THE WEEKLY LINK
UNIT 1: GOD THE CREATOR
Big Picture Questions:
Preschool (P)
Kids (K)
Key Passage (1 Corinthians 8:6) [NIV]
There is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one
Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
Suggested Unit Theme:
Create a hot air balloon by positioning a tall plastic laundry basket at the front of the room. Over the basket,
hang a large balloon or beach ball from the ceiling. Tape four lengths of string between the laundry basket
and the sides of the balloon. Decorate the basket with streamers or construction paper. Add exploration
props such as a telescope, binoculars, maps, and so forth.
Session 1: God created the World
Main Point: God created everything (P)
God created everything for His glory (K).
Theme: You can see everything from a hot air balloon: trees, farms, lakes and so much of God’s creation!
This telescope will help us see things that are far away. The Bible is just what we need today as we learn
about God’s creation. It tells us how all of this got started.
Story: [The 1st 5 days of creation: Genesis 1:1-25]. God created the world out of nothing. Every wonderful
and beautiful thing God created, He spoke into existence. Jesus was present at creation, and all things
were created through Him and for Him.
Christ Connection: The Bible says that Jesus is Lord over all of creation. Everything was created by Him
and for Him. The Son has always existed, and He holds everything together.
Session 2: God created People
Main Point: God created people in His own image. (P)
God created people in His own image; God created them male and female. (K)
Theme: Flying a hot air balloon is a lot of work! I certainly can’t do it alone. First, you have to adjust the
burners to heat up the air in the balloon. Turning up the burner makes the balloon go up, and turning down
the burner makes the balloon go down. I could really use a helper to make this trip a success! Do you
know of any good helpers?
Story: [The 6th day of creation: Genesis 1:26-2:25]. On the 6th day of creation, God created man in His own
image. God formed the man out of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and
the man became a living creature. Man was set apart as different from the rest of God’s creation.
Christ Connection: God created people in His own image. Adam was like God in some ways, but he was
not a perfect representation of God. God sent His Son, Jesus, to show us exactly what God is like. Jesus is
the perfect representation of God because He is God.
Session 3: Sin entered the World
Main Point: Adam and Eve sinned. (P)
Adam and Eve’s sin separated them from God. (K)
Theme: I am so glad to be back on the ground! It’s dangerous up there! I was nearly blown right out of the
sky by a very strong gust of wind! I probably would have blown away if I hadn’t been holding onto this
heavy Bible. It’s a lifesaver. Now that I’m back on level ground, let’s figure out where we are.
Story: [The Fall: Genesis 3:1-24]. Adam and Eve enjoyed a loving, two-way relationship with God in the
garden. All of that changed when Adam and Eve gave in to the serpent’s temptation and sin entered the
world. Because of their sin, God cast them out of the garden, and His presence.
Christ Connection: Since Adam and Eve, everyone has sinned against God. Our sin separates us from
God. God promised that one of Eve’s descendants would put an end to sin and death. God sent His Son,
Jesus, to live as Adam didn’t - perfectly sinless. God the Son came into the world to rescue people from sin
and bring them back to God.
Session 4: Cain and Abel
Main Point: God punished Cain for his sin. (P)
Cain’s sin separated him from God and people. (K)
Theme: Things got a bit out of control last week. I’m collecting some tools that might be helpful to keep my
hot air balloon from being tossed around by the wind. I think my best bet is to anchor it to the ground. So I
have some rope and some big rocks. This makes me think of our Bible story today. It’s about someone who
had no control over something, and it almost ruined him!
Story: [Cain & Abel: Genesis 4:1-16, 25-26]. After leaving the garden, Adam & Eve had two sons. God
accepted Abel’s offering, but He did not accept Cain’s offering. Cain was furious and killed his brother,
resulting in him spending the rest of his life wandering the earth.
Christ Connection: God had promised that one of Eve’s descendants would put an end to sin and death.
Cain was not that descendant. He was sinful like his parents, Adam and Eve. So people kept living and
trusting God to keep His promise. At just the right time, God would send His Son to save sinners.
Session 5: Noah and the Ark
Main Point: God is holy. (P)
God is holy, and He punishes sin. (K)
Theme: Are any of you excellent swimmers? I’m a little bit nervous because today, I’m scheduled to fly my
hot air balloon straight over the bay. I think this life jacket would keep me afloat if I crash over the water. I
know God can rescue people from soggy situations because I’ve read about something like that in the
Bible. Let’s dive in!
Story: [Noah & the Ark: Genesis 6:5-9:17]. In Noah’s day people had stopped following God and their
minds were filled with evil all the time. God was right to punish this sin. He decided to send a flood to
cleanse the earth. God warned Noah about the flood and told him to build an ark. When the ark was
complete, God’s judgment came through the flood, but God rescued Noah, his family and the animals.
Christ Connection: God rescued Noah and his family from the flood; only they lived. The story of Noah
points ahead to a greater rescue. God’s Son, Jesus - the only perfectly righteous One - came to take the
punishment for our sