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Work through the confirmation Lesson below. Do the best you can on your own. If you need help, or if you get stuck send me an email, (revrichm@gmail.com), text or call me (610-401-5602). When you're done, post your answers at the bottom. When we meet next I will go over this and we'll do an exercise to have some fun with it.
Wilderness to Land
My
Faith Story
Ask yourself this Big
Question: I have so many important things in my life; why should I focus on
God?
This week's lesson
focuses on the importance of remembering what God has done for us so that we
can remember always to keep God front and center in our lives. We all are
tempted to put other things ahead of God in our lives. It may be our activities
in school or sports, social status, material possessions, anything that becomes
more important to us than God. Do you have things in your life that makes you
want to put in God second place? What helps you keep things in perspective?
Open
the Bible
Read Exodus 16:1–15.
Almost as soon as the
Israelites are out of Egypt, they begin grumbling. In these verses we see how
God provided for the people in spite of their grumbling. God kept his promise,
the covenant made several years earlier, to provide for the people, protect
them, and bring them to the promised land. God remains faithful despite the
erratic behavior of the people.
Q: These verses come
right after the people cross the Red Sea. Why do you think the people forget
what God has done for them so quickly?
Q: The people keep
complaining, but God keeps delivering. What does that say about God?
Try to find a map and
look at the area of Sinai between Egypt and Israel. When Israel left Egypt, they did not go
immediately to the promised land. They had a long period, the Bible says 40
years, of wandering in the wilderness before they were able to enter the land
God had promised them.
Q: Why do you think it
was necessary for the people to wander through the wilderness before getting to
the promised land?
Read Joshua 24:14–18.
Moses did not enter
the Promised Land with the Israelites. Joshua took over as the leader when
Moses' term was finished. Joshua, too, had to deal with the stubborn people who
kept forgetting all that God had done for them. In Joshua 24 Joshua is
challenging the people to live in obedience to God in the promised land in
response to all the goodness and protection that God had provided. Joshua is
considered a Bible hero because of his determination and commitment to follow
God regardless of what everyone else might say.
Think about what the
last part of Joshua 24:15, Joshua's statement of faith, means to you.
Q: How could following
Joshua's words be seen as heroic?
Read Deuteronomy
6:4–9. The words in Deuteronomy 6:4–5 are called the Shema. It is foundational
for Jews in a very profound way to this day. All obedience, it claims, flows
out of a sense of love toward God and dependence on God.
The Great Commandment
is found in three of the four Gospels (Matthew 22:37–40; Mark 12:28–31; Luke
10:25–28). Each of these references is directly connected to the Shema in
Deuteronomy 6:4.
Read Matthew 22:37–40;
Mark 12:28–31; and Luke 10:25–37. What does Jesus say about the words in
Deuteronomy 6:4–5?
Q: Why is Deuteronomy
6:4–5 called the Great Commandment?
Open
the Catechism
What is the point of
the Great Commandment?
The point of the Great
Commandment is putting God first in our lives. When we put God first, we
naturally want to take care of our neighbors and do the right thing.
Here We Stand Student
Book page 296: Turn to the Ten Commandments and Luther's explanations of the
first three Commandments. How does the Great Commandment sum up the first three
commandments? How does Luther explain what our attitude to God should be?
Cartoon
Connection
1. What are the things that you are tempted to put ahead of God in your life?
2. Why do you think
people have such a hard time putting God first in their lives?
3. Where can you find
help to keep your priorities straight today where God is acting to free people
from some kind of burden or bondage?
Life
Connection
Make a list of 10
things you do every day. Be sure to include “Keep God as the focus of my life”
on your list. Then cut those 10 things apart and put them in a hat. Draw them out
one at a time and do those things in that order every day this week. How is
this different from doing them in a specific, prioritized order? Did it mess
with your routine? When did you “keep God as the focus of your life”? When
should you do this?
QUIZ SHOW
Multiple Choice Questions
1. The Shema is . . .
a. what
you say to someone who has sneezed.
b. the
name of your pet alligator.
c. the
Jewish understanding of faithfulness, devotion, and love to God.
d. the
newest kind of soft drink to hit the market.
2. Manna is . . .
a. slang
for "banana."
b. a type
of bread that was provided in the wilderness.
c. the
newest dance craze.
d. the
newest kind of soft drink to hit the market.
3. When God makes a covenant, or promise, with
people . . .
a. you
can bet that it won't happen.
b. it is
a for a short time only.
c. God
will always keep it.
d. none
of the above.
4. Living for yourself rather than living for God
means . . .
a. God
will be very pleased with you and will jump up and down for joy.
b. you
have broken the First Commandment.
c. your
relationship with God will suffer.
d. both b
and c.
5. God provided manna and quail for the Hebrew
people when they wandered in the wilderness because . . .
a. God
had nothing better to do.
b. God
had a new recipe for a manna and quail hot dish and was eager to try it out.
c. it was
a reminder that God is always faithful, even if we're not.
d. manna
and quail are well-known desert delicacies.
6. Allowing God to sit in the "driver's
seat" means . . .
a. God
wants to take your car out for a spin.
b. giving
God the best seat at the drive-in movie.
c. God is
the one who is steering the bumper car at the arcade.
d. giving
God full reign and full control of your life.
7. Joshua said that he and his house were serving .
. .
a. the
latest soft drink to hit the market.
b. manna
and quail hot dish.
c. the
Lord.
d.
whomever they wanted.
8. When asked about the Great Command, Jesus told
the parable of . . .
a. the
boy who cried wolf.
b. manna
tree seed.
c. Little
Red Riding Hood.
d. the
good Samaritan.
