Fall Upper Grades. Teacher Guide

Transcription

1 Fall 2014 Upper Grades Teacher Guide

2 UPPER GRADES Preparing the Lesson God Creates Adam and Eve Genesis 1:26 2:25 Lesson 2 Pentecost 14 September 14, 2014 Key Point God made us in His image, provided all things for our good, and made us rulers over the earth and everything in it. Law/Gospel God appoints me as a caretaker of His creation and expects me to take care of it for His glory and the good of others. God provides me with all good things for this life and forgives me for Jesus sake when I put myself above Him and His creation and misuse or neglect my vocation to rule the earth properly. Context Some have argued that Genesis 2 is a second account of creation. But Genesis 2 presupposes the five preceding days of creation. This chapter reviews in more detail the creation of humankind in Adam and Eve. Commentary The name Adam means earth and points to humanity s material aspect. But the breath, or spirit, of God makes Adam a living being and gives him fellowship with God. God is the source of life turning away from that source leads to death. Having God s Spirit in Genesis 2 corresponds to being made in the image of God in Genesis 1. The earthly blessings that follow express the love God has for Adam. Eden is sometimes called Paradise (garden). The tree of life within Eden may have been planted near running or living water as in Psalm 1:3. Note that the tree of life and living water are linked again in Revelation 22:1 2. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is sometimes identified as an apple tree because the Latin words for evil and apple share the same root, Mal. Jewish tradition pictures the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as a citron tree or a grapevine. But the actual fruit is never identified in Scripture. Four rivers flow from around Eden, including two that were the mainstay of Mesopotamian life and civilization: the Tigris and the Euphrates. The locations of the other two rivers have not been identified, perhaps due to changes to the earth s surface during the worldwide flood later in Genesis. Man is given the task of working the garden. To this day, work, or vocation, remains one of our innate needs. Adam s naming of the animals shows mastery as well as intelligence. Note the underlying pattern, hierarchy, and priority. There are things above and below; all things are good, but some are better or could be better. Adam in Paradise needs a suitable helper. The woman is created from his flesh so that he will care for her as for himself. Moses issues a command: Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh (Genesis 2:24). The marriage relationship has priority even over parental obligations. The man and woman were naked and without shame. They were open and trusting, with nothing to hide. A child with beautiful freckles may be made ashamed due to hurtful comments and insults and then may internalize that shame. Shame arises from evil without as well as from evil within; Paradise was free of both. Living according to God s laws brings earthly blessing. The man Adam foreshadows Christ, the new Adam (Romans 5:12 21), who brings believers into eternal paradise (Luke 23:43). To hear an in-depth discussion of this Bible account, visit cph.org/podcast and listen to our Seeds of Faith podcast each week. 13

3 Lesson 2 God Creates Adam and Eve Genesis 1:26 2:25 Connections Bible Words I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14 (CD 12) Faith Words image of God, vocation, redeem Hymn The Tree of Life (LSB 561; CD 10) Catechism Apostles Creed: First Article (CD 23 27) 28 1 Opening (10 minutes) Begin The quarter is still relatively new; therefore, you may have students arriving for the first time today. Welcome everyone, making introductions as necessary. Greet the students by name, building upon your new relationship with them. Later in this lesson, you will use several objects such as a toy, building blocks, a T-shirt, and something handmade. You might have these objects available before class for early arrivals to inspect and handle. Review last week s lesson by playing a simple question game. Have the students each think of one or more questions that begin On what day did God make...? For example, a student might ask On what day did God make the stars? (The answer is Day 4.) Let the students take turns asking the class their questions and choosing volunteers to answer. Be prepared to double-check the answers in your Bible. You could also have some lumps of clay that they could manipulate before the lesson begins. Worship Begin your class by inviting the students to join you in saying the Invocation and making the sign of the cross. (Practice making the sign of the cross if some are unsure how to do so.) Say In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Sing or recite Luther s Morning Prayer (LSB, p. 327; CD 28); the music can be printed from your CD). Then confess together the Apostles Creed, referring to Poster B as needed. Then lead the class in prayer. Teacher Tools CD Poster B The Apostles Creed Other Supplies Hymnals Several objects from home, one handmade Clay (optional) Teacher Tools Poster C Then and Now Map Growing in Christ Puzzle 2 Student Stuff Lesson Leaflet 2 Bible Exploration Guide Teacher Tools CD Student Stuff Lesson Leaflet 2 Other Supplies Catechisms Teacher Tools Bible Review Cards 9 16 (1 8 optional) CD Other Supplies Hymnals Reproducible Page 2 (optional, in TG) 14

