Grade 9 Session 5
October 25, 2015
11:00 Introduction
11:10 God’s Friendship with Moses (and Miriam)
11:20 Small Groups for 30 Minute Seder Haggadah
11:40 God’s Name
11:45 Map of the Exodus
11:50 Learn the 10 Commandments in 10 Minutes !
11:55 Christian Connections with Last Supper Image
12:10 Passover Videos
12:20 Small Group Discussion with Mutual Invitation Method
Homework = Read Joshua Chapter 1 through Chapter 7
Ask family the Small Group Discussion Questions
Snack
12:30 Depart – No Packers!
Introductions

Liz – Welcome, Housekeeping, Cell Phones.

Permanent Small Group Facilitators – Kayleigh Cowan, Danny McDonnell, Terry Riesch.

Parent Small Group Facilitators – Durand, Egstad, and Faeldonea.
** Remind kids to respect the property in the classrooms.
God’s Friendship with Moses (and Miriam)
Began with Adam and Eve in the section of the Bible called Primeval History. Primeval refers
to the earliest times before recorded history. Then moved into the section of the Bible called
the Patriarchs (and Matriarchs). A Patriarch is a male head of household while a Matriarch is
a female head of household. The first Patriarch in the Bible is…the father of Christianity,
Judaism, and Islam…Abraham…and his wife Sarah.
So why have we been talking about all of this? At the first class I talked about my dream for
you -- that you can hear God calling you a friend -- that you can hear God saying, “I love
you.” We look to people who have come before us for guidance and we have plenty of such
people in the Bible! Certainly Adam and Eve knew God’s love and heard God calling after
them. God calls Abraham “my friend” in Isaiah 41:8 and then again Abraham is called “the
friend of God” in James 2:23. Sir Isaac Newton wrote, "If I have seen further, it is by standing
upon the shoulders of giants.” We stand on the shoulders of Adam and Eve, Abraham and
Sarah.
And now we move into the third section of the Bible called Egypt and the Exodus. We left off
with Isaac living in Canaan aka the promised land. Isaac marries Rebecca and they have two
sons, Esau and Jacob. Jacob marries Leah and Rachel and has children with both of them
and their two servants. Jacob fathers 12 sons and 1 daughter. One of Jacob’s sons is Joseph
of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” Now, remember, where do folks in the
Bible go when they get into trouble? Egypt! A famine hits and after a really long story, the
whole family ends up following Joseph to Egypt. The book of Genesis ends with the deaths of
Jacob and Joseph. At first things are more than fine for their children. But eventually Jacob’s
descendants are enslaved by the Egyptians. That’s where the 2 nd book of the Bible – Exodus
– begins. Here we meet Moses and his sister Miriam and see where God’s friendship takes
them and the Israelites.
The Exodus event is celebrated today by the Jewish people at the feast of Pesach or
Passover. Part of the celebration is a special meal called the Seder which means order. At
the Seder, the participants follow the Rite in a booklet called a Haggadah which means
telling. The Seder also involves specific foods that are reminders of the Exodus. At Passover,
each generation of Jews relives the emancipation experience as their own. They recommit
themselves to working to free all people who are oppressed. They continue in hope that God
will end oppression.
Small Groups for 30 Minute Seder Haggadah
Start on Page 6 = The Seder – Read about the foods on the Seder plate.
Skip Pages 8 through 13.
Continue on Page 14 = Let My People Go! – Read the story of the Exodus.
End on Page 21 = Thank You God – Read the prayer of gratitude.
God’s Name
Adapted from gotquestions.org/YHWH-tetragrammaton.html
When God appears to Moses in the burning bush, they have this exchange:
“But,” said Moses to God, “if I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your
ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what do I tell them?”
God replied to Moses: I am who I am. Then he added: This is what you will tell the Israelites: I
AM has sent me to you. God spoke further to Moses: This is what you will say to the
Israelites: The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and
the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever; this is my title for all
generations (Exodus 3:13-15).
The ancient Hebrew language that the Old Testament was written in did not have vowels in
its alphabet. In written form, ancient Hebrew was a consonant-only language. In the original
Hebrew, God’s name transliterates to YHWH (sometimes written in the older style as YHVH).
This is known as the tetragrammaton (meaning “four letters”). Because of the lack of vowels,
Bible scholars debate how the tetragrammaton YHWH was pronounced. Any number of
vowel sounds can be inserted within YHWH, and Jewish scholars are as uncertain of the real
pronunciation as Christian scholars are.
