Water
This is a 5-day lesson, designed for the Feast of Tabernacles, but applicable as a VBS. It's great to have a lesson where everybody gets to participate, learn, and have fun. Enjoy the lessons, and don't forget to add the music, Fill My Cup, Lord and As the Deer, for emphasis. Both songs are relevant to all five lessons and work well as part of the wrap-up celebration for the 5-day set of lessons.
This is a 5-day lesson, designed for the Feast of Tabernacles, but applicable as a VBS. It's great to have a lesson where everybody gets to participate, learn, and have fun. Enjoy the lessons, and don't forget to add the music, Fill My Cup, Lord and As the Deer, for emphasis. Both songs are relevant to all five lessons and work well as part of the wrap-up celebration for the 5-day set of lessons.
Day One: I Thirst!
Memory Verse: Psalm 42:1: “As a deer pants for streams of flowing water, so my soul thirsts for you, O my God.”
Sing: Fill my Cup, Lord!, As the Deer
Materials: assortment of drinks, paint, mugs, paint brushes, newspaper, paper towels
Object Lesson: (Place items to drink on table in front of children.) What do you think of this? (point to drinks) Build on answers to emphasize these points:
People drink all of these.
People like some more than others.
Some of them you wouldn’t want to drink because you don’t like them.
They make you thirsty.
Why do people drink? (Because they like the drink; because they are thirsty.) Do you ever drink something just because you like the taste of it? Is there ever a time when you drink for a reason other than because you’re thirsty? Have you ever had to drink something because it was good for you even when you didn’t want it?
I think it’s interesting Psalm 42:1 says, “As a deer pants for streams of flowing water, so my soul thirsts for you, O my God.”
This is a very powerful image the psalmist paints for us! Imagine being very hot and thirsty. You just want a drink of good, cold water. You need water for your body to function. Without water, you’ll die!
But you know, sometimes we don’t even know that we’re thirsty. Health officials say that many people are on the fringe of dehydration - and don’t even know it. I think that’s because most people drink things that aren’t very good for them and don’t really quench their thirst. But once their stomachs are full, they stop drinking. People get used to being thirsty and just learn to live with it!
It’s an interesting idea - especially because it seems to fit so well in a spiritual sense. That is, we are thirsty. We need the living Water, Jesus Christ, in order to live. Instead we substitute other things which satisfy us for a little while - things that aren’t really good for us, things that don’t really fill the need that we have for God in our lives. Then we settle for the substitution and learn to live with the thirst.
But if you don’t get the water you need, you’ll eventually die. And if you don’t get the Living Water you need, you’ll eventually die. There’s only one way into God’s kingdom: Jesus Christ.
So, next time you’re thirsty, pass up the soda and the juice and the kool-aid. Go straight for the water. Better yet, don’t even wait. Make sure you drink water every day. And make sure you drink of the Living Water every day. Your life depends on it!
Craft: Paint mugs; select drink.
As the Deer is a well-known praise and worship song by Martin Nystrom. Written in 1984, this song is based on Psalm 42:1
"As the hart panteth after the water brooks, o panteth my soul after thee, O God."
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after you
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship you
You alone are my strength, my shield
To you alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship you
You're my friend and you are my brother
Even though you are a king
And I love you more than any other
So much more than anything
Chorus
I want You more than gold or silver
Only You can satisfy
You alone are the real joy giver
And the apple of my eye
Chorus
Alternate New Verses (by anonymous) based on further meditation of Psalm 42 and the original tune. These are being used in a few communities in northeastern Massachusetts:
Based on Psalm 42:5:
When my soul is weighed down with sorrow,
I put all my trust in You.
All my hope is in You, my Savior,
So I lift my praise to You.
Chorus
Based on Psalm 42:8:
Day by day You send forth your love,
And it waters all the earth;
Night by night Yóúr song within me
is my prayer and my rebirth.
Chorus
Day Two: Water, Water Everywhere
Sing: Deep and Wide; Fill My Cup, Lord; As the Deer
Materials Needed: poster paper, water pictures, sharpies, glue, scissors, construction paper
Memory Verse: Psalm 93:4 Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty!
