Over the Top 2 Teacher's Manual Sample

Leader’s manual OT2 God and his covenants From Genesis

Contents

How it works

4

Unit introduction

6

1

Sin spoils creation

Genesis 1–4

9

2

Saved from the flood

Genesis 6–9

17

3

God makes his choice

Genesis 12

27

4

Failing to trust

Genesis 15; 16

35

5

Faith tested

Genesis 18:1–15; 21:1–7; 22:1–19

45

6

God provides

Genesis 24:1–66

51

7

Lies and deception

Genesis 25:19–26; 27; 28

59

8

Jacob faces Esau

Genesis 29–33; 35

69

9

Joseph hits rock bottom!

Genesis 37; 39

75

Joseph’s rise from despair to hope

Genesis 40–50

83

10

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How it works How the sessions are structured Bible passage: All sessions are Bible-focused

Aim This is the ‘big idea’ to be taught during this session. It is child-oriented.

Outcomes These statements break down the aim into ‘do-able’ chunks. There are generally only three, so that the leader can keep them in mind and check up later whether or not they were achieved. They are broken up into: • knowledge – information, concepts, beliefs • understanding – more personal ways of grasping the concepts in the session • life application – ways of making links between knowledge and children’s lives, and reflecting on what kind of change might happen in response to God’s word

Memory verse This verse will be based on the CEV Bible and will be taught during the session.

Notes These notes for the leader give Bible context and background. There are hints regarding the theology of the passage, where it fits in salvation history and how it may properly be applied to both leader and child.

There might also be comments about the management of the session content and special comments when needed about visual aids and activities.

Leader’s prayer This section links to the aim and outcomes, mentioning the way this session will actually call for a response from the child and make a difference in their lives.

Gear A list is given at the beginning of the session including all the equipment needed by the leader and when it will be used. Some items will be given as optional.

Start up During this time activities occur that introduce the theme, aim and ideas of the session. There may be a few activities to choose from. Each activity has a specified purpose.

Chat time This short section is when the activities are over and the leader and children reflect on what the activities were about and how they lead into the Bible focus time.

This will often involve a few open-ended questions.

NOTE: Sometimes during Bible focus time there will be a special comment to the leader about an issue that may come up during the session.

Get ready This section gives hints about important preparation to be done before the session starts.

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Bible focus

of the stage of their faith, they can be called on to respond and encouraged to know how God’s word challenges them to change. Application should always be ‘grace-oriented’ and ‘gospel-based’.

Links ?

Links are made with previous learning which may involve the Memory verse or a previous session.

This icon shows you where in the session the children will be reading, listening to and interacting with the Bible.

Links with life will also happen at this introductory part of the session. Connections with life are raised and the children are encouraged to discuss ‘real life’ situations they face. We will raise the issue here and it will be drawn to a conclusion during Bringing it together.

Digging deeper This section has suggested extension learning activities for older or more able children.

It still seeks to be directed by the aim and outcomes. It will usually be Bible-based.

Teaching time This is the body of the session. It involves teaching and learning activities. Activities are usually integrated into this time rather than having them as an add-on later. During this time the aim and the outcomes of the session are directing the activities.

What the leader actually says to the children is presented in bold text. Directions to the leader are in normal type.

In this part of the session we aim to have the children interacting with the Bible themselves. We seek to unpack the Bible passage in its context and place it in the big picture of salvation history.

Concepts and activities are designed to be ageappropriate and not too abstract. It is understood that such a wide age-range is a great challenge, so in many ways we aim for the middle group of nine and ten year olds. Older or more able children will be challenged by the Digging deeper activities.

Application is an important part of this section and it is done carefully, while being true to the passage and to the developmental needs of the children. There must be a ‘crunch’ for the child – a place where ‘the rubber hits the road’ in their lives. They are called to respond to the challenge of the passage, without ever being manipulated or inappropriately pushed into an uncomfortable situation. Regardless

Music spot Various songs, on readily available CDs, are suggested to link into the session and to provide a high-interest flow to the activities.

Bringing it together This section is really important. The leader is encouraged to allow enough time for this as connections are discussed that impact the children’s lives.

There may be open-ended questions that encourage children to respond in their own terms. We are aiming for honest responses from the children.

Prayer This will normally follow Bringing it together and allows for the issues highlighted by the children to be prayed about. Leaders will model prayer and also teach children how to pray – both for themselves and for others, and for issues in the wider world.

Think about it

Think ahead

Here the leader is encouraged to think through issues that occurred in the session and reflect on possible strategies for the future.

