Getting to Know God: Who God Is



Getting to Know God: Who God Is

Week 1: God Is the Creator

This includes:

Leader Preparation

Lesson Guide

LEADER PREPARATION

BIBLE BASIS

Creation gives us a glimpse of how creative and awesome God is. We can see examples of God’s majesty and glory in our daily lives in sunsets, oceans, a tiny baby, or fall leaves. God created the expanse of our universe as well as the complexity of the human body. This same God created us because he wants a relationship with us. Stand in awe with your kids this lesson as you discover how amazingly creative God is.

DISCOVERY POINT

God is the creator.

BIBLE FOCUS

Genesis 1:1–2:4

KEY VERSE

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

TEACHING PREP

The short overview below is designed to help you prepare for your lesson.

Supplies You’ll Need: Getting to Know God: Who God Is (Year 2/Quarter 5) CD, LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2) DVD, CD player, TV/DVD player, “Before & After” handout, miscellaneous classroom objects, Bibles, “Creation Days” handout, scissors, 7 balloons, flour, salt, water, zippered sandwich bags, dark and light sheets of paper, and markers

Before This Lesson

• Make modeling clay using the following recipe: 1 cup of flour, 1/3 cup of salt, 1/3 cup of tap water. You’ll want enough for every child to have some. Separate the clay into one zippered sandwich bag per child.

• Print and cut apart the “Before & After” handout. You’ll need one copy per team of four kids.

• Print and cut apart the “Creation Days” handout. You’ll need one copy per team of four kids.

• Assemble Bible Exploration Kits (you’ll want seven of them this week): Bible, “Before & After” handout, one section of the “Creation Days” handout, one balloon, markers, dark and light sheets of paper for each child, bags of pre-made clay for each child.

• Review Genesis 1:1–2:4.

• Cue "Into the Bible" (Track 1) on Getting to Know God: Who God Is (Year 2/Quarter 5) CD or (Quarter 5/Track 1) on the LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2) DVD.

• Huddle briefly with your volunteers beforehand. Answer any questions they have. Encourage them and pray.

PARENT EMAIL

We’ve provided you with a “Family Devotion” handout to send the Bible learning and faith discovery home. When kids and parents have faith discussions regularly, kids’ faith multiplies.

So we’ve given you two options:

• Print the “Family Devotion” handout and make enough copies for each child to take one home.

• Email the “Family Devotion” to families before or after the actual lesson.

Or why not do both? That way you’ll double the opportunities for parents to actually get the handout.

Getting to Know God: Who God Is

Week 1: God Is the Creator

LESSON GUIDE

WELCOME!

Supplies: Getting to Know God: Who God Is (Year 2/Quarter 5) CD, LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2) DVD, CD player, TV/DVD player, miscellaneous classroom supplies

1. Play “Into the Bible” (Track 1) from the Getting to Know God: Who God Is (Year 2/Quarter 5) CD or (Quarter 5/Track 1) from the LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2) DVD as kids arrive.

• “Into the Bible”

Makes me wanna jump!

Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump!

Makes me wanna sing! Hallelujah!

It’s the greatest book.

Come and take a look.

Makes me wanna shout!

Shout! Shout! Shout! Shout!

So that everyone will see

I’m getting into the Bible

And the Bible...is getting into me!

We’re discovering a brand-new world

As we dig a little deeper (deeper),

Finding out about who God is.

Open it up and see it (see it)!

There’s nothin’ like

God’s Word, and I get

So excited.

It makes me wanna,

Makes me,

Makes me wanna jump!

Jump! Jump! Jump! Jump!

Makes me wanna sing! Hallelujah!

It’s the greatest book.

Come and take a look.

Makes me wanna shout!

Shout! Shout! Shout! Shout!

So that everyone will see

I’m getting into the Bible

And the Bible...is getting into me!

“Into the Bible” by Jay Stocker. © 2006 Group Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission to use lyrics granted for local church use only. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

2. Have kids form Bible Crews of four and find seven supplies or objects in their pockets or in your meeting area (for example, a pencil, a gum wrapper, a coin, tape). Ask crews to work together to make a useful creation out of the supplies they collected.

3. Allow crews to share their creations with the rest of the group. SAY: We have so much creativity in the room today! I’m glad you’re here to share your creativity and to worship the greatest creator of all…God!

4. ASK:

• What do you think of your creation?

• What do you think God thinks about his creations and how do you know that?