Object Lesson: Where can you find water? (List answers on dry erase board.) Wow! That’s a lot of places you can find water! I don’t think it’s a coincidence that our world has a plentiful supply of water. A tropical rainforest and the polar ice caps share a common denominator of water. The molecular structure of our bodies, and of all living things, depend heavily on water. In fact, water is so plentiful in the places with which we are familiar that sometimes we take it for granted.
It’s kind of like that with God. He gives us everything: life, food, oxygen, families, everything! But sometimes we take Him for granted, failing to show in our words and deeds the reverence and honor that is due our Creator and Redeemer. God, and the evidence of God is all around us, but we don’t act like He’s the most important thing in our lives. Stop and think about it: if you didn’t have water, you’d quickly die! Without God, we’d also die.
Thankfully, we serve an awesome and loving God! He loves us so much that He gives us lots of opportunities to see how very much He loves us and how very much we need Him. And He’s patient. He shows us His love and draws us to Himself. He creates within us the desire to please Him, to serve Him with all of our hearts.
You know, I can’t look at the ocean with dolphins jumping and whales breeching and waves crashing on the beach and up against the rocks without thinking of the majesty and power of our great God. I can’t look at a still lake which reflects the lazy cumulus clouds of summer without thinking of God’s peace. And I can’t walk beside a gurgling, laughing brook without thinking of the sense of humor our great God must surely have. And I can’t drink a cold glass of pure water without giving thanks for the life that God gives to me and sustains through His mercy.
But what good does it do to know that God is great and is everywhere and has blessed me with everything, if I don’t demonstrate it in my every day actions. Do you read your Bible every day? Do you want to read your Bible every day, or is it something you do just because your parents make you or because you think you should? Do you pray to God? Do you remember to thank Him for all the things He’s done for you, or do you just present a list of wants, as if He were your genie? Do you fight with your brother or sister? Do you obey your parents and treat them with love and honor? Why would you do the things you do? Is it because you are so grateful for the majesty and power, the peace and the laughter, the goodness and the life that is our great God?
Think about it.
Craft: Choose a picture and a verse to write on it with a sharpie. You may choose to frame your picture with construction paper, etc.
Day 3: My Soul Thirsts for You
Sing: Deep and Wide; Fill my Cup, Lord; As the Deer
Memory Verse: Psalm 63:1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Materials Needed: sand art containers, colored sand, potting soil
Object Lesson: There’s a story about the Mexican-American War which most people don’t know. In 1846, the First Missouri Mounted Volunteers left Clay County, MO for Santa Fe. Crossing the Staked Plains (also known as the Great American Desert), they soon became the Missouri Walking Volunteers. They did, however, take the New Mexico capital without firing a shot. From there they were ordered to Brazito, where they ran into General Ponce de Leon. After defeating the Mexicans there, they were ordered deeper into Mexican territory, to the city of Chihuahua - despite the fact that no supplies or reinforcements had come. The men decided to go anyway. But this desert was unforgiving. “The sand was so fine that the wind gathered it in drifts like snow. Often the wagons sank up to their hubs. Weak from lack of water, the mules got stuck. The men toiled alongside their struggling animals, tugging them forward. By the second day, water canteens were empty, and the horses had begun to die. By the third day, many of the animals were delirious with thirst. As an act of mercy, the men unyoked the mules and oxen and let the poor animals go. . . The column staggered to a halt. The Missourians lay down on the burning sand to die. They no longer cared. This had been too much. Some scrawled notes to loved ones; others prayed. The buzzards overhead circled in closer. Soon there would be a thousand skeletons picked clean, bleaching in the sun. . . But then, a strange thing happened. Above the distant mountains to their right a cloud appeared. And another. And another. It was raining! Before long, water was rushing down the mountainside toward them. Soon gullies and puddles littered the plain where the men were lying. It was enough for every man and beast to drink his fill. One soldier compared it with the fountain God had once caused to leap from a rock to quench the thirst of the Israelite army in the desert. Refreshed, the expedition carried on, finally arriving at Chihuahua. (Sounding Forth the Trumpet, pg 84-85.)
That life-giving water didn’t last very long. After all, they were still in the desert. The water soon sank into the sand. So let’s talk about soil. What different kinds of soil are there?