So, what is God’s Name, and what does it mean? The most likely choice for how the
tetragrammaton was pronounced is “YAH-way,” “YAH-weh,” or something similar. The name
Yahweh refers to God’s self-existence. God’s name is a reflection of God’s being. God is the
only self-existent or self-sufficient Being. Only God has life in and of Godself. That is the
essential meaning of the tetragrammaton, YHWH.
Out of reverence and a fear of accidentally taking God’s name in vain (Leviticus 24:16), the
Jews basically quit saying it out loud altogether. Instead, when reading Scripture aloud, the
Jews substituted the word Adonai (“Lord”). When you see the word LORD in small capital
letters in your Bibles, that indicates that the Hebrew text has the sacred name YHWH, the
tetragrammaton. Catholics, out of respect for the Jews, do not say the name Yahweh either –
think of the songs that have recently changed their lyrics such as “Yahweh, I Know You are
Near.”
Map of the Exodus
Learn the 10 Commandments in 10 Minutes !
Christian Connections
In the Gospel of John, Jesus refers to himself in seven places as “I am.”
I am the bread of life
John 6: 35, 48
I am the light of the world
John 8: 12, 9:5
I am the gate
John 10:9
I am the good shepherd
John 10:11, 14
I am the resurrection and the life
John 11:25
I am the way, the truth, and the life
John 14:6
I am the true vine
John 15:1
Just in case the reader missed it, John makes it even clearer by recording the time the Jews
tried to kill Jesus for claiming be the I AM of the Old Testament scriptures (John 8:52-59). In
the story the Jews asked Jesus, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen
Abraham? Jesus answered them in a way that they could not miss, “Most assuredly, I say to
you, before Abraham was, I AM.” The Jews reaction was to try to stone Jesus because he
claimed to be equal to God (v. 58).
I love S. C. Lewis’ conclusion: “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things
Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic -- on the level
with a man who said he was a poached egg -- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must
make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or
something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a
demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with some
patronising [sic] nonsense about Him being a great human teacher. He has not left that open
to us. He did not intend to” (Mere Christianity, 52).
Show Last Supper pix from Bohdan Piasecki at iol.ie/~duacon/lastsup.jpg.
The Hebrew word for Passover is “Pesach” that means “passing over.” From the word
“Pesach,” we get the word “Pasch” that in English means “Easter.” Think “Paschal Lamb” and
“Paschal Candle.” Passover and Easter are connected. The Israelites were saved from death
by the blood of a sacrificed lamb. We are saved from death once and for all by the blood of
the sacrifice of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus. That is why Jesus is called the sacrificial
lamb or the paschal lamb. The Israelites escaped slavery in Egypt. We escape once and for
all from the slavery of sin. The Israelites entered into the freedom to obey God’s will as given
to them on Mount Sinai (Covenant with the Ten Commandments). We enter into a new
freedom to obey God’s will as given to us on Mount Sinai and definitively interpreted for us by
Jesus (New Covenant).
The events of Jesus’ passion are set during the feast of Passover in Jerusalem. His Last
Supper with the disciples was the celebration of the Passover Seder. So the very institution of
the Eucharist was most likely a Passover Seder. At every Mass we celebrate the Last
Supper, this Passover Seder. Jesus blessed, broke, and shared the Passover bread and
wine – just as we today bless, break, and share the Eucharist bread and wine. Jesus
reinterpreted the Passover bread and wine as his own body and blood! On Holy Thursday we
have a special Mass remembering the Last Supper. At that Mass we read the story of the first
Passover from the book of Exodus. And Holy Thursday always falls around the same time as
the Jews are celebrating Passover!
Passover Videos
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIxToZmJwdI = Modern Day Exodus Story. (2:18)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCy4-_DaacI&feature=relmfu = Fun Parody Song. (3:46)
Small Group Discussion with Mutual Invitation Method
Pass out the bins with the Mutual Invitation Method to the adults.
Explain the method to all.
Explain that groups should move at their own pace and not attempt to cover everything.
Invite the adults to use the method to discuss the questions.
Point out the homework due on November 1, 2015!
Snack = Motzah, Haroset, Grape Juice
Learn the 10 Commandments in 10 Minutes !
1. One finger
Honor one God.
2. Two fingers in a V
Do not take the Lord’s name in Vain.
3. Three fingers upright
Go to Church.
4. Four fingers upright
Honor your Mother and Father.
5. A fist
Do not kill.
6. Five fingers upright. Pointer
Honor your marriage.
finger of other hand points at
imaginary wedding ring
7. Form a seven with the thumb
Do not steal.
and pointer finger of one hand
8. Hide thumbs and put both
Do not lie.
hands over your lips
9. Put hands together and look
Do not be jealous of your neighbor.
through the long telescope
with the last pinky upright
10. Palms facing each other with
Do not be jealous of your neighbor’s stuff.
ten fingers shaped like a house
From Preparing Second Graders for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, a presentation by Kathleen Beuscher.