4 Lesson 2 Pray Dear Father, You created the world and everything in it. You created each of us and placed us in this world of Yours. As we study Your Word and learn of Your love for humankind, may we always be reminded of Your greatest gift of love sending Your Son to be our Savior. In His name we pray. Amen. How Is It Made? Invite the students to show any handmade items they brought to class in response to your message during the week. Also bring to class several objects, such as a toy, building blocks, and a T-shirt (and something handmade, if you didn t use the reminder last week). Ask the class how each object is made. Discuss the components involved in factories, assembly lines, and mass production. Save the handmade object for last. Hold up the object. Alternative: Invite the students to display the items they have created from the clay you provided at the beginning of class. Say How was this made? (By hand) What is involved in making an item by hand? (A lot of time, materials, energy) What are some things you have made by hand? (Allow time for answers.) When you make something by hand, you feel proud of your work, and you feel a special sort of ownership toward that item because it s unique and it s yours. Today s lesson is about the creation of man. God made man in a way that was different from all His other creatures He formed man as a potter forms a vessel of clay and breathed into man His own breath of life. Say We studied the creation of the world last week in the first chapter of Genesis. On which day was man created? (Day 6) Let s review that section of Scripture together. A Great Idea! 2 God Speaks (20 minutes) Day 6 Up Close and Personal Invite the class to read Genesis 1:26 31 aloud in unison. Point out that these verses, which were part of last week s lesson, are part of an overview of the days of creation. Focus on verse 26. After rereading that verse, distribute Lesson Leaflet 2. Invite the students to study the picture of Adam and Eve in the garden and direct them to the first paragraph of this section. Work through the study guide with the students, making the following points to enhance discussion. Variation: You might want to divide the class into four groups. Each group would be responsible for one question on the front of the Lesson Leaflet. Discuss the entire study together and write the answers on the board for all to record on their papers. Question 1: What made the creation of man different from all other creatures? Genesis 1:27 God created Adam in His own image. Although no one can completely understand what it must have been like to have been made in the image of God (since we are sinners), we know that Adam was God s special creation, that he knew God as his Lord and that he understood God s will. Key Point God made us in His image, provided all things for our good, and made us rulers over the earth and everything in it. Faith Words image of God knowing and doing God s will; holiness. 15

