Last Sunday, we had our monthly family service. God spoke to us all deeply as we learnt what the children had been doing in Sunday School and went through the story of Joseph in Genesis.
Rob, Suze, and Rachel took us through three different emotions and encouraged us to give them over to God.
Jealousy
The first emotion we focused on was jealousy and how it can lead to anger, resentment and ungodly actions. We see this with Joseph’s brothers and how envy drove them to do something terrible. Yet the Bible says we are each fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139). Each of us has a purpose and a plan written for us by a divine God. While it can be difficult, especially in our current age, we don’t need to envy what others have because our Father is interceding for what we need.
We were encouraged to confess and bring things we’d been jealous about to God by writing them down on a green slip of paper. The kids used this to start decorating a cardboard coat during the service.
Confusion
Imagine how Joseph felt when God allowed his brothers to sell him or when he was thrown in prison for something he didn’t do. Sometimes we can feel confused about what God is doing. Maybe it’s a loved one who is poorly or your job situation isn’t what you expected. However, we see how even in those confusing times, Joseph didn’t lose faith. God had a plan to get him from the prison to the palace.
We wrote down our feelings of confusion on a purple cloud and they were added to the coat.
Joy
We came to the end of the story as we saw the grace Joseph gave to his brothers. He had so much joy to be back with his father and his family. Not only did God get him out of prison but we see him exalted to a place of thanksgiving.
To finish, we wrote down everything we were thankful for on a yellow hand.
And then, came the big reveal…
A bright, shiny, colourful coat.
A reminder that even through the rollercoaster of life, God’s love and grace are greater than anything else.
A big thank you to our Sunday School team. We look forward to our next family service, all are welcome!