Joseph Is Revealed

Passage

Familiarize yourself with the following passage:

Genesis 42-50

Joseph is now the second most powerful person in all Egypt.  Pharaoh has charged Joseph to take care of Egypt in preparation for and during the famine that was coming. Pharaoh also gave Joseph a wife, from which two sons were born. During the next seven years, there was great prosperity in Egypt. Joseph took a portion of everyone’s harvest and stored it away for the famine to come. When the famine finally started, it was severe. There was no food anywhere in Egypt. Pharaoh told the people to go to Joseph and do what he told them. Joseph began selling people the stored food. Soon the famine became so great that even Joseph’s family in Canaan began to search for food. They heard there was food to be purchased in Egypt. All of Joseph’s brothers, except Benjamin, went to buy food for their families. Jacob would not let Benjamin go for fear that he would lose him, just like Joseph. When the brothers arrived in Egypt, Joseph saw them, but the brothers did not recognize him. Joseph was harsh with them, even accusing them of being spies. To prove their innocence, they were required to leave one brother in jail and return to Egypt with Benjamin.  Jacob did not like this. He refused for a long, until at last they had run out of food. Finally, Jacob agreed to send Benjamin. Judah promised to return him safely. When Joseph saw Benjamin, he was overjoyed. Still, he continued to test his older brothers to see if they had truly changed. He sent them on their way with bags full of food, placing a special cup in Benjamin’s bag. After they left, Joseph sent soldiers after the brothers and accused them of stealing. The brother agreed that the one who was found with the cup would become a slave. Benjamin was found with the cup. All the brothers returned to Joseph and begged for mercy. Judah even pleaded to take Benjamin’s place. Seeing the heart of his brothers had changed, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers. They were all amazed. Joseph invited his brother to return to Egypt with their families to live for the rest of time of the famine. Upon their final return, Joseph was reunited with Jacob. And Joseph took care of his family during the famine.

Object Lesson:

A Heavy Bag

Supplies Needed:
• A large bag
• Many heavy items, such as rocks or books
Directions:
1. Select a volunteer. Have the child hold the empty bag.
2. Explain that each heavy item represents an angry or hurt feeling. Have the child walk around the room for a little bit while holding the heavy bag. Explain that when we hold onto anger and hurt, it becomes a heavy burden to us. When we forgive others the burden will be gone and we will feel better. Take the heavy items out and have the child walk around with the empty bag. Talk about how it feels to have the heavy load verses the light load. Encourage the children to forgive people, just like Joseph forgave his brothers.

Memory Verse:

Genesis 50:20

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Jesus Connection:

As we continue to read the story of Joseph, we continue to see the connection between the brothers and us, and Joseph and Jesus. Like Joseph’s brother did to him, we have all done some pretty horrible things to Jesus. We continually sin against him. And like Joseph, Jesus has forgiven us of those evil things we have done to him. We intend harm, but God works all things together for the good of those who love him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Songs

Father Abraham

Father Abraham had many sons
Many sons had Father Abraham
I am one of them and so are you
So let’s all praise the Lord
Right arm!
….Left arm!
….Right foot!
….Left foot!
….Chin up!
….Turn around!
….Sit down!

Games/Activities

Find the Cup

Supplies needed:
• A small cup (Dixie cup size)
• 3 identical buckets or large bowls
Directions:
1. Turn all three buckets upside down on a smooth table.
2. Place the cup under one of the buckets.
3. As fast as you can mix up the order of the buckets.
4. Have a child try to guess which bucket the cup is under.
5. Repeat the game for as many children as you have. You may even allow the children to mix up the order of the buckets to have more involvement.

Crafts

Royal Cup

Supplies Needed:
• White paper cups (if you have the budget to do so, get some cheap, plain, white ceramic coffee mugs)
• Sharpies
• Decorations (glitter, stickers, gems)
Directions:
1. Decorate the cup using sharpies.
2. If you are using paper cups, use other decorations, such as glitter and gems to make the cup look more special.
3. If you are using ceramic cups, bake the cup at 250 degree Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. Cool completely. Do not put in dishwasher.

