SAMPLER: CREATION LESSON BIBLE NRSV BIBLE
HOW IT WORKS genesis The Connect Bible is used for both Holy Moly Sundy School nd Connect Tween Sundy School. Age-pproprite ctivities mke is esy (nd fun!) for kids to explore scripture. ICONS Theme icons help kids remember the theme for ech lesson. Instnt Activities Without even leving the pge, tweens dive into quick ctivities tht reinforce the lesson s theme. Built In Nvigtion Esy-to-spot visuls direct kids to other Bible stories relted to tht sme theme. JohN 1:29 the WorD becme flesh 1In the beginning ws the Word, nd the Word ws with God, nd the Word ws God. 2 He ws in the beginning with God. 3 All things cme into being through him, nd without him not one thing cme into being. Wht hs come into being 4 in him ws life, nd the life ws the light of ll people. 5 The light shines in the drkness, nd the drkness did not overcome it. 6 There ws mn sent from God, whose nme ws John. 7 He cme s witness to testify to the light, so tht ll might believe through him. 8 He himself ws not the light, but he cme to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, ws coming into the world. b 10 He ws in the world, nd the world cme into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He cme to wht ws his own, c nd his own people did not ccept him. 12 But to ll who received him, who believed in his nme, he gve power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of mn, but of God. 14 And the Word becme flesh nd lived mong us, nd we hve seen his glory, the glory s of fther s only son, d full of grce nd truth. 15 ( John testified to him nd cried out, This ws he of whom I sid, He who comes fter me rnks hed of me becuse he ws before me. ) 16 From his fullness we hve ll received, grce upon grce. 17 The lw indeed ws given through Moses; grce nd truth cme through Jesus Christ. 18 No one hs ever seen God. It is God the only Son, e who is close to the Fther s hert, f who hs mde him known. John 1:1-5 Wit this sounds fmilir! The book of John opens with line tht prllels Genesis 1:1. By using these sme words, John s reders would hve known he ws telling new kind of cretion story. underline verses 1 5. then write or drw bout wht God is creting. < Genesis 1:1-5 Pslm 104:14-23, 30 > Or 3 through him. And without him not one thing cme into being tht hs come into being. 4 In him ws life b Or He ws the true light tht enlightens everyone coming into the world c Or to his own home d Or the Fther s only Son e Other ncient uthorities red It is n only Son, God, or It is the only Son f Gk bosom g Or the Christ John 1:1 the WorD: Another nme for Jesus. Jesus ws the living Word of God. Mny sy Moses wrote ll five books in the Pentteuch. But Genesis ws compiled from bout 900 500 BCE, mking it impossible for Moses to hve been the only writer. Since Moses plyed such n importnt role in these stories, he is nmed the writer in tribute. Genesis is written to tell the story of the Cretor of heven nd Erth choosing to become involved in the life of Isrel, the Hebrew people. Genesis contins the stories of the beginning of the whole cretion nd the beginning of the reltionship between God nd God s people. This book sets the stge for ll tht is to come in the stories nd books to follow s God nd God s people journey together in reltionship. Wht s the connection? In Genesis we see the beginning of everything including Abrhm nd the ntion of Isrel, story line tht lsts throughout the Bible. Isrel will be importnt becuse the fith of its ncestors, Abrhm, Srh, Isc, nd Rebekh, s well s the future of Isrel s descendnts, including Jesus. (You ll red bout this genelogy in Mtthew 1.) First, we see the good of cretion nd everything in it, including humns. Then we wtch how things chnge s sin enters the world. This book chronicles the stories of hndful of God s fithful people s they try to figure out how to live with ech other nd God in the midst of sin. Genesis sets the stge for the unfolding of God s story with God s people. God cretes the universe, including Adm nd Eve (chpters 1 3). Noh listens nd builds n rk. God sends flood, then promises never to do it gin (chpters 6 9). God mkes promise to Abrhm (chpter 12). Jcob fces sibling drm (chpter 27) nd nme chnge (chpter 32). Joseph s brothers sell him into slvery (chpter 37) but he ends up ruler in Egypt (chpters 39 41).
