The Parent Weekly for November 17th, God is Worshipped (part 2)
Just for Parents
The task of parenting can be exhausting at times. We try to teach our children to be grateful, use kind hands and nice words with others, and the list goes on and on. One only has to spend a day with a grumpy toddler to understand that we cannot do it all on our own. No matter how hard we try, our children will not be perfect and we will not be perfect parents. We need help. We need a Savior. Thankfully, God sent His Son to redeem us.
This week we are highlighting the Festival of Unleavened Bread. It is a celebration of God’s miraculous deliverance of the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt, and ultimately His deliverance of our bondage from sin. The Festival of Unleavened Bread begins the day after Passover. It was a command upon God’s people to take seven days to eat bread without yeast and to cease from working on the first and seventh days. The unleavened bread represents their quick departure from Egypt, not having time for their yeast to rise. In the New Testament, Jesus speaks of yeast (or leaven) symbolically as sin. He broke unleavened bread with His disciples and said, “This is my body.” Jesus was without sin while His body was “broken” during His crucifixion.
This week, take some time to enjoy the freedom you have in Christ and the forgiveness He offers. Meditate on Galatians 5v1: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Then pray your children will experience that same freedom as you guide them toward Him!
What we learned today
Big Idea: God is Worshipped (part 2)
Psalm 27v6; 30v11; 95v2; 98v4; 108v1; 149v3. The God of all creation is holy and worthy of all worship. We were created to worship Him. Scripture tells us that if God’s people do not praise Him for who He is, the rocks will cry out in praise of Him.
Where we’re headed next time
Big Idea: Remember & Celebrate: God Made Me
Did you know?
The Israelites gathered together several times a year for a festival to remember and celebrate God.
In Leviticus 23, the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘These are my appointed feasts … which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.’” These seven festivals are: Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Festival of First Fruits, Feast of Harvest, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths). In addition, the Israelites would gather weekly to celebrate the Sabbath. These were times to remember what God had done for His people and to celebrate His goodness. They were times for the entire faith community to gather together without the burden of work to simply worship and celebrate. During the feasts, the Israelites ate, danced, sang, played instruments, prayed, and offered sacrifices to God.
The Feast of Passover was fulfilled by the death of the Messiah; the Feast of Unleavened Bread was fulfilled by His sinless sacrifice; and the Festival of First Fruits was fulfilled by the resurrection of the Messiah. The Feast of Harvest began with a great harvest of three thousand souls by the coming of the promised Holy Spirit, who continues to harvest souls today. The Feast of Trumpets will announce Christ’s return; the Day of Atonement will usher in His judgment of the nations; and finally, the Feast of Tabernacles begins the journey to our new home in a new heaven and new earth.
Connect as a family
Young children enjoy viewing their own reflection. As your child sees his face in the mirror, tell him that God made him and loves him!
Bring out some noisemakers and musical instruments.
Make up a song to praise and thank God for how much He loves us.
Blessing
Blessings are often used in the Bible. A blessing can be a prayer of commission, a portion of Scripture, or words to encourage and guide.
A blessing to pray over your child; (child’s name), may you remember that God made you and loves you!
Open a Bible and read Psalm 139v14: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
