Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Happy Passover!

Sunday was an awesome day.  For Sunday School I prepared a lesson about the Passover and we actually led the kids through parts of a Seder meal.  And then kids actually showed up, 10 of them!  And enough help to handle them all, age ages 2 up through teens.  It was awesome.
I love the whole concept of the Passover; it is so rich in meaning in it's original intent of remembering the Exodus and everything that God did there, and how it points to Jesus Christ and how he used it Himself to explain what He is all about.  Communion isn't just Communion, it has it's roots in the Passover folks.  And the whole Last Supper thing that we make such a big deal about especially this time of year--Passover.  And I love how directly in Scripture it says that the point is to be teaching this stuff to your kids, to pass on truth to the next generation, to do it in a way that is special and significant, because they can handle that and are worth the effort.  Okay, so that is with a little bit of my own interpretation/heart coming through, but it really does say to pass it on to the next generation.
(In one of my college classes one of the big assignments was to teach the class for the day on pretty much any biblical theme.  My friend and I chose to teach on the Passover; I don't really remember how or why we picked it, but I learned so much through that and go back to it often and I suppose that's one reason I like it so much.  Plus we did a fabulous job, if I do say so myself.  There might have been a mock slaughtering of a stuffed lamb with red crepe paper "blood" that was taped, I mean spread, on a doorframe.  And it is true that you learn more when you have to teach it.  So thanks, Dr. Gale.  And you rock, Mel.)
So when I saw this lesson on Pinterest (how did anyone teach, parent, or plan anything without it, I ask you), I knew I had to do it.  Now I am the queen of tweaking a lesson plan (or changing it so much until it doesn't even resemble the original... that's why I usually just write my own), but this is very, very well done.  Oh, and I added in this really cool experiment (yes, found on Pinterest) to show what yeast does.  The first part of a Seder meal is to have the kids of the family find hidden pieces of bread made with yeast and then get rid of them, to remember the whole "unleavened bread" thing of the Passover and to demonstrate Jesus' teaching that a little "yeast" of something bad can make a big difference.  So it fit it, mostly... and it is really cool. :)
I suppose I won't go through all the details of the rest of it, but seriously check out the link to that lesson if you have an opportunity, oh and read it in Scripture--Exodus 12 is the logical place to start.
And of course I have some pictures. :)  And did I mention it was an awesome day?  The Passover, getting to teach about the Passover, kids, and maybe a little bit of Hebrew thrown it there (as in Hebrew the language, which I also love; yes, I know I'm a nerd, but it comes in handy sometimes)--I was in my element.  And I have to say that the kids did GREAT.  This was quite a bit more sitting and listening than I typically have in a lesson, plus trying some weird food, and they did just great.  Okay, who prayed? :)
 Look at all those kids!!
 Trying some matzah, they were such good sports!

 So precious

Awesome day!

P.S. Will you please join me in praying that these kids keep coming back to church?  And bring their friends. :)

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