GeNesIs 1:1 six Dys of CretIoN ND the sbbth 1In the beginning when God creted the hevens nd the erth, 2 the erth ws formless void nd drkness covered the fce of the deep, while wind from God b swept over the fce of the wters. 3 Then God sid, Let there be light ; nd there ws light. 4 And God sw tht the light ws good; nd God seprted the light from the drkness. 5 God clled the light Dy, nd the drkness he clled Night. And there ws evening nd there ws morning, the first dy. 6 And God sid, Let there be dome in the midst of the wters, nd let it seprte the wters from the wters. 7 So God mde the dome nd seprted the wters tht were under the dome from the wters tht were bove the dome. And it ws so. 8 God clled the dome Sky. And there ws evening nd there ws morning, the second dy. 9 And God sid, Let the wters under the sky be gthered together into one plce, nd let the dry lnd pper. And it ws so. 10 God clled the dry lnd Erth, nd the wters tht were gthered together he clled Ses. And God sw tht it ws good. 11 Then God sid, Let the erth put forth vegettion: plnts yielding seed, nd fruit trees of every kind on erth tht ber fruit with the seed in it. And it ws so. 12 The erth brought forth vegettion: plnts yielding seed of every kind, nd trees of every kind bering fruit with the seed in it. And God sw tht it ws good. 13 And there ws evening nd there ws morning, the third dy. 14 And God sid, Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to seprte the dy from the night; nd let them be for signs nd for sesons nd for dys nd yers, 15 nd let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the erth. And it ws so. 16 God mde the two gret lights the greter light to rule the dy nd the lesser light to rule the night nd the strs. 17 God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the erth, 18 to rule over the dy nd over the night, nd to seprte the light from the drkness. And God sw tht it ws good. 19 And there ws evening nd there ws morning, the fourth dy. 20 And God sid, Let the wters bring forth swrms of living cretures, nd let birds fly bove the erth cross the dome of the sky. 21 So God creted the gret se monsters nd every living creture tht moves, of every kind, with which the wters swrm, nd every winged bird of every kind. And God sw tht it ws good. 22 God blessed them, sying, Be fruitful nd multiply nd fill the wters in the ses, nd let birds multiply on the erth. 23 And there ws evening nd there ws morning, the fifth dy. 24 And God sid, Let the erth bring forth living cretures of every kind: cttle nd creeping things nd wild nimls of the erth of every kind. And it ws so. 25 God mde the wild nimls of the erth of every kind, nd the cttle of every kind, nd everything tht creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God sw tht it ws good. 26 Then God sid, Let us mke humnkind c in our imge, ccording to our likeness; nd let them hve dominion over the fish of the se, nd over the birds of the ir, nd over the cttle, nd over ll the wild nimls of the erth, d nd over every creeping thing tht creeps upon the erth. 27 So God creted humnkind c in his imge, in the imge of God he creted them; e mle nd femle he creted them. this is plus sign. The word plus comes from Ltin word tht mens more. Plus cn lso men something is good or positive. The Red Cross emblem looks like plus sign. This symbol is used to protect people nd buildings tht offer humnitrin nd medicl id during wr. In Genesis 1, God looks t cretion nd sys, It is good. Tht s pretty positive thing! Genesis 1:1-5 Genesis 1 nd Genesis 2 tell two somewht different stories bout cretion. In Genesis 1:1 2:4, God speks, nd cretion comes into being. Ech dy, God cretes something new, nd it is very, very good! Dy 1: Dy nd night Dy 2: Sky Dy 3: Lnd nd se. Plnts, trees, vegettion. Dy 4: Son, moon, nd strs. Dy 5: Se cretures nd birds. Dy 6: Animls covering the erth. People. Dy 7: God rested. Genesis 2:5-25 tells nother ccount of cretion. God mkes the hevens nd the erth nd forms mn out of the dirt. God cuses the mn to fll sleep nd then forms womn out of his rib bone. In this story of cretion, God is hnds-on. Insted of speking stuff into existence, God sculpts, plnts, shpes, nd cretes the grden, nimls, nd people. And it is very, very good, too! highlight or underline Genesis 1:1-5. Drw plus sign next to ech plce in Genesis 1 where God sees tht cretion is good. John 1:1-5 > Or when God begn to crete or In the beginning God creted b Or while the spirit of God or while mighty wind c Heb dm d Syr: Heb nd over ll the erth e Heb him