5 Lesson 2 Genesis 2:7 God personally created Adam, forming him from the dust of the ground and breathing into Adam His own breath of life. Later, God personally formed Eve from one of Adam s ribs. Question 2: What responsibilities did God give Adam? Genesis 1:26 God gave Adam dominion over the other creatures. Remind the students of this Faith Word from Lesson 1. Genesis 2:15 God instructed Adam to work and keep the Garden of Eden. Genesis 2:20 God gave Adam the responsibility of naming the other creatures in the garden. Among all these creatures, God and Adam did not find one that would be a fit helper for Adam. At this point, distribute the Bible Exploration Guide and direct your students to the article on the Garden of Eden. Genesis 2:8 14 describes this place in some detail. The map in the booklet will help pinpoint the general area where the garden is believed to have been. For a closer look, use Poster C, Then and Now Map, to pinpoint the possible location of the garden on the maps of Old Testament and modern times. Question 3: How did God provide for Adam s happiness? Genesis 2:18 God did not want Adam to be alone. Genesis 2:21 25 God created Eve from one of Adam s ribs. Adam became joyful upon meeting Eve. Verse 24 describes God s institution of the one flesh union that would take place between men and women from then on the institution of marriage. Faith Words vocation the tasks or positions into which God has placed us: employees, students, family members, citizens, and the like. It s the place in life where we find ourselves at the moment. Add these words to your Word Wall. 12 Question 4: What did God expect of Adam and Eve? Genesis 2:15 Eve shared Adam s vocation of caring for the garden. Genesis 2:16 17 God also gave Adam and Eve freedom to enjoy the good things that grew in the garden, restricting them only from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Read about this tree and another special tree in the article Special Trees in the Garden of Eden in the Bible Exploration Guide. The first people were faithful to their Creator. Because Adam and Eve were made in God s image, they obeyed God willingly. They lived with an attitude of worship toward God, listened to His words, and believed what He said. They were to live forever with God in a state of complete happiness. Have a volunteer read the last paragraph on the front of the leaflet. Point out that Psalm 139:14 is this week s key Bible verse. Write the words of the verse on index cards, creating one set for every three or four students. Divide the class into teams, giving each team a set of cards and a length of blue tape and assign them a surface on which to assemble the Bible verse. See which team can place the words in the correct order in the shortest amount of time. As an alternative, you could use Growing in Christ Puzzle 2 from the booklet in the Teacher Tools to challenge the students to discover reinforce the verse. You can further reinforce the students memory of the verse by listening to and singing the Bible Words song, track 12 on your CD. 16

6 Lesson 2 3 We Live (15 minutes) In the Image of God Direct the students to the back of the leaflet. List the following words on the board vocation, marriage, worship and add two columns to the right of your list, one column headed In God s Image and the other Without God s Image. As you work through the next section, record students responses in the chart. Say In the Garden of Eden, each of these areas of life was perfect. Today, each of them is tainted in our lives because of sin. Let s see if we can list examples of how each area differs depending on whether or not it is in the image of God. Invite volunteers to suggest things for each column and each area. If the students do not raise them, include these additional examples: Vocation In God s Image: Adam and Eve took care of the earth, used things wisely, and cared for God s creatures and each other. Vocation is all about serving our neighbor. Vocation Without God s Image: We pollute the earth. We do not care for God s creation as we should. We do not serve or help others as we should. We are lazy, self-serving, and self-centered. We care more about ourselves than our neighbor s needs. Discuss specific examples in the students lives where they see misuses of vocation. Marriage In God s Image: Adam rejoiced in God s gift of a wife; he cherished her as bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. Their relationship would have been without conflict as they honored and cherished one another. Marriage Without God s Image: Today, many people live together outside of marriage. People are corrupting God s institution of marriage, defined as one man and one woman. People do not abide by their marriage vows, and divorce is common. Worship In God s Image: Adam and Eve worshiped God as their Creator and Lord; they knew and followed His will. Their whole life in the garden was one of worship, as God came to and blessed His people and His people responded with praise and thanksgiving, which is the essence of worship. It was a joyous union. Worship Without God s Image: Today, we have things reversed. Instead of worshiping the Creator, we often worship the created. We place high value on the things we own, the use of our time, and the way we are viewed by others. We have forgotten that God is the One who has given us our lives and everything in those lives. Now we often find worship boring and think of it as something we must do for God. Continue with the next activity in the leaflet. Read the paragraph and let the students work the puzzle, following the directions on the leaflet. The completed message will read But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed. Psalm 37:38 Key Point God made us in His image, provided all things for our good, and made us rulers over the earth and everything in it. Teacher Tip Be sensitive to your students levels of maturity and individual situations as you discuss marriage. Assure your students that sexual sins and sins such as divorce are, like all sins, paid for by Jesus and forgiven for those who repent and turn to Him. 17

