Christ-Light Connections: The Creation of All Things & The Creation of Man and Woman
As a parent of three children who attend a Christian school, I’ve admittedly found the daily Christ Light worksheets to feel more like a chore than a growth opportunity. Can you relate? Dare I say, ‘yet another worksheet to squeeze in after soccer practice, between piano lessons or maybe after dinner’. So the question is, how might we change this ‘homework chore’ into enthusiastic, meaningful learning? How can we grow in faith together with our children?
Before thoughtfully sharing God’s Word with our children, we parents need to be fed by it ourselves.
It is the goal of the Christ-Light Connections series to provide helpful resources first for the growth of parents, and second, for the eternal benefit of our children.
Each week in this series, two stories will be covered as outlined by the WELS Christ Light curriculum. The Old Testament will kick off the Fall of 2019, and will include:
- context
- big themes
- helpful links
- notes from a parent study group at my home church
If you are a classroom educator, perhaps this will serve as a helpful resource for your preparations as well.
Resources Notes
In the “Digging Deeper” section you will often find a link to the podcast, 40 Minutes in the Old Testament. This is a running commentary created by a Lutheran Church Missouri Synod pastor and former seminary professor. This commentary:
- consistently points all scripture to Jesus
- is often deep
- is sometimes blunt and sarcastic about the depravity of humanity
- is therefore recommended for adults or for listening to with your children
The Seeds of Faith resource is produced by Concordia Publishing House as a tool for Sunday School teachers to prepare for their lessons. The authors:
- provide Law and Gospel points
- always look for Christ in the story
- provide a ‘Questions Section’; also useful as great discussion starters
So together, let’s reframe something that might have become a ‘chore’ in our minds. Let our goal be to use these helpful resources first for our spiritual growth as parents, and second, for the eternal benefit of our children.
OT Set 1 1A
The Creation—Genesis 1:1-2:3
Context
“Who am I?”
“Where did I come from?”
These are basic questions of humanity. God wastes no time giving us the answers in Genesis. He gives us the account of the beginning of the earth, time and humanity. Not only does he reveal the source of our existence, but he begins to reveal himself. If you want to know anything about yourself, you must go back to the very beginning.
Big Themes
“And God saw that it was good.”
At the end of each day, the phrase is repeated. It may not seem noteworthy until the reader ponders what creation is like now. Our sin polluted earth is not always “good” as evidenced in everything from mosquitos to earthquakes. The phrase is repeated over and over again to remind us that the world now is not as it was intended to be.
“And there was evening, and there was morning the ___ day.”
Again at the end of each day, this phrase is repeated. This teaches that God is also the creator of TIME. In our present age, this phrase stands out against everything that evolution teaches. It did not take God billions of years to form the world as he desired; just one week. We cannot force the theories of evolution into the biblical text. In order to do this, we would have to take away some of God’s almighty power and goodness or change the very words of scripture. If we do this with the first words of the Bible, where do we stop?
Conversations Starters:
- How does modern science contradict Genesis 1?
- Parents, share with your children how this has been a challenge in your life or talk about how it is/will be a challenge for your children.
- Some Christians have been bullied into believing God created the universe over billions and billions of years. This means that there was death before sin had entered the world. How is the concept of death before sin a disconnection from “and God saw that it was good?”
Digging Deeper
The Seeds of Faith resource this week provides context and deeper connections.
40 Minutes in the Old Testament podcast
- Episode 1: An introduction to the podcast and the Old Testament.
- In Episode 2: The first words spoken by God in scripture…”Let there be light.”
Want to listen and see Genesis chapter 1? Check out this artistic version:
A Simple Way to Pray & Study God’s Word
Each week, in order to provide a template for studying God’s Word, include “A Simple Way to Pray and Study God’s Word” and the “ACTS Prayer Outline.” Learn more about Luther’s A Simple Way to Pray here.
| What does this Bible lesson teach us to do? | Main Theme—The Big Point |
| For what does this Bible lesson teach us to be thankful? | Specific Gospel—Good News |
| What does this Bible lesson teach us to confess? | Specific Sin/Commandment # |
| For what does this Bible lesson teach us to ask God? | Prayer—Thanks/Praise/Requests |
| What do we learn about ourselves from this story? | What are people like? What do they do? |
| What do we learn about God from this story? | What is God like? What does God do? |
Acts Prayer
| Adoration | God, we praise you for… |
| Confession | God, I have sinned by… |
| Thanks | God, thank you for… |
| Supplication | God, please help us by… |
OT Set 1 1B
Adam & Eve—Genesis 1:28; 2:7-25
Context
Genesis chapter 1 provides us with the “big picture” covering the creation of the world. Now, Genesis chapter 2 circles back to day 3 and day 6 zooming the reader into focus on two special trees and on the creation of the first people.