SAY: God is the creator and is proud of every one of his awesome creations. God has always had a perfect plan for all of creation, including us.

5. Play the “Python Countdown” (Quarter 5/Countdown Track 2) on the LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2) DVD, and ask kids to call out the numbers as they appear.

LET’S EXPLORE!

Supplies: assembled Bible Exploration Kits

1. Have kids form seven Bible Crews, and give each group a Bible Exploration Kit.

SAY: Our Key Verse from Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” God is the creator, and today we’re going to explore all the amazing things God created in the beginning so we can learn more about who God is. God is so powerful that when he spoke, whatever he wanted was created in an instant—in the blink of an eye or the pop of a balloon!

Have each crew roll up its section of “Creation Days” handout, inflate the balloon, and place the paper roll in the balloon before tying it shut. Have crews bop their balloons to other crews for one minute. Then have each crew pop one balloon and look up the verses to discover something God created. (WARNING: Choking Hazard – To avoid choking hazards, be sure to pick up pieces of any broken balloons promptly.) When kids have finished reading the verses, SAY: Each crew found out what happened on one of the seven days of Creation. Your job now is to create a way to represent what God created on that day to the rest of the group. You’ll have just three minutes to decide what you’ll do to show our group what God created. Everyone in your crew must be a part of your creation. Ready, go!

2. When Bible Crews are ready, SAY: Let’s take an adventure through God’s amazing creation of the world. You have one minute to get all seven crews in the proper order of creation. Go! Pause while the crews put themselves in order, then SAY: Let’s have each Bible Crew present what happened on their day. When you present, say, “And on the ____ day, God created ______.” When each crew finishes, we’ll all say “and God saw that it was good” and clap, cheer, and celebrate because God is the creator.

3. Go through each of the days of Creation sequentially, allowing each Bible Crew to present its day and then celebrating that creation.

ASK:

• Explain why it was easy or difficult to present your creation.

• How easy or difficult was it for God to make all creation?

• Explain what you think was God’s most creative creation.

4. Have kids use their bags of clay to create “whatsa-ma-jiggys”: a never-seen-before animal, plant, or rock with one amazing attribute. Have kids share about their whatsa-ma-jiggys with two kids from other crews.

5. Have kids return to their Bible Crews.

ASK:

• If you could make your creation come alive, what one thing would you want it to know?

Say: Let’s see what God wants us to know. Assign one of the following Scriptures to each of the Bible Crews: John 3:16; Romans 6:23; Romans 10:9-10; and John 15:15-17. Allow time for the crews to read their Scriptures. Ask each crew to share what they learned from their verse with the rest of the crews in two or three sentences.

Read aloud John 15:15-17.

ASK:

• According to this Scripture, why did God create us?

• What do you think about why you were created?

SAY: The most important thing God wants you to know is that God loves you. We all sin and do things that don’t please God, and God knew that would happen. So God sent Jesus to show us a way to have a lifelong friendship with God. When you tell God that you believe that Jesus lived, died, and now lives again, you are beginning that friendship with God, your creator. In your Bible Crews, answer these questions.

ASK:

• What is a lifelong friendship with God like?

• Why, out of all creation, does God want you to be his lifelong friend?

• How does knowing God wants a lifelong friendship with you affect your life?

LET’S PRAISE!

Supplies: Getting to Know God: Who God Is (Year 2/Quarter 5) CD or LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2) DVD, CD player or TV/DVD player

1. SAY: God is the creator of all things, and we’re the most special of all creation. God is an awesome creator! Let’s praise God for creating everything in the world.

2. Set up the Getting to Know God: Who God Is (Year 2/Quarter 5) CD or the LIVE Children’s Curriculum (Year 2) DVD. PLAY:

• “Nothing Is Impossible” (Luke 1:37) (CD Track 3) (DVD Quarter 5/Track 3)

Sometimes when you don’t know what to do,

It feels like you don’t even have a clue.

That is when you’ve got to turn to God,

Because you know that he can do anything!

Nothing is impossible with God!

Nothing is impossible with God! Yeah!

(Repeat from the beginning.)

“Nothing Is Impossible” (Luke 1:37) by Jay Stocker. © 2005, 2008, 2011 Group Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission to use lyrics granted for local church use only. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

• “You Know Everything About Me” (Psalm 139:1-3) (CD Track 4) (DVD Quarter 5/Track 4)

O Lord, you have examined my heart;

You know everything about me.