If the soil has too much clay content, what happens? The water cannot permeate it; it can’t drain away either. It just sits. If the soil is too sandy, the water has nothing to hold it. It quickly drains away. The best soil is that which is a mixture of sand and clay and loam and humus. You don’t want soil that’s going to hold the water like a cup. But you don’t want soil that will allow the water to drain away like sand. You also want a little organic material in there which will break down when mixed with water and provide nutrients for the plant to grow.
So what kind of soil are you? Are you like the sand - you hear the Bible read, but you can hardly wait to get away and think about the latest book you’re reading, the next cartoon on tv, or what new score you might achieve on your video game? Or are you like the clay? You hold onto the Word of God, you listen, you talk, but you don’t really let it get into your life. You don’t really let the water permeate into you. Or are you a mixture of good soil, with some not so good soil? Most people who love God and want Him to lead them are a mixture. And some times the mixture changes from day to day. Some days they are much more like sand - they don’t have time for God and His ways. They want to do their own thing. Other days, there are people who act like they have God very close to them, but His ways don’t really permeate into their lives so that their behavior changes.
Our goal is to become good soil. That only happens when we allow the Master Gardener - who’s that? - to come into our lives and work the soil. He adds a little humus. He stirs some clay and sand into the loam. But unlike the soil in your garden, allowing Jesus to work in your heart can make you pretty uncomfortable. Change doesn’t occur easily. And change which means letting go of what you want doesn’t happen easily at all.
But I want you to think back about the story of the American soldiers walking across the desert. They needed water. God gave them water. But the water was not there forever for them to use. They needed to make the most of the opportunity!! In a similar way, we are told in Hebrews , “Today if you hear his voice . . .” We have to be willing to respond to God’s call when He calls us. He will not call forever. There is a window of opportunity. When that window closes, it’s done. If you know God wants you to do something, you’d better do your best to see it gets done. Don’t be like the sand. Hold on to the water of Life.
Craft: Sand bottle art.
Day Four: Be a Tree Planted by the Riverside
Sing: Deep and Wide; Fill my Cup, Lord; As the Deer; The Tree Song
Memory Verse: Psalm 1:3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
Materials: cups of trees, painted clay pots, water
Object Lesson: As the pioneers pushed across the United States, what did it look like? How did the terrain change? Broadleaf forests and rolling hills gave way to lower altitudes and thicker vegetation all the way to the Mississippi River. Once past the Mississippi River, the forests gradually gave way to rolling hills with fewer and fewer trees. Forests of trees gave way to scattered herds of plains animals, especially bison, and isolated villages of Indian tepees. The altitude continued to increase all the way to the plains and foothills just east of the Rocky Mountains. Once the travelers reached western Kansas and Nebraska, they longed to see a tree! These people who once grumbled at all the trees couldn’t wait to see a tree. Can you guess why?
A tree meant water! In those treeless plains, water was becoming more and more difficult to find. The trains of Conestoga and Prairie schooner wagons therefore followed the rivers. They had to stay close to the river if they hoped to have enough water to continue the arduous journey. Still, as they continued west, sometimes the rivers dried up. So the sight of a tree meant water was plentiful, at least plentiful enough to support a tree.
So with that picture in mind, let’s look at Psalm 1:1-3.
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
Here’s another picture of a tree planted by the riverside. This tree is fruitful. It produces what it was created to produce (fruit) when it is supposed to produce it (in its season). But the psalmist gives us this picture as a description of a certain kind of man: the one who wants to do God’s will and does not do evil. This is a really wonderful picture, especially to those who have spent any time in a very dry land where trees mean life-giving water.
Not only is there a word-picture about trees in Psalm 1, there’s one in Revelation 22:1-2.
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
It’s another picture of being so close to that River of Life which comes from God that the tree becomes beneficial to others. I’m not sure what all of it symbolizes. I just know that I want to be useful to God like that. And the only way that’s going to happen is if I derive my power from Him. I seek His will. I act through His power. I give all the glory to Him.
Craft: Re-plant a tree into the pot. Review the soil ideas from yesterday. If you don’t have a continual source of water, the soil will soon dry out, even if it’s good soil.
