Family Worship

The Golden Calf:    

The focus of this family time is to use five easy steps to teach our family that Moses acted as the people’s mediator, standing for them before God. Moses could not do anything to make up for their sin, but we have a better Mediator—Jesus. Jesus paid for our sin on the cross and stands for us before God. When we trust in Jesus, our sins are forgiven.


Learn the Memory Verse together and say it throughout the week to help your family remember and apply what they have learned.


MEMORY VERSE: 

“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
 for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture,

the flock under his care.” - Psalm 95:6-7


STEP 1. GATHER!

Use this time to begin Family Worship Night and have fun!

  • Bake cookies together as a family. Allow each family member to help in the process. While the cookies bake in the oven, talk about how hard it is to wait on something you really want—like cookies. Talk with your kids about how our impatience often reveals what we truly desire most. Pray as a family that God would work in your hearts to desire Jesus and His will more than anything.
  • Supplies: cookie baking supplies.


STEP 2. WORSHIP!

  • Sing and have fun while worshiping then pray. Take a moment here to thank God for your family and your time together!! 

STEP 3. BIBLE!

Watch the Bible story video or read Exodus 32-34 from the Bible:


Preschool:


Elementary:



STEP 4. DISCUSSION! 

Use these questions and points to have a conversation with your children about the Bible story. 

  • The average person will spend 52 days of his or her life waiting in line. That’s a lot of waiting. We don’t enjoy waiting in line at the store, waiting on our food to be ready, and waiting on our sister to get out of the bathroom. The worst is waiting on someone to help us do something that we really want to do for ourselves. Waiting makes us impatient and frustrated, which often leads us to say or do things we shouldn’t. What is one thing that you don’t like waiting for?
  • This was exactly the case for the Israelites. God led His people into the wilderness, but did he leave them there alone? No! 
  • He was there with them. He provided food and water to satisfy them. But when Moses went up on the mountain and did not return for several weeks, the people felt abandoned. Instead of trusting God and being patient, they decided to make something new to worship. What did they make?
  • When God saw what they were doing, He wanted to destroy the people. It may sound harsh, but God had every right to do so. They took the worship that belonged to God—the One who saved them from Egypt—and gave it to a golden cow.
  • The Israelites deserved to be punished for their sin against God, but Moses asked God to forgive the people. In the same way, we deserve to be punished for our sin, but God has made forgiveness available… through who? JESUS! 
  • Moses acted as the people’s mediator, standing for them before God. Moses could not do anything to make up for their sin, but we have a better Mediator—Jesus. Jesus paid for our sin on the cross and stands for us before God. When we trust in Jesus, our sins are forgiven.
STEP 5. Pray!
  • Pray: God, forgive us for seeing other things as more important than You. Help us remember Your faithfulness and help us keep You first in our lives. Thank You for Jesus and for His sacrifice to save people from their sins.