Download: SH1 2007 Monday Flowsheet

Monday Night:
We started out the evening with a mock recap of the Moses and the Exodus story. We played it like I had asked Timmy to put together a short video to bring us up to speed on Moses and then we showed the short video, Moses, Man of God from Worship House Media. It's really kitschy and fun. I played the straight man and got up and acted perplexed about the ridiculous video.

I then summarized the story leading up to Moses going into exile for 40 years. Then we moved into telling the burning bush story in a dramatic way, inspired by Nooma - Breathe, where Rob Bell asks if we've been passing burning bushes all the time and just not recognized it.

We set the front of the room up with 3 screens where the middle screen represented home and the sides represented wandering. I gathered a lot of images of varied landscapes and we had someone play Moses as a younger man, out wandering, tending to sheep. He'd walk back and forth and the video on the screen would have a loop of sheep and a bush and it would say, Year 1, Year 2, and so on. Ben Killen and I created a burning bush to use: Burning Bush (it's kind of compressed and I had to mess with the timing to get it export, it looked smoother than this). So the idea was he'd pass by and finally would comically say after he heard the voice of God, "you've got to be kidding me.. right?"

Then it would start over and we'd be transported to modern times with a picture of a house where a young man goes off in search of God. We used the great Waterboys song with the chorus, "I just found God where he always was." Then eventually he'd pass by the house and one of the shrubs in front of it would be on fire. Making the point that God is here with us now. He doesn't show up, sometimes we just don't look for Him.

Here's where we got into trouble. I summarized the rest of the Moses story. Moses dies before entering the promised land. We're not promised an easy life, we're not promised that we're going to prosper if we just believe. We wanted them to think about their journey. Maybe it has been hard so far and they're hearing messages from TV that if you just believe, God will give you that mansion. We illustrated the point with a clip from Anderson Cooper 360 that talked about the prosperity Gospel with Joel Osteen and Creeflo Dollar. Then we split them into their small groups to talk about this question: What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Here's the handout we gave to the leaders: SH1 2007 Monday Group.

I say we got into trouble because we learned that while we're big fans of putting stuff out there and letting the group discern for themselves what we're trying to say without us having to say it, some folks mistakenly got the impression that we were promoting the idea that if you just believe that prosperity will come and that poverty is a curse from God on people who don't have enough faith. Which was disheartening.

Thinking about Your Path
When they returned to the Assembly Hall, we had reconfigured with about a thousand tealights (See video). It was really visually just stunning. The path led to an altar of candles at the top of the screen. We then asked the group to think about their journeys and to create a life map (see the brainstorm for more info). To lighten things up, we closed with a reading of "Oh the Places You'll Go." Or at least I intended to. We ended up cutting the evening short about half-way into it. The mood just was too heavy for it. It was an amazing evening though.

If we hadn't needed to cut it short, we would have closed with the amazing poem, "Fit Me in Somewhere" by Gerard Kelley. It's in the notes below. His book is great too. Check it out on Amazon.

Our brainstorm notes from the evening:

Monday - Led on the Way

Campers will explore the manner in which God led the Israelites through the wilderness and explore God’s faithfulness on Israel’s journey from slavery to freedom.
Campers will:
recognize God’s presence and activity in the lives of God’s people
identify ways that God guides people
discover that following God sometimes means taking a roundabout way

Scripture Reference: Pillars of Cloud and Fire—Exodus 13:17-18a, 20-22

(The Message)

17 It so happened that after Pharaoh released the people, God didn't lead them by the road through the land of the Philistines, which was the shortest route, for God thought, "If the people encounter war, they'll change their minds and go back to Egypt."

18 So God led the people on the wilderness road, looping around to the Red Sea. The Israelites left Egypt in military formation.

20-22 They moved on from Succoth and then camped at Etham at the edge of the wilderness. God went ahead of them in a Pillar of Cloud during the day to guide them on the way, and at night in a Pillar of Fire to give them light; thus they could travel both day and night. The Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night never left the people.

