God gave us a mission
key words
biblical reference
Genesis 1:26-30; 2:15; Psalm 8:3-9.
lesson objective
To help preadolescents learn that it is their responsibility to take care of God’s creation.
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
It is common for the media, schools and other educational centers to care for the environment and ecology. In many places, campaigns are organized to conserve water, recycle garbage, and protect endangered species or green areas that have not yet been deforested.
However, taking care of creation has been the responsibility of the people of God long before environmental movements emerged. This lesson will help students understand that taking care of the world that God created is the task of Christians because we are his stewards.
God created the world and gave us the responsibility to care for and protect it. We are responsible to him for the way we use his creation. That is why it is important to study what the Bible tells us about this subject.
This lesson will help your students know the responsibility they have as stewards of the Lord.
biblical commentary
Read Genesis 1:26-30 and 2:15 and Psalm 8:3-9. God gave the first human beings the responsibility to care for and protect the Garden of Eden. He gave special value to heaven, earth, stars and everything that existed. He also allowed humans to enjoy and benefit from creation but this privilege implied a responsibility: to care for and preserve it.
After the first sin, this task became more difficult and complex. Thistles and thorns made it harder to sow seed and harvest crops, and people misused natural resources and animals.
Today we are also God’s stewards. Therefore, we have the obligation to protect, care for and preserve the world that he created with so much love for us.
introduce the lesson
Report from outer space
Hand out Student Activity Sheet #340-A. Tell the students to imagine that they are explorers from another planet. Their mission is to observe how the inhabitants and people of the earth take care of their world and in what condition it is.
Ask them to form pairs or small groups to prepare their report, following along with the questions suggested on Student Activity Sheet #340-A. Then, they must give their conclusions to the whole class. Tell them that in today’s story they will learn about a special mission that God gave to his people.
teach the lesson
Caring for God’s creation
The entire group can work together or in smaller groups. Ask volunteers to read Genesis 1:26-30 and 2:15, and let another read Psalm 8:3-9.
While they are working, be attentive to help them if there are questions. If the members of a group do not agree, as necessary, complement their answers with more information. The goal is to clearly understand that God is the Creator of everything, and that we are the stewards of his creation.
To teach this lesson’s biblical truth, we suggest you use the activity on Student Activity Sheet #340-B. Then, give the group time to read the comments and answer the questions.
connect the lesson
In danger of being extinct!
Ask your students if they remembered to investigate about an animal that is in danger of extinction. Ask some to give a brief explanation about the animal they studied. Tell them that “extinct” means that all of that particular animal have died and no longer exist or live.
Have them find Student Activity Sheet #340-C, and ask them to draw some extinct animals (for example: the dodo bird, the sea cow, the mammoth, the imperial woodpecker, the saber-toothed tiger, etc.). Try to get pictures with illustrations of these animals so that your students can copy them. If it is not possible, ask them to only write the names of these animals.
Next, draw some animals that are in danger of extinction (for example: the giant panda, the Siberian tiger, the imperial eagle, the grey or grizzly bear, the Nile crocodile, the giant otter, the gorilla, etc.).
Talk about what they can do to help protect these species and care for God’s creation.
Newspaper
Divide the class into pairs again. Ask them to turn to Student Activity Sheet #340-D and talk about some ways to care for creation.
Also, ask that each group write an article about a way to protect the environment. In the end, they can show their work to the whole class.
My commitment
Before the class begins, make several “commitment letters,” guided by the following model:
On this date, ______ (date), I will commit myself to ______ (conserve water, recycle, take out the trash, etc.) to fulfill my responsibility as God’s steward and take care of the creation he made.
___________________________ (Signature)
Leave the underlined spaces blank for your students to fill out and sign their letter. Allow them to take the letter home as a reminder. Emphasize that they must fulfill their commitment.
practice the memory verse
Ask several students to repeat the memory verse. Then congratulate them. Finally, say the memory verse as group.
wrap-up
Pray
Pray for the needs of the group. Be sure to give thanks to God for the things you all have studied in this unit.
Encourage
Remind them that God is the Creator of everything that exists. That is why he deserves our obedience, loyalty and love. Also, encourage them to take care of nature and protect the environment.
Invite
If you wish, reward those who memorized the unit verse, and tell them that in the next session they will begin to study the unit entitled “Let’s Live like Christ.” Remind them that this is a good time to invite new group members.
* 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.™