Coats and Shackles

Week #5 I Will Serve… Go Answer: I will serve God and finish His plan. Go Verse: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” Jeremiah 29:11 Poor Joseph! What is going on?? He has been stuck in prison for years! If you remember from last week, Pharaoh has a crazy dream about fat cows and ugly cows and lots of grain growing. The dream scared the king and he needs it interpreted badly. Trouble is, no one can interpret it for him. But Pharaoh’s cupbearer suddenly remembers Joseph who is still locked away in prison. If Joseph had interpreted the cupbearer’s dream, why couldn’t he interpret Pharaoh’s dream too? Joseph is brought out of prison and taken before Pharaoh where he interprets Pharaoh’s dream for him… There are seven years of feast coming to the land of Egypt. It will be a wonderful time filled with great harvests and lots of food. But after the seven years of feast, there will be seven years of famine. In this famine, food will be scarce and people will go hungry. Joseph tells the king that he should put someone in charge to rule over the food. This person will make sure that enough food is saved during the seven years of feast so that there is plenty of food left when the seven years of famine hit. Pharaoh likes this idea and determines that Joseph is the best guy for the job. “Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, clearly no one else is as intelligent or wise as you are. You will be in charge of my court, and all my people will take orders from you’” (Genesis 41:39-40a). Things are looking up for Joseph! He’s out of prison and is second in command over all of Egypt! This is awesome! But we’re not done. Things are going to get even crazier when Joseph’s brothers come to town… Last week we talked about obeying God, this week we’re talking about serving Him. Let’s take a look at our Go Answer… “I will serve God and finish His plan.” Consider having the kidssay it with you or repeat after you. Optional: Create actions/hand motions to help kids memorize the Go Answer. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord.‘They are plans for good and not for disaster,to give you a future and a hope.’”Jeremiah 29:11, NLT The Go Verse is the scripture verse that corresponds to the theme of our series for the children to commit to memory over the course of the 5 weeks. Make this fun for your family, whether it is a repeat-after-me segment or an unscramble game. Feel free to get creative! Recruit some help for the dialogue, or turn the dialogue into a crazy story. Interrupter: I had a great time at the zoo yesterday!Presenter: Tell me about it!Interrupter: I started at the ostriches.Presenter: That’s fun.Interrupter: Yeah, but one tried to bite my finger off.Presenter: Yikes!Interrupter: It’s okay, he missed.Presenter: Well, that’s a relief.Interrupter: Yeah, but instead he poked me in the eye.Presenter: Ouch!Interrupter: It’s okay, I got to wear an eye patch!Presenter: That would be fun.Interrupter: Yeah, but unfortunately, I couldn’t see too well with just one eye.Presenter: That is unfortunate.Interrupter: No problem, I can run fast.Presenter: Run?Interrupter: The ostrich got loose and started to chase me.Presenter: Yikes!Interrupter: It’s okay, I outran him.Presenter: Good job!Interrupter: But I ran straight into the lion’s cage.Presenter: What?! How scary!Interrupter: No worries, he was asleep.Presenter: Well, that was fortunate.Interrupter: Yeah, but the monkeys woke him up.Presenter: That’s horrible!Interrupter: It’s okay, I threw him my lunch sack.Presenter: Good thinking.Interrupter: Yeah, but he didn’t want it.Presenter: Run!Interrupter: No worries, I got away.Presenter: Whew! What a relief.Interrupter: Because the monkeys picked me up.Presenter: They sound really strong.Interrupter: It’s okay, they set me down quick.Presenter: Oh good.Interrupter: But I landed in the mud.Presenter: Well, at least it was soft.Interrupter: But then the ostrich found me again. (Interrupter exits.) These stories are getting out of hand! Too many ups and downs! Life hasn’t been going so well for our pal Joseph, but things are about to change for the better. Let’s jump in… Scripture Reference: Genesis 41:14—47:26 Objective: The goal during week five of our series is to conclude Joseph’s wild journey. We will cover his rise to second in command of all of Egypt to his brothers’ return and the fulfillment of Joseph’s dream when he was a teenager. The key element for children to understand this week is that Joseph served God his whole life and God carried him through to an amazing completion and achievement. Message: Joseph is now thirty