Thoughts on the Scripture (WB)

I guess the point is about being led and trusting in God to provide. It's also the basis for much of the Jewish faith.Some of this applies for either Monday or Wednesday
WB - Some of the stuff that I've been reading/listening to lately has spoken about these verses, (Leaving Control for Faith, giving me some insight into this. There are some layers of this that we can go into. The shortest path to the promised land was through the land of the Philistenes, but God took them the LONG way. Following Jesus doesn't guarantee you'll be on the easy path. Also, they followed God. They had no idea when they camped how long they'd be there. It could be a few hours, it could be a few days, it could be weeks or months. They had to trust in God without knowing what was coming, they had to live for that day. We want guarantees, we want to stockpile for our comfort, security. When God gave the Israelites manna, He told them to keep enough just for that day. When they disobeyed, they found the manna to be full of maggots.

Numbers 9
The Cloud Above the Tabernacle
15 On the day the tabernacle, the Tent of the Testimony, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire. 16 That is how it continued to be; the cloud covered it, and at night it looked like fire. 17 Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. 18 At the LORD's command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. 19 When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the LORD's order and did not set out. 20 Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the LORD's command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. 21 Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. 22 Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. 23 At the LORD's command they encamped, and at the LORD's command they set out. They obeyed the LORD's order, in accordance with his command through Moses.

The only way you know what to do is when the cloud moves, you move, there is no calendar, no schedule. All they're given is directions for the next step. In the journey, there are no guarantees, you do not get to know about what's going to happen tomorrow, God only gives you today. Perhaps we could share times when we were in the wilderness. The wilderness is a time when you are alone, wandering, wondering, asking the question where am I? Who am I? No one can do anything for you. You've prayed, rebuked devils, fasted. Yet you still find yourself in a barren place.

The Wilderness as a Catalyst to Make Us Better
Abraham had to go through the wilderness when God told him to leave his country, his people, and his father's house. That was the only way that Abraham could become great.

God chose Joseph to be a leader. But before that, long before that, Joseph was cast down in a pit. He was then sold into slavery by his own brothers. Keeping God's law, he was tossed into prison for a crime that he did not do.

David was the promised king of Israel. In his wilderness King Saul tried to kill him.

Moses was in the wilderness because of the children of Israel. Sometimes we are in the wilderness to help others get through it. God promised Israel a promised land but there was a wilderness before the promise.

Jesus, the promised Messiah, had to go through the wilderness. he experienced hunger and temptation. Before the fulfillment of your promise you will have a wilderness experience

If you are in the wilderness, do not lose hope because Jesus gives a plan to make it through, even in the midst of temptation.

Jesus -- Luke 4:1-2
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

Immediately after being baptized, Jesus was led into the desert 40 days before beginning his ministry. Even the son of God had to spend time in the wilderness. It was important that Jesus was tested and spiritually strengthened through these 40 days.

Barnes comments, “When the first Adam was created he was subjected to the temptation of the devil, and he fell and involved the race in ruin: it was not improper that the second Adam -- the Redeemer of the race -- should be subjected to temptation, in order that it might be seen that there was no power that could alienate him from God; that there was a kind and a degree of holiness which no art or power could estrange from allegiance.”

We sometimes have to go through dark times to test our faith and strengthen our commitment to God. This could not have been a pleasant time for Jesus. If you are going through a difficult time, try to learn what God is trying to teach you.

Moses -- Acts 7:29-30
When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons. After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.

Moses had been raised in a royal palace. When it came time for him to identify with his Hebrew brothers, he acted impulsively. He needed to spend time in the wilderness to mature and to learn how to deal with people who were not raised in riches. During these forty years, Moses learned how to deal with shepherds. Since the nation of Israel was a nation of shepherds, this was extremely important.

Sometimes God has us spend time in preparation. There may have been times when Moses felt he was wasting his life on the back side of the desert, but God had a plan for him. He needed to learn how to deal with the everyday occurrences of normal life. Perhaps you feel like your life is being wasted. Remember, that even during those times in the wilderness God is teaching and preparing our hearts.

