Bring your kids to Egypt

After I prepared the promotional flyers for our holiday kids club, I realised that I had included a terrific photo of the Sphinx on the front, but didn’t once mention the word ‘Egypt’ or ‘Egyptian’ anywhere on the page!

I’ve since updated the newer versions to say ‘Egyptian Adventure’, but those who received an earlier sheet might have been confused about what Egypt has to do with modern Australian Christian kids.

The bottom line is that Egypt has a special place in the history of God’s people for all sorts of good and bad reasons.

On the one hand, Egypt was the place where our people experienced dreadful slavery at the hand of an evil and arrogant pharaoh, who defiantly opposed God and his appointed leader.

And yet on the other hand, Egypt was the place where God did powerful signs and wonders, which culminated in the remarkable parting of the Red Sea, and the triumphal escape from slavery.

And yet the reason we’re looking at Egypt in our October holiday club is actually because of the way that God famously used the horrible actions of Joseph’s eleven brothers (as shown in ‘Joseph and his Technicolor Dreamcoat’) as a means by which he would bring blessing to his family and even to all of the people of Egypt.

It’s summarised in the well-known statement of Joseph, who reflected on the mean acts of his brothers by saying, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people” (Genesis 50:20).

For us, the message is clear: even through difficult and confusing times, we can know that God still loves us and is in control.

And as we travel in time to Egypt in our holiday club, this will be a fresh and powerful reminder to the kids and adults alike that God really has got the whole world in his hand!

To find out more about the Holiday Kids Club and to register your kids go to www.jamberooanglican.com/holidaykidsclub

JODIE McNEILL