This is a very brief indication of what the leader will need to plan ahead for next session. It may involve equipment, people and so on.

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Unit introduction

God and his covenants From Genesis

Unit aim To help the children come to a greater understanding of who God is and of who we are in relationship to him as shown in the book of Genesis.

Unit outcomes By the end of this unit the children will: • know the story of God’s perfect creation being spoiled by sin • know that God is on a rescue mission to resolve the problem of a spoiled creation • know that God chose some people to be his special representatives and the vehicle of God’s redemption of the world, and to ‘journey’ with these people through their joys and sorrows, their triumphs and failures • begin to understand that God is faithful, even though his people often are not • come to appreciate that we can trust God’s promises and that his purposes will not be thwarted • be challenged and encouraged to respond to God’s faithfulness by trusting and obeying him.

Memory verses Sessions 1,2 God looked at what he had done. All of it was very good! Genesis 1:31a (CEV) Sessions 3,4 If we are not faithful, he will still be faithful. 2 Timothy 2:13a (CEV) Sessions 5,6 We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him. Romans 8:28a (CEV)

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Where this fits in God’s plan of salvation

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Session 7–10 Wherever you go, I will watch over you, then later I will bring you back to this land. I won’t leave you – I will do all I have promised. Genesis 28:15 (CEV)

We encourage the children to understand that God is always faithful to his people, no matter how unfaithful they are to him. God wants each of us to trust him completely, even if his promises seem impossible. For God, all things are possible! top Over the

Notes

sessions. They should also come to a deeper trust in God – holding tight to the promises of Jesus as they negotiate their way through all of life’s circumstances.

Bible background This unit aims to introduce the major events of the book of Genesis. This first book of the Bible tells the reader much about God. It also tells us much about our own position before God, about ourselves and about the world we inhabit. Who God is, and who we are, is thus a key aspect of the Genesis story.

Genesis takes the reader on a journey from creation and the Garden of Eden, right through the fall, the judgement and the lives of God’s people up until their settlement in Egypt. Genesis 1–11 sets the scene with a broad sweep of history concerned primarily with the spoiling of a perfect creation by the introduction of sin into the world and the lives of people.

In Genesis 12 the key to the narrative is established.

Here is God’s plan to rescue the world from sin.

Abraham’s family would be a chosen people through whom the world would be blessed. It is this chosen people that Genesis, and indeed the rest of the Bible, focuses on.

Following the story of Abraham and his descendants, we are presented with a people who were at times faithful, trusting and obedient. But more often than not, they were weak, unfaithful and disloyal to the God who had promised them so much. Most obvious, in contrast, is the faithfulness of God to the promises he had made to Abraham and that he reaffirmed to Isaac and Jacob. The faithfulness of God, despite the failings of his people, is thus a key aspect of this unit.

What is abundantly evident is the message that we can trust God to keep his promises, even in times of great difficulty. The Genesis story presents God as all-powerful. He is the God of history who is in control of all of life – circumstances, the weather, relationships, and even dreams! His purposes cannot be thwarted. His will prevails. As his people, we may be confident in the trust we have in him. This God is the one who through Jesus Christ offers the Kingdom of God to all who would put their hope in him. We can be inspired by the Genesis narrative to live lives of trust, obedience and faith.

We should feel a strong connection to the main characters in the story of Genesis. We witness their triumphs, their failings and in many cases, their shame. Yet God’s kindness and mercy is what is most on display, as he seeks to save his people from the world, themselves and each other. A strong sense of God’s grace should be part of a reading of Genesis and it is hoped that the children will come to understand this as they are led through the 10

Faith development Children grow and develop physically, emotionally, cognitively and spiritually at different rates and in different ways. This unit aims to encourage growth in faith for each child at their own pace. No matter where each child is at in their faith development, they can be challenged to respond in faith to God and in obedience to the way he wants them to live.

Faith has been described as having four aspects: believing, imagining, trusting and doing. (See Children finding faith by Francis Bridger, SU, England, 2000, available from CEP.) Believing involves having faith in the truth of the gospel and a reliance on the promises of God in Christ. Imagining involves creatively exploring our beliefs. Trusting involves the relational side of faith. Doing is the way we act as an outworking of our faith. Children, like adults, benefit from learning approaches that involve exploring faith from each of these four aspects.

These sessions have been written with this in mind.