There is an interesting Aesop’s Fable called The Traveler and the Plane-Tree, “Two Travelers, worn out by the heat of the summer’s sun, laid themselves down at noon under the widespreading branches of a Plane-Tree. As they rested under its shade, one of the Travelers said to the other, ‘What a singularly useless tree is the Plane! It bears no fruit, and is not of the least service to man.’ The Plane-Tree, interrupting him, said, ‘You ungrateful fellows! Do you, while receiving benefits from me and resting under my shade, dare to describe me as useless, and unprofitable’?”

You may feel that what God is taking you through is useless and unprofitable. But there is benefit that you just can’t see or understand yet. If you are willing to place your full trust in God, you will discover that it is during those times that seemed the least important that God was preparing you for his work.

Joseph -- Genesis 39:20-23
Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

God was going to use Joseph to administer to the entire nation of Egypt. But first, it was necessary for Joseph to learn gifts of administration. What did God do? He threw Joseph in prison. How discouraging this must have been for Joseph. He was there at least two years and maybe more. He could have become despondent and given up all hope. But instead he tried to do a good job. Little did he know what God had in store for him.

Barnes writes, “An uncomplaining patience and an unhesitating hopefulness keep the breast of Joseph in calm tranquility. There is a God above, and that God is with him. His soul swerves not from this feeling.”

It is because Joseph was in the prison that the cupbearer would later remember him to Pharaoh. It is because Joseph was in prison that he learned the skills to be able to administer the grain storage for the king. It was because Joseph was in prison that he was able to spare his family from the famine. You may feel like you are in a prison, either trapped in a situation or relationship, or you may feel like you are in an emotional prison. Remember, that God used that time in prison so that Joseph could learn the skills he needed to minister to a nation and to his family! Perhaps God is using your prison too.

David -- 1 Samuel 23:13-17
So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there. David stayed in the desert strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands. While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that Saul had come out to take his life. And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.”

David was hiding out in the desert of Ziph. Saul was seeking his life. He knew God had promised that he would be the next king of Israel, but here he was being treated like a common criminal. It was during this time that he learned mercy from Saul’s son, Jonathan. Even though Jonathan was the rightful heir to the throne, he was willing to give it up to fulfill God’s plan for David’s life. From this desert experience, David learned forgiveness and mercy which would be necessary for the future king of Israel.

Do you feel like you have been chased into a desert? Perhaps God wants you to learn mercy and forgiveness. Forgiveness is never learned when everything is going great and no one wrongs us. Mercy can only be learned and practiced when we have been harmed. Perhaps God has allowed you to go through a time in the wilderness so that you can learn to forgive others.

Jephthah -- Judges 11:3-6
So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a group of adventurers gathered around him and followed him. Some time later, when the Ammonites made war on Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. “Come,” they said, “be our commander, so we can fight the Ammonites.”

Jephthah was a great warrior, but he did not have many friends. He was strong, but he was a loner. His family despised him and chased him away to the land of Tob. He was an outcast. But it was during this time in the wilderness, that other men joined him and he learned how to lead a band of fighting men. They were fighting for food and survival, but God would use this experience to help Jephthah know how to lead the army of Israel against the Ammonites.

Jephthah may have been very discouraged. His mother was a prostitute, and his brothers wanted nothing to do with him. He was chased away and had to feel unwanted and unloved. But God loved him and taught him skills in leading others. It was during the lowest time of his life that he was receiving the most important instruction of his life.

If you feel unwanted and unloved, examine your circumstances closely. It may be that God is helping you during this difficult time to learn some skill or ability which you will need later.

Paul -- Galatians 1:15-18
But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus. Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days.

Paul had been going in the wrong direction for a long time. He had been persecuting the church, but Jesus graciously reached down to him and turned his life around. Paul had a lot of talents and abilities. He would make an ideal preacher. But first God wanted Paul to be instructed by the Spirit. So he sent Paul for three years into the deserts of Arabia. I’m sure Paul would have preferred to dwell with the Christians and be able to minister to others about the wonderful miracle God had performed in his life. But God wanted to readjust Paul’s thinking. There was much to learn and some wrong thinking to unlearn. So Paul went into the desert for three years before beginning his ministry.

