GOD CREATED THE LIGHTS IN THE SKY

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1 BOOK 2, PART 2, LESSON 3 GOD CREATED THE LIGHTS IN THE SKY THE BIBLE: Genesis 1:14-17; Psalm 33:6, Psalm 19:1 THEME: The Bible gives us a record of God as creator and sustainer of the universe and of the persons who are created in the image of God. PREPARING FOR THE LESSON MAIN IDEA: God continued to create the world. God created the lights of the sky to include the stars, the sun and the moon. We are to thank God for day and night and the wonder of light in the world. MEMORY VERSE: God said, I command the lights to appear in the sky and to separate day from night Genesis 1:14 CEV KEY WORDS AND CONCEPTS TO BE LEARNED: a. Sun the star that is the central body of the solar system and around which the planets revolve giving heat and light to the world. b. Moon the body that revolves around the earth and brings light to the darkness. c. Stars heavenly bodies that appear as light in the night sky. d. Heavens the space that is over the earth like a dome. MAJOR LEARNINGS: Genesis 1:14-17 Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth. And it was so. God made the two great lights the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth; to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. Psalm 33:6 The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. BIBLE BACKGROUND: The story of God s creation of the world continues in the book of Genesis. These stories were passed on verbally throughout generations long before they were written down. They reflect the understanding of the people at that time. In this lesson, we are particularly concerned with the verses that help us to know about the creation of the sun, moon and stars that are visible today, just as they were in Biblical times.

2 UNDERSTANDING YOUR STUDENTS: The children will be able to relate well to the objects of this lesson. They all have experienced seeing the sun, the moon and the stars. They will respond to the fact that there was a time, as we understand it, when there were no lights in the sky. They may be curious and ask about how God could have placed these lights in the sky. It is enough to tell them that we believe God created the world and that the Bible tells us the story of how it happened and why. Remember to listen to their questions and give them ONLY the information they are asking for. Sometimes we tend to give longer and more technical answers than needed. DEVELOPING YOUR FAITH: As you prepare for teaching the lesson this week, remember to pay attention to the creation around you. Study the Bible story of creation as a whole so that you are prepared to know what comes after the part of the story which we will use this week. Keep a journal of the movement of the sun in and out of the clouds this week. Note how many days are sunny and how the heat of the sun feels. Note how different the warmth on your arms is when the sun is behind a cloud and there is rain. Keep a journal of the movement of the moon. Note whether the moon is full or at what phase the moon is in the lunar cycle. Children may have a question about why the moon looks different (and the sun does not) at different times. Be prepared to help them understand. Read something about it if you can. [The moon makes a cycle during each month. The main phases of the moon are: new moon (invisible), crescent (waxing moon), first quarter (halfmoon), full moon, last quarter (waning Moon).] Reflect on the stars. Notice how the night sky changes due to the presence of clouds. Write in your journal or on a piece of paper, your thoughts about the wonder of God s creation. If you draw, draw a picture that you might share with your class. If you write poetry, write a poem that you might share. If you are a potter or create things with your hands, prepare something to show the class. Whatever is done, do it with prayer and thanksgiving. Pray for your class, each child in it, and for your ability to respond and lead as God would have you do. 1. INTRODUCTION TEACHING THE LESSON As the children arrive, have them sit together on the floor or around the table(s). Give them an opportunity to share with each other anything they have done since they were at church together last week. Ask what they have been doing to help the earth and all of God s creation? Give each of them time to answer that question. (Need artist to do a simple drawing of the moon, sun, and stars, then place thick black lines on the paper in order to have 8 8 pieces when cut apart. This becomes a puzzle.) When most of the children have arrived, pull out the bag containing the puzzle pieces. [Before the class time arrives, cut out the puzzle pieces and place them in a bag that is not clear.] Remind the children that you have been talking about the earth, the sky, and all that God has created.

3 ASK: What do we have in the sky that gives us light and keeps us warm during the day? What about the night sky? What is the light that is there? If the answer is the moon, ask also about the other lights in the sky (stars). Tell them that you have a picture puzzle in the bag that they need to put together. Pull out one piece of the puzzle, look at it and see if they can identify anything about it. Pull out a second piece, the third piece and the remaining pieces in turn, letting the children say something about what they see. Now ask the children to help you as you put the pieces of the puzzle together. [You can make it as difficult or easy as you please. You can also glue or tape the pieces to another piece of paper so that it can be easily moved.] When the puzzle is completed, identify again the sky, the moon, the stars and the sun. Ask for definitions or meanings of each word and help them understand what each is. Place the puzzle somewhere in the room, out of harm s way if you have attached it to something or taped it together. Otherwise, just take it apart and put it back in the bag. 2. EXPLORE THE BIBLE MESSAGE Take the Bible in your hands and turn to the scripture reading from Genesis 1: Read the verses to the children. Read it through one time and then the second time, stop at the end of each verse. Help the children to understand what each verse is saying, asking questions where you want. At verse 14, you may want to talk a little about seasons and the calendar since the very first verse deals with that. (The seasons revolve around the moon the calendar is also based on earth s rotation.) It is not necessary to even mention it if you are not comfortable doing so. At verse 15, ask what the lights in the dome of the sky are. At verse 16, ask what the greater light is and what the lesser light is. At verse 17, ask what another name is for the dome of the sky. At verse 18, emphasize the last part of the verse related to God seeing that this part of creation was good. SAY: The Bible tells us throughout the story of creation that God said, It was good. ASK: What do you think is good about God having created the sun? What do you think is good about God having created the stars? Let the children answer the question about each. 2. RESPOND TO THE BIBLE MESSAGE ACTIVITY 1: Game of Covering and uncovering their eyes Repeat the game used in lesson one. Have the children stand. You will ask children to hold their hands up in front of their face. When you tell them to see darkness, they are to cover their eyes tightly with their hands. When you tell them to see light, they are to uncover their eyes. Once the children are standing with their hands up, call out dark or light. Watch that they get it right. Continue calling out the words, sometimes saying the word a second time in order for them to think about what you are saying. They may uncover their eyes automatically after you have used the dark command, so you are working with their listening skills in this game, as well as allowing them to have fun with the concepts of light and dark. Play until they get tired of the game.

4 ACTIVITY 2: Drawing and seeing stars If you have drawing paper and pencils or crayons available, help the children draw a star. You may tell them that you are going to help them learn how to draw a star. Using your own piece of paper, draw a star according to the pattern you have learned so that they can see what you are doing. Then encourage them to try drawing small stars on their paper as they have seen you do. You may need to demonstrate more than once and you may need to help guide the hands of the youngest children. When they are good at drawing the star, you might want to give them a second piece of paper and encourage them to draw a larger star that they can take home. They might also enjoy drawing a sun and a moon. If you would like, and your children are old enough to write, have them write the memory verse God said, I command the lights to appear in the sky and to separate day from night on the bottom or top of their paper. You may also prepare the paper with the verse on it for each child before the lesson time. ACTIVITY 3: Talk about stars and the birth of Jesus If you have access to dark blue or black colored paper, give each child a piece of the paper. Let them punch very small holes in the paper all over the paper, if they wish. Then have them hold the paper up toward the light so that they are holding the paper in their hand at a little distance from their eyes. Talk about how their paper, which is dark of the color of the night sky, now looks like it has stars. Encourage them to talk about the wonder of the sky being filled with stars. Read the scripture selection from Psalm19:1 while holding your Bible. SAY: For many years and still today, the stars have served as a map for sailors and other people who were traveling. ASK: Do you remember the story of the birth of Jesus? Who was guided by one very bright star to see the baby Jesus? There is a little poem that children learn in the United States. You might want to share this with the children and help them to learn it. Star light, star bright! First star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might Have this wish I wish tonight. The children will say this when they see the first star come out at night and then make a wish.

5 3. CLOSE IN PRAYER The children have had an opportunity to share what they know about the sun, moon, and stars, and you have related that to God s creation of the earth. The sun, moon, and stars are all very important to human beings, for without them there would be no heat upon the earth, no seasons of the year (summer, spring, winter, spring, fall) and our calendar would not have been developed. As you come to the end of this lesson, it is important to again help the children respond in some way to the creation story; particularly the sun, moon and stars and their significance. Ask the children to gather in a circle on the floor or around the table. In this quiet time of reflection, ask the question, What did you learn today about God? Give as much time as they wish to respond. Also ask, What do you remember about what the sun gives to us? What do you remember about the moon and the stars? After they have had time for reflection and recalling of the key words and concepts of this lesson, ask them to be very still and without talking, think about the question, For what are you feeling thankful today? Give them a few minutes of quiet and then tell them that you are going to begin a prayer. Have the children hold hands in the circle. Your instructions to them will be: I will begin a prayer to God for some things I am feeling thankful about. When I have stopped praying, I will squeeze the hand of the next person. As many people as wish may pray or you may just squeeze the next hand, and we will go on. When my hand is squeezed by (Say the child s name on your left.), I will end the prayer. After everyone who wishes has said a sentence prayer and you have asked God s blessings on the class, you may dismiss them to go home.