The Ten Best Ways - Episcopal Church Of The Incarnation

The Ten Best WaysBackgroundFocus: the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17, Deuteronomy 5:1-21)God was present to Moses at Sinai three times. First, God was present in the burning bushwhen God revealed to Moses the name of God (Exodus 3:1-6). Second, God was presentwhen giving the Ten Commandments to the people through Moses (Exodus 19:18-20:17).Finally, after breaking the tablets in anger, Moses climbed up Sinai to receive the TenCommandments a second time (Exodus 34). On the last occasion, Moses bargained with Godthree times to see God’s face (Exodus 33:12-22). But God did not allow this. No one could seeGod’s face and live, so God put Moses in an opening in the rock and covered him until thedazzling light of God’s presence had passed by.MaterialThe basket for The Ten Best Ways is on one of the Old Testament shelves.It contains:15 People of God figuresa heart-shaped box containing the ten commandments and three summary piecesYou’ll need the mountain.You’ll also need the desert box.MovementsWordsBring the desert box to thecircle. Leave the lid on it. Go tothe shelf and get the Ten BestWays basket and Mount Sinai.Watch. Watch where I go to get the lesson. See? Here itis. Now you will always know where to find it.Once you have the materialassembled, sit and look at thedesert box for a moment. If thechildren are comfortable andsettled, remove the lid andbegin the lesson. It they are notyet ready, leave the lid on andbegin to talk about the desertbox before removing the lid.This is the desert. It is a dangerous place. People do notgo into the desert unless they have to. There is no waterthere, and without water we die. There is no food there.Without food we die.When the wind blows, it changes the shape of the desert.People get lost. Some never come back.In the daytime the sun is so hot that people must wear lotsof clothes to protect themselves from the sun and theblowing sand. The sand stings when it hits your skin. Thesun scorches you by day. At night it is cold. You needmany clothes to keep warm. The desert is a dangerousplace. People only go there if they have to.1

Put some of the People of Godat your far right at the edge ofthe desert box. Arrange them ina circle. Also, place Mt. Sinai inthe left hand corner of thedesert box, the corner nearestyou.The people of God went through the water into freedom.They were free, and Miriam led the dancing!Show the heart-shaped box asyou say this, but don’t open ityet.God loved the People so much that God showed them theTen Best Ways to Live. Sometimes these ways are calledthe Ten Commandments.Begin to move the people toyour left. Mt. Sinai is in theupper left corner of the desertbox, closest to you, so that mostof the children can see whathappens. Move the peoplecarefully until they are all at thefoot of the mountain.As the people traveled across the desert, they followed fireby night and smoke by day. They began to complain.Some even wanted to go back to Egypt. There was notenough food. There was not enough water. God helpedMoses find food and water. Finally they came to the greatmountain.Move Moses to the top of themountain. As he climbs, hidethe figure in your hand to showhis disappearing in the smoke.The People came close to the mountain, but they wereafraid to touch it. Mount Sinai was covered with fire andsmoke. Moses was the only one who had the courage toclimb up into the fire and smoke to meet God.When Moses was on top of the mountain, he came soclose to God and God came so close to him that he knewwhat God wanted him to do. God wanted him to write theTen Best Ways to Live on stones and bring them down themountain to the People.Now that the people are free, they can go anywhere theywant to go and do anything they want to do. Where willthey go now? What is the best way?2

When Moses was on the mountain, he wanted to comeeven closer to God’s presence. He wanted to see God’sface. “Show me your glory,” Moses said. God said, “Youcannot see my face and live.”Place your hand, palm down,hiding Moses.God put Moses in a cleft of the rock and put his hand overhim to protect him from God’s presence. God took awaythe hand, after passing by, and Moses saw God’s back.Meeting God face to face is sometimes too much for us.When we see God’s back, we can follow God all our days.Move Moses down themountain, revealing him fromyour closed hand, and place himin the sand.Lay out the commandments.Begin with the summary. Onetablet says “Love God” and theother one says, “Love People.”A third triangular piececompletes the shape of theheart and says, “God loves us.”As you lay these pieces flat inthe sand, read them aloud.Next lay out thecommandments. Place eachtablet upright in the sand withthe writing facing the children.Place the first threecommandments in a line uprightin the sand between you and“Love God.”God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. Moses gavethem to the people and they gave them to us.Love God Love people God loves us 1. Don’t serve other gods.2. Make no idols to worship.3. Be serious when you say my name.Read the fourth tablet and placeit in a middle position in thesand since it tells us how to loveboth God and people.4. Keep the Sabbath holy.Read the next tablets slowly andplace them next to “LovePeople.” Say each one withkindness and understanding.5. Honor your mother and father.6. Don’t kill.7. Don’t break your marriage.8. Don’t steal.3

9. Don’t lie.10. Don’t even want what others have.I know. These are all hard. God did not say that these arethe “ten easy things to do.” They are the Ten Best Ways toLive, the Ten Commandments. They are hard, perhapsimpossible, but we are supposed to try.They mark the best way - like stones can show a path.Important discussions can arisefrom each of the “best ways” orcommandments. Take yourtime. Wait, so children canraise issues andmisunderstandings.When the discussion quietsdown, you can begin thewondering. I wonder which one of the Ten Best Ways youlike best?4

When the wondering about theTen Commandments is finished,turn back to the whole story.The story can get lost as thewondering about the Ten BestWays takes place. It is nowtime to put all of that discussionback into the context of howGod loves us so much that Godgave us the Ten Best Ways toLive. I wonder which one is most important? I wonder which one is especially for you? I wonder if there are any we can leave out and stillhave all we need?Now let’s go back again to the story. I wonder what part of the whole story you likedbest? I wonder what part of the story is most important? I wonder where you are in the story or what part ofthe story is about you? I wonder if there is any part of the story we canleave out and still have all the story we need?When all the wondering isfinished, put the materials awayand invite the children, one byone, to get out their work.Jerome W. Berryman, The Complete Guide to Godly Play Volume 2: 14 Presentations for Fall (2002), pp.73-80.5

The Ten Best Ways Background Focus: the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17, Deuteronomy 5:1-21) God was present to Moses at Sinai three times. First, God was present in the burning bush when God revealed to Moses the name of God (Exodus 3:1-6). Second, God was present when giving the Ten Commandments