7 Lesson 2 Faith Words redeem to buy back; Jesus bought us back from sin, death, and the power of the devil through His death on the cross. Add new vocabulary words to the Word Wall. You may also want to let students create their own set of Faith Words on index cards Say Transgressors means sinners in other words, it means us. We daily sin much. All would be lost and we would be forever condemned to hell if God had not once again given to mankind. This time the gift was His own Son. He sent Jesus to redeem us from our sins. Say Jesus death and resurrection paid the price for our sins for when we fail in our vocations, for when we don t care for God s creation, for all of our sins. How does this happen? Look at the next part of the leaflet. Complete the puzzle at the bottom of the page. Color the boxes that contain even numbers. When completed, this message will appear: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation (Colossians 1:15). Say Though the image of God in mankind was destroyed by sin, Paul says that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. Because of our faith in Christ given us through water and the Word, God no longer looks at us and sees our sins. He looks at us and sees His Son who died for us. And we know that the image of God that was lost in the fall into sin will be completely restored when we join Jesus in heaven, for now we are heirs of eternal life. Until then, we continue to live in this world, sinful but forgiven. Like Adam, we listen to God s Word, praising Him for His goodness, thanking Him for His forgiveness, and serving Him by serving His creation. This is what Luther writes about in his explanation of the First Article of the Apostles Creed. Read, recite, or sing together the First Article and its explanation from the Small Catechism (CD 23 27). If you have time, divide the list of items in the explanation of the First Article among the students. Ask each student to draw a representation of the words, then compile the pictures into an illustrated booklet of the First Article of the Apostles Creed and its meaning. 4 Closing (5 minutes) Review Use Bible Review Cards 9 16 (and 1 8, if you wish) to check the ability of your students to recall the facts of the Bible account. Each card has three questions. Choose the questions that are most appropriate for your students, or let each student select a level of difficulty (easy, medium, or hard). 10 Worship Listen to the hymn The Tree of Life (LSB 561; CD 10) and discuss the context of the first stanza, which focuses on the perfection of the Garden of Eden. Mention that the subject of the remainder of the hymn, man s fall into sin, will be studied next week. Sing at least the first stanza of the hymn together. Pray the Lord s Prayer. Say Like Adam and Eve, we worship our Father, the giver of all things. They were made in the image of God. We have been remade in His image through the saving work of Christ s death and resurrection. Our Baptism creates this new life within us and gives us the promise that we will be with God in heaven one day. We rejoice that our God cares for us here on earth and there in eternity. 18

8 Lesson 2 Evaluation As you get to know your students, do you find some have a difficult time reading? If so, pair these students with good readers. Think of your students individually when you are preparing your next lesson and include them in your daily prayers. Lesson Expanders If you haven t already used it, use Reproducible Page 2, found on the next page. It contains a word search of unusual animal names. When the students have completed the search, share the following information with them: a bongo is the largest antelope; a capybara is the largest rodent; a civet is a member of the cat family; the echidna is a spiny anteater; a jerboa is a jumping rodent; the kiwi is a flightless bird; the okapi looks like a zebra, but is related to the giraffe; and the pangolin is a scaly anteater. P K B C E C H I D N A D A O E F K G W X M R U S N R L I P A K O A X Z G G P W T I U Q B M T O A O I B E G C Y F O J D M L S H V M P J E R B O A I Q E I A P K V N T I U N L R C Write Colossians 1:15 in reverse print. Ask the class to read it without using a mirror. Upon completion, allow the students to make their own versions of the image to take home. 19

9 Some Very Unusual Animals Adam had an important responsibility in naming the animals. When we think of this, we usually consider lions, bears, and other common animals that we might see. Yet there are many animals we rarely think of. In fact, there are many we have never heard of. Find the list of animals below in the word search that follows. Words may be up, down, backward, forward, or diagonal. Bongo Capybara Civet Echidna Jerboa Kiwi Okapi Pangolin P K B C E C H I D N A D A O E F K G W X M R U S N R L I P A K O A X Z G G P W T I U Q B M T O A O I B E G C Y F O J D M L S H V M P J E R B O A I Q E I A P K V N T I U N L R C Reproducible Page 2 Teacher: This page is also available on the CD in your Teacher Tools. Growing in Christ Upper Grades 2009 Concordia Publishing House. Reproduced by permission.

