Our great Creator
key words
biblical reference
Genesis 1:1-28; 8:22.
lesson objective
Students become certain that God is the one who created and sustains the universe.
memory verse
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful. I know that full well” (Psalm 139:13-14, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
If your students grew up in the Church they have probably heard the story of creation since they were little. However, this time they will study it from another perspective. Since they know the order in which God created heaven, earth, stars, animals and man, they must now learn what it means to be part of God’s magnificent creation.
In geography, biology and history books, they learn about the behavior of animals, the tumult of volcanoes and the complexity of atoms. This time they will learn to know the Creator of all these wonders.
It is our prayer that through this series of lessons, your students will learn to care for creation, honor the Creator, and understand that God created them in his image and likeness.
biblical commentary
Read Genesis 1:1-28 and 8:22. When we read the story of creation, we realize the majesty and dominion that God has over all that exists. The Bible does not try to prove the existence of God; it only affirms that he exists (Genesis 1:1). In the midst of chaos and emptiness, God in his sovereignty turned chaos into the wonderful world that we now know and enjoy.
He created the world and everything that exists. That means that, as the Creator, everything belongs to him.
The creation story is more than a list of what God did. It speaks to us of the very nature of God. When we read the phrase “let there be light,” we realize the power and authority of God over events and nature.
The order in which he created things reveals that he is a wise God. An example of this is that he created water before fish, the sky before the birds, and he formed the earth before creating plants and animals.
The most important thing is that he is not only the Creator, but also the sustainer of everything that exists. It is by his hand that the sea does not overflow and rivers follow their natural course. However, humans often forget our place as creatures, and assume we are absolute rulers. Some even pretend to create new ways of life through science. But God created us to praise him and live in communion with him.
introduce the lesson
Creative hands
For this activity, you will need molding clay like Play-doh or handmade clay, wooden sticks and plastic tablecloths or large plastic bags.
Before your students arrive, protect the tables with tablecloths or plastic bags. Hand out the materials. Explain to the whole class that the activity consists of using their hands and their imagination to create something found in nature. (For example, a tree, a volcano, a flower, an animal, etc.)
Then, allow each one to show their work. Explain that just as they created a figure with a piece of clay that had no form, God created the universe when there was only chaos and darkness. During this unit, you will study about God, the Creator of the universe.
What a life!
Ask two volunteers to hand out Student Activity Sheet #336-A. Read the questions aloud for the group to answer, and write down the answers on the board. Then, talk about the importance of trees in nature.
Explain that trees produce oxygen. In addition, their wood is used to make houses, furniture, pencils, paper, etc.
Follow the clues
Have students turn to Student Activity Sheet #336-B. Ask them to carefully observe the picture and identify the child’s favorite activities and list them on the board.
Then, ask them: “In what ways can someone tell you what kind of person this boy is?”
Based on the list, determine some of the characteristics of this child’s personality. For example, the illustration shows that he is interested in music. This activity requires patience to learn to play a new instrument and determination to practice continuously. He also seems to like sports. This activity requires physical dexterity and discipline. You can continue to find more descriptions.
To conclude the activity, tell them: “Through this child’s favorite activities, we know part of his personality. Today we will study creation and learn what it tells us about God’s personality.”
teach the lesson
God is our Creator
Choose one of the following methods to teach the story: Tell the story of creation in your own words, let your students read it from the Bible, or use visual materials to explain the narrative.
Remember that you should always have the Bible in a visible place, so your students will know that it is a story mentioned in the Word of God.
It is likely that many of your students know the details of the story. Therefore, we suggest you allow them to actively participate in the lesson as you tell it.
connect the lesson
Find answers to your questions
Divide the class in pairs. Then, ask them to look up the verses suggested in the concordance provided in Student Activity Sheet #336-C.
Then, have them write the biblical references that corresponds to each phrase in the lower part.
God created the world (Mark 13:19).
Everything that God created is good (1 Timothy 4:4).
God created man in his own image (Genesis 1:27).
If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).
You must remember your Creator while you are young (Ecclesiastes 12:1).
Since the creation of the world, the invisible qualities of God have been clearly seen (Romans 1:20).
What does creation show you about...?
Once again, divide the class into pairs to answer the questions on Student Activity Sheet #336-D. Tell them to talk about what they learned about God in the creation story.
Then, each pair will must share their answers with the others.
practice the memory verse
Ask your students to look up Psalm 139:13-14 in their Bibles and read it aloud. Explain that this is this unit’s memory verse, and tell them: “God made the world and created humans. However, sometimes we forget how wonderful our bodies are, having been made by him. This verse will remind us of the importance of knowing that we were created by God to praise him.”
wrap-up
Pray
Ask the preadolescents to tell the group some wonderful things in creation. Then, have several of them give God thanks for his wonderful creation and for allowing us to know him through it.
Encourage
Encourage the group to tell their families and friends about how they know God by looking at His creation.
Invite
Be sure to tell something interesting about the next session so the students will be eager to attend. Remind them that friends are welcome.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™