years old and is second in command over all of Egypt. He is now wealthy and rules over many. Because of his leadership, the people of Egypt will not starve during the seven years of famine. They have plenty of food to last because Joseph has instructed people to save up food supplies during the years of plenty. After the seven years of feast, the famine hits. The famine was severe across the whole land. People from all over came to Egypt in order to buy food supplies. In the midst of all those people, guess who shows up? Joseph’s brothers! Joseph’s brothers traveled to Egypt to buy food: “Since Joseph was governor of all Egypt and in charge of selling grain to all the people, it was to him that his brothers came. When they arrived, they bowed before him with their faces to the ground… Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they didn’t recognize him. And he remembered the dreams he’d had about them many years before” (42:6-9). Do you remember the dreams? We learned about them in week one. Joseph dreamt that people would bow down to him. The whole land would bow down,

Week #4 I Will Obey… Go Answer: I will obey God even when I can’t see His plan. Go Verse: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” Jeremiah 29:11 When we last saw Joseph, he was in command of Potiphar’s household but, someone is about to get him in BIG trouble. Potiphar’s wife lies about Joseph and tells Potiphar that he has done terrible things. This is not the truth, but Potiphar believes his wife. Potiphar becomes furious and throws Joseph into prison. This guy just can’t catch a break! Joseph went from being the favorite son wearing a beautiful coat to being thrown into a pit and sold into slavery. From there he is blessed and put in charge of an official’s household, but now he’s been falsely accused (lied about) and thrown into prison. Joseph’s life is a lot like a game of “Chutes & Ladders,” isn’t it? One minute everything is looking good and you’re headed up (ladder), but then the next minute everything is messed up and you’re going backwards (chute). Last week we talked about honoring God, this week we’re talking about obeying Him. Let’s take a look at our Go Answer… “I will obey God even when I can’t see His plan.” Consider having the audience say it with you or repeat after you. Optional: Create actions/hand motions to help kids memorize the Go Answer. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord.‘They are plans for good and not for disaster,to give you a future and a hope.’”Jeremiah 29:11, NLT The Go Verse is the scripture verse that corresponds to the theme of our series for the children to commit to memory over the course of the 5 weeks. Make this fun for your family, whether it is a repeat-after-me segment or an unscramble game. Feel free to get creative! Get someone to help you with the dialogue or turn this dialogue into a story. Interrupter: The other day I went sledding.Presenter: That sounds like a blastInterrupter: Buuut I forgot my sled.Presenter: Oh no, what did you do?Interrupter: Thankfully, my friend had an extra sled.Presenter: That’s great! Interrupter: Well, unfortunately, I tripped and started sliding down the hill … backwards.Presenter: Oh no! Were you okay?Interrupter: Yeah, it was fine. A bump flipped me back around.Presenter: Thank goodness.Interrupter: But then I was sliding straight towards a tree.Presenter: Oh no!Interrupter: All good. I missed the tree.Presenter: Whew! Glad you missed it.Interrupter: But then I accidentally ran into a deer.Presenter:  A deer? Was the deer okay?Interrupter: No worries, it wasn’t real. It was a plastic Christmas decoration.Presenter: That’s weird… but glad everything was okay.Interrupter: Yeah, but then I started tumbling … fast … down the hill.Presenter: Yikes! Interrupter: It’s okay, my jacket was really puffy.Presenter: Good thing!Interrupter: A very good thing! I eventually rolled myself into a giant snowball!Presenter: Niiice! (Interrupter exits.) That was a crazy trip down the hill! As we jump back into learning about the life of Joseph, we’re going to hear more about his many ups and downs. Today, things aren’t going so well… Things are continuing with Joseph on a ‘down.’ Let’s jump in… Scripture Reference: Genesis 39:17-40:23. Objective: The goal during week four of our series is to pick-up where we left off with Joseph being thrown into prison and carrying it through to his relationship with Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker. The key element for children to understand this week is that Joseph obeyed God even when his life seemed to be crashing in around him. Message: So Joseph is now in prison. Potiphar’s wife has lied about him and he’s been thrown into prison. The Bible tells us that even when he was in prison, God was looking out for Joseph. God wasn’t done with Joseph. There was still much, much more to the story of Joseph, and even though Joseph couldn’t see it yet, God was going to use him to do incredible things. While in prison, Joseph continues to listen, trust, honor, and obey. In Genesis chapter 39, the Bible says, “the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him His faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden [guard]” (39:21). The prison guard put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners. Isn’t that great?! Wherever Joseph goes, he is put in charge and is blessed by God. “Whatever he did,” the Bible says, “the Lord made it prosper” (39:23). While Joseph is in prison, the cupbearer and baker of the king of Egypt (Pharaoh) get in trouble and are thrown into prison. One night, they both had a dream, but were very discouraged because they didn’t know what it meant and needed someone to interpret it.  When Joseph came to find them in the morning, they told him about their dreams. Do you remember one of the things that is so special about Joseph? He listens to God and is able to interpret dreams. When he was seventeen, Joseph had a dream and told his brothers about it. Now it’s time for Joseph to interpret another dream. Joseph knew that it was God who had given him this gift; he wasn’t able to do it on his own (40:8b). Joseph interpreted the dreams of the cupbearer and the baker. The cupbearer’s dream and its interpretation were good. Joseph said his dream meant that he would be released from prison and get his job back in three days. But the baker’s dream and its interpretation were bad. Joseph said that his dream meant that he would die in three days. Joseph said: “Please remember me and do me a favor when things go well for you. Mention me to Pharaoh, so he might let me out of this place. For I was kidnapped from my homeland … and now I’m here in prison,

Week #3: I Will Honour… Go Answer: I will honor God and stay faithful to His plan. Go Verse:“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” Jeremiah 29:11 Let us set the atmosphere. Open with prayer and then go into praise and worship. Holy Spirit is not limited to moving at church or children’s church. Be expectant for Holy Spirit to move in your home as you dive into the word with your children. Introduction Gather the kids around the table, or in the lounge. Start the following discussion:Have you ever had a bad day? (Listen to some answers.) Have you ever had a day that went from bad to worse? (Listen to some answers.) Recap on our journey up until now: Here we are in week three already of our series, “Coats & Shackles.” When last we saw Joseph he was sold by his brothers into slavery and is headed towards Egypt with his new owners. Things are looking pretty crazy for poor Joseph! But it’s all about to get a little better for Joseph. A very important man is going to buy him from the visiting traders. Our focus for today is on honoring God. What does the word “honor” mean? (Discuss this as a family.) The definition of “honor” is high respect, respect that is given to someone who is deserving. It is when we show good behavior or good character. I need two volunteers to help me explain this. (You need to prepare slips of paper with the scenario’s here below on it. Read or get one of the children to it aloud and take comments determine if the situation on the paper slip is honoring or not. You can also engage older children by asking them for examples from their own life that contains honour and that does not.) Situations: 1. Your teacher asks you to put your desk supplies away and instead you talk with your friends. (Not Honoring) 2. You are playing outside and your dad tells you to come inside for dinner.  You decide to tell your friends you have to leave and you go inside for dinner. (Honoring) 3. Your mom tells you to clean your room and you march up the stairs, and angrily throw everything into place. (Not Honoring) 4. You are at Go Port and you see scraps of trash lying around, you pick them up without being asked. (Honoring) 5. Your friend had something embarrassing happen to them and you tell everyone about it. (Not Honoring) 6. Your older brother is studying for his college exam so you make sure you are nice and quiet so you don’t disturb him. (Honoring) Let’s continue to think of ways we can honor others as we take a look at our Go Answer… “I will honor God and stay faithful to His plan.” Consider having the audience say it with you or repeat after you. Optional: Create actions/hand motions to help kids memorize the Go Answer. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord.‘They are plans for good and not for disaster,to give you a future and a hope.’”Jeremiah 29:11, NLT The Go Verse is the scripture verse that corresponds to the theme of our series for the children to commit to memory over the course of the 5 weeks. Make this fun for your family, whether it is a repeat-after-me segment or an unscramble game. Feel free to get creative! Get a second person. To be the interrupter, OR change this dialog into a story. Interrupter: You’ll never believe what happened to me last night!Presenter: Oh yeah? Tell me about it.Interrupter: A spaceship landed in my backyard.Presenter: That is unreal!Interrupter: Yeah, unfortunately, it crushed the scooter.Presenter: That stinks.Interrupter: But it’s okay, it was my sister’s scooter.Presenter: Well, that stinks for her.Interrupter: Then the spaceship door opened.Presenter: Oh really?Interrupter: Yeah, but the door crushed my scooter.Presenter: Aww, that’s a bummer.Interrupter: It’s okay, the spaceship was full of minions.Presenter: Well, that’s pretty awesome.Interrupter: But they were the mean, purple minions.Presenter: Uh-oh!Interrupter: It’s okay, I had the jelly gun.Presenter: Perfect.Interrupter: Too bad it wasn’t actually a jelly gun.Presenter: Huh? What was it? Interrupter: It was actually a confetti canon.Presenter: Sounds like a party!Interrupter: Well, it would have been, but I accidentally hit the spaceship’s launch button.Presenter: That’s terrible!Interrupter: No worries, I headed into space.Presenter: Exciting!Interrupter: But then I remembered the doors were still open. Presenter: Did you fall out? Interrupter: No… then I woke up. Presenter: Wait… It was a DREAM?? Interrupter: Yep!(Interrupter leaves the conversation.) That was the weirdest story I’ve ever heard. Today, as we jump back into learning about the life of Joseph, we’re going to hear about more of his many ups and downs. Let’s jump in… Message Scripture Reference: Genesis 37:36, 39:1-6a Objective: The goal during week three of our series is to pick-up where we left off with Joseph having been sold by his brothers into slavery. Things are bleak, but Joseph is never out of God’s plan. The key element for children to understand this week is that Joseph honored God through it all. He remained faithful to God. Message: The Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to a man named Potiphar. Potiphar was no ordinary man. He was an officer of Pharaoh (the ruler of the land) and was a captain of the guard. The Bible tells us that “The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man” (Genesis 39:2a). Joseph lived in Potiphar’s house and God blessed him. Because Joseph acted so honorably, Potiphar liked him and he put him in charge of his household. Everything that Potiphar owned was under Joseph’s care. He was the man in charge! God began to bless Potiphar’s house because Joseph was there. Joseph stayed faithful and showed good character and behavior. Is this always easy to do? (No.) It

Week #2: I Will Trust… Go Answer: I will trust God even when I don’t know His plan. Go Verse:“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” Jeremiah 29:11 Let us set the atmosphere. Open with prayer and then go into praise and worship. Holy Spirit is not limited to moving at church or children’s church. Be expectant for Holy Spirit to move in your home as you dive into the word with your children. Introduction Gather the kids around the table, or in the lounge. Start the following discussion:Have you ever had a bad day? (Listen to some answers.) Have you ever had a day that went from bad to worse? (Listen to some answers.) That is the situation Joseph currently finds himself in. You remember Joseph, right? We learned last week that life was going really well for Joseph. He’s the favorite son and his father has given him a beautiful, colorful coat. He also has these awesome dreams God gives him. Joseph was excited about these dreams and he told them to his brothers. Trouble was his brothers did NOT like what they were hearing about his dreams. Joseph’s brothers had a plan to destroy him and threw him into a pit…dun, dun, DUN! Sometimes life just doesn’t make sense and we need to trust God. We don’t have the answers in life, but God does, and that is exactly what we are talking about today. Last week we talked about listening to God, this week we’re talking about trusting Him. Let’s take a look at our Go Answer… “I will trust God even when I don’t know His plan.” Let the kids say it with you or repeat after you. Optional: Create actions/hand motions to help kids memorize the Go Answer. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord.‘They are plans for good and not for disaster,to give you a future and a hope.’”Jeremiah 29:11, NLT The Go Verse is the scripture verse that corresponds to the theme of our series for the children to commit to memory over the course of the 5 weeks. Make this fun for your family, whether it is a repeat-after-me segment or an unscramble game. Feel free to get creative! Like last week, you need a second person to play the part of the interrupter, or you will need to turn this dialogue into a story. Interrupter: I was invited to a birthday party!Presenter: Hey, that’s great!Interrupter: Yeah, but the party was in China Presenter: That’s a long way to go.Interrupter: It’s okay I took an airplane to the party.Presenter: Oh, that’s perfect! Interrupter:  Unfortunately the plane ran out of fuel so I had to jump out.Presenter: Yikes, that terrible. Interrupter: It’s okay, I had a parachute. Presenter: What a relief!Interrupter: It wasn’t… The parachute had a hole.Presenter: That is the worst!Interrupter: But it’s okay, there was a haystack below me. Presenter: I’m so glad to hear that.Interrupter: You shouldn’t be… There was a pitchfork in the haystack.Presenter: Ouch! That would hurt!Interrupter: Thankfully, I missed the pitchfork. Presenter: Hooray!Interrupter: Buuut I missed the haystack.Presenter: This is getting worse and worse.Interrupter: No, it’s fine… There was a pond near by. Presenter: That would help to break your fall.Interrupter: Yeah, but the pond was dried up.Presenter: What?!Interrupter: It’s okay… The mud was soft. (Interrupter leaves the conversation.) Sounds like that was a wild trip filled with ups and downs all over the place! Today, as we jump back into learning about the life of Joseph, we’re going to hear about his many ups and downs. Today, things aren’t going so well… Things are continuing with Joseph on a ‘down.’ Let’s jump in… Message Scripture Reference: Genesis 37:19-35 Objective: The goal during week two of our series is to pick-up from where we left off with Joseph’s brothers scheming against him. They have now thrown him into a pit and their plan is to kill him. The key element for children to understand this week is that Joseph trusted God even in dark and confusing times. Message: Joseph’s brothers were very jealous of Joseph so they devised a plan to get rid of him. In fact, they wanted him dead. Now, if you remember, Joseph has now been thrown into a pit by his brothers, but his youngest brother, Reuben, felt bad and didn’t want Joseph killed. “Let’s not kill him,” he said, “Instead, just leave him here in this pit.” His plan was to come back later and rescue Joseph but, before he could do that, a group of Midianite traders passed by. They were headed to Egypt with many camels that carried spices, balm, and myrrh so the brothers had an idea…a horrible idea. If they simply killed their brother, they wouldn’t get any money for him, but if they sold him as a slave to the Midianite traders, they could cash him in for money! So, that’s exactly what they did. Before Reuben could come back to deliver Joseph, they had sold him for twenty shekels of silver (which would have been about $6 at that time) and he was taken away to Egypt. Joseph’s brothers took his coat of many colors, ripped it, dipped it into goat’s blood and lied to their father about it. They brought it to their father and made him believe that Joseph had been attacked and eaten by a wild animal. Was this the truth? (No.) Things are not looking good for Joseph! He’s been thrown into a pit, sold as a slave, and now his father thinks he is dead. Things are just going from bad to worse for him. Joseph didn’t know what was going on or what kind of plan God had in mind. This didn’t seem to line-up with the dreams he had. (Do you remember Joseph’s dreams from last week?) What do you