Special features Visual aids The Leader’s pack includes: the Leader’s manual with ten sessions four full-colour A3 Memory verse posters 11 full-colour A3 Leader’s posters a sample children’s Traveller’s guide. Extra notebooks may be purchased from CEP so every child can complete the pages associated with the sessions.

• a set of photocopiable masters to cover the topic of each session • a variety of Visual aids and activities for each session.

• • • •

Journeying with God’s people theme The children will explore the theme of ‘Journeying with God’s People’ through their Traveller’s guides.

The story of Genesis takes us on quite a ride as we witness the comings and goings, as well as the triumphs and disasters, of God’s chosen people.

The guide seeks to provide meaningful activities to accompany each session, along with a sense of the ‘journey’ and all the ups and downs associated with it.

Hopefully the children will consider that they are not only witnessing an elaborate and rich journey ‘from Eden to Egypt’, but that they are also on something

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Activities

of a journey themselves. The guide is designed to help in such a process.

Bibles It is intended that during each session the children will read the Bible for themselves and think about how they can respond to its message. It is strongly recommended that children begin to handle the Bible for themselves, learn their way around it and discuss what it means. The Contemporary English Version (CEV) is recommended as it uses everyday language that should be easy for the children in this age group to understand.

Relationships As children of this age grow in faith, their relationships with other Christians will be very important. You have an important role as an example to them. Be warm and genuine in your relationships with the children. Pray for them and their concerns. Invite other Christians of various ages to visit and meet the group. It would be especially helpful for young people, a few years older than the children in your group, to meet them. Help the children see where they are heading as part of the community of God’s people.

Each session contains many suggested activities, either to begin the session in Start up or to reinforce the Teaching time. When choosing the activities you will include in each session, consider the number of children in your group, their individual skills, as well as the time and space you have available.

Try to encourage a wide range of activities so that the different learning skills of the children will be catered for.

A Memory verse activity is included in each session and presented in an interactive way so that the children will begin to build their own personal store of Bible verses.

Photocopiable masters The set of photocopiable masters include Memory verse ideas and worksheets.

Encourage the children to take home the appropriate photocopiable each week as this helps parents and carers to know what is being treated in the sessions.

Purchase of the Leader’s pack entitles you to make one copy for each member of your group.

Music spot Music spot is used in each session as a way of changing pace, adding interest and reinforcing the concepts of the session. The recommended CDs are:

Digging deeper This section is designed for more able children who want to dig deeper into the session content. These activities are usually Bible-focused and involve good reading skills and literacy. If you have a multi-aged group, these ideas can be used to challenge children who feel they have ‘heard it all before’.

• Promises, promises, CEP • The King, the snake and the promise, Emu Music • 10,9,8 … God is great, Colin Buchanan

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1

Sin spoils

creation

Genesis 1–4

Aim To help the children understand that God’s perfect creation was spoiled by sin.

Outcomes By the end of this session the children will: • know that God is a mighty Creator of a perfect world where people are his special creation • learn about the way sin entered the world and spoiled the creation, as well as the relationship between people and God • begin to understand how the world is spoiled by sin and made up of both good and bad things.

Memory verse God looked at what he had done. All of it was very good! Genesis 1:31a (CEV)

Notes Read Genesis 1–4.

The book of Genesis presents the story of the beginning of the world, the human race and the people of Israel. Genesis 1–3 is a highly compacted picture of the universe, God and people’s position before God. In broad brushstrokes, the writer provides a picture of God ‘speaking’ the universe into existence and making the earth as a perfect creation. We are presented with a grand vision of the Creator God, who systematically created order and beauty out of nothing. He merely spoke and it was so. Of particular note is the fact that God looked at his creation and declared it to be good. Creation is an impressive piece of work.

Humankind is God’s special creation that is made in his image with a unique ability to relate to him.

Having created people like himself, God exclaimed his creation to be ‘very good’ (Genesis 1:31). God had provided a perfect world for humans to enjoy.

He made humans to be in perfect relationship to him, each other and the world around them.

Genesis 3 explains the manner in which the creation was spoiled by sin. Here is the heart of the human problem – in their failure to trust in the goodness of God, Adam and Eve’s rebellion had the effect of breaking the relationship between God and people, and ruining the perfect existence God had generously provided.

These chapters provide an understanding of why our world is like it is. The creation that was perfect was stained with sin, which is why we now experience pain, brokenness and disappointment. Evil, injustice and hatred entered our world through humanity’s rebellion and this situation requires a solution that only God can provide.

People need God’s forgiveness and mercy. The remainder of the Bible is the story of God’s plan to deal with the problem of sin – to provide a way out of the predicament humankind finds itself in.

In Genesis 3; 4 we see God acting as a judge who punished rebellion, but also offered grace and mercy.

This is the same God who offers his Son, Jesus, to save people from a world spoiled by sin.

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Leader’s prayer

Gear

Praise God for his creation and the many blessings he has provided for us. Thank God that despite the stain of sin in our world, we, as his special creation, may still enjoy a relationship with him. Pray that the children may come to learn not only of God’s judgement but also of his mercy and love.

 A bowl of fruit and a vase of flowers or pot plant (see Get ready)  A bottle of vitamin pills  A sheet of paper for each child  Coloured pens and pencils  Prepared Leader’s posters 1–3 – Creation (see Get ready)  Blu-Tack  A CEV Bible marked at Genesis 2:15–17; 3:1–8; 4:1–5,6–9  Two eggs, a clear bowl and a fork, or a jug of water and food colouring  Leader’s poster 4 – Cain and Abel  A Traveller’s guide for each child  A copy of the Cain and Abel photocopiable (page 15) for each child  CD player and CD of choice  Prepared Memory verse card sets (see Get ready)  Memory verse poster 1  Gear for chosen activities in Start up

NOTE: Sin Sin is rebellion against God. It is the cause of God’s creation being spoiled and is the reason for all the things that are wrong in the world. It is the effects of sin that makes our lives difficult.

As we observe and experience the impact of sin, we gain a sense that things are not the way they are supposed to be. We long for a world that is different.

We also need to realise that the problem of sin is within us as well. We too are rebels against God. Our actions, thoughts and attitudes flow from a desire to do things our way and not God’s way. We don’t want God to be in charge of us. We don’t want to believe his word. We act in ways that break God’s rules and the way he would like us to be.

Get ready Display the bowl of fruit and vase of flowers on a table at the front of your area. Choose a bright, colourful and beautiful selection of fruit and flowers.

We sin by our actions and attitudes toward others – selfishness, lying, stealing, hating and hurting. We also sin by not helping people when we should. But sin is more than our actions or thoughts. Sin is our natural tendency to want to be in charge of our lives instead of listening to God.

Prepare Leader’s posters 1–3 by cutting each poster in half to form a set of six scenes showing the different parts of God’s creation.

Display Memory verse poster 1 in your area. Leave space next to this poster to display Leader’s posters 1–3 during the session.

We can’t help being sinful – we are born that way. But we also make deliberate choices to rebel against God. The result of sin is that we are cut off from friendship with God. We are helpless to fix this. We need God to help us with our sin problem. He does this through Jesus.

Create two sets of Memory verse cards for the Memory verse activity. For each set, write each word of the Memory verse on a separate card or piece of coloured paper. Each set should be on a different-coloured card or paper.

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Start up

Bible focus

Choose one or more of these activities for the time you have available. These are fun and interesting activities designed to introduce the topic or theme of the session. Please note that Chat time is an important component of the session and should be completed immediately before moving into Bible focus.

Animal antics Purpose: To encourage the children to get to know each other better.

Have the children sit in a circle. The leader begins by saying his or her own name and what animal they would choose to be and why. This continues around the circle until all of the children have participated.

Alternatively, the leader could go first, then after the first child has offered her response, the leader could repeat his own plus the first child’s response. After the second child responds, the leader says his or her own, plus the first and second child’s responses and so on. The children will enjoy watching the leader struggle to remember all of the responses as the list grows longer and longer!

Clues Purpose: To encourage the children to get to know each other better and to develop a sense of the unique value of each child.

Gear  A sheet of paper and a pencil for each child Ask the children to write three facts about themselves on the paper, such as their favourite hobby, food, sport or colour; the best holiday they have ever had; or what they want to be when they grow up. The children should not write their names on the paper. Collect the paper and redistribute the pages to the children. Each child must interview the other children to find out who matches the clues they have. After all of the children have been found, each child could introduce their partner to the rest of the group.

Chat time God created all things, including you and me.

That makes everyone here very special indeed.

He knows everything about us. He doesn’t need clues to guess who we are. He knows each of us by name.

Today we are going to be spending some time thinking about God’s creation.

Links ?

The following exercise is designed as a means of drawing out the brilliant creativity of God in making a world that is not only very functional, but also aesthetically pleasing. He made a world that is wonderfully complex, attractive and beautiful for us to enjoy.

Show the fruit and flowers.

Ask the children to describe what they see. Encourage them to look at the objects in detail and to notice their colour, texture and shape, as well as function.

Hold up the bottle of vitamin pills. Explain that these pills contain the necessary nutrients for a body to function well.

Imagine that eating involved only taking pills like this in order to get our dietary needs.

What would be different about the experience of eating? (Accept responses. There would be no smell, no taste, no texture and no enjoyment!)

God didn’t make a world that just worked well.

He made colour and beauty, and taste and smell. He gave us a world full of wonderfully complex things that we can enjoy. He is a very creative God. What are some of the really amazing things that God created? (Accept responses. Try to draw out the wonder of creation. You might like to focus on the natural features of your local area, such as mountains, rivers, beaches and so on.)

Provide the children with paper and pencils. Ask them to imagine a place where everything is good and nothing is bad. Have them write down or draw a description of what that place would be like. Some children may like to share their ideas.

Teaching time You will need prepared Leader’s posters 1–3, Leader’s poster 4 and the items for the visual demonstration.

Today we are going to learn what the Bible says about creation – how everything in the world was perfect when it was made, but then it was spoiled by sin.

The first verse of the Bible tells us that, ‘God created the heavens and the earth’.

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1

Ask six children to come to the front of your area.

Give each child one of the scenes from Leader’s posters 1–3. If you have a small group, you may need to ask three children to each hold two posters.

Invite the children to hold up the posters one at a time. The leader will in turn say what is created on each day, such as ‘On the first day God said, ‘I command light to shine!’ The first child should hold up scene 1.

The posters show: • • • • • •

Day 1 – Light Day 2 – Sky Day 3 – Land and plants Day 4 – Lights in the sky Day 5 – Creatures in the sky and sea Day 6 – Animals and humans

Adam and Eve felt shame and guilt for the first time. They realised they were naked and tried to hide from God. The perfect relationship that had existed between people and God was now spoiled.

Choose one of the following visual demonstrations to show the irreparable spoiling of a created object.

Option 1 – Display an egg and discuss its form, colour and shape. Crack the egg into the bowl and mash it up, shell and all.

Emphasise that this egg is now so damaged that it cannot be restored to its original form. Try to link this demonstration with the concept of a spoiled creation, with no easy solution to the problem.

After each poster is held up, ask another child to declare that ‘God looked at his creation and saw that it was good!’ After the sixth poster – and the creation of humans – the emphasis should be on the ‘very good’. Explain that humans were special because they were made like God and able to be friends with him.

Once you have been through each of the days of creation, you might like to display Leader’s posters 1–3 next to Memory verse poster 1.

When God made humans he put them into a beautiful garden where they were given everything they needed. They were given the job of being caretakers of the garden – to work in the garden and look after it.

Suggest that this garden might have been a bit like the place they imagined in Chat time.

First God made man, then he made woman. The man and the woman were completely happy living in paradise with each other and God. Read Genesis 2:15–17 from a CEV Bible.

God had given Adam and Eve all they needed.

What was the one thing he asked them not to do? (Accept responses. Eat of the tree with the power to know the difference between right and wrong.)

What did God say would happen if they ate from the tree? (Accept responses. They would die.)

Read Genesis 3:1–8 from a CEV Bible.

When Adam and Eve ate the fruit, they showed that they did not trust that God had given them all they needed. They believed the snake rather than God. They thought they could be like God if they ate the fruit, so they disobeyed him.

Option 2 – An alternative might be to spoil a clear jug of water by pouring another substance into it, such as food colouring.

NOTE: There are a number of ways that this point could be illustrated. Try to use one that you think will be the most effective for your group.

Adam and Eve had committed the first sin. From that time on, God said that things had been spoiled and life would now be hard and work would be difficult. Women would experience pain when having babies and relationships would sometimes be hurtful.

God sent Adam and Eve out of the garden – but he did not destroy them. He allowed them to live. He provided them with clothes and so showed kindness to them even though they had damaged their friendship with God. We also are like Adam and Eve. We sometimes find it hard to trust God and to do what he says.

The next part of the story shows how the spoiling effects of sin continued in Adam and Eve’s family.

We are going to hear about a murder!

Read Genesis 4:1–5 from a CEV Bible.

Why do you think God was happy with Abel’s offering but not Cain’s offering? (Accept responses. Try to show that Cain had given God something, but Abel gave God the best of what he had. Abel showed that he loved and trusted God. Cain had kept the best things for himself.)

Read Genesis 4:6–9 from a CEV Bible.

Display Leader’s poster 4.

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Why do you think Cain murdered Abel? (Accept responses. He was jealous of God’s approval of Abel.)

Indicate Memory verse poster 1 and invite the children to read the Memory verse together.

What do you think God would say to us in answer to Cain’s question, ‘Am I supposed to look after my brother’? (Accept responses. We are all supposed to look after each other.)

God looked at what he had done. All of it was very good! Genesis 1:31a (CEV)

Digging deeper

We can see the way that sin had begun to creep into the lives of people. Things had been spoiled.

Encourage the children to look up the following verses to examine how Jesus related to the problem of sin, as well as God’s actions to save people from the spoiling effects of sin in the world. The children could note down what they find.

Traveller’s guide Give each child a Traveller’s guide. Explain that as a group they are going on a guided tour – a journey with God’s people. They should write their name on the cover of the guide, fill in the passport details on the first page and prepare for an interesting adventure.

• • • •

Ask the children to turn to page 2 and complete the ‘Police report’ on the ‘Murder of Abel’. Help the children to use their imagination to write the sort of things a ‘Police report’ might contain.

Alternatively, ask the children to consider the relevance of the Genesis story of creation and our own attitudes to the environment. Ask them to write down why we should care for the environment. What are some ways to help protect and care for the environment?

Collect the Traveller’s guides ready for next session.

Take home Give each child a copy of the Cain and Abel photocopiable (page 15). Explain that the poster is a promotion for a movie of the story of Cain and Abel.

Ask the children to think of a name for the movie and to write it into the space on their sheet. If time permits, invite the children to colour the picture.

Encourage the children to take this sheet home and share the plot of the story with their family.

Music spot Choose from the following songs.

God’s mega-plan, track 2 on CEP’s Promises, promises CD. Creation song (track 2) or God rules! (track 3) on The king, the snake and the promise CD.

Memory verse Shuffle the two sets of prepared Memory verse cards together in one pile. Divide the group into two teams and assign one of the card colours to each team. This activity is to be a relay.

Ask the first child in each group to run to the pile and choose a card of the colour of their team. The first child then runs back with it and the next child runs to get another card. As more and more cards are retrieved, the rest of the team tries to put them in correct order. The winning team will be the first to have the cards in order and be seated in a line.

Matthew 1:21 Mark 2:5; 10:45 Luke 2:11 John 1:29; 3:16

1 Bringing it together What are some of the best things God created?

(Accept responses. Encourage a sense of the wonder of the creation. Share the things you most enjoy, such as natural beauty, the beach and the mountains, as well as things like food, friendships and fun times.)

What went wrong to spoil the creation? (Accept responses. Humans disobeyed God and allowed their relationship with God to be broken.)

How does sin affect our lives? (Accept responses.

It causes all things that are not perfect, that are frustrating or painful, or that are not how we would like them to be. Try to have the children consider how fighting, violence, sickness and pain are all a part of a broken world.)

It is sin that has spoiled our world and made it no longer perfect. It is the sin of other people but also our own sin.

When you think back to your picture of a perfect world, you might find yourself wishing that things were more like that world than they actually are.

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But we can be glad that there are still lots of really good things in God’s creation for us to enjoy.

Our heavenly Father,

Today we have seen how God’s creation was spoiled, but soon we will begin to look at how God has set about making things better again.

Prayer Encourage the children to reflect on things in their lives that are hard or have been difficult in the past.

They might consider things like ill health, being bullied at school, parents fighting or divorcing and so on.

Thank you for your beautiful creation – for the gift of life and all the things we can enjoy that you have given us.

We also know that our world can be hard and painful, and we wish things were not like this.

We are sorry for the times when we act in a way to make life hard for other people.

Thank you that you are going to make things perfect again one day and that Jesus has come to rescue us from our sin.

Amen.

Remind the children that God listens to our prayers and cares about us. Then pray the following prayer.

Think about it

Think ahead

Have the children gained a sense of the wonder of creation and the might of God as Creator?

Do they understand that humans are God’s special creation?

You will need Leader’s posters 5 and 6, the children’s Traveller’s guides, the prepared Noah Visual aids (pages 23–25) and a copy of the Ark photocopiables (pages 21,22) for each child.

Do the children know how sin entered the world and spoiled creation? Have they seen the link between the Fall and the pain we experience in our lives?

See Gear in Session 2 (page 18).

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Š CEP 2004 The purchaser of the Over the top OT2 manual is entitled to photocopy this page for use with his or her group.

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