john Credit for this gospel is given to the disciple tht Jesus loved, but without nme. It could hve been John, disciple of John, or even nother disciple of Jesus who wrote it. Though we don t know exctly who wrote it, we do know tht the uthor gives us cler picture of God living with us, nd Jesus connection to God. The uthor of John tells us the purpose of the gospel in chtper 20:30-31: So tht you my come to believe tht Jesus is the Messih, the Son of God, nd tht through believing you might hve life in his nme. Wht s the connection? John s gospel is the most unique of the four. John does shre some stories from Mrk nd from the Q source. But John does not include mny stories from the other three gospels, nd John does include stories tht no other gospel hs. More thn in ny other gospel, Jesus spends time here tlking bout who he is s the Messih, the Son of God. The opening of John reclls the beginning of Genesis, reveling Jesus s present in cretion from the beginning. The letters of 1, 2, nd 3 John continue the themes of love nd unity from this gospel. And mny letters of Pul remind us of Jesus messge to live humbly nd serve others. John focuses on Jesus techings bout himself, which he does in seven I m sttements. This gospel lso focuses on Jesus ministry nd eventul tril, deth, nd resurrection. In fct, John s description of Jesus pssion is longer thn ny of the other gospels. It even offers multiple stories following Jesus resurrection. Wlk with Jesus s he keeps the prty going t wedding (chpter 2:1-11). Jesus rises his friend Lzrus from the ded (chpter 11:1-44). Jesus prys for himself, his disciples, nd ll believers (chpter 17:1-26). Her some of Jesus I Am sttements (chpters 6:35, 8:12, 10:7). (Cn you find ll seven?) See Jesus crucified... (chpter 19:17-24) And rised! (chpter 20:1-8). JohN 1:29 the WorD becme flesh 1In the beginning ws the Word, nd the Word ws with God, nd the Word ws God. 2 He ws in the beginning with God. 3 All things cme into being through him, nd without him not one thing cme into being. Wht hs come into being 4 in him ws life, nd the life ws the light of ll people. 5 The light shines in the drkness, nd the drkness did not overcome it. 6 There ws mn sent from God, whose nme ws John. 7 He cme s witness to testify to the light, so tht ll might believe through him. 8 He himself ws not the light, but he cme to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, ws coming into the world. b 10 He ws in the world, nd the world cme into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He cme to wht ws his own, c nd his own people did not ccept him. 12 But to ll who received him, who believed in his nme, he gve power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of mn, but of God. 14 And the Word becme flesh nd lived mong us, nd we hve seen his glory, the glory s of fther s only son, d full of grce nd truth. 15 ( John testified to him nd cried out, This ws he of whom I sid, He who comes fter me rnks hed of me becuse he ws before me. ) 16 From his fullness we hve ll received, grce upon grce. 17 The lw indeed ws given through Moses; grce nd truth cme through Jesus Christ. 18 No one hs ever seen God. It is God the only Son, e who is close to the Fther s hert, f who hs mde him known. John 1:1-5 Wit this sounds fmilir! The book of John opens with line tht prllels Genesis 1:1. By using these sme words, John s reders would hve known he ws telling new kind of cretion story. underline verses 1 5. then write or drw bout wht God is creting. < Genesis 1:1-5 Pslm 104:14-23, 30 > Or 3 through him. And without him not one thing cme into being tht hs come into being. 4 In him ws life b Or He ws the true light tht enlightens everyone coming into the world c Or to his own home d Or the Fther s only Son e Other ncient uthorities red It is n only Son, God, or It is the only Son f Gk bosom g Or the Christ John 1:1 the WorD: Another nme for Jesus. Jesus ws the living Word of God.
pslms This collection of writings comes from mny unknown uthors. Some pslms re lbeled of Dvid or of Asph, but this doesn t men those people wrote them. Some pslms re ssocited with vrious uthors becuse of the content of the pslm itself. For exmple, Asph presumbly hd some role in the worship nd/or music of the temple, so those songs ttributed to Asph were used for worship. The book of Pslms ws written over mny hundreds of yers. Thus it is impossible to dte nd uthor ech pslm individully. Pslms were used by ordinry people of fith s well s importnt people such s kings. Some were used for community worship. Pslms re rdicl becuse they express rw emotion. Cn you yell t God? The writers do. Cn you sing God s prises t the top of your lungs? The writers do. So tht gives ll of us permission to shre with God exctly how we feel. God wnts us to shre everything, bsolutely everything with God nd Pslms shows us how to do just tht! Wht s the connection? The feelings expressed in these writings tell bout the life of fith. There is joy nd lughing, but lso pin nd suffering. The pslms summrize the overll story of the Bible. Becuse of this, Mrtin Luther sid tht the book of Pslms could be clled little Bible. The word pslms mens prises. Ech pslm is piece of literture in its own right. Some re songs, some pryers, some words used for worship, nd some poems. This book contins 150 pslms divided into five books (kind of like the Pentteuch). Sing song of trust in God (11). Offer pryer for help (42). Sy pryer for forgiveness: Pslm 51 Mke complint to God (55). Celebrte joyful worship (84). The pslmist prises the inescpble God (139). 19 You hve mde the moon to mrk the sesons; the sun knows its time for setting. 20 You mke drkness, nd it is night, when ll the nimls of the forest come creeping out. 21 The young lions ror for their prey, seeking their food from God. 22 When the sun rises, they withdrw nd lie down in their dens. 23 People go out to their work nd to their lbor until the evening. 24 O Lord, how mnifold re your works! In wisdom you hve mde them ll; the erth is full of your cretures. 25 Yonder is the se, gret nd wide, creeping things innumerble re there, living things both smll nd gret. 26 There go the ships, nd Levithn tht you formed to sport in it. 27 These ll look to you to give them their food in due seson; 28 when you give to them, they gther it up; when you open your hnd, they re filled with good things. 29 When you hide your fce, they re dismyed; when you tke wy their breth, they die nd return to their dust. 30 When you send forth your spirit, they re creted; nd you renew the fce of the ground. 31 My the glory of the Lord endure forever; my the Lord rejoice in his works 32 who looks on the erth nd it trembles, who touches the mountins nd they smoke. 33 I will sing to the Lord s long s I live; I will sing prise to my God while I hve being. 34 My my medittion be plesing to him, Or your breth for I rejoice in the Lord. 35 Let sinners be consumed from the erth, nd let the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Prise the Lord! PSALM 105 GOD S FAITHFULNESS TO ISRAEL 1 O give thnks to the Lord, cll on his nme, mke known his deeds mong the peoples. 2 Sing to him, sing prises to him; tell of ll his wonderful works. 3 Glory in his holy nme; let the herts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. 4 Seek the Lord nd his strength; seek his presence continully. 5 Remember the wonderful works he hs done, Pslm 104:14-23, 30 Pslm 104 ws originlly written in the Hebrew lnguge. In this Hebrew version, it isn t cler whether the writer ws writing bout God s cretion in the present or pst. Wht do you think? Circle words in these verses tht tell wht God creted. Underline words tht tell wht God is creting tody. < John 1:1-5 Reveltion 21:1-5 > PSALM 105:5
