18/3/12 Lent 4 aka Mothering Sunday

Bible Reading

Exodus chapter 2 vereses 1-10

Theme: A caring Mother

Preparation

This is the week after Mothering Sunday when most churches will probably have used the special Mothering Sunday readings rather than Lent 4 – these include a choice of two famous Old Testament stories about children and their mothers: Moses and his (unnamed) mother, and Samuel and Hannah.

The story of Moses in the bulrushes features in just about every Bible story book – if you have a particularly well written and beautifully illustrated version use that. You may also like to have a doll (wrapped tightly in a sheet) in a blanket as a visual aid.

Introduction

Who in the school has baby brothers and sisters? How do mothers keep their babies safe and secure and look after them?

The Message

Tell the story of Moses in the bulrushes. Emphasise that he was born in troubled times and his mother was afraid he would be killed by soldiers. Explain how she would have made the basket out of papyrus reed and plastered it with bitumen and pitch to make it watertight, and how she would have wrapped him tight in swaddling cloths, both to keep him warm, but also to stop him wriggling and upsetting the floating basket. When everything was as secure as possible the basket was floated on the water, hidden amongst the bulrushes, and big sister Miriam hid close by to keep guard. The story ends well – mother and son are re-united and when Moses has been weaned he gets to go to the palace and be raised as a prince.

Moses had good reason to be thankful for his mother’s love as she saved his life. Ask the children what their mothers do for them that they are thankful for and make the link to last Sunday.

Prayer

Gather the children’s ideas together as a prayer of thanksgiving for mothers and those who care for us.

Also this week you could hear stories of other famous Bible mothers: Samuel's mother Hannah in I Samuel chps 1 & 2; John the Baptist's mother Elizabeth in Luke chp 1; Ruth and her devotion to her mother-in-law