Big Themes
The formation of the first man
Until the formation of man, everything had been created by the word of God’s mouth. Now God pauses, comes down to the ground and takes the time to form man with his hands. To give him life, he puts his own breath in the nostrils of man. Then God gives man purpose, to work and take care of the garden, and free will.
Conversation Starters:
- What is special about the creation of the first human?
- Think about a time you worked hard on a special project. What made it special? How did you feel about it? How did you take care of it?
The creation of the first woman
After each day of creation, God saw that his creation was good. But after the creation of Adam, God said that it was “NOT good for man to be alone.” Again, God pauses to teach Adam about his work as he gives him the task of naming the animals, but moreover to show him that he had no “suitable helper.” God deliberately forms woman by taking a rib from man’s side. The most intimate and important human relationship, marriage, had now been instituted by our Creator.
Also, take note that the Bible begins with a marriage and ends with the marriage between Christ and the church in the book of Revelation. The theme of broken and restored marriage is woven throughout the pages of scripture and will enrich your understanding of Christ’s relationship to his bride, the church.
Conversation Starters:
- What do we learn about God’s design for marriage from the creation account?
- How has sin corrupted marriage?
- How is Christ like a groom and the church like a bride?
- What does Christ do for his bride?
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil
As God creates this special tree accompanied by the command to not eat of it, he also gives to mankind the ability to worship him. Without the tree, people could only obey God. There was no other choice. Now, every time Adam and Eve walked past this tree and did NOT eat from it, they were saying to God, “I love you. I trust you. I believe you know what is best for me.” Thus, God created people with free will.
Conversation Starter:
- Would the first man and woman be able to worship God without this tree?
Digging Deeper
The Seeds of Faith resource this week provides context and deeper connections.
In the 40 Minutes in the Old Testament Podcast
A Simple Way to Pray & Study God’s Word
Each week, in order to provide a template for studying God’s Word, include “A Simple Way to Pray and Study God’s Word” and the “ACTS Prayer Outline.” Learn more about Luther’s A Simple Way to Pray here.
| What does this Bible lesson teach us to do? | Main Theme—The Big Point |
| For what does this Bible lesson teach us to be thankful? | Specific Gospel—Good News |
| What does this Bible lesson teach us to confess? | Specific Sin/Commandment # |
| For what does this Bible lesson teach us to ask God? | Prayer—Thanks/Praise/Requests |
| What do we learn about ourselves from this story? | What are people like? What do they do? |
| What do we learn about God from this story? | What is God like? What does God do? |
Acts Prayer
| Adoration | God, we praise you for… |
| Confession | God, I have sinned by… |
| Thanks | God, thank you for… |
| Supplication | God, please help us by… |
Please share any questions, comments, or additional resources in the comment section below.
Molly Parsons
Molly Parsons is a ministry assistant, teacher, mother, and wife. She is currently serving at Faith Lutheran in Fond du Lac, WI. Her ministry passion is to help connect and equip parents with spiritual resources to enable them to be a part of the faith development of their children.
8 Comments
Mark Parsons
Thanks wife for the great first post. It is my hope and prayer that your efforts will be a blessing to many.
Kristi Smith
Wow! This looks like a great resource! I’ll be sharing it with our teachers in our day school and Sunday school. Thanks!!
Jenny Kottke
Thanks for this resource! I appreciate the convenient podcast-format help too– always nice to be able to tune in on the way home or between errands. Will this be available mostly during the school year?
Noel
Where do you find these worksheets?
Molly Parsons
To which worksheets are you referring?
Melissa Berg
This is a GREAT resource! I have wanted to do something like this for my students and their families, but have been unable to carve out the time. Thank you for your work on this!
Hungry Beggar
You are most welcome. We hope this will be a blessing to many!
Molly Parsons
Melissa!
Please feel free to share with your families and also provide feedback along the way.