reveltion Reveltion is often grouped with the other books with John in their nme. However, it is doubtful tht the uthor of the Gospel of John nd John 1, 2, nd 3 is the sme person who wrote Reveltion. The uthor my hve been prt of John community tht trced its roots bck to the postle John. This uthor ws probbly Jewish, becuse of his frequent references to the Old Testment. He connects himself to prophets such s Ezekiel nd Dniel, clling his own work prophetic book (1:3; 22:7). Also, this John probbly trveled, becuse he hs fmilir reltionship with seven different emerging church communities in modern-dy Turkey. Reveltion is written to give hope nd strength to the seven churches tht re in Asi (1:4), t time when it ws relly hrd to be hopeful. Christins fered persecution from Emperor Domitin nd the Romn government. This letter offers words of cution nd encourgement. Wht s the connection? Reveltion ws written for Christins s they endured some of the sme trils the Isrelites did when the books of Dniel, Isih, Jeremih nd Lmenttions were written. Common threds between ll these books re persecution, oppression, nd leders who decided wht the people could nd could not worship. Reveltion is written to rel people in rel cities. Though the content seems quite bizrre t times, the symbolism helps to tell the story of good versus evil in chllenging times. The opening chpters re ddressed to specific cities. They ddress the unique problems fced by ech. Chpters 4 20 re full of hevenly visions nd wr. Chpters 21 22 describe the sure promise of the new Erth nd new Jeruslem. The words t the end of Reveltion re. Jesus is God (chpter 1:9-18). God sits on throne (chpter 4:1-11). John describes hopeful vision of new world (chpters 21:1 22:6). ELATION 20:13 gret nd smll, stnding before the throne, nd books were opened. Also nother book ws opened, the book of life. And the ded were judged ccording to their works, s recorded in the books. 13 And the se gve up the ded tht were in it, Deth nd Hdes gve up the ded tht were in them, nd ll were judged ccording to wht they hd done. 14 Then Deth nd Hdes were thrown into the lke of fire. This is the second deth, the lke of fire; 15 nd nyone whose nme ws not found written in the book of life ws thrown into the lke of fire. THE NEW HEAVEN AND THE NEW EARTH I sw new heven nd new erth; for the first heven nd the first erth hd pssed wy, nd 21Then the se ws no more. 2 And I sw the holy city, the new Jeruslem, coming down out of heven from God, prepred Reveltion 21:1-5 How cool God is mking ll things new! Underline or highlight verse 5. Then write 3 things God is mking new in your life. New #1: New #2: New #3: < Pslm 104:14-23, 30 Gk the tberncle b Gk will tberncle c Other ncient uthorities red people d Other ncient uthorities dd nd be their God e Or the unbelieving f Or in the Spirit GENERAL LETTERS AND REVELATION s bride dorned for her husbnd. 3 And I herd loud voice from the throne sying, See, the home of God is mong mortls. He will dwell b with them; they will be his peoples, c nd God himself will be with them; d 4 he will wipe every ter from their eyes. Deth will be no more; mourning nd crying nd pin will be no more, for the first things hve pssed wy. 5 And the one who ws seted on the throne sid, See, I m mking ll things new. Also he sid, Write this, for these words re trustworthy nd true. 6 Then he sid to me, It is done! I m the Alph nd the Omeg, the beginning nd the end. To the thirsty I will give wter s gift from the spring of the wter of life. 7 Those who conquer will inherit these things, nd I will be their God nd they will be my children. 8 But s for the cowrdly, the fithless, e the polluted, the murderers, the fornictors, the sorcerers, the idolters, nd ll lirs, their plce will be in the lke tht burns with fire nd sulfur, which is the second deth. VISION OF THE NEW JERUSALEM 9 Then one of the seven ngels who hd the seven bowls full of the seven lst plgues cme nd sid to me, Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lmb. 10 And in the spirit f he crried me wy to gret, high mountin nd showed me the holy city Jeruslem coming down out of heven from God. 11 It hs the glory of God nd rdince like very rre jewel, like jsper, cler s crystl. 12 It hs gret, high wll with twelve gtes, nd t the gtes twelve ngels, nd on the gtes re inscribed the nmes of the twelve tribes of the Isrelites; 13 on the est three gtes, on the north three gtes, on the south three gtes, nd on the west three gtes. 14 And the wll of the city hs twelve foundtions, nd on them re the twelve nmes of the twelve postles of the Lmb. REVELATION 20:13
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