Adventures with Moses Day 3

Lea Ann Koekenberg • July 11, 2026

God Provides, God Protects, God Leads

What an incredible journey it has been! As we wrapped up our final week of The Adventures with Moses, our church family celebrated everything we had learned about God's faithfulness throughout Moses' life. From a tiny baby floating safely in a basket on the Nile to a bold leader guiding God's people through the Red Sea, we have watched God's hand at work every step of the way.


This final week took us into the wilderness, where the Israelites were learning an important lesson: even when life is uncertain, God is our Protector!


As always, we began our evening by joyfully singing our Songs for the Month of Moses. It was wonderful to hear children, parents, grandparents, and volunteers all singing together. Music has become a special tradition of our Adventures with Moses experience, reminding us that worship is something every generation can enjoy together.


Miriam — played by one of our volunteers — helped everyone remember where our story left off. After God rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and safely led them through the Red Sea, they found themselves wandering through the desert. Although they had seen God's miracles, they quickly became worried when they ran out of food and water. Like many of us, they sometimes forgot how faithful God had already been.


Our large group lesson focused on one of God's greatest gifts to His people—the Ten Commandments. Before the evening began, ten volunteers each received one commandment to read aloud. As they shared God's instructions, we discovered that the first four commandments teach us how to love and honor God, while the remaining six teach us how to love and care for one another.


One of the most meaningful moments came when each volunteer stretched out their arms to form a circle around the group. It was a beautiful picture of how God's commandments are not meant to trap us but to surround us with His love, wisdom, and protection. God's boundaries are gifts that help us live in healthy relationships with Him and with one another.


During our group discussions, families reflected on times when they wanted to leave tricky situations and talked honestly about how it feels when someone tells us "no." These conversations helped everyone understand that while rules can sometimes feel frustrating, they are often there because someone loves us and wants what is best for us—just as God does.


Together we explored several powerful passages from Exodus. We witnessed God's amazing provision as He sent manna from heaven and quail to feed His people. We saw Him bring water from a rock when the Israelites were thirsty, proving that nothing is impossible for God. Finally, we heard God give the Ten Commandments, showing His people how to live as His chosen nation.


One of the highlights of the evening was tasting manna! While we can't know exactly what the manna God provided looked like or tasted like, everyone enjoyed sampling a sweet treat that helped us imagine what it was like for the Israelites to gather God's daily provision each morning. It sparked wonderful conversations about trusting God to provide exactly what we need each day.


The children also created their own Ten Commandment Tablets, giving them a visual reminder of God's loving instructions.


We closed our final evening with a simple but meaningful finger prayer that reminded us to:


  • Remember that God is our God.
  • Honor His name.
  • Make space for Him in our lives.
  • Love our families.
  • Show kindness to others.
  • Thank Him for His many blessings.
  • Thank Him for His commandments.
  • Remember that His loving limits help protect us every day.



As we learned about the Ten Commandments, we also discovered something wonderful that Jesus taught many years later. When someone asked Jesus which commandment was the greatest, He answered with two simple but life-changing commands:


"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."


And the second is like it:


"Love your neighbor as yourself."


Jesus explained that all of God's laws—including the Ten Commandments—are built on these two great commandments. When we love God with everything we have and love others the way God loves us, we are living out the heart of everything God taught His people through Moses.


It was a beautiful reminder that God's rules were never just about following a list—they have always been about living in a loving relationship with God and caring for one another. Just as God surrounded the Israelites with His love and protection in the wilderness, Jesus calls us to surround others with that same love every day.



God is our Protector.


Whether protecting baby Moses in a basket, calling him through the burning bush, leading the Israelites through the Red Sea, providing food and water in the wilderness, or giving commandments filled with wisdom and love, God never stopped caring for His people.


The story of Moses reminds us that God's faithfulness didn't end in the wilderness—and it hasn't ended today. He still provides. He still protects. He still leads those who trust Him.