10 UPPER GRADES Preparing the Lesson Sin Enters the World Genesis 3 Lesson 3 Pentecost 15 September 21, 2014 Key Point Through Adam, sin spreads to all people. Through Christ, God offers forgiveness to all people. Law/Gospel Because I sin, I will die. God sent His Son, Jesus, to crush sin, death, and the devil, and through Him, God forgives my sins and gives me eternal life. Context It appears that angels were created before the earth and that some rebelled during that time (Job 38:4 7; 2 Peter 2:4). St. Augustine reasoned that the fall of some angels must have occurred at the instant of their creation, when they chose to look to self instead of to God; otherwise, they would have known that God s service is infinitely sweeter than self-service. We say that those angels who know the sweetness of serving God are confirmed in grace and will never fall away. Evil is not part of the created world; it arises from disordered love. In Eve s case, she placed the love of knowledge (a good thing) over obedience (a better thing). Commentary The serpent, or snake, is identified as Satan ( accuser ) in Revelation 12:9. He is crafty, which implies manipulation to suit oneself, as opposed to being wise, which implies conforming self to God s truth. The serpent begins with an implied lie: Did God actually say...? (v. 1). He attacks Eve s faith, her confidence in what God had said. He continues with a boldfaced lie: You will not surely die.... Your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God (Genesis 3:4 5). Eve chooses to believe the serpent rather than God. Sin is breaking the Law (1 John 3:4) or disobeying God, but its root lies in the lack of faith in what God has said. Characteristically, Satan leads us from doubt of God s Law into sin; then he leads us, in our guilt, to doubt God s Gospel and to despair. Adam trusts his wife more than God s Word and so follows her into sin. Now they know (experience) the difference between good and evil. Feeling self-conscious and ashamed, they cover themselves. The sound of God walking in the cool of the day is no longer welcome but is a cause of dread. Confronted with guilt, Adam blames God and Eve: the woman whom You gave to be with me (Genesis 3:12). Eve blames the serpent. God s curse of the serpent is good news for the descendants of Adam. Genesis 3:15 is known as the Protoevangelium, or First Gospel. The woman s Seed would be victorious, crushing the head of the serpent despite being wounded in the process. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil became the instrument of condemnation; the tree of the cross would become the instrument of salvation. God s judgment on Eve takes the form of a cross laid on marriage. Now this gift will entail the pain of childbearing, and the husband s rule will be experienced as oppression. The judgment on Adam is the frustration and drudgery of work, ending in the return to dust through physical death. God makes garments of skins for Adam and Eve (v. 21); animals had to die. Thereafter, human life is sustained by the death or sacrifice of animals. The closing judgment against both Adam and Eve is to be driven from Eden with its tree of (eternal) life. What they were made for is closed off to them and their descendants. Humankind has lost the image of God until it is restored in Christ, the new Adam. To hear an in-depth discussion of this Bible account, visit cph.org/podcast and listen to our Seeds of Faith podcast each week. 21

11 Lesson 3 Sin Enters the World Genesis 3 Connections Bible Words For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (CD 16) Faith Word enmity Hymn The Tree of Life (LSB 561; CD 10) Catechism Apostles Creed: Second Article; First Commandment Liturgy Confession of Sins 1 Opening (10 minutes) Begin Take time to speak to each student as he or she arrives today. Encourage conversation among the students prior to the beginning of class, noting if any seem withdrawn or reluctant to talk with others. Try to instill a sense of inclusion for all students through dialogue and an accepting atmosphere. For an icebreaker activity, have a pile of newspapers or magazines and instruct the students to look for and cut out or circle any instances of sin that they read about. Worship As your students gather, have the 2 Corinthians 5:21 Bible Words Song (CD 6) playing on a CD player, repeating it several times. You will use the song later in the lesson. Say In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Read Isaiah 12. This is a song of thanksgiving for God s help and protection. Confess the Apostles Creed. Notice if more students are learning the Creed by heart and relying less upon Poster B for assistance. Pray O almighty God, when sin entered the world, You justly condemned man for destroying Your Paradise. Yet, in Your great love, You secured our salvation by condemning Your Son in our place. As we study the fall of man, may we be mindful of the great price Jesus had to pay in order to restore us to righteousness. In His name we pray. Amen. 6 Teacher Tools CD Poster B The Apostles Creed Other Supplies A piece of fruit Newspapers or magazines Student Stuff Lesson Leaflet 3 Bible Exploration Guide Teacher Tools CD Student Stuff Lesson Leaflet 3 Other Supplies A softball (optional) Catechisms Reproducible Page 3 (TG) Craft supplies Teacher Tools Bible Review Cards CD Growing in Christ Puzzle 3 Other Supplies Hymnals Reproducible Page 3 (TG) Craft supplies (optional) 22

