So I thought I'd share it here - might be useful for others. Our class is P2-4 (age 6-8)
This is one of these more elaborate lessons you don't do every week!
Passover Lesson
Main point:
The Israelites could only be set free from slavery and death by the blood of a lamb. We can only be set free from sin by the blood of Jesus.
I made a ‘house’ with the old display boards and a doorway made of cardboard, and we sat in it for most of the lesson.
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| I wasn't planning to have a curtain, but I found this cloth in the Sunday School cupboard, and it really finished it off. |
Recap:
- Who have we been learning about? (Moses)
- What book of the Bible? (Exodus)
- Where did God’s people the Israelites live? (Egypt)
- Were things going well for them? What was the problem? (slaves. We discussed that being a slave was worse than a servant, and that you didn’t have a choice – you were a prisoner and you couldn’t leave)
- What Did God send Moses to say to Pharaoh? (Let my people go)
- What did Pharaoh say? (No!)
- What did God do next? (discussed a few plagues)
Remember at the end of last week, Emma told us that God was going to send one, final plague.
I got a child to read:
What is a ‘firstborn son’? (oldest boy in every family). Discussed with children which of them is a firstborn son.
All the firstborn sons were in danger! BUT God had a plan to keep his people safe.
He told Moses what to do. They had to do exactly what God said. It was the ONLY WAY.
I wrote bullet points on the board:
- Kill a lamb
- Paint blood round the door
- Stay inside
- Be ready to go (i.e. coats & shoes on, so they could go as soon as they were told)
- Eat a special meal (I explained it was roast lamb, unleavened bread (flat bread), bitter herbs.)
God said that, during the night, he would go through Egypt. Every firstborn son would die. BUT if he saw blood round a door, he would pass over that house, and they would be safe.
Imagine you were one of the Israelites. Would you think, I don’t need to do that, I’ll be OK? (No!) It was the ONLY WAY to be safe.
The people did what God said. At this point I went down the list with the children, and we acted it out.
- I showed them a sheep-shaped cushion (which several of them proceeded to grab and violently beat/stab to death, which I assure you I did not ask them to do 😆 )
- We got red felt tips and coloured round the door of our house
- We went inside and stayed inside.
- I made sure everyone had their jumpers/shoes etc. on (I was the only one who didn’t, but Eli took his shoes off so he could put them on again!)
- We ate some chopped up lamb burgers, pitta bread and watercress/rocket (Most of them didn’t like it!)
Did the Israelite sons die? Was it because they were Israelites? Why was it? (blood round door) God saw the blood and passed over - the lamb died instead of them.
Pharaoh saw what had happened. (I pointed out Pharaoh’s son in the picture)
What do you think he is saying now? GO!
At this point the children went out and noisily ran round the room. Once I had managed to control them again… I got them to line up and we marched to the other side of the room. Were they still slaves? No! They were free!
God had done an amazing thing for them. He told them that, every year, they must have a special meal, to remember. They still do! Jewish people (who are the great great great great great grandchildren of the Israelites) have a special meal. Do you know what it’s called (no-one did, though ‘Good Friday’ was suggested!)? It’s called ‘Passover’, because God ‘passed over’ their houses. I showed them a photo of a Passover meal.
We aren’t Jewish, are we? We weren’t slaves in Egypt.
But Jesus says that everyone is a slave – he says that ‘everyone who sins is a slave to sin’ (John 8v34) Sin is when we do or say or think wrong things – when we don’t live God’s way. We’re slaves to sin because we can’t help it (sounds odd - not sure if that’s the words I used). We need to be set free.
What did Jesus do so we can be set free from our sins? (died on the cross) I had a cardboard cross and wrote ‘Jesus’ on it in red pen.
I got a child to read 1 Corinthians 5v7 Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed. I made sure they knew ‘Christ’ means Jesus, and wrote it on the cross.
Just like the lamb died for the Israelites, Jesus died for us. We are set free by his blood – not because we’re good, not because our family loves God… but if YOU believe Jesus died for YOU, you will be set free.
We then all wrote our names on the cross, to show he died for all of us.
Finished with a prayer to thank him.
Then did this worksheet:
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