The Wycliffe Bible Commentary points out, “The apostle mentions Arabia not as a place for preaching, because, even though preaching was in view in the call, it is not the subject under consideration at this point. Paul is discussing the source of his Gospel. He mentions Arabia in contrast to Jerusalem. No apostle was to be found there. No one was there who could inform him about the Lord and His saving work. It is probable that the new convert journeyed to Arabia to be alone with God, to think through the implications of the Gospel.”

Perhaps you feel like you are just spinning your wheels. You want to begin a work for God but none of the doors are opening up like you want. You feel like you’re in a desert far from where you think God wants you to be. Maybe, like Paul, God wants you to spend some time learning new things and unlearning old things. Before we can effectively minister to others, we must be ministered to by God. Allow God to speak to your heart, even though you are in the wilderness.

Each one of these great leaders had to spend time in the wilderness. What makes you think you are more important than anyone of them? God may very well send you into the wilderness. But never forget that it’s during those wilderness times that we grow the most as we are prepared for the work that God wants us to perform.

Preliminary Plan

Central question for the evening: Where Are We Going?
I think we're going to go with exploring the idea of being led by God. What does that look like? How do you figure out where and what God is leading you towards? Does that mean only good things are going to happen to you? Is God leading you now?

• Walking on Holy Ground
  Have you been walking on holy ground for a long time and just not known it? Moses raised sheep for 40 years before he was told that the ground he was on was holy.
• Personal experiences
  Have some folks share about where they feel God is leading them and how they know. We'd need to perhaps ask the question that morning during announcements and get volunteers. Plus we would use some of the adults for this.
• Search for God
  see brainstorm section below
• Where are we going?
  Is this about a legal transasction or a way of life? Is your faith about some day, about a hope of a day far off in the distance? Or is it about the God's will being done on earth NOW.
• Lifemaps - the whole draw a line across the page and think about the times you've felt closer to God and the times you've felt estranged from God. What does your journey look like?
• Doesn't Always End Well
  Some preach a false gospel of if you do x then God will reward you with y (illustration could be an xy graph, with a straight diagonal line up and to the right). If you take care of yourself, you'll never get cancer. If you raise your kids properly, your kid will never live in some destructive way. If you are faithful, your business will flourish, your business will continue up and to the right. If you marry the right person, read the right self-help books, even Dr. Phil will want to know how you did it. If you just trust in Jesus, you'll get to step into the promised land. I have a great clip from Anderson Cooper 360 that features Joel Osteen and Creflo Dollar that is a great example of this. The truth is that the journey of life is more of a loopy, up and down experience on the xy graph.

Flow

• Music (20 mins)
• Where Did You See God Today? Present images of where people saw God at work or reflected
• Closing: Fit Me In Somewhere reading

