Moses - Part 1

Back at the time these lessons were happening, I knew Halloween would fall on one of the nights we met. I wasn't sure which person from the Bible we would discuss that night. It turned out to be Moses.

There was no decision to be made—I had to dress up as Moses. I borrowed a Biblical-style robe from another church, put my bathrobe over it, added flip flops and a Middle-Eastern headdress left over from the barbershop show I sang in a few weeks earlier, went into the kitchen, grabbed the Ten Commandments tablet sitting near the spatulas, and headed out the door (it was originally part of a still life from college days).

 
I had no idea God had any purpose for all that stuff beyond my own silliness.

The still life & the headdress costume

When I got there, no other leader was dressed up (those bums!). Most kids were out trick-or-treating, but two of our kids showed up. Of course, the other leaders made the guy dressed up like Moses give the lesson, but I found myself unprepared, despite making lesson plans earlier in the week.

So....I just started talking....about the Ten Commandments...
...which made sense—they happened to be in my hand at the time...

...The topic quickly shifted to the Gospel. When I mentioned that Jesus died for us, one of the kids piped up and said, “I never heard that before!”

So "Moses" spent the rest of Halloween telling this kid about what Jesus had done for him.

I'm really thankful God orchestrated all of that. I'm really thankful that He caused me to feel/be unprepared, so He could direct the night where He wanted it to go—so this one kid could hear that Jesus died for him for the very first time.

I'm also thankful for what I saw in the other kid who was there that night. This young man was one of the two kids who got to hear about Enoch and receive that challenge to be leaders and walk in such a way that would point people towards Christ. When all the adults in the room were sharing the Gospel with the other kid, he joined us. That too, was something God orchestrated. That too, was something I'm really thankful for.

I thought that night was supposed to be Halloween. It sure felt a lot like Thanksgiving.

Joseph

The kids I work with each week tend to be an exaggerated picture of how adults like myself are. One kid gets upset because another took too much cheese, another gets mad because he didn't get a third cup of applesauce, etc. Such conflicts are always present.

Then we got to the part where we talk about Joseph. If ever there was a guy who didn't get his “applesauce,” Joseph was that guy. His brothers sold him into slavery when he was 17. He did right as a slave, and that got him his second job as a prisoner. Joseph was left to rot. I'm sure there were times he thought he'd never get out.
 

Finally, at the age of 30, Joseph was released from prison. After 13 years of hardship, God propelled him into a powerful position where Joseph was able to save countless people by preparing for the upcoming famine. He was the second most powerful man in Egypt, which really meant he was the second most powerful guy in the world. That's quite a career change from his previous job.

The most notable thing about Joseph is his attitude. I have no doubt he had his rough moments—who wouldn't? His actions, however, always show that he chose what honored God—even at great personal cost. When his brothers—the same brothers who sold him into slavery—came to Egypt during this famine for grain, Joseph had his chance to give all that hardship and misery back. Of course he didn't, but that's not the part that gets me. The part that gets me is where he tells his brothers they weren't the reason for his hardship, God was. Joseph explains that God caused him to suffer through all those things so Joseph could save his brothers. God's plan is so much bigger than we can imagine—especially while we're going through it. The part that blows my mind the most is how grateful Joseph was for all his suffering.

...And I'm still upset about the applesauce.