12 Lesson 3 Just Trust Me Briefly allow your students to share any trust examples they brought to class. Point out that most people want us to trust them. Ask if this is always wise. Say Most People want us to trust them. Do you think this is always wise? Suppose I said, I have something here that can give you a fantastic life beyond your wildest dreams, make you wise, and give you a perfect life and I ll give it to you for free. Just trust me. Would you like to have it? Allow for answers; then place a piece of fruit on the table. Try to pick an unfamiliar fruit. Say There it is, a piece of fruit. All you need to do is eat it, and you ll be wise and healthy. Silly, isn t it? A perfect life from a piece of fruit? It sounds ridiculous, yet Adam and Eve got taken in by similar false promises. We would like to think that we wouldn t have fallen for such a hoax, that we re much smarter than they were. Let s read about the fall into sin and see how it affects you and me today. 2 God Speaks (20 minutes) The Battle for Humankind Distribute copies of Lesson Leaflet 3. Read God s Plan to review Genesis 2. Read Genesis 3 in sections using the outline that follows; discuss each section. Genesis 3:1 Look at the leaflet and read Satan s Plan. Ask How does Eve fall into sin? (She distorts what God has said. She says they are not allowed to touch the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.) Genesis 3:4 5 Ask What is Satan calling God? (A liar who is keeping the knowledge from Adam and Eve that they could be like God) Adam and Eve had looked to God for everything, including life. Now where are they looking? (They look to the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Adam and Eve no longer fear, love, and trust in God above all things as God requires by the First Commandment [see Small Catechism]. They seek to be equal to God.) Genesis 3:6 Ask What was Adam doing during this encounter? (He was there the entire time, but did nothing to stop Eve from heeding the serpent. By his inaction, he fully shares in her sin and guilt.) After the Fall Genesis 3:7 13 Ask What changed when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit? (They indeed knew good and evil. They realized the perfection that they had lost and saw Satan as the evil he was. They were ashamed of their sin and nakedness and hid from God.) Why did God call to them, asking where they were? (God was giving them an opportunity to confess their sin.) Did Adam and Eve confess? (No, they evaded God s questions and blamed others.) Key Point Through Adam, sin spreads to all people. Through Christ, God offers forgiveness to all people. Teacher Tip A good question requires thoughtful consideration. Don t fret if your students take some thinking time before volunteering answers to questions. The silence is part of the process. 23