Coloring Page

Joseph Interprets Pharaoh's Dreams

Passage

Familiarize yourself with the following:

Genesis 41:1-57

Pharaoh had two nightmares. When he awoke from his sleep, he was still troubled by his dreams and called for all the wise men of the city to come and telling him the meaning of his dreams. No one was able to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams. The cupbearer to Pharaoh remembered at this time how Joseph was able to interpret both his dream and the dream of Pharaoh’s chief baker while they were in jail and both interpretations came to pass exactly as they were told. Impressed by this, Pharaoh called for Joseph to be brought from the jail. When he arrived, Pharaoh told Joseph his dreams: 7 ugly, skinny cows ate up 7 beautiful, fat cows and 7 pitiful heads of grain ate up 7 healthy heads of grain. Joseph told Pharaoh that his dreams were from God. God was showing Pharaoh what he was about to do. There was going to be 7 years of great plenty in the land of Egypt. After this there would be 7 years of famine so severe that no one would be able to remember the years of plenty. Joseph recommended that Pharaoh put someone in charge of collecting grain during the years of plenty and storing it so that it could be given out during the years of famine. This way the people would be saved. Pharaoh was so impressed with Joseph that he put him in charge of all the land of Egypt. Joseph was now second in command, with only Pharaoh greater than he. Joseph collected the grain from the land of Egypt during the next 7 years. When the famine struck Egypt, Pharaoh sent the people to Joseph and they were able to buy grain so they could eat and not die. Joseph also sold grain to people from other countries because the famine was great everywhere.

Object Lesson:

Supplies Needed:
• A pitcher
• Several lemons, cut in half
• Sugar
• Water
• Stirring spoon
• Cups
Directions:
1. Share the saying with the children, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Ask the children what they thing that saying means.
2. As you squeeze lemons into the pitcher, talk to the children about how lemons are sour and if you bit into one it would make your lips pucker. But, if you squeeze the lemons and add water and sugar (add those ingredients as you talk), then you get something that is pretty good, lemonade!
3. Explain to the children that sometimes life is like that. Sometimes things do not go our way, or bad things could happen to us. That could make us angry and bitter, like a lemon. If we have the right attitude, however, we can make the best out of it, like lemonade!
4. You can now give each child a cup of lemonade, or save the drink until snack time.

Memory Verse:

1 Corinthians 10:31

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Jesus Connection:

The life of Joseph continues to give us glimpse of how God wanted to use his only Son, Jesus to be the savior of the world. Just as Joseph was taken from his lowly position (a man in prison) and raised to be the right hand man of the king of Egypt, Jesus was also raised up from the lowest place (death) and placed at the right hand of God.

Songs

God is so Good

God is so good.
God is so good.
God is so good,
He’s so good to me.

He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands

He’s got the whole world in his hands
He’s got the whole wide world in his hands
He’s got the whole wide world in his hands
He’s got the whole world in his hands

He’s got the little bitty baby in his hands
He’s got the little bitty baby in his hands
He’s got the little bitty baby in his hands
He’s got the whole world in his hands

He’s got you and me brother in his hands
He’s got you and me sister in his hands
He’s got you and me brother in his hands
He’s got the whole world in his hands

He’s got everybody here in his hands
He’s got everybody here in his hands
He’s got everybody here in his hands
He’s got the whole world in his hands

Games/Activities

Pictionary

Supplies Needed:
• Dry erase board (or other form of display media)
• Dry erase pen
• List of words having to do with the story (ie: Pharaoh, cow, grain, river, ect.)
Directions:
1. Divide the children into two teams.
2. One child from one team comes to the board and draws a word from the story. (Either have the words written on pieces of paper or whisper it in their ears.) As the child draw, his/her team can guess the word. Give them one minute.  If this team guesses the word correctly, they get a point.
3. At the end of the time limit, if the drawing child’s team has not correctly guessed, the opposing team has one chance to guess the word and steal the point.
4. The team with the most points at the end of the games wins.

