‘Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him all the more. He said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and behold, your sheaves came around, and bowed down to my sheaf.” ‘ Genesis 37:5-7
Spend time in nature
When Ruben went searching for Joseph, he didn’t know his brothers had already sold the younger brother to Ishmael’s descendants. Today try to put together a scavenger hunt that can represent Joseph, have each person take a photo with the found item (if you are hiding the items remind people to hide the object in a new place once they have found it and took their picture). What can you find in nature that can represent Joseph’s coat of many colors, or you can hide something to represent a the coat. See if you can find something that looks like, or hide, 11 stars. Can you find something that looks like a moon, and take a picture with the sun to your back. Is there a grain field or something that looks like a grain store house, or you can hid a beg of flour. Take a picture standing behind several trees that looks like a small jail cell. Can you find something that looks like a scale, or another household object Joseph might have used? Find, or hide, a scepter Joseph might have used as ruler. Finding a golden cup in nature, or even in the house, might be hard so find something that can represent a cup. No matter what you put on your scavenger hunt try to make it fun for the whole family.
Tip
Remember one great tool to have when participating in a scavenger hunt is the gift of great eye sight. One way to keep your eye safe when playing outside is to wear sunglasses.
Do something creative
For the Sabbath craft, create a dream catcher. The directions are difficult to simply explain. You’ll start by tacking the string to the hoop. Once the string is tacked to the hoop, loop the string around the hoop some distance from where it is tacked. Continue looping the string around the loop leaving just a small space between the last loop. Once the string is looped again and again and makes it back to the place where the string is tacked, start looping the string on a second row. Loop the string on the first row of string, keep looping the string and creating rows until your string runs out. You should have something that looks like a spiders web. As your adding rows you can add a bead occasionally for decoration.
What you will need:
- A hoop
- Yarn/ string
- Beads (optional)
- Feathers (optional)
Family worship idea
For worship, have the family create a tie blanket together. If you make a blanket the whole family can cozy up with, you’ll need two yards of two different fleeces. Line the two fleeces fabrics together and cut along the edge of the blanket to make fringe. The fringe should be about half an inch to an inch wide, depending on how big the blanket is going to be. As you read Genesis 37, have everyone else tie the fringes together. This is a short chapter, so the blanket might not be done by the end of worship. You can work on it during your daily worship or over the next few Sabbaths. Once you are done reading, visit about the beginning of Joseph’s life. Has anyone in the family ever had to protect someone they cared about by bringing their actions to a parent? Visit about how God wants us to be honest. Visit about how even when we are prosecuted for doing what is right, God will protect us.
Personal thoughts
My apologies, this week’s catalyst was meant to be a strong start to a new year, but the pain being encouraged is so heavy. When reading through Dinah’s and Tamar’s stories, I thought I would combine them. So I started reading about Joseph. His story is the whole story of salvation. He was once clothed in a robe of many colors, but it was stripped away. He was a slave as we are slaves to sin. Joseph’s tunic was dipped in the blood of a goat, Jesus’ robe was stained with the sins of mankind. Because He took our stained robe, we have life eternal. He was a prisoner just as we are prisoners. He was brought before the land’s ruler. Pharaoh passed judgment on Joseph and gave him a new name and rule over the kingdom. Throughout Joseph’s life, he did not stray from God’s commandments no matter his situation. He is an example for us today. Joseph’s story is filled with life lessons.
Hiding His word in you ❤
He who conceals his sins doesn’t prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
Proverbs 28:13
Sabbath Catalyst 