‘Therefore tell the children of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments. I will take you to myself for a people. I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it to you for a heritage: I am the Lord.’” ‘ Exodus 6:6-8
Spending time in nature
For your outside activity today, visit a brick wall and do some chalk rubbing. Bring some chalk and a few sheets of paper. With the paper held against the wall/brick, rub on a thin layer of chalk. Remove the artwork from the wall and see if you can create an image from the transferred design. If you don’t have a wall nearby for some chalk art, take a walk along with a nearby path. Pick up little reminders of God’s creative power. Bring a journal with you and write down tiny details you see. Look for things that remind you of life on earth. No matter what you can do today, talk about how wonderful it is to be free and to be able to stop and enjoy these small moments with God. The Israelites had to remember what a blessing the Sabbath is, but we get the worship freely on Sabbath.
Tip
God Hallowed the Sabbath, He set it apart. Each week God has given us something so valuable and fleeting. God gave us time. He is hoping that we will treat this gift as a possession of God’s and keep it holy.
Do Something Creative
For today’s craft time, gather different materials you can use to create a platform. Try to find items that might not make the best support system, straws, pipe cleaners, spaghetti, newspaper, coupled with masking tape or string. See if you can create a platform that can hold ten, twenty, or more pounds. Talk about how these unlikely materials can be formed and fashioned to bear a burden with the guiding hand of a grand creator. Remember, triangles or pyramids can take on more weight better than cubes by themselves. Also, visit about how the tape or string helps the weaker materials take shape and keep form. God forms us with the end result in mind. He creates us to be who we were born to be. God also promises that He will complete the work He began; God will take our burdens, so even though we are weak, He will make up the difference.
What you will need:
- Masking Tape or any tape
- String (Optional)
- Newspapers/straws/other various building materials
Family worship idea
For worship, show and tell some of the things God has blessed us with. If you didn’t go on the nature walk but opted to do the chalk rubbing, have everyone draw a picture of their favorite gift from God while you read Exodus 4:18- 6:13. If you did go on the walk, have everyone share the different little trinkets/observations they collected. Remind them that God has given these things to us freely because He cares for us. Talk about how even in the thorns, God has blessed us with blooming roses. Once you are done, talk about a difficult decision, but God needed to reinstate a Sabbath rest. The chosen people would be accused of being idle, but God knew He would need to re-accustom them to worship on the Sabbath day. For God, a thousand years are like a day. He didn’t need the time for Him; He knew we would need the time for us. Everything you were able to notice today or remember was part of the gift of life God has in store for you. Try to count these little blessings every moment you can.
Personal thoughts
God wants obedience, so much so that He took on our actions. If we allow Him to, He will replace our heart with one that longs to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord. Though this heart is not fashioned and changed overnight, God has a clear plan in place for each of us. He promises He will complete good work in us; we only have to allow God to control the formation process. The Israelites had been in captivity for so long they had forgotten how to worship God on the Sabbath. Moses tried to bring this sign of obedience back, but the Egyptians served a roadblock to the Israelites Sabbath-keeping. One day we too will have others trying to take away this precious time we have with God. Though the taskmasters made this a difficult choice, God shortened their time under the Egyptians rule. As we allow God to mold us, we can trust that He will bring us through moments that will help us grow into the person we were meant to be.
Hiding His word in your ❤
‘ “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”’
Matthew 11:28-30
Sabbath Catalyst 