Crafts

Egyptian Headdress

Supplies Needed:
• Egyptian Headdress template
• Scissors
• Glue
• Tape
• Colors
• Paper strips

Directions:

1. Give each child a headdress template. Color and cut out the template
2.     Create a head band with strips of paper.
3. Glue the headdress to the band.
4. Adjust the size of the band to each child’s head and tape it in place.

Coloring Page:

Joseph and Potiphar

Passage

Familiarize yourself with this passage

Genesis 39:1-23
Joseph was taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelites, and was bought by the Egyptian captain of the guard, Potiphar. While Joseph was in Egypt, God was with him. Everything that Joseph did was prosperous. God’s blessing was so strong on Joseph that Potiphar put him in charge of all that he owned, both in his house and in the fields. Potiphar did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate, as long as Joseph was in charge.
Potiphar’s wife took notice of Joseph because he was a very handsome young man. She pursued Joseph every day, trying to get Joseph to sleep with her. Each time it said no and left her. One day, Joseph was in Potiphar’s house doing his work and no one was there except Potiphar’s wife. She grabbed Joseph and begged him to sleep with her. Again he said no, freed himself from her grasp and ran away, leaving behind his coat in her hands. This made Potiphar’s wife angry. She cried out in a loud voice and when other slaves came to help her she lied to them about what happened. She accused Joseph of trying to sleep with her, and her proof was the coat he left in her hands. When Potiphar heard his wife’s story, he became angry with Joseph and had him thrown in prison.
Even while Joseph was in prison, God was with him. Again, everything Joseph did prospered so much that the prison warden put him in charge of everything in the prison.

Object Lesson

Supplies Needed:
• Balloons
• Wooden skewers
• Oil
• Duct tape
Directions:
1. Blow up a balloon. Tell the children that this balloon represents us. Ask them what would happen if you stick a skewer into the balloon. (It would pop!) Demonstrate the balloon popping.
2. Explain that sometimes bad things happen to us, but God promises if we believe in him he will never allow us to go through more than we can handle. Have one of the children read 1 Corinthians 10:13.
3. Blow up another balloon. Explain that when we are faced with something bad, we need God’s protection to help get us through it. Dip the skewer in oil. Slowly push the skewer through the thickest part of the balloon, the top or the area around the knot. (If your balloon pops, no worries, just do it again. The kids will just think it is funny.) Even though something bad went through the balloon, it did not pop because it was protected.
4. Tell the children that sometimes we need to be strengthened to go through the hard times. Take two pieces of duct tape and place them on the sides of the balloon, each piece being on the opposite side. Take a non-oiled skewer and slowly push it through both sides of the balloon. Explain to the children that sometimes we feel like the bad things that are happening to us will make up pop, but with God’s strengthening, he will help us through.

Memory Verse

1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are temped, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Jesus Connection

Every person who has every lived has experienced temptation, including Jesus. We can read about the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4. In this chapter we see that Jesus was tempted, not just once, but three times. We know that God was with Jesus during this time and gave Jesus the power to overcome his temptations, just as God was with Joseph and gave him the strength to overcome his temptations.. Even though he was tempted, Jesus never sinned.

Songs

God Is So Good

God is so good,
God is so good,
God is so good,
He’s so good to me!
God answers prayer,
God answers prayer,
God answers prayer,
He’s so good to me!
He cares for me,
He cares for me,
He cares for me,
He’s so good to me!
I love Him so,
I love Him so,
I love Him so,
He’s so good to me!

The Temptation Song

*To the tune of BINGO
When I’m tempted to do wrong,
I turn and run away,
Say “NO!” and run away,
Say “NO!” and run away,
Say “NO!” and run away,
From sin I run away.