Day Five: The Water Ceremony
Sing: Fill My Cup, Lord!, As the Deer, Deep and Wide, The Tree Song, We Will Dance
Materials Needed: shirts, fabric paint, paper towels, newspapers
Memory Verse: John 7:37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.
Lesson: There’s an interesting ceremony that occured in Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles. It was called the water ceremony: Each day during the Feast of Tabernacles, a priest drew an urn of water from the pool of Siloam and carried it through the Water Gate while the people recited Isaiah 12:3: "Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation." Once inside the city, they paraded the urn of water to the altar accompanied by a choir singing Psalms 113—118. To conclude the ritual, the priest poured the water on the altar as an offering to God. However, on the last day, the great day of the Feast, they marched seven times around the altar. Then they would pass straight to the altar. They would then pour that water down into a silver funnel that stood high above the altar and went down to it. Right afterwards they would chant, antiphonally, Psalms 113 to 118 inclusive, accompanied by the flute. They would repeat the last verse of Psalm 118 and shake their palms (in right hand). The offering of the special sacrifices would follow along with the Psalm of the day which was Psalm 1182:25 on.
Psalm 118:26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD; We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
It’s fascinating that as the people would have just finished chanting this, Bible commentators think that Jesus stood up and cried out,, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
The water ceremony pointed to God’s salvation, and although the water came from the Pool of Siloam, the silver funnel indicated that the water of life came from heaven. (The silver is the metal which symbolized redemption.) Jesus stood up and let everyone know that He is the Living Water. He is the source of Life. Isaiah 58:11 says, “And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”
So if you’re thirsty, if you’re not satisfied, like we talked about on Day One, go to Jesus, who is the only One who can satisfy you. He is the Living Water. But you have to be willing to drink. You can’t just look or know that He is there. You actually have to take Him in. You have to seek Him and His will and then make it the focus of your life. You obey Him. Once you do, you’ll start growing and changing (like when we talked about the soil changing so it can be more productive.) You become a good place where a plant can grow - in this case, the Word of God grows in the fertile soil of you. As you grow (much like that tree which is planted by the riverside), then you will ever increasingly have those rivers of living water flowing out of you that we talked about yesterday. And God can use you as the tool to make the deserts bloom!
Isaiah 35:6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;
Isaiah 43:19 Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
There is a time coming when the desert will be gone - not necessarily the physical desert, but the spiritual desert, where there is no Living Water. I’m longing for that time: a time of no more pain or sorrow, or tears or death. They will all have passed away. We may have to pass through some difficult days before that time comes, but it is coming. God is coming, and we will dance!
Craft: Decorate Feast shirts.
Memory Verse: Psalm 42:1: “As a deer pants for streams of flowing water, so my soul thirsts for you, O my God.”
Sing: Fill my Cup, Lord!, As the Deer
Materials: assortment of drinks, paint, mugs, paint brushes, newspaper, paper towels
Object Lesson: (Place items to drink on table in front of children.) What do you think of this? (point to drinks) Build on answers to emphasize these points:
People drink all of these.
People like some more than others.
Some of them you wouldn’t want to drink because you don’t like them.
They make you thirsty.
Why do people drink? (Because they like the drink; because they are thirsty.) Do you ever drink something just because you like the taste of it? Is there ever a time when you drink for a reason other than because you’re thirsty? Have you ever had to drink something because it was good for you even when you didn’t want it?
I think it’s interesting Psalm 42:1 says, “As a deer pants for streams of flowing water, so my soul thirsts for you, O my God.”
This is a very powerful image the psalmist paints for us! Imagine being very hot and thirsty. You just want a drink of good, cold water. You need water for your body to function. Without water, you’ll die!
But you know, sometimes we don’t even know that we’re thirsty. Health officials say that many people are on the fringe of dehydration - and don’t even know it. I think that’s because most people drink things that aren’t very good for them and don’t really quench their thirst. But once their stomachs are full, they stop drinking. People get used to being thirsty and just learn to live with it!
It’s an interesting idea - especially because it seems to fit so well in a spiritual sense. That is, we are thirsty. We need the living Water, Jesus Christ, in order to live. Instead we substitute other things which satisfy us for a little while - things that aren’t really good for us, things that don’t really fill the need that we have for God in our lives. Then we settle for the substitution and learn to live with the thirst.
