Christian Churches of God
No. CB67
Lesson:
Ministering with Bare Feet
(Edition 1.0 20060315-20060315)
As strange as this may seem to us in our modern world, in the Temple, the priests ministered with bare feet. Before the priests offered sacrifices on the altar they were commanded to wash their hands and feet in the bronze basin lest they die.
Christian Churches of God
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E-mail: secretary@ccg.org
(Copyright ã 2006 Diane Flanagan, ed. Wade Cox)
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Lesson
Ministering with Bare Feet
Goal:
To review the basic concepts related to the priests and why they were instructed to minister with bare feet.
Objectives:
Children will be able to understand the meaning of why the priests were told to minister wearing no shoes or sandals.
Children will be able to list the first thing the priests did when they came to minister in the temple.
Children will be able to list at least one individual who was asked to take off his sandals because he stood on holy ground.
Children will be able to have understanding of what holy means.
Children will now be able to list two times when baptized members in the Church would not wear shoes.
Resources:
Relevant Scriptures:
Exodus 3:5; Joshua 5:14; Exodus 30:19-21
Memory Scriptures:
Exodus 3:5
Format:
Open with Prayer.
Ask the children why they think the priests were instructed to minister with bare feet.
Lesson on ministering with bare feet.
Activity associated with ministering with bare feet.
Lesson introduction:
Children’s questions are in bold.
What does Holy mean?
A. Holy is SHD 6944 qodesh. It means separate, sacred, holy, of things relating to God, places or things.
Who was it that God told to take off his sandals because the place where he stood was holy ground?
A. Moses. In the story regarding Moses’ calling he was told to remove his sandals because the place where he was standing was holy ground (Ex. 3:5).
Do you know who else God told the place where he stood was holy ground?
A. Joshua 5:15: The Captain of the Host, Jesus Christ, directed Joshua to take off his sandals because the place on which he stood was holy ground. From previous studies we know that Jesus Christ is not the One True God. No man has ever seen God or heard his voice (Jn. 1:18; 5:37). The prophets of old saw and heard the Angel of Yahovah who later became Jesus Christ.
In the tabernacle in the wilderness, did the priests wear sandals when they ministered?
A. No, the priests ministered bare foot.
What happened in Solomon’s temple and the temple in the time of Christ?
A. The priests still ministered with bare feet.
Were the priests allowed to immediately begin or just start ministering when they came into the tabernacle or temple?
A. No. They were required to wash their hands and feet in the laver which was filled with water before they did anything else.
Do you know if there is a time when adults in today’s world do not wear shoes for something that pertains to the Church?
A. Firstly, whenever a person is baptized they would not have on their shoes. Secondly, each year the baptized members partake of the Lord’s Supper. The first activity of the Lord’s Supper is washing each other’s feet. Just as the priests washed their hands and feet prior to partaking of the temple service, Church members now do the same at the Passover Service after partaking of the body/bread and blood/wine (see the paper God’s Holy Days (No. CB22)).
Do you remember what Ephesians 6 tells us we should have on our feet?
A. In Ephesians 6 our feet are to be shod, or covered or bound, with the gospel of peace. This means there is nothing else more important than getting the gospel out to the dying planet.
It is interesting to think of our feet and how important they are. They hold us up, they move us from place to place, and they help us to balance. Our feet are our foundation; if even a small part is hurt it affects the entire body. Just remember the last time you stubbed your toe and how much it hurt. Here are some facts about feet that are just interesting to think about in relation to God and His direction for priests to minister bare foot or for baptized members to participate in the Lord’s Supper yearly.
Foot Facts:
·
The human foot combines mechanical complexity and structural strength. The ankle serves as foundation, shock absorber, and propulsion engine. The foot can sustain enormous pressure (several tons over the course of a one-mile run) and provides flexibility and resiliency.·
The foot contains 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments and 19 muscles.·
1/4 of all the bones in the human body are down in your feet. When these bones are out of alignment, so is the rest of the body.·
There are more than 100 muscles, tendons (fibrous tissues that connect muscles to bones), and ligaments (fibrous tissues that connect bones to other bones).·
Walking is the best exercise for your feet. It also contributes to your general health by improving circulation, contributing to weight control, and promoting all-around well-being.·
Your feet mirror your general health. Conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, nerve and circulatory disorders can show their initial symptoms in the feet - so foot ailments can be your first sign of more serious medical problems.·
There are 250,000 sweat glands in a pair of feet. Sweat glands in the feet excrete as much as a half-pint of moisture a day.·
The average person takes 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day, which adds up to about 115,000 miles over a lifetime. That's enough to go around the circumference of the earth four times. http://www.foot.com/info/info_foot_facts.jspActivity: Steps to the Kingdom of God
The activity involves having the children make footprints and outlining the steps to the Kingdom of God.
For the younger children this may include some things like: listening to my mom and dad, not taking my brother’s toys, working hard in school, keeping the Sabbath and Feasts and being baptized as an adult. (Remember honouring your parents by being respectful and obedient, so that you may live long upon the earth is the first commandment with a promise). Whatever issues seem to be the greatest stumbling blocks for the child should be focused on.
For the teens the list may include some of the same things: such as keeping all the commandments but especially listening to parents, not using illegal drugs, not getting tattoos or shaving their heads, attending all the Feasts, and again whatever are the major issues for that individual.
The list than goes toward the more adult tasks such as:
·
Faith in Jesus Christ through the knowledge of the One True God, which leads to repentance as an adult.·
Baptism with the gift of the Holy Spirit.·
Obeying all the commandments of God "all the time" (repenting as necessary).·
Yearly partaking of the footwashing service and bread and wine at the Lord’s Supper, as the renewal of the baptismal Covent/agreement.·
The final step as being made a spiritual son of God.Materials:
Finger paint and large sheets of butcher or freezer paper if doing actual footprints. Use construction paper if tracing the children’s feet; large sheets of butcher or freezer paper, glue sticks or tape and something to write with.
Construction paper if pre-cutting footprints, large sheets of butcher or freezer paper, glue sticks or tape, markers or something to write with.
Markers or colors to use.
Activity: Foot Games
Activities related to feet can be found at: http://www.barfusspark.info/en/gymn.htm
These include fun activities for children to learn and try that relate to what feet can do.
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