Games/Activities

Hot Potato

Supplies Needed:
• Potato, bean bag, ball, or other good tossing object
• Music with a  start/stop button
Directions:
1. Instruct the children to sit in a circle.
2. Holding the tossing object, explain to the children that this object represents a temptation. When temptations come our way we want to get it as far away from us as fast as we can.
3. When the music starts, have the children pass the object. When the music stops, whoever has the object is out and is removed from the circle.
4. Continue until only one person remain, and is the winner
5. This game can be repeated as needed as time filler.

Crafts

 Temptation Calendar

Supplies Needed:
• Large pieces of white paper
• Pencils
• Markers, crayons
• Rulers
• Today’s Bible verse
• A calendar
Directions:
1. Give each child a large piece of white paper. Have them fold the paper in half so the short sides meet. Open the paper and draw a line on the fold.
2. On the top half of the paper, have the children write the verse (or supply the printed verse and glue for smaller children). The children can decorate the top half however they choose with the colors/markers.
3. Using rulers and pencils, have the children make a calendar on the bottom half. You can show them a real calendar as an example so they make the correct number of boxes.
4. Have them date the calendar, according to what month it currently is.
5. Instruct the children to take their calendars home. For each day they say no to a temptation, they should write “No to temptation” on each day that they did not do something they were tempted to do.

Coloring Page

Mary and Joseph

Passages

Familiarize yourself with this passage

Luke 1:26-38; Matthew 1:18-25
One day, while Mary was at home, the angel Gabriel came to her with a message from God.  She was going to have a baby and she was to name him Jesus, because he would save the people from their sins.  Mary was confused.  “How can this be,” she asked “because I am a virgin?”  The angel told her that with God, all things are possible.  Mary believed the angel and she became pregnant by a miracle from God.
Joseph was engaged to Mary.  He found out that Mary was pregnant, and he knew the baby was not his, so he decided he would break up with Mary.  Before Joseph could do this, an angel came to him in a dream and told him that the baby inside Mary was from God.  The angel told Joseph that he should still get married to Mary, and so he did.  When baby Jesus was born, he had a physical mom and dad, both of whom loved God.

Object Lesson

Before you tell the story, have the children open their bibles to Matthew 1:1-16. This is the genealogical record of Jesus. It shows how Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father, was a descendant of King David. Have the children read through the verses, perhaps one small section at a time, and see how many of the names they recognize. Explain to the children that this genealogy is important because the Bible say that the Messiah, Jesus, would be a descendant of Kind David, and this record shows us that he was.

Memory Verse

Luke 1:30-31
But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.  You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.”

Jesus Connection

This is the first time in the Bible that we see the name of Jesus mentioned.  The angel Gabriel tells Mary, “you will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.” (Luke 1:31) Names are important in the Bible, and if we look at the name of Jesus, we see that it means ‘Savior’. This is a fitting name for the one who would one day die in our place to save us from our sins.

Songs:

Peace Like a River

1st verse:
I’ve got Peace like a river
I’ve got Peace like a river
I’ve got Peace like a river in my soul (In my soul!)
I’ve got Peace like a river
I’ve got Peace like a river
I’ve got Peace like a river in my soul (In my soul!)

2nd verse:
(Joy like a fountain)

3rd verse:
(Love like the ocean)

4th verse:
I’ve got Peace like a river
I’ve got Joy like a fountain
I’ve got Love like the ocean in my soul (In my soul!)
I’ve got Peace like a river
I’ve got Joy like a fountain
I’ve got Love like the ocean in my soul (In my soul!)