But if you don’t get the water you need, you’ll eventually die. And if you don’t get the Living Water you need, you’ll eventually die. There’s only one way into God’s kingdom: Jesus Christ.
So, next time you’re thirsty, pass up the soda and the juice and the kool-aid. Go straight for the water. Better yet, don’t even wait. Make sure you drink water every day. And make sure you drink of the Living Water every day. Your life depends on it!
Craft: Paint mugs; select drink.
As the Deer is a well-known praise and worship song by Martin Nystrom. Written in 1984, this song is based on Psalm 42:1
"As the hart panteth after the water brooks, o panteth my soul after thee, O God."
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after you
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship you
You alone are my strength, my shield
To you alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship you
You're my friend and you are my brother
Even though you are a king
And I love you more than any other
So much more than anything
Chorus
I want You more than gold or silver
Only You can satisfy
You alone are the real joy giver
And the apple of my eye
Chorus
Alternate New Verses (by anonymous) based on further meditation of Psalm 42 and the original tune. These are being used in a few communities in northeastern Massachusetts:
Based on Psalm 42:5:
When my soul is weighed down with sorrow,
I put all my trust in You.
All my hope is in You, my Savior,
So I lift my praise to You.
Chorus
Based on Psalm 42:8:
Day by day You send forth your love,
And it waters all the earth;
Night by night Yóúr song within me
is my prayer and my rebirth.
Chorus
Day Two: Water, Water Everywhere
Sing: Deep and Wide; Fill My Cup, Lord; As the Deer
Materials Needed: poster paper, water pictures, sharpies, glue, scissors, construction paper
Memory Verse: Psalm 93:4 Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty!
Object Lesson: Where can you find water? (List answers on dry erase board.) Wow! That’s a lot of places you can find water! I don’t think it’s a coincidence that our world has a plentiful supply of water. A tropical rainforest and the polar ice caps share a common denominator of water. The molecular structure of our bodies, and of all living things, depend heavily on water. In fact, water is so plentiful in the places with which we are familiar that sometimes we take it for granted.
It’s kind of like that with God. He gives us everything: life, food, oxygen, families, everything! But sometimes we take Him for granted, failing to show in our words and deeds the reverence and honor that is due our Creator and Redeemer. God, and the evidence of God is all around us, but we don’t act like He’s the most important thing in our lives. Stop and think about it: if you didn’t have water, you’d quickly die! Without God, we’d also die.
Thankfully, we serve an awesome and loving God! He loves us so much that He gives us lots of opportunities to see how very much He loves us and how very much we need Him. And He’s patient. He shows us His love and draws us to Himself. He creates within us the desire to please Him, to serve Him with all of our hearts.
You know, I can’t look at the ocean with dolphins jumping and whales breeching and waves crashing on the beach and up against the rocks without thinking of the majesty and power of our great God. I can’t look at a still lake which reflects the lazy cumulus clouds of summer without thinking of God’s peace. And I can’t walk beside a gurgling, laughing brook without thinking of the sense of humor our great God must surely have. And I can’t drink a cold glass of pure water without giving thanks for the life that God gives to me and sustains through His mercy.
But what good does it do to know that God is great and is everywhere and has blessed me with everything, if I don’t demonstrate it in my every day actions. Do you read your Bible every day? Do you want to read your Bible every day, or is it something you do just because your parents make you or because you think you should? Do you pray to God? Do you remember to thank Him for all the things He’s done for you, or do you just present a list of wants, as if He were your genie? Do you fight with your brother or sister? Do you obey your parents and treat them with love and honor? Why would you do the things you do? Is it because you are so grateful for the majesty and power, the peace and the laughter, the goodness and the life that is our great God?
Think about it.
Craft: Choose a picture and a verse to write on it with a sharpie. You may choose to frame your picture with construction paper, etc.
