Be sure to arrive early and have the environment set up. As well as setting up your means for viewing this week’s videos, you will need the items for the initial activity already out and on each small group’s table. You can use actual items, like Fisher-Price toys, or you can use the paper provided in Appendix C to print out a page with pictures of the items, cutting them out ahead of time. If you bring in items, it is not necessary that every group have the exact same list of items to categorize. Each group will need “God,” “Angel,” and “Devil”; however, the other items can be a mix of things you can find.
Be ready to greet people at least five minutes before class begins. Decide ahead of time whether or not to use the same small groups as week 1. In general, this is a good idea, but occasionally it becomes apparent the first week that personalities in one or more groups clashed in such a way as to be disruptive to the class as a whole. In this case, you will likely need to switch up groups every week; however, try to do it as they come in so that you do not lose class time.
Greet students as they arrive. For any new students, be sure to have week 1 materials ready to give them. Give a brief summary of the first week and ask them to return the pre-assessment survey at the end of class. Assure them there are no “right” answers and that this form is simply a quick way for you to get an idea of their feelings about the topic as they’re coming into the class.
When most of the class has arrived, open in prayer.
Conduct a very brief review of the previous week, culminating in asking for a volunteer to tell the basic Christian narrative in two minutes or less. Try to get someone to do it whom you did not hear from in week 1. This will serve to refresh student memories of the previous week before moving on and also as an opportunity for you to assess the effectiveness of last week’s lesson.
Direct the student’s attention to the items you have already placed on their tables. Take a moment to explain that when people come across large groups of items, it is natural for them to attempt to put those items into groups or categories. Challenge the students to take five minutes to find a way to put all of these items into one of only two groups. If the students do this quickly, you might take a moment to share ideas with the large group, but this is not necessary.
Time Savers: If you know that time is at a premium, consider skipping group intro activity and going straight into the intro video
Lead a discussion around the closing question in the week 2 introduction video. In what way does our perspective change when we realize that we are a part of creation with animals, plants, and even rocks? Does this matter? What implications does this have for our faith?
Teacher’s Note: For some students this question may prove to be difficult. Some students may balk at the idea that they have something in common with a rock or demon. The takeaway here should not be a renewed focus on exactly what we have in common with peat moss but on how “other” God is. We need to regain a sense of God’s essential “otherness”. He is the Creator. We are not. He is the one who decided gravity was a good idea. He is the one who decided that matter should be made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons, which in turn should be made up of quarks all held together by forces science still struggles to understand. That was his idea. And we are the product of his ideas. What we have in common with peat moss is so much greater than what we could ever hope to have in common with the Creator exactly because he is the Creator and we are not. A proper understanding of this tends to make us feel very small, which is not a bad thing. It is when man understands how small he is in the face of his Creator that he begins to have an appropriate “fear of the Lord.” It is in this fear that we regain a sense of wonder and awe in the person of Christ.
Draw a cross on the board and ask the question, “Into which category would you put Jesus?” If you have the time, field a number of answers and be sure to ask them to explain why they would put Jesus in the category they chose. If the students do not discover it on their own, be sure to point out the somewhat “trick” nature of this question.
Jesus is unique in that he fits simultaneously into both categories. He is God the Son, and Scripture affirms that all things that were made were made through him. However, Scripture also makes it clear that he is created; Jesus becomes human. This is at the heart of the christological paradox that most—if not all—of your students will have heard before: Jesus is 100% man and 100% God.
There are many passages throughout Scripture to which we could go to “prove” this; however, it is perhaps simplest to take a look at the testimony of John in his gospel. Take a moment to read John chapter 1:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”
How does this change the way you think about Jesus?
Time Savers
Taking the time to read through John 1 is helpful and in this context can make students excited about a passage of scripture they have often heard but not thought about. However, given time restraints, this can be easily summarized by highlighting the appropriate verses and moving on.
Transition to Arand lecture/Bible Study: In some ways, the next five weeks are going to be spent answering the question posed at the end of the intro video as we situate ourselves within creation. Next week we will begin looking at our relationship with creation, but for now we will be looking at all of our—that is, all of creation’s—relationship with our Creator. In order to do this, Dr. Arand will be speaking this week about two clear themes concerning creation’s relationship with its Creator as exemplified in Psalms 104 and 148. Psalms 104 and 148 will be read as a part of the video, but you may want to have your Bibles open to them in order to follow along.
Lead a brief discussion concerning the following questions:
This is meant to be a quick review question. It will give you an initial assessment of how well the class as a whole understood the video. Do not spend a lot of time on it.
Psalm 104 calls for us to recognize the lavish care we, along with all of creation, are receiving from God.
Psalm 148 invites us to join in the praise of God alongside all of creation.
There are many ways to answer this question. The value of these questions comes from reflection on the question and finding areas in our lives to apply these themes. In this way it becomes meaningful and valuable.
While you should take time to develop your own answer before class, here are some reflections from other theologians:
Dr. Arand
How do we join in the praise of all the other creatures of God? We can start by watching and hearing.
First, watch how other creatures go about being the creatures that God made them to be and doing what God gave them to do. We might imitate them in being the creatures that God has made us to be and going about our own callings.