13 Lesson 3 Faith Word enmity a feeling of bitter hatred. Genesis 3:14 19 Ask How does God address Satan? (He declares enmity between humankind and the serpent. He also gives the very first promise of a Savior. In verse 15, God reveals that Eve s descendant, Jesus, will bruise the serpent s head while the serpent will bruise Jesus heel.) How does Satan eventually strike at Jesus? (Jesus is arrested, tried, and crucified by sinful men. Good Friday may have seemed like a victory to Satan.) How does Jesus bruise [Satan s] head? (Jesus descended into hell in victory. He rises from death, defeating sin, death, and Satan for all time for all who believe in Him.) Ask What are the consequences for humankind? (The world will no longer be a paradise for them [or us]. People will be frustrated in their vocations. Man will experience difficulty in growing food and working the ground. Woman will be frustrated in her vocation as wife. Childbirth will be a painful reminder of the fall into sin. And death becomes a reality for every person.) Genesis 3:20 24 Ask How did God continue to care for His children? (He clothed them with the skins of animals that were sacrificed for them and, to make sure that they could not eat of the tree of life and live forever in a sinful state, He banned them from the garden.) Say The first sacrifice of animals provided clothes to cover Adam and Eve s shame. Another sacrifice would be given to cover all of our shame. That sacrifice would be Jesus, who was sacrificed to cover our sins and restore us to the image of God. Adam and Eve clung to this promise from their Father, even as they were removed from the Garden of Eden. If you have time, read the article from the Bible Exploration Guide about the cherubim who guarded Eden. 3 We Live (15 minutes) 16 God s Promise Is Sure Point out that the first sin in the Garden of Eden had consequences for all of Adam and Eve s descendants, including us. Direct the students to the back of the leaflet and read together the first section. Ask them to look at the Bible Words on the front of the leaflet. This verse lends itself to memorization by using hand gestures to accompany its recitation. For our sake (point to self) / [God] made Him (point upward) / to be sin (arms across chest, head down) / who knew no sin (shake head), / so that in Him (point upward) / we might become (point to self) / the righteousness of God (point upward). Play again the Bible Words Song 2 Corinthians 5:21 (CD 16) and invite the students to sing it. (The music for all the recordings on the CD are available in PDF files on the CD.) An active option: toss a softball to one of your students and challenge him or her to say the first phrase of the verse; let that student toss the ball to another student who says the next phrase. Continue this, involving all students until they can say the phrases easily. Have the students read and summarize the Bible passages on the leaflet. Psalm 51:5 says we were conceived in sin. Romans 3:10 11 says that no one is righteous (without sin). Romans 5:12 says that sin came into the world through one man and death spread to all mankind. 24

14 Lesson 3 Say God s righteousness demands payment for sin; He gave His own Son to make that payment instead of us. What is the payment for sin? (Death) How did Jesus make that payment? (By dying on the cross) Jesus paid the price for Adam and Eve and for you and me. He died for the entire world, making payment for all sin so that believers in Christ would not be condemned. Through Jesus death and resurrection, we are restored to righteousness. Ask Has Satan given up on his plan? (No, he is still trying to lead people to eternal death.) Review Satan s Plan from the front of the leaflet. How does Satan try to tell us God is not really good? ( If God is good, why do bad things happen to you? If God is good, why would He allow people to die? ) How does he call God a liar? ( If God really loves us, He won t let anyone go to hell. God really doesn t care if I sin just a little bit. Everyone sins; it s really not that big of a deal. ) What are some things that Satan tempts us to treasure more than God? (Money, power, ourselves, other people) Spread out the news sections, comics, and movie ads from the newspapers the students examined at the beginning of class. Provide water-based markers and invite students to circle evidence of sin (ads for R-rated movies, horoscopes, articles about assault, theft, or murder). Examples will not be hard to find. Say Sin is serious business. Our world is full of temptation. The world and Satan would have us believe that sin is no big deal. God says otherwise. It is such a big deal that it took the sacrifice of the Son of God to pay for it. When we see how great our sin is, we see how much we are in need of a Savior. We Need the Savior Continue with this section on the back of the leaflet. Say To defend us when Satan speaks his lying words, God gives us His Word. On the leaflet, fill in the blanks for 1 John 3:8. When completed, the verse will read The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. Jesus appeared to rescue us, and He did just that. What did He rescue us from? Transfer the numbered letters from 1 John 3:8 to Luther s explanation of the Second Article of the Apostles Creed. For instance, 122 stands for the word all and 345 is sin. We speak of this redemption whenever we confess the Apostles Creed. Read the Second Article and its meaning. If you do not have catechisms in your classroom, selections from the Small Catechism are printed on supplementary Reproducible Pages at the end of this teacher guide. Say Just as He forgave Adam and Eve, so, too, He forgives us when we sin. When we trust in other things (physical appearance, personality, talent or skill, or riches) for success in life, He forgives us. When we reject His love and goodness, He forgives us. When we hide from Him because of our guilt, He seeks and restores us. All this He does because of His great love for us. We thank and praise God for sending His Son to rescue all of us from sin, death, and the power of the devil. Although we are still sinful and live in a sinful world, we can be certain that God loves and forgives us for Jesus sake. We rejoice because we will join Adam, Eve, and all of the saints in heaven when God raises us from the dead and brings us to live with Him in heaven eternally. Reproducible Page 3, found at the end of this lesson, is a simple project that provides a powerful reminder of Jesus, who became our tree of life. If you have A Great Idea! Liturgy Link Since the fall into sin, man s image is one of sinfulness rather than perfect holiness. In the Confession of Sins, we state that we are by nature sinful and unclean. Our natural state has been corrupted by sin. We are born as enemies of God, working to do things that are contrary to His will. Key Point Through Adam, sin spreads to all people. Through Christ, God offers forgiveness to all people. 25