Game/Activity

Wheel of Fortune (verse memory game)

Supplies needed:
• The wheel
o Template with wheel and arrow
o Paper brad
• Dry erase board/chalk board
• Dry erase marker/chalk
• The Bible verse
• Coins (or beans, or buttons)
Directions:
1. Assemble the wheel by cutting it out of the template and fastening the arrow with a paper brad. For more stability you may wish to glue the wheel to a piece of cardboard or print it on thick paper.
2. In the same fashion as Hang Man, draw lines on the board to correspond to the letters and words from the Bible verse. You may add the numbers from the reference, or leave out the reference all together.
3. Divide the class into three teams.
4. Starting with the first team, have them spin the wheel and guess a letter. If the team guesses a correct letter, fill it in on the board. Give the team the number of coins their earned in respect to the number of letters that they found on the board. (ie: They spin 4 and guess the letter T. There are 7 Ts in this verse so they would get 28 coins.)
5. After the first team has one spin, pass the wheel to the next team.  Repeat this process until all the letters in the verse have been discovered.
6. The team with the most coins at the end wins!

Craft

Angel Craft:

Supplies needed:
• Angel template
• Scissors
• Pom-poms
• Colors
• Decorating supplies (glitter, gems, sequence, pipe cleaners…)
• Tape
• glue
Directions:
1. Give each child and angel template and scissors. Cut out the angel.
2. While the angel is flat, decorate one side of the paper using colors and other decorating supplies that are available.
3. Twist the paper into a cone shape so that the cone is held together by the cuts that were made near the wings. You may wish to secure the wings with a piece of tape.
4. Have the children choose a pom-pom as the head of their angel and glue it in place on the tip of the cone
5. Optional: Using a small section of pipe cleaner, bend a circle and glue in place on top of the pom-pom as a halo.

Family Tree

*This is a good craft for older, school aged children.
Supplies Needed:
• White paper
• Colored pencils
• Regular pencils
Directions:
1. Have the children draw a picture of their family tree, going back as far as they can remember. Have them start with their name at the bottom and work their way up the tree the further into their family history they go.
2. Encourage the children to take their tree home and talk to their parents about more names they can add to the tree. You may even ask them to bring it back next week to share with the class if they were able to add any more names.

Coloring Page:

Joseph's Dreams

Passage:

Familiarize yourself with the following passage:

Genesis 37

At this point in the life of Jacob, he has 11 sons (Benjamin comes later), only one of whom came from his favorite wife, Rachel. Because of this, Joseph is Jacob’s favorite son. This causes a great deal of jealousy between Joseph and his brothers. To make matters worse, Jacob wanted to give Joseph a token of his love by making a special coat of many colors for him. It is around this time that God gives Joseph two dreams. In his dreams, Joseph sees 11 sheaves of grain  and the sun, moon, and stars bowing down to him. Joseph shared his dreams with his brothers, who became indignant. Not long after these dream, Joseph’s brothers went out to tend the sheep. Jacob sent Joseph to check on them and bring him back a report of their actions. When Joseph was nearing his brothers, they purposed to kill him. When he arrived, Joseph was grabbed by his brother and thrown into a dry well. Later that day, rather than kill him, Joseph’s brothers pulled him out of the well and sold him as a slave to some traders headed to Egypt. They took Joseph’s coat, tore it and covered it in blood. When they returned home, the brothers showed the coat to Jacob, who assumed that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. Despite all this, God was Joseph and continued to be with him in Egypt.

Object Lesson:

A Chosen Few:
Supplies Needed:
• Snacks, enough for everyone
• 3 or 4 plates
• Two different colors of paper
Direction:
1. Before class, cut your colored paper into small squares, making only 3 or 4 out of one color and all the rest out of the other color. Make sure there are enough pieces for each child to have one.
2. Set a table with 3 o 4 plates with snacks.
3. As your children enter the class, have them select one of the colored squares. After everyone has a piece of paper, tell the ones with the minority color that today they are extra special and they can go to the table and enjoy a snack. Instruct all the other kids to stay where they are until the others are done eating. When the snacks are finished, have everyone join you for a discussion.
4. Ask the kids who got the snack what it felt like to be chosen for something special. Ask the kids who did not get a snack what it felt like to be left out. Bring out the idea of being jealous. Ask if it was fair for you to give only a few people a snack. Ask the children when they have felt jealous in real life.
5. Tell everyone that today they will hear a story about some brothers who were jealous, but first it is snack time for everyone!