You know when I sit down or stand up;

You know everything about me.

You know everything,

Every little thing about me, about me.

You know everything,

Every little thing about me, about me.

O Lord, you know my thoughts and my ways;

You know everything about me.

You chart the path that I take;

You know everything about me.

You know everything,

Every little thing about me, about me.

You know everything;

Every little thing about me, about me.

You know everything,

Every little thing about me, about me.

You know everything,

Every little thing about me, about me.

O Lord, you have examined my heart;

You know everything about me.

You know when I sit down or stand up;

You know everything about me.

You know everything,

Every little thing about me, about me.

You know everything,

Every little thing about me, about me.

You know everything,

Every little thing about me, about me.

You know everything,

Every little thing about me, about me.

You know everything,

Every little thing about me, about me.

“You Know Everything About Me” (Psalm 139:1-3) by Ben Glover and Jay Stocker. © 2004 Group Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission to use lyrics granted for local church use only. No unauthorized duplication permitted.

• “How Great Thou Art” (CD Track 6) (DVD Quarter 5/Track 6)

O Lord, my God,

When I in awesome wonder

Consider all the works your hands have made,

I see the stars,

I hear the rolling thunder,

Your power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul,

My Savior God, to thee.

How great thou art,

How great thou art!

Then sings my soul,

My Savior God, to thee.

How great thou art,

How great thou art!

(Repeat from the beginning.)

“How Great Thou Art” by Carl G. Boberg.

LET’S PRAY!

Supplies: assembled Bible Exploration Kits, Getting to Know God: Who God Is (Year 2/Quarter 5) CD, CD player

Have kids take the “Before & After” handout from their Bible Exploration Kits. Ask kids to each take a piece of light paper, a piece of dark paper, and markers. SAY: God is the creator of all things, and we’re the most special of all those creations. God created everything in this world. Read the instructions on the “Before & After” handout, and then draw silently and thank God for all the things you draw while I play some music. You’ll know it’s time to stop praying when I turn off the music. Let crews read the instructions and then draw.

Play the instrumental version of “How Great Thou Art” (Track 14) from the Getting to Know God: Who God Is (Year 2/Quarter 5) CD while kids work.

HIGH FIVES

Supplies: whatsa-ma-jiggys

Have kids give each other high fives using their whatsa-ma-jiggys and say “God is the creator!” Give kids several chances to give their friends high fives before they leave for the day.

FOR-EXTRA-TIME ACTIVITIES

A Snacking Creation

Supplies: paper plates, food supplies such as marshmallows, raisins, pretzels, graham crackers, pull-n-peel licorice, mini-bagels

Kids can create a snack on a plate out of the food supplies for someone special and name it. Tell kids to give that special someone the snack they created after your meeting. Remind kids that God created the world and the things in it with them in mind just as they created a snack for someone they had in mind. Kids can snack on the leftover “supplies” as they share with each other about their creations and who they made them for.

(Remember that some children have food allergies that can be dangerous. Know your children and consult with parents about allergies your kids may have. Also, be sure to read food labels carefully as hidden ingredients can cause allergy-related problems. Whenever you see the allergy alert icon, stop and think about allergies your children might have.)

Creation Hunt

Supplies: none

Have your group take a nature walk. Have everyone hunt for something that God created and bring it back to your meeting area. After the walk, have kids return to their Bible Crews, share their items, and tell why they think God chose to create the items they found.

Hiding It in Your Heart

Supplies: none

Have kids stand in circles in their Bible Crews. Have them choose one person to start. Have each team repeat Genesis 1:1, and then have the starter pose as one of God’s creations (everything from a tree to a worm to a planet) and say what he or she is representing. Challenge crews to go as quickly as possible around their crews as many times as possible in three minutes with kids taking turns posing and never posing as the same creation.

Create a Bible Dictionary

Supplies: paper, markers, dictionary, CD player, Getting to Know God: Who God Is (Year 2/Quarter 5) CD

Ask kids to create one or more pages, each with a new word, for a Bible dictionary. Have kids suggest words from today’s lesson—creation and beginning are two suggestions. Have them write each word on a sheet of paper in fun letters, add a definition, list Scripture references, and make illustrations. Play “The Books of the Bible Song” (Track 8), from the Getting to Know God: Who God Is (Year 2/Quarter 5) CD while kids work. Add each page to a three-ring binder, and watch the dictionary grow!

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