Day 3: My Soul Thirsts for You
Sing: Deep and Wide; Fill my Cup, Lord; As the Deer
Memory Verse: Psalm 63:1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Materials Needed: sand art containers, colored sand, potting soil
Object Lesson: There’s a story about the Mexican-American War which most people don’t know. In 1846, the First Missouri Mounted Volunteers left Clay County, MO for Santa Fe. Crossing the Staked Plains (also known as the Great American Desert), they soon became the Missouri Walking Volunteers. They did, however, take the New Mexico capital without firing a shot. From there they were ordered to Brazito, where they ran into General Ponce de Leon. After defeating the Mexicans there, they were ordered deeper into Mexican territory, to the city of Chihuahua - despite the fact that no supplies or reinforcements had come. The men decided to go anyway. But this desert was unforgiving. “The sand was so fine that the wind gathered it in drifts like snow. Often the wagons sank up to their hubs. Weak from lack of water, the mules got stuck. The men toiled alongside their struggling animals, tugging them forward. By the second day, water canteens were empty, and the horses had begun to die. By the third day, many of the animals were delirious with thirst. As an act of mercy, the men unyoked the mules and oxen and let the poor animals go. . . The column staggered to a halt. The Missourians lay down on the burning sand to die. They no longer cared. This had been too much. Some scrawled notes to loved ones; others prayed. The buzzards overhead circled in closer. Soon there would be a thousand skeletons picked clean, bleaching in the sun. . . But then, a strange thing happened. Above the distant mountains to their right a cloud appeared. And another. And another. It was raining! Before long, water was rushing down the mountainside toward them. Soon gullies and puddles littered the plain where the men were lying. It was enough for every man and beast to drink his fill. One soldier compared it with the fountain God had once caused to leap from a rock to quench the thirst of the Israelite army in the desert. Refreshed, the expedition carried on, finally arriving at Chihuahua. (Sounding Forth the Trumpet, pg 84-85.)
That life-giving water didn’t last very long. After all, they were still in the desert. The water soon sank into the sand. So let’s talk about soil. What different kinds of soil are there?
If the soil has too much clay content, what happens? The water cannot permeate it; it can’t drain away either. It just sits. If the soil is too sandy, the water has nothing to hold it. It quickly drains away. The best soil is that which is a mixture of sand and clay and loam and humus. You don’t want soil that’s going to hold the water like a cup. But you don’t want soil that will allow the water to drain away like sand. You also want a little organic material in there which will break down when mixed with water and provide nutrients for the plant to grow.
So what kind of soil are you? Are you like the sand - you hear the Bible read, but you can hardly wait to get away and think about the latest book you’re reading, the next cartoon on tv, or what new score you might achieve on your video game? Or are you like the clay? You hold onto the Word of God, you listen, you talk, but you don’t really let it get into your life. You don’t really let the water permeate into you. Or are you a mixture of good soil, with some not so good soil? Most people who love God and want Him to lead them are a mixture. And some times the mixture changes from day to day. Some days they are much more like sand - they don’t have time for God and His ways. They want to do their own thing. Other days, there are people who act like they have God very close to them, but His ways don’t really permeate into their lives so that their behavior changes.
Our goal is to become good soil. That only happens when we allow the Master Gardener - who’s that? - to come into our lives and work the soil. He adds a little humus. He stirs some clay and sand into the loam. But unlike the soil in your garden, allowing Jesus to work in your heart can make you pretty uncomfortable. Change doesn’t occur easily. And change which means letting go of what you want doesn’t happen easily at all.
But I want you to think back about the story of the American soldiers walking across the desert. They needed water. God gave them water. But the water was not there forever for them to use. They needed to make the most of the opportunity!! In a similar way, we are told in Hebrews , “Today if you hear his voice . . .” We have to be willing to respond to God’s call when He calls us. He will not call forever. There is a window of opportunity. When that window closes, it’s done. If you know God wants you to do something, you’d better do your best to see it gets done. Don’t be like the sand. Hold on to the water of Life.
Craft: Sand bottle art.
Day Four: Be a Tree Planted by the Riverside
Sing: Deep and Wide; Fill my Cup, Lord; As the Deer; The Tree Song
Memory Verse: Psalm 1:3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
Materials: cups of trees, painted clay pots, water
Object Lesson: As the pioneers pushed across the United States, what did it look like? How did the terrain change? Broadleaf forests and rolling hills gave way to lower altitudes and thicker vegetation all the way to the Mississippi River. Once past the Mississippi River, the forests gradually gave way to rolling hills with fewer and fewer trees. Forests of trees gave way to scattered herds of plains animals, especially bison, and isolated villages of Indian tepees. The altitude continued to increase all the way to the plains and foothills just east of the Rocky Mountains. Once the travelers reached western Kansas and Nebraska, they longed to see a tree! These people who once grumbled at all the trees couldn’t wait to see a tree. Can you guess why?