Small Group Discussion – October 25, 2015
Questions
1. God spoke to Moses in a burning bush. God called Godself “YHWH.” Does God speak to
you? If so, how? What do you call God? What does God call you?
2. One day, Moses came upon an Egyptian taskmaster who was beating an Israelite slave.
In a fit of rage, Moses beat the Egyptian to death. What do you think of Moses’ response?
How else could Moses have responded? How do you feel about Moses being given a
“second chance” by God?
3. When we think about the 10 Commandments, the obvious ways of violating them are
apparent, but what are some of the more subtle ways we can break them? Go through the
commandments one by one and discuss the not-so obvious ways each can be broken.
4. In what ways are the foods of Passover reminders of Israel’s exodus?
5. From what types of slavery do people need to experience liberation today?
6. Why is an understanding of the Jewish Passover so necessary to interpret the meaning of
Jesus’ Passion?
7. What aspects of the Catholic Eucharist are rooted in the Jewish Passover?
Closing Prayer = Litany in Honor of the Heroes and Heroines of the Old Testament
Pray the worksheet, letting everyone take turns with the sentences in italics.
Homework Due on November 1, 2015
God’s Friendship with Joshua = Joshua Chapters 1 through 7, including insets.
Litany in Honor of the Heroes and Heroines of the Old Testament
“In memory of Adam and Eve,
who walked with God and were charged with the care of all of creation:”
All: God, teach us to be respectful of your creation.
“In memory of Abraham and Sarah,
who trusted God to fulfill promises they considered unbelievable:”
All: God, give us faith that you will work miracles.
“In memory of Moses and Miriam,
who risked everything to deliver your people out of slavery:”
All: God, give us unselfish love for others.
“In memory of Joshua,
whose bravery helped the Israelites tumble the walls of Jericho:”
All: God, make us brave to face the questions and trials of life.
“In memory of Solomon,
who fulfilled a promise & built the temple to our God:”
All: God, help me to be faithful to my promises.
“In memory of Daniel,
who, in spite of great hardships, never abandoned his faith:”
All: God, give us perseverance in following you.
“In memory of Jesus,
who was born to fulfill promises that God made long ago:”
All: God, thank you for sending us your Son.
“And now, as we conclude for the morning, let us pray:”
All: God, we praise you for revealing yourself to us in the Bible.
May we make that collection of books a foundation for our life
and a constant companion in our journey with you.
We pray this in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Materials
□ Lesson Plan for Catechist and Small Group Facilitators incl 30 Minute Seder Haggadah
marked for Facilitators.
□ Group Sheet for Small Group Facilitators
□ Pencil
□ Cell Phone, Charged
□ Bell
□ Class Sign, Laminated
□ Blue Tape
□ Entry Table
□ Attendance Sheet
□ Small Bin with Pens and Permanent Marker
□ Box for Paperwork
□ Groups (5)
□ Chairs
□ Big Bins
□ Pens
□ Mutual Invitation Method Cards, Laminated
□ Handouts: 30 Minute Seder Haggadah, Seder Plate, Small Group Discussion AND
Homework Due on November 1, 2015 / Litany in Honor of the Heroes and Heroines of the
Old Testament
□ Table for Prayer & Supplies
□ Green Cloth
□ Crucifix
□ Candle and Candle Holder
□ Matches
□ Bible marked to Exodus
□ Bible Stand
□ Catechism of the Catholic Church
□ Tambourine Symbol
□ Map of the Exodus Journeys
□ Backboard
□ Clips
□ Activities
□ Videos bookmarked on Laptop
□ Last Supper pix from Bohdan Piasecki at iol.ie/~duacon/lastsup.jpg on Laptop
□ Laptop
□ Power Cord
□ Mouse
□ Internet Connection
□ Portable Screen
□ Desk
□ Projector
□ Laptop to Projector Cord
□ Laptop to Boom Box Cord
□ Boom Box Speaker
□ Extension cord
□ Power Strip
□ Technology Check
□ Trays = 1 per group
□ Matzah = 2 Boxes
□ Serving Plates = 1 per group
□ Haroset = Apples, Nuts, Cinnamon, Sugar, Honey, Grape Juice
(allrecipes.com/recipe/45301/haroset-for-passover)
□ Serving Bowls = 1 per group
□ Grape Juice = 1 per group + Haroset
□ Cups
□ Paper Towels