BUILD AN EBENEZER
Supplies you will need:
Many cardboard boxes, Clear packaging tape, Fat permanent pens, Blank pieces of paper, scissors
Instruction:
Read Deuteronomy 27:1-10
Moses and the people are going to cross the Jordan River and enter into the land the Lord has given to them. As they are crossing the Jordan, the Lord wants them to take large stones from the river. He wants them to take these stones up to the top of Mount Ebal and build a memorial there, which consists of stacking them, covering them with lime, and writing the words of His law on the sides. I picture like a smaller version of the Washington Monument, but less smooth and white.
So why all this? Why write the Law on the sides? Well, if you think about it, the Law broken is what separates humanity from the holiness of God. God is asking this people… who He has taken and led from slavery to a new land which He has promised them, a people whom He has promised to give His name to and be in relationship with them… He is asking them that they make a memorial for remembering this journey and to write the words down that will separate them from Him. He’s asking them to not forget their marriage and to keep it holy.
Action…
Place the cardboard boxes around the room and write “stones” on them. Have your group get up and gathering the boxes together. Using the tape, stack the boxes and make a vertical memorial.
When you are all finished with this, stand around the boxes. One by one, share a personal experience that you have had that you feel the Lord has given you as a promise to you about Him and His dedication to you. For example: I’ve done this with artists before… and we shared moments when we knew the Lord was showing us that He made us creators and how we hold onto that experience in our moments of doubt. After you share this story, write a word or draw a picture on the blank piece of paper that symbolizes this promis and tape it to the boxes. At the end, as a group, you will have your own memorial of promises….
See what that does for you.
MAKE A LABYRINTH
Few things are more rewarding than to create a labyrinth and walk it afterwards. The love and care that go into the building – and in the walking – add to the transformative benefits of the labyrinth.
To learn more about labyrinths, check out these sites below…
PRAYER RIBBONS
Place prayers on ribbons and weave them together as a community of prayers.