Thank you to every child, parent, grandparent, volunteer, musician, actor, teacher, and leader who made The Adventures with Moses such a meaningful, intergenerational experience. Watching families grow together in faith has been a tremendous blessing.


As we leave this adventure behind, may we continue walking with confidence, knowing that the same God who faithfully led Moses continues to guide each one of us today.

It's the Journey.

By Rev. Dr. Carolyn Scanlan-Holmes • August 25, 2026
Life comes with no map. We try to make our own and we set out, sometimes with excitement, sometimes with fear or grief, or just because standing still isn't an option. Sometimes we go not entirely sure where we're headed or what we'll find when we get there. In one of the most quietly beautiful stories in the Gospel of Luke, two travelers, heavy with loss and confusion, walk a road from Jerusalem. They meet a stranger, who falls in step beside them. They don't know who he is. They don't know what's coming next. But they keep walking. Somewhere in the walking, something shifts. The Road to Emmaus isn't really a story about a destination. It's a story about what happens on the way there: the conversations, the companions, the moments of unexpected recognition that change everything. Join us Sunday as we explore what it means to be on a journey full of unknowns. Do we fear that which we cannot know, or can we embrace the uncertainty as part of the adventure?

Learning from the Mystics: A Pure Heart

By Rev. Dr. Brenda Freije • August 18, 2026
What if Jesus’ words, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God,” are not about who gets to see God someday, but an invitation to learn how to see God now? The great Christian mystics believed that the heart is more than the center of our emotions. It is an “organ of spiritual perception,” a way of seeing beneath the surface of things into the deeper reality of God’s presence. Richard Rohr says this is what mysticism is really about. Mystics are not spiritual elites who have strange or extraordinary experiences. They are people who have learned to go beneath the surface and discover the “connected core of reality.” The result is not simply a different experience of God; it is a different way of seeing everything. They begin to see grace in all things and the deep connections between all things—seeing a neighbor instead of a stranger, a human being instead of an enemy, sacred creation instead of commodities, connection instead of separation, and Divine Presence where we previously assumed God was absent. And that gives us perhaps the most important test of genuine mystical spirituality: Are we becoming more loving? The goal of contemplative practice is not extraordinary spiritual experiences. Its fruit is a growing capacity for compassion, generosity, freedom, and love—a different way of being in the world. Let's explore what Jesus might mean by a “pure heart,” what keeps us from seeing clearly, how learning from the mystics and their practices can help us awaken to a God who may be much closer than we realize, and how all of this might enable us to act in the world with greater peace, hope, and clarity.

Mother Love, Mother Loss

By Joy Dyer, MSW, LCSW • August 10, 2026
The relationship we have with our mothers is one of the most meaningful in our lives. Sometimes sweet, sometimes difficult…or worse…but always full of complexity. And researchers have determined that this most significant of relationships actually begins in the womb. It’s the template where we first learn about love, whether we were fortunate to have loving mothers, or mothers who sadly were unable to love us as we needed and deserved. This primal, intense relationship continues throughout our lives, influencing and shaping who we become and how we relate to others as we journey through on our own paths. Is it any wonder then that the death of our mothers is one of the most impactful losses that we will experience? And yet, even after her death, it’s possible to have a continuing conversation and relationship with her…with her gifts and her flaws…that allows for connection and the possibility of repair and forgiveness. This Sunday, please join us as we explore the joys, sorrows, and possibilities of the eternal bond between mother and child. Joy Dyer, MSW, LCSW, brings 37 years of clinical social work experience, including work in end-of-life care and advanced bereavement training. She specializes in grief in all its forms. Joy returns to The Garden on Thursday, September 3 for Debunking the Myths of Grief.

