HOME DAILY BIBLE READINGS
Sept. 3 M. Ps. 136:1-9 Creation, Testament of God’s Steadfast Love
Sept. 4 T. Heb. 1:1-4 Jesus, Agent of God's Creation
Sept. 5 W. Ps. 104:24-30 All Creatures Depend on God
Sept. 6 T. Job 12:7-13 Plants Witness to the Lord’s Work
Sept. 7 F. James 1:17-18 Gifts from the Father of Lights
Sept. 8 S. Acts 1 125-9 God Made all Creatures Clean
Sept. 9 S. Gen. 1:14-25 God Created Heavenly Lights and Animals
EXALT!
Invocation: Teacher or Learner
Celebration: "Praise the Lord! Ye Heavens, Adore Him” (Hymn #10, A.M.E. Zion Bicentennial Hymnal)
Declaration: Genesis 1:14-25 (Read together by the class, by a volunteer or responsive/y.)
14And God said, "Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years,
15 and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so.
16God made the two great lights-the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night-and the stars.
17God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth,
18to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
19And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
20And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.”
21So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good.
22 God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and ï¬ll the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."
23 And there was evening and there was morning, the ï¬fth day.
24And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so.
25 God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.
Affirmation: "0 Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.” (Psalms 8:1) (Spoken together by class and teacher.)
When you took classes in school for science, were you amazed at what you learned? If you weren’t, you should have been. This world that God has created for us is fascinating! Learning how the world works, how systems in the world functions, even how our bodies operate should cause us to be in awe. We are delicate creatures, we humans, and the world around us is sensitive and precious also. God means for us to appreciate all the gifts we have received, including the gift of this world. We must be careful not to abuse it or take it for granted. By taking care of our world, we honor God.
Certainly, however we a know the world in which we live is chaotic and confused. In this world, order is not always a priority. Some people thrive on and choose frenzy, tension and drama. We can understand, however that this is not what God has in mind as we read the Creation account in the book of Genesis. God’s will is for all creation and all of its parts to find harmony, to learn and understand, and to live in a form of synchronization that reflects the order God has in mind in creating this good and beautiful world.
EDUCATE (10:13 min.)
Each person, every human being, created by God, has intrinsic worth and value. We will discuss this in future lessons. But as the account of Creation unfolds, we are able to see how God, with such intimate and caring detail, ascribes worth to every living creature. While the Hebrew Scripture is largely the narrative of God’s relationship with the people of Israel, what we learn in this origin narrative sets that important account in the larger context of creation of the universe and all that is.
Perhaps you have heard or been told that in the Creation account, God created "something out of nothing.”That description may not be entirely accurate. What is more likely true is that Genesis shows us how God brought order to an already existing reality. The Creation account in Genesis is how God creates and orders, based on what already exists, using as ”raw materials”what was already in place as the basis to create the world.
In creating the world, God orders the world with the "heavenly lights.” And God said, ’Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; 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” (Genesis 1:14-18). These "heavenly lights” God created provided days and nights, months, years, and seasons. We can appreciate the connection that the writer intends, for the same word for "seasons" is used for religious festivals in Hebrew, implying God and creation work together on these.
We may not have understood that there is a hopeful note in the account of the Creation. There is a phrase in the Hebrew Scripture which we understand or interpret to mean ’g’reat sea monsters.” This was of- ten used figuratively in older testament poetry to signify one of God’s most powerful opponents. But the use of this term here is positive. lt intends to show that all things God created originate in good. Sin destroys the beautiful work of a good and gracious God. While we recognize the goodness of each person and the value of every human being, we stress again how the narrative in Genesis 1 tells of God’s loving care for all that is, not just humanity or those who are deemed God’s people. A loving God must necessarily care for all that which God has created.
We will commit to caring for all that God has created because we understand that God has the first word. The words “and God said” (or some form of God speaking) is stated in Genesis 1, verses 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11,14, 20,22, 24, 26, 28 and 29. Everything that happens in the creation account is in response to what God said. What this means for us is that we understand that our role is that of being invited to participate and join God in God’s work, answering in our lives to what "God said” or has already spoken. With that understanding, we should want no part of anything that is destructive, negative, disparaging, harmful or injurious to God’s world or anything that we know that God created. And God created everything! Moreover, everything God created, God said of it that it was good.
Let’s join God as partners in God’s good creation to preserve, sustain and take care of this world God has left us. Let’s love one another the environment and the land where we live. The truth is that even if we argue that we inherited a mess, it is our responsibility to clean it up and make it better. And we can!
ELEVATE: (5-10 min.)
If you created a "map" or a diagram of the order of your life, how might that map look? This can be good and provide one of two possible outcomes; for some, we may have to admit that our lives are out of order and we can respond now to a call to fix what is in disarray. But for others, we can begin to see areas where we have discipline and structure and enhance and improve on those areas to make our lives more focused and the outcomes we would like to achieve more likely. You may not be called upon to make changes that impact the world in ways that are phenomenal. But perhaps there are small things that each of us can do to help show our love for God’s world. Have you ever thought of how it shows love for God’s world when you take out the trash and dispose of waste properly? Does your neighborhood where you live require certain things of you to present a certain image for your living space? Have you thought of this as a way to honor God, or do you just see this as a way to be a good neighbor?
iTHINK: 5-7
Do you believe or agree with the idea or sentiment that a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind?
You have probably heard the expression, "Cleanliness is next to godliness.” Do you agree? What, if anything, do you think it says about a person who doesn’t keep a clean house? Does it matter? Do you think a house or living space in disarray or disorder fails to honor God?
VERSE OF THE WEEK: God said, 1’Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and year .” Genesis 1:14.
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