Brainstorm

• Sand Candles - http://www.mycraftbook.com/Sand_Candles.asp
  WB - I can see using these for communion
  Perhaps this could be a craft done in the craft hut that is a free craft done for the benefit of the camp, or it could be something done by an interest group that is helping with worship stuff, or doing crafts, etc. -Winstonbaccus 5/15/07 7:52 PM
• Search for God - from younger youth curriculum
  Remind campers that today’s story from Exodus emphasizes God’s constant presence with the Israelites in the forms of cloud and fire. Encourage them to consider the ways in which God is present with them at camp. Send them on a search of the nearby area— within your sight—to find natural objects that represent God’s presence with them. Regroup and invite campers to share what they found.
  WB - What if we did this, but with digital cameras and incorporated it into the program? Might be pushing it for day 2..
  Seeing the Divine, takes time.
  In Exodus, after wandering the dessert for forty-years, it describes Moses seeing something there he had not ever seen before. He encounters a bush that did not seem to ‘burn up’.
  As Moses approaches he discovers God calling out to him from within the bush saying “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5)
  How long had Moses walked through that piece of land, never realizing that it was holy?
  Or the better question might be, how long had Moses been staring at that bush to realize that it was not burning up? That it wasn’t some minor forest fire, but that there was something mystical occurring?
  In the book of Mark it describes a centurion standing in front of Jesus upon the cross, hearing him cry, and watching him die. After which he comes to the realization that “Surely this man was the son of God!” (Mark 15:39).
  The same question applies. How long was the centurion gazing at the cross, before he realized that he was seeing God?
  Could it be that God is closer than we think?
  If only we took the time to really look?
  The Scriptures describe this man named Jacob who after reflecting on a dream and discovers, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” (Genesis 28:17).
• Mapping Your Journey - from curriculum
  Invite campers to get comfortable, close their eyes, and listen. Ask them to think back through their own life – the significant highs and lows along the way from birth to today. Give them a minute in silence to recall the noteworthy events . Invite them to open their eyes. Explain they are going to draw their life journey map. Give them a sheet or two of paper, and provide crayons or markers. Encourage them to draw a horizontal line across the paper from left to right, and use a vertical line to mark each significant life event they remember. After they have had time to complete their life journey maps, invite them to share with the group. When all who want to have shared, encourage the group to identify the common elements they noticed in the life maps. Ask: What are the common threads? How are our journeys similar? How are they different?
  Have someone read Exodus 13:17–18a again. Ask the group to look at their life journey maps again. Ask: In what ways is the Israelites’ journey like your journey? Where was God in their journey? What was God doing? Where do you see God on your journey? What has God done? What is God doing in your life now?
  WB - Could use this in an evening small group time
• Somehow we create a cloud and a pillar of fire as a visual element for the evening program?
  LeFlame rental: $35 a week, http://www.tlsinc.com/pdfs/Rental_06.pdf
• Fun recap of the Moses Story in 70's Cop Show Style: Moses, Man of God
• Vortex of Fire videos:
  http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/life/home_life/fireplaces/2168021_breathing_flame.php?id=2168021
• Closing - Fit Me In Somewhere by Gerard Kelly
  Fit me in somewhere
  In this giant jigsaw, God,
  somewhere in this work of art,
  you're working,
  select a space my shape can fill
  and with a puzzle maker's skill
  let my contours find their fit without contortion.Teach me which patch I am, God
  in the cosmic quilt you're quilting.
  Show me where my square of selfhood is of use.
  Let the colorful complexities
  of the pattern that is me
  find their purpose in the placement that you choose.Show me my position, God
  in this group photograph.
  Stand me where you want me to stand.
  Put me next to who you will.
  Make me stand, for good or ill,
  precisely in the place your plan demands.

  Tell me what I am God,
  in this body you are building:
  a tongue to taste,
  a nerve to serve,
  an ear to hear.

  Give me grace
  to not be, gracefully,
  the parts I am not called to be
  and to play with elegance
  the roles that I am given.

  Fit me in somewhere
  in this giant jigsaw, God,
  somewhere in this work of art you're working.
  Weave your wondrous tapestry,
  until the twisted, tangled threads of me,
  surrendered to your artisty,
  form an image that is beautiful to see.

• Robin says:
  I am hoping to do this talk in the chigger bowl and begin with some cloud watching (obviously if weather cooperates).
  I am focusing on the spirit of God living in the clouds and fire… Hebrew word used here – Anan – means dwelling place of the spirit of God.
  Same word used in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles when the cloud fills the temple.
  I will talk about the faithfulness of God – relating it to prevenient grace (preparing the way even before we know)
  Then will move in to the Israelites becoming used to the pillars – not being awed and astonished at the presence of God because it became common place, relating that to us as we look for and don’t see God speaking to and leading us in our everyday lives.Don’t know if you are interested – but Rob Bell makes an interesting analogy in Sex God about the Pillar of Cloud – he relates it to the Chupah (the covering used at Jewish weddings – speaking to our bridal relationship with Christ… it is really powerful (or was for me). It may be a stretch but a wedding that evening could be kinda cool – let me know if you are interested in going in this direction and if you want I will be glad to help out.
• Sex God - Chapter 7 - Under the Chuppah Notes