Week #1: I Will Listen… Go Answer: I will listen to God so I know His plan Go Verse:“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” Jeremiah 29:11 Let us set the atmosphere. Open with prayer and then go into praise and worship. Holy Spirit is not limited to moving at church or children’s church. Be expectant for Holy Spirit to move in your home as you dive into the word with your children. Introduction How many of you like to play board games? Have brief discussion about your family’s favourite board games. One of my favourite board games is Snakes and Ladders. Who here has played this fun game? In this game, you take turns moving spaces along the board. If you land on a snake, you have to go backward (down). But if you land on a ladder, you get to go forward (up). This game reminds me of life. In life, we have days where things are really good and we feel like we’re doing awesome (up/ladder). But other days, things may feel rotten and don’t go our way (down/snake). Through our new series, we are going to talk about a man in the Bible named Joseph. Joseph had a lot of ups and downs in his life. He went from being his father’s favourite son to being locked away in prison. Buckle up; it’s going to be a crazy ride!   Let’s check-out this week’s Go Answer…     “I will listen to God so I know His plan.”   Consider having the audience say it with you or repeat after you. Optional: Create actions/hand motions to help kids memorize the Go Answer.     “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” Jeremiah 29:11, NLT   The Go Verse is the scripture verse that corresponds to the theme of our series for the children to commit to memory over the course of the 5 weeks.   Make this fun for your family, whether it is a repeat-after-me segment or an unscramble game. Feel free to get creative!   For this section you are either going to need a second person to be the interrupter or adjust the text so that it is a story. Set the stage for the dialogue or the story. Interrupter: You won’t believe the day I had yesterday! Presenter: Oh yeah? Tell me about it. Interrupter: I went to an Amusement Park. Presenter: Really? That’s great! Interrupter:  It was great…but it started to rain. Presenter: Well, that’s no good. Interrupter: It’s okay, though. I had an umbrella. Presenter: That was fortunate!Interrupter: Yeah, but not for long… because it broke. Presenter: That stinks.                Interrupter: But, fortunately, my mom bought me some donuts. Presenter: That sounds delicious! Interrupter: Unfortunately, I dropped them on the ground. Presenter: Eww gross! Interrupter: It’ s okay…  5 second rule Presenter: Oh, that works. Interrupter: Yeah…But it had already been 10 seconds. Presenter: Bummer. Interrupter: It’s okay, I got on a rollercoaster Presenter: That sounds like fun! Interrupter: Then it quit working. Presenter: That’s frightening Interrupter: But my seatbelt held me in. Presenter: Well that’s good. Interrupter: But I was stuck upside down. Presenter: Yikes! Interrupter: It’s okay, I found a donut in my pocket. Presenter: Lucky you! Interrupter: Buuut then I dropped it. Presenter: Again? Interrupter: All good, though… The rollercoaster started working again. Presenter: That’s a relief Interrupter: But I was up there so long that the park closed.   (Interrupter exits dialogue.)   Sounds like that was a strange day! Filled with ups and downs all over the place! Today, as we launch into learning about the life of Joseph, we’re going to hear about his many ups and downs. Today, he’s good… Things start out for Joseph on an ‘up.’ Let’s jump in…   LessonScripture Reference: Genesis 37:1-11   Objective: The goal during week one of our series is to set-up the life of Joseph and introduce children to who he is. The key element for them to understand this week is that Joseph was greatly loved and favored by his father and that he listened to God’s voice via the dreams he had.   Message: In the Bible, we read that Joseph has a lot of brothers. A lot. Not just three or four, not just six or seven… Joseph has a total of eleven brothers. Eleven! Ten of his brothers are older than he is and one is younger. Even though he has so many siblings, Joseph is the favorite of the group. Joseph’s dad, Jacob, loves Joseph the most and gives him a beautiful, colorful coat. How would that make you feel if your brother or sister got something really nice and you didn’t get anything? You would probably feel a little jealous, wouldn’t you?   When we first meet Joseph in the Bible, we learn that he is seventeen years old and is a shepherd. Joseph watched over his father’s flock of sheep. That was a pretty good job. Joseph was able to be out in the open air and spend time hanging out every day. Joseph was obedient to his father and did what he was told.   How many of you have dreams at night when you sleep? (Ask for a show of hands.) You’re not alone – Joseph did too. In fact, he had quite a few dreams in which God would tell him incredible things about the future. God would speak to Joseph and reveal things to him in these dreams. Joseph would tell his father and brothers about these dreams that God would give him.   Check-out one of the dreams that Joseph had: “One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more