It's All Fun & Games

By Rev. Dr. Carolyn Scanlan-Holmes • August 4, 2026
On the Importance of Play

Joyspan

By Rev. Dr. Carolyn Scanlan-Holmes • July 29, 2026
Sometimes, joy is the last thing on the list. Bills pile up, plans fall through, the news doesn't help — and "just be joyful" can start to feel like one more thing at which we're failing. This Sunday, we're taking a closer look at joy. We're not interested in the fake-it-till-you-make-it or the just-look-on-the-bright-side kind, but something sturdier. Nehemiah 8:10 puts it simply: the joy of the Lord is our strength. It is not a mood, and it is not a performance, but a strength we can lean on. It isn't a denial of pain, sorrow, or other distress, but may offer a path through. Dr. Kerry Burnight makes a related case in her recent book Joyspan — that a good life has less to do with how long we live than with how much joy we let ourselves experience along the way. Join us Sunday as we explore Joy, and what can happen when we open ourselves to it no matter our circumstances.

The Art of Community

By Rev. Dr. Carolyn Scanlan-Holmes • July 21, 2026
How does a community fight loneliness? We'll explore our grant-funded work, what's working, and how it echoes the community-building ministry.

The Fine Print: The Bible

By Rev. Dr. Carolyn Scanlan-Holmes • July 13, 2026
As a sacred and revered text, the Bible exerts tremendous influence on our lives. Notwithstanding our constitutional separation of church and state, its impact reverberates through our politics, morality, and spirituality. Yet, while widely respected and treasured, the Bible’s influence—or rather, its interpretation by those with power and resources and the desire to make other people live by their beliefs—has been leveraged to justify slavery, vilify LGBTQ+ people, elevate men over women, and divide rather than unite. This week, we will slow down to look past those historical misuses. Instead, we’ll dig directly into the timeless truths and teachings within the Bible that offer guidance for our faith and inspiration for our daily choices.

The Fine Print: The U.S. Constitution

July 6, 2026
Explore the U.S. Constitution's relevance today. Join us for insights on its principles & impact on society.

The Fine Print: The Declaration of Independence

June 29, 2026
We often hear the phrase, "Make sure you read the fine print," as we navigate the complexities of daily life. Whether it's the Constitution, the Bible, or even the manual for our computers, there's a wealth of fine print that tends to be skimmed over, misinterpreted, or entirely overlooked. Yet these details often hold the key to understanding the bigger picture and guiding us through life's challenges. This week, we're excited to launch a three-week series titled "The Fine Print." Over the next few Sundays, we'll take a closer look at some of the most important documents that shape our lives and values. Week 1: We'll explore The Declaration of Independence—a powerful statement of freedom and the rights of individuals that still resonates today. Week 2: Our focus shifts to The Constitution, examining its vital principles and how they continue to influence our society. Week 3: We'll conclude with a deep dive into The Bible, uncovering the profound truths and teachings that guide our faith and actions. Each message will stand on its own, so if you happen to miss one, rest assured you can still enjoy and engage with the others — though we'd love to have you for the whole series. Join us this Sunday for The Fine Print—a journey that promises to deepen our understanding and appreciation of these foundational texts. Together, we'll discover how the details within these documents can illuminate our paths and enrich our lives. You won't want to miss it!

Blessed to Give

June 23, 2026
We have often heard the words, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." The phrase is so well-known that many people don't even realize it is found in the Bible (Acts 20:35). So, is it just a cliché, or does God truly do something in the heart of a giving person—something that blesses both them and the world in which they live? Research shows that this is no mere platitude. Our brains respond to generosity by triggering a significant positive feedback loop when we practice, receive, or even simply witness giving in action. In a 2008 study, researchers found that people who spent money on others reported a notably higher uptick in happiness than those who spent it on themselves. Interestingly, this difference had nothing to do with how much they spent, but rather the direction of their spending. Giving really does benefit everyone—the giver, the receiver, and the witness—and the effect ripples outward. And it’s not just about monetary gifts, but also gifts of kindness and service. What we do, and how we give, truly matters. Join us Sunday as we explore how God turns giving into the blessing of receiving.