Taking Time at the Table

Pic from power point clip art.  (I didn't have a pic of our blanket tents.  Maybe next time). 

I love summer time with my girls.  I love the days of "no schedule", getting up late, and frozen waffles.  Today is one of those days.  At the beginning of the summer, I had great intentions of using the summer to study the book of John with the girls.  We had a few good weeks and then our days filled up with friends, swimming, and other excuses.

This morning we decided to continue our study using Jesus in the Spotlight by Kay Arther (Inductive Bible Studies for Kids).  Today we spent extra time at the table after breakfast, John 7.

The girls learned about:

Travel 

My girls love to travel.  We drive our comfortable minivan on road trips.  Actually, they are pretty spoiled.  Sometimes they complain if they don't get to pick out the next DVD to watch.  They eat and drink whatever they choose. 

In our study, when we looked at the map, they discovered Jesus WALKED about 60 miles.  My six-year-old said, "That's dangerous."  Maybe next trip we will be more thankful for our minivan. 

Tents 

When my girls hear the word "tent", they do not think of a camping tent like most.  Like me, they think of the blanket tents that engulf our living room.  I remember making tents with my sisters.  We'd use our chalk boards, kitchen set, and plenty of blankets to make our bedroom into a "full house", with plenty of rooms for all of our dolls.

When the girls learned about the Feast of the Booths in John 7, they remembered their tents.  The Jews celebrate the Feast of the Booths to remember the tents they made when God led the people out of Egypt. They also celebrated the autumn season and its harvest.

Temple

When the girls hear the word "temple", they think of our church building.  Yes, the temple was the place of worship, but very different than our modern churches. 

The girls read about Jesus teaching in the temple. John 7:25- 30 (NASB) ²⁵ So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is this not the man whom they are seeking to kill? ²⁶ Look, He is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to Him. The rulers do not really know that this is the Christ, do they? ²⁷ However, we know where this man is from; but whenever the Christ may come, no one knows where He is from.” ²⁸ Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, “ You both know Me and know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. ²⁹ I know Him, because I am from Him, and He sent Me.” ³⁰ So they were seeking to seize Him; and no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.

This temple visit shows the majority of the Jews didn't know Jesus was the Christ, the Promised One.

What have you learned at "Table Time"?
The next time you build a tent (or your children, or grandchildren), or set up a tent to camp, take the time to tell the story of  how God rescued the Israelites from Egypt (Exodus 11-14).