15 Lesson 3 time, do the project now. If not, use it at the end of class or send copies of the page home with your students. 4 Closing (5 minutes) Teacher Tip Send an message to encourage your students to bring in their baby books, photos of their baby days, or other memorabilia from their childhood. Review Use the third page of Bible Review Cards (17 24) to check the students comprehension of the basic facts of the lesson. If you wish, you can also use the cards from the previous two lessons. Worship Sing The Tree of Life (LSB 561; CD 10). Have the students retell today s lesson by pointing out the events as they are recorded in the lyrics of the hymn. Say Our world was forever changed because of the fall of man. Without God s intervention, we would be condemned, for we are sinful and helpless to save ourselves. God, in His mercy, sent Jesus to restore us to God s image. We become the children of God through Christ s atoning sacrificial death and resurrection. Just as the world was condemned through one man, it was saved through another the God-man, Jesus. The life and salvation Christ won for us on the cross is now ours through Baptism as God s gift. Pray the Lord s Prayer. Conclude with Luther s Morning Prayer, praying it together or singing along with track 28 of the CD. Evaluation It s easy to look at this lesson as something that happened a long time ago, something that doesn t have much to do with our lives today. Did your students grasp the fact that they are just as guilty as Adam and Eve and are in need of forgiveness from God? The world and our sinful nature try to downplay sin in our lives, but it is real. Thanks be to God that His forgiveness is also real. Lesson Expanders Have the students use Reproducible Page 3, on the next page, to create a visual reminder that, for us, Jesus death on the cross is a tree of life. Distribute copies of the page and crayons or markers, and have blank paper and glue available. (You may wish to enlarge the Assembly Diagram on p. 34 to assist the students.) Invite your pastor to spend a few minutes with your class discussing Confession and Absolution. Expect lots of questions. Distribute copies of Puzzle 3 from the Growing in Christ Puzzle Book found in your Teacher Tools. Let the students complete it to review the Bible memory verse, 2 Corinthians 5:21. 26

16 The Trees of Life This page contains two pictures. One represents the tree of life in the Garden of Eden; the other the cross the tree of life upon which Christ was crucified. Color each picture, using heavy strokes so that the colors stand out. Upon completion, cut the pictures into strips as indicated. On a blank sheet of paper, glue the strips in numerical order from left to right. Then fold the paper in an accordion style where the strips are joined. Unfold the paper so that the accordion points are still raised. Staple the four corners of the paper onto a piece of construction paper. Your student will now have a raised picture that will be of the two trees. By looking to the left or the right of the picture, the student will see the original drawings Reproducible Page 3 Teacher: This page is also available on the CD in your Teacher Tools. Growing in Christ Upper Grades 2006 Concordia Publishing House. Reproduced by permission.

17 Assembly diagram for Reproducible Page 3 Staple or glue