Memory Verse:

Proverbs 19:9
A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish.

Jesus Connection:

Joseph is considered one of the best types of Christ in the Old Testament. It is very easy for us to see many parallels between Joseph and Jesus in this story. Joseph was loved by his father (vs. 3) and God says that Jesus is “My beloved Son” (Matthew 3:17). Joseph was sent by his father to his brothers (vs. 13-14) and Jesus was sent to His brother, (first) to the children of Israel (Hebrews 2:11). Joseph was hated by his brothers (vs. 4) and Jesus was also hated by His brothers (John 7:5). There was a plot against Joseph (vs. 20) as well as Jesus (John 11:53).These are just a few of the connections that can be made between Joseph and Jesus and there will be many more as the story of Joseph unfolds in later chapters of Genesis.

Songs:

Joseph’s Song

*This is a great son to do over the course of the Joseph stories. Sing only the parts that cover that week’s story and build the song up week by week until you are singing the whole song!
(To the tune of London Bridges)

Joseph's father had twelve sons,
Had twelve sons, had twelve sons.
Joseph's father had twelve sons,
Oh, what a family.

Joseph's father loved him best,
Loved him best, loved him best.
Joseph's father loved him best,
Oh, what a family.

A coat of many colors was his pride,
Was his pride, was his pride.
A coat of many colors was his pride,
Oh, what a family.

All his brothers were so jealous,
Were so jealous, were so jealous.
All his brothers were so jealous,
Oh, what a family.

His brothers threw him in a pit,
In a pit, in a pit.
His brothers threw him in a pit,
Oh, what a family.

Egypt bought him as a slave,
As a slave, as a slave.
Egypt bought him as a slave,
Oh, what a family.

God caused a famine in the land,
In the land, in the land.
God caused a famine in the land,
Oh, what a family.

By then Joseph was a mighty man,
Mighty man, mighty man.
By then Joseph was a might man,
Oh, what a family.

His brothers came to him for food,
Him for food, him for food.
His brothers came to him for food,
Oh, what a family.

Joseph forgave and fed them all,
Fed them all, fed them all.
Joseph forgave and fed them all,
Oh, what a family.

Games/Activities:

A Coat of Colors

Supplies needed:
• Two large paper bags (or two large pieces of butcher block paper)
• Colorful paper torn into strips
• Glue sticks
Directions:
1. Before class, tare the colorful paper into strips. Cut holes in the bottom and sides of the paper bag so that it can be put over a child’s head and worn as a coat. (If using butcher block paper, cut a hole in the middle for the head so that it is like a poncho.)
2. Divide the children into two teams. Ask for one volunteer from each team. Put the paper coat on the volunteer and have those two children stand on one side of the room.
3. On the other side of the room have a table with all the color paper and several glue sticks. When you say go, have one child from each team put glue on a piece of paper, run to their team member with the paper coat on and stick the paper to the coat. At the end of a certain amount of time (5-10 mins) or when the paper runs out, judge the two coats to see who is most covered. The team with the most covered, colorful coat wins!

Crafts:

A Coat of Colors

Supplies Needed:
• Colorful paper torn into pieces
• Plain white paper
• Joseph’s coat template
• Glue sticks
• Scissors
Directions:
1. Give each child a plain white piece of paper. Have them glue colorful pieces of paper all over. Cut the excess off with scissors.
2. Cut the coat out of the coat template. You will be using the paper that has a hole in the shape of a coat, so try to cut in such a way as to keep all 4 sides intact.
3. Put glue all over the cut template. Apply the glued template to the colorful paper. You can now see a colorful coat through the hole in the template.

Coloring Page: