1 – Creation

Genesis 1:1 – 2:4

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was lifeless, empty, and dark. Then the Spirit of God moved across the vast emptiness. He said, “Let there be light.” Suddenly light shone around the entire sphere of the earth! God looked at the light, and saw that it was good. 

He then divided the light from the darkness. He called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” So with the day and night, that was the first day. 

On the second day, God looked at the waters and said, “Be divided!” 

Immediately, the waters started to separate. Some went up and the rest stayed down. God looked at the waters that were above, and he looked at the waters that were beneath. Then he looked at the space that was in between the two and said, “I’ll call you Sky.” 

On the third day, God focused on the waters that were below the sky. He said, “Be gathered together into seas, rivers and lakes. Let dry land appear.” Suddenly land rose up from the waters. Rivers owed off the land separating the hills and causing valleys. Lakes and seas were everywhere. God looked at the dry land and he looked at the seas and saw that it was good. 

Then He said to the land, “Bring forth vegetation! Let there be grasses, vegetables, herbs, and trees. All of them will have seeds, so that life may continue on.” Immediately plants started growing across the entire earth. There were grasses, flowers, and vegetables. There were trees of many different kinds. Some would become tall, while other would remain close to the ground. Some of the trees would produce different kinds of fruit. All this vegetation grew from that day forward, and they all had seeds so life could continue on. God saw that it was good. 

On the fourth day, God looked into the heavens and said, “Let there be lights—a greater light to rule over the day, and a lesser light to dominate the night. They’ll divide the day and the night, and be for signs and seasons, days and years.” 

Immediately the sun started moving across the sky, giving light and warmth to the earth. The moon and stars filled the night with splendor and brilliance. God looked at the sun, the moon, and the stars and saw that it was good. 

On the fifth day, God looked at the sky and the waters that were below it. He said, “Bring forth life! Let there be birds in the skies, and fish and sea creatures in the water.” 

Immediately sea creatures started moving in the seas, lakes, and rivers. Some were large and others were very small. There were fish of all different sizes, shapes, and colors. Birds appeared in the skies. Some flew high in the air, while others stayed close to the ground. They had different shapes, colors, and sounds. 

God looked at the sea creatures, the fish, and birds and saw that it was good. He blessed them and told them to multiply and fill the seas and skies.” 

On the sixth day, God said to the earth, “Bring forth living creatures. Let there be wild animals and others that can be tamed.” Immediately, animals rose up from the ground and started walking across the earth. Some were huge, and others were very small. God looked at them and saw that it was good. 

Then God said, “Let’s make people. We’ll make them to be like us. They’ll rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the animals that move across the land.” 

So God made a man and a woman and he blessed them and told them to multiply and fill the earth with people. He told them to rule over all he had made. He then gave them fruit, grains, vegetables, and green plants to eat. 

Then God looked at all he had made, and saw that it was all very good! 

God rested on the seventh day. Therefore he blessed it and made it special. 

This is how God created the heavens and the earth… and brought forth life in the first week of time.

Story Told
Story Telling by Phyllis Hostmeyer
Story Telling and Questions by Mickie O’Donnell
Insights
Audio
Song
Poem

“In the beginning God . . .” Inspired by Genesis 1:1
By Gil Thomas

Nothing. No thing.

No light, no color, no shape or sound. Really nothing at all around.
It isn’t hot, it isn’t cold,
Really—if I may be so bold—

There’s nothing positive to see, But negative also can’t be.

Before the mountains or the seas, Before the flowers and the trees,
Before the sky, the stars, the sun— Before existed even one
Of what we call “person, place or thing” Or little birds began to sing—

Spirit-being—no body there
About to speak into (no) air
The self-existing Mighty One
Who, self-sufficient, needs no one, No thing. Don’t think it odd,

In the beginning, God . . .

?
  1. Let’s talk for a bit about creating something: woodworking, baking, sewing, jewelry making, welding, automotive – whatever area interests you. What are some problems you encounter when creating? What are the benefits or good things about creating something?
  2. Watch the video Creation.
  3. What did God create on each of the days:
    1. Day One
    2. Day Two
    3. Day Three
    4. Day Four
    5. Day Five
    6. Day Six
  4. Do you see any logic or order to God’s days of creation?
  5. What do you think it means when God says that he will make people “to be like us”?
  6. God gave people dominion over all that was created.  Why do you think God gave humans dominion? How do we honor that responsibility? Are we acting according to God’s desires regarding the beasts of the earth?
  7. How would you describe God after hearing and discussing the creation story?
  8. Retell Creation as a group.

Group Discussion

  1. Have you ever experienced God bringing light and order to you at a time when your life was full of darkness and chaos?
  2. We were made in the image and likeness of God, which includes being creative. How are we creative in our daily lives? How does our creativity bring us fulfillment?
  3. In creation, God often separated things to create something better (light from darkness, waters above from waters below, land from sea). We also separate things to create something different (egg whites from egg yolks to create a delicious recipe, cream from milk to create butter, petals from roses to create a bridal walk). What has God separated in your life to make it better?
Graphic
Story Graphic by Tara Rye, Director of Bible Engagement at Audio Scripture Ministries.
Map
One suggested map of the 4 rivers of Genesis 1, from BibleMapper.com