Created to Create (Sessions 1-3)

Theme Text: Genesis 1:26-31; 2:15

Theme Summary:

The Bible opens with a dramatic unfolding of God’s handiwork in creation. God spoke the universe, the earth, the laws of science, nature and animal life into existence, but when it came to humankind He did the unexpected. God formed mankind from the dust of the earth, with His own hands and He breathed life into him. God uniquely adorned humanity with the Imago Dei, the Image of God.

Humanity is set apart from all of creation to reflect the goodness and glory of God. What exactly all that entails can be debated by scholars, but we know that it implies the uniqueness of God’s creation. We know that it means that God has shared some of His attributes with humanity, i.e. intellect, will, personhood, communication, and so on.

As the story unfolds, we see God giving Adam directives right from the beginning to “take dominion,” “subdue the earth,” and to “work the garden.” There are many misconceptions about these words, but at the heart of them is the command to be stewards and cultivators of God’s creation. Adam and Eve were placed in a garden that God created and told to tend it. They were command to work with their hands and they were given freedom to use their intellect and creativity.

We display the Imago Dei when we acknowledge God in our work. His creation points to His creativity and His desire for us to be creative. This series we will spend time creating works of art with our hands for His glory as we fulfill part of what it means to be made in His Image.

Lesson 1: From Broken Glass to Stained Glass

Text: Ephesians 2:10; Romans 8:28

Lesson 1 Summary:

Life in the moment is may be difficult, hard and sometimes overwhelming. It is hard to see God working when we are going through personal pain and suffering. It’s hard to see what God is doing when bad things are happening all around us (terrorists, school shootings, suicide, etc). Yet God promises us that nothing is wasted (Romans 2:28) and that He is continually working on us as an artist works on a masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10).

If you examine stained glass you will observe that the beautiful window is made up of many individual parts. Some are beautiful and colorful. Others are dark and plain. The artist shaped each piece and used the broken pieces to bring together something beautiful. In the project we did, look at the dark leading as the pain and suffering that shapes you and then colorful parts as the blessings God pours out on you. Remember that God is continually working to shape you and create in you something beautiful for your ultimate good and for His glory.

As you create in this project, you express your uniqueness and giftedness as one created in His image.

STUDENT'S CREATION

Lesson 2: Woven Together

Text: Acts 2:42; John 17:1; Ps 133:1; John 13:35

Lesson 2 Summary:

The String Art project tonight is a reminder that when you come to Christ, He does not save you to isolation but to community. Beginning with one pin, a representation of you, the pattern is incomplete. Eventually pins and threads will be added to create a design. Each pin represents the people in our youth group and our church, they are people God has brought into your life. As you make something beautiful today, remember that God is making something beautiful through our community.

The Image of God connects all of humanity. But, when we come together in Christ, we see the fullest expression of what we were made to be. The Church is to be a beautiful expression of God’s love to the world, woven together through the love of Christ.

The Love of God is demonstrated in its fullest expression in Jesus Christ, He is what binds us together and He is the one who makes our community beautiful.

STUDENT'S CREATION

Lesson 3: Wonderfully Formed

Text: 2 Corinthians 4:7-12; Psalm 139:13-16; Jeremiah 18:1-6

Lesson 3 Summary:

A fresh lump of clay is useless on its own, yet full of potential if it remains moldable. As it hardens, it becomes less and less pliable and risks breaking, cracking or falling apart. Unformed clay has very little intrinsic value, but artisans have been crafting objects of great value for millennia. The value comes from the process of molding, forming and firing, which leads to beauty, strength and worth.

In Jeremiah 18, God refers to a potter working on clay at his table as an illustration of God working on his people’s lives. This promise of “I’m still working on you and molding you” rings through these words.

In the very beginning, we see God gathering the dust of the earth and forming humankind. Later, in Psalm 139:13-16, David proclaims that God looked at our “unformed substance,” (we could say “our lump of unformed clay”) and knew our days, saw our potential and formed us from conception!

As we create with clay, imagine what you are going to create and work towards that goal. As clay hardens, use water to increase the pliability of it.  You will find that working with clay is difficult and it takes a tremendous amount of skill to create something beautiful from the clay.

If you look closely at your handcrafted clay creation you will notice something distinctly you left behind. Your touch, your finger prints and your creativity is on display in your creation.

In this activity, we catch a glimpse of what God has done in creating each one of us. As King David said, “I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made!” You are wonderfully handmade by our Creator and He is still molding and shaping you.

We are all jars of clay, weak in and of ourselves, but created to show the all surpassing glory of our God who created us. We have the privilege of being the ones chosen to carry the message of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to this world. It is this truth that brings strength and resiliency to our fragile makeup.

STUDENT'S CREATION