The Beginning
Creation
Our journey together this year is exploring God’s Big Story in the Old Testament!
It is encouraged that families watch the videos, read the texts, reflect on the summaries, respond to the questions and pray together. However, Club 56 participants can also do this on their own- you might need a journal for journaling some thoughts!
Welcome to Club 56 Video
Watch a quick introduction to Club 56 from Leah.
Connect Video
Get a taste of this week’s theme by watching this video!
Connect is a curriculum from SPARK that is specifically designed for 5th and 6th graders.
Read, Reflect & Respond
Take some time to dig in deep to the Bible! Watch the video if you would like a deeper explanation of the following texts.
Need a Bible? Contact Leah M!
Read the Text #1: Genesis 1:1-5
After you read, mark a “plus sign” whenever God says, “It is good.”
Reflect on the Summary:
“In this passage, God speaks creation into being and names it good. But what does God mean by “good?” We tend to think things are good because of their merit- what they do or what role they play. Here, things are good because they come from God. Including humans. Although we’ve experienced bad things in the world, maybe we can find hope in remembering that once upon a time, creation was made good. Goodness is within us- not because we’re cook or smart or religious or popular or really skilled. Goodness is within us because we were made by God.”
Respond to the Questions:
- Why do you think God says all these things are good? What makes them good?
- What different things does God say in verse 31? Why do you think God calls it “very good?”
Want to explore more texts? Pick one (or both) of the texts below!
Read the Text #2: John 1:1-5
After you read, circle what is being created in this passage and then think about how you draw it.
Reflect on the Summary:
“Creation is talked about in the New Testament, too. It’s no mistake John’s Gospel begins by quoting Genesis 1. By using the exact same words as Genesis, the author of John made it clear he was talking about the same story- creation. He wrote it as an addendum to Genesis 1 to explain that Jesus was around way before he was born. Jesus had been with God from the very beginning (and still is!), and through Jesus, God was (and is!) creating something new.”
Respond to the Questions:
- Why does John focus so much on light and darkness when Genesis talks about so many other things in creation?
- How would you draw “the Word of God?”
Read the Text #3: Psalm 104:14-23, 30
As you read, circle what God created and draw an arrow to the thing(s) that benefit from the stuff God created.
Reflect on the Summary:
“The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, and sometimes translation gets tricky. In Psalm 104, the author’s verb tense makes it difficult to tell if the Psalm is describing what God has done or is doing. Some scholars think the author uses this tense to mean both. This raises an important theological concept: God isn’t just the creator, but also the sustainer who continues to work so creation might flourish.”
Respond to the Questions:
- What are some ways you see different parts of creation connect together and support each other?
Remember (Club 56 Binder)
Our Club 56 Binders are for taking notes and helping us remember details in God’s Big Story!
Need a binder? Contact Leah M.
Get out your Club 56 Binder and find the green page with the big plus sign (labeled Creation). Read about why we are using the plus sign as a symbol to remember this story in the bottom right of the paper.
On the plus sign, write important key words, people, events or notes that you want to remember about the Tower of Babel story.
Need help? Revisit the texts we explored today or read the paragraph at the bottom of the paper.
Prayer
“God,
We are so thankful for the things you have created! You are creative, loving and sustaining and we thank you for all the details of your creation. We are especially thankful for [FILL IN THE BLANK FOR WHAT YOU ARE THANKFUL FOR].
In your name we pray,
Amen”
Quoted texts are revised from:
Connect Leader Guide. Unit 1—Beginnings: Tower of Babel. wearesparkhouse.org © 2013 sparkhouse. All rights reserved.
May be reproduced for local use only provided each copy carries this notice.