Second, listen to the other creatures that Scripture declares as praising God. Elizabeth Achtemeier points out that the entire universe is filled with sound, which prompts her to suggest that God is a music lover. Consider the following excerpt from The Great Animal Orchestra: Finding the Origins of Music in the World's Wild Places by Bernie Krause (Little, Brown and Company, 2012):
“Animals are hooting, bleating, growling, chirping, warbling, cooing. They are tweeting, clucking, humming, clicking, moaning, howling, screaming, peeping, sighing, whistling, mewing, croaking, gurgling, panting, barking, purring, squawking, buzzing, shrieking, stridulating, cawing, hissing, scratching, belching, cackling, singing melodies, stomping feet, leaping in and through the air, and beating wings–and doing it in a way that each voice can be heard distinctly, so that the animals seem able to hear and to distinguish one voice from another” (p. 4).
As Prof. Terry Groth (Concordia, Nebraska) put it, “Imagine this as a description of the sounds filling the air on day six of the creation.” Or perhaps this is part of what the psalmist had in mind with the very last words of Ps. 150. “It gives us a whole new way to enjoy the creation! Let him who has ears to hear….”
Third, we can give voice to the music of creation by singing songs and hymns to the Creator. Consider Jaroslav J. Vajda’s hymn, “God of the Sparrow.”
God of the sparrow, God of the whale, God of the swirling stars; How does the creature say Awe, How does the creature say Praise?
God of the earthquake, God of the storm, God of the trumpet blast; How does the creature cry Woe; How the creature cry Save?
God of the rainbow, God of the cross, God of the empty grave; How does the Creature say Grace; How does the creature say Thanks?
Here’s something more contemporary: “The Earth is Yours” by Gungor.
Your voice it thunders
The oaks start twisting
The forest sounds with cedars breaking
The waters see You and start their writhing
From the depths a song is rising
Now it’s rising from the ground
Holy, Holy
Holy, Holy Lord
The earth is Yours and singing
Holy, Holy
Holy, Holy Lord
The earth is Yours
The earth is YoursYour voice it thunders
The ground is shaking
The mighty mountains now are trembling
Creation sees You
And starts composing
The fields and trees they start rejoicing.
Now it’s rising form the ground
It’s rising from the ground
Hear us crying out
Hear us crying out
Holy, Holy
Holy, Holy Lord
The earth is Yours and singing
Holy, Holy
Holy, Holy Lord
The earth is Yours
The earth is Yours
Again, there is a veritable cornucopia of acceptable answers. The hope is that the class will personalize their answers to their specific context.
While you should take time to develop your own answer before class, here are some reflections from other theologians:
Rev. Jason E. Broge
I’m not hungry. This is probably no great revelation, but I am amazed at how little time I take to notice this. My lips mouth, “Give us this day our daily bread,” with great regularity, and I have sat through and taught enough confirmation courses to know that daily bread, “includes everything that has to do with the support of and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals...” and that, “God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.” And yet I spend little time thinking about it. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly my attitude towards creation changes when I just take a few moments before placing that next morsel of food in my mouth to consider and give thanks for all the lavish care needed and provided to bring me this one green bean, bite of cheese, or spoonful of pudding.
Dr. Arand’s Answer
My wife and I are birdwatchers, so I am struck by God’s wisdom and attention to detail in caring for birds. Consider feathers. They’re light. They provide warmth. They shed rain and snow. They enable flight. Some birds soar. Others fly from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Some fly backwards. And what happens when the barbs on a feather start to come apart? A bird can “zip” up the barbules (small thin strands that hold together the larger strands like velcro), and the feather is repaired. Then consider large birds like sandhill cranes and whooping cranes. God gives them the ability to dance and engage in a “duet” as a way of reinforcing the life-long bond of a male and female. Or consider some of the smallest of all birds, hummingbirds. They weigh less than a penny. Yet they are capable of flying 500 miles through buffeting winds across the Gulf of Mexico to their winter homes.
Pastor Kurz’s Answer:
Towering trees fill me with wonder, especially when I’m standing up close and looking up at the layers of branches ascending to the skies. The trunks and limbs seem eternal and unchanging—simply the stage for the leaves’ appearance, maturation, and departure. And none of it would be possible without the hidden crown of roots spanning the soil for water and keeping the giants in place.
Trees are communities, even if standing solitary in a field. The parts, even if distant, are connected and dependent. They are teeming with life—sought by a range of creatures for food, shelter, and for routes of travel. They are locations themselves yet planted in place. One can look at an impressively straight tree and agree with the ideal conditions, or one can see a curved trunk that managed to claim its spot and share of light.
For good reason, Job found them testaments of hope—knowing that even if cut down they will sprout again and their tender branches will not cease; even if the rootstock is dead and buried in the ground (14:7?8). They are witnesses of resilience and resurrection.
Take a moment to do a brief overview of today’s class. For further and slightly more in-depth reading, direct the students to pages 30?45 in the large version of Together with All Creatures.
Encourage the students to use the devotional helps located on the back of their worksheet.
Tell students to bring their Small Catechism to class along with their Bibles next week.
Close in prayer. As this is the second week, you may want to be the person to pray again; however, it would be ideal to have one of the students pray. Many people are uncomfortable praying aloud in Bible class and will be unwilling to volunteer. I am a fan of choosing people rather than asking for volunteers, but this should be done carefully. If you simply call on someone by name for prayer, they are likely to feel like they cannot say no, but at the same time they will also feel that they have been put on the spot. Even if you choose someone comfortable with it, others in the class may begin to live in fear that you will call on them. It is better to approach someone before class and ask if they are willing to close the class in prayer. This would allow you to introduce the closing prayer by saying something like: “John volunteered to close us in prayer,” before handing over the floor to John. If it is you who prays, however, be sure to include themes from today’s lesson in your prayer.
Stay around to answer any questions.