are one of my limited editions!
I love you just the way you are.”

~~ Love, Carol

Photo credits:
Sunset photo is from my archives.
Stained glass was adapted from a photo offered in the Public Domain (CC0 1.0) at Pixabay..

A Blessing: divine source of life

Posted on December 14, 2011December 3, 2014 by Carol Hulbert

On the first Christmas God showed himself to us in a new way.

We were touched by God in the flesh.

Nativity Parament

Inject a little reminder of this, by blessing your child with these words. Say your child’s name and…

May you feel close to the divine source of all life.

Click on a box if you would like to…
Satisfy your curiosity about why you should bless your child.
View other suggested blessings.

Photo credits:
Click here for info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email).
Other photo: from my archives.

A Blessing: for awareness

Posted on November 23, 2011December 12, 2011 by Carol Hulbert

Our story about Mary and Martha encourages us to spend time with God.

Do our kids see us spending time with God?

I distinctly remember an enlightening concept, learned one summer as a teen at camp. There we were, covertly whispering in our bunks after lights out. One girl got asked a question and she didn’t respond the way we all thought she would. She said, “I’ll answer in a minute; I’m saying my prayers.”

Picture yourself using those words with your child.

Have your kids “catch” you talking to God!

Of course that may mean some planning, but what a wondrous way of subtly passing on an important message!

Here’s another way faith can be “caught:” Have them hear you blessing them, using words inspired by our study of Mary and Martha.

Say your child’s name and…

May you find stillness and awareness of God’s presence all around you.

Click on a box if you would like to…
Satisfy your curiosity about why you should bless your child.
View other suggested blessings.

Photo credits: For info on banner photo (not visible in readers or email) click here.
The wonders of the sky as captured by Per Ola Wiberg, who licensed this photo on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.