A tree meant water! In those treeless plains, water was becoming more and more difficult to find. The trains of Conestoga and Prairie schooner wagons therefore followed the rivers. They had to stay close to the river if they hoped to have enough water to continue the arduous journey. Still, as they continued west, sometimes the rivers dried up. So the sight of a tree meant water was plentiful, at least plentiful enough to support a tree.
So with that picture in mind, let’s look at Psalm 1:1-3.
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
Here’s another picture of a tree planted by the riverside. This tree is fruitful. It produces what it was created to produce (fruit) when it is supposed to produce it (in its season). But the psalmist gives us this picture as a description of a certain kind of man: the one who wants to do God’s will and does not do evil. This is a really wonderful picture, especially to those who have spent any time in a very dry land where trees mean life-giving water.
Not only is there a word-picture about trees in Psalm 1, there’s one in Revelation 22:1-2.
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
It’s another picture of being so close to that River of Life which comes from God that the tree becomes beneficial to others. I’m not sure what all of it symbolizes. I just know that I want to be useful to God like that. And the only way that’s going to happen is if I derive my power from Him. I seek His will. I act through His power. I give all the glory to Him.
Craft: Re-plant a tree into the pot. Review the soil ideas from yesterday. If you don’t have a continual source of water, the soil will soon dry out, even if it’s good soil.
Day Five: The Water Ceremony
Sing: Fill My Cup, Lord!, As the Deer, Deep and Wide, The Tree Song, We Will Dance
Materials Needed: shirts, fabric paint, paper towels, newspapers
Memory Verse: John 7:37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.
Lesson: There’s an interesting ceremony that occured in Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles. It was called the water ceremony: Each day during the Feast of Tabernacles, a priest drew an urn of water from the pool of Siloam and carried it through the Water Gate while the people recited Isaiah 12:3: "Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation." Once inside the city, they paraded the urn of water to the altar accompanied by a choir singing Psalms 113—118. To conclude the ritual, the priest poured the water on the altar as an offering to God. However, on the last day, the great day of the Feast, they marched seven times around the altar. Then they would pass straight to the altar. They would then pour that water down into a silver funnel that stood high above the altar and went down to it. Right afterwards they would chant, antiphonally, Psalms 113 to 118 inclusive, accompanied by the flute. They would repeat the last verse of Psalm 118 and shake their palms (in right hand). The offering of the special sacrifices would follow along with the Psalm of the day which was Psalm 1182:25 on.
Psalm 118:26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD; We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
It’s fascinating that as the people would have just finished chanting this, Bible commentators think that Jesus stood up and cried out,, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
The water ceremony pointed to God’s salvation, and although the water came from the Pool of Siloam, the silver funnel indicated that the water of life came from heaven. (The silver is the metal which symbolized redemption.) Jesus stood up and let everyone know that He is the Living Water. He is the source of Life. Isaiah 58:11 says, “And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”
So if you’re thirsty, if you’re not satisfied, like we talked about on Day One, go to Jesus, who is the only One who can satisfy you. He is the Living Water. But you have to be willing to drink. You can’t just look or know that He is there. You actually have to take Him in. You have to seek Him and His will and then make it the focus of your life. You obey Him. Once you do, you’ll start growing and changing (like when we talked about the soil changing so it can be more productive.) You become a good place where a plant can grow - in this case, the Word of God grows in the fertile soil of you. As you grow (much like that tree which is planted by the riverside), then you will ever increasingly have those rivers of living water flowing out of you that we talked about yesterday. And God can use you as the tool to make the deserts bloom!
Isaiah 35:6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;
Isaiah 43:19 Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
There is a time coming when the desert will be gone - not necessarily the physical desert, but the spiritual desert, where there is no Living Water. I’m longing for that time: a time of no more pain or sorrow, or tears or death. They will all have passed away. We may have to pass through some difficult days before that time comes, but it is coming. God is coming, and we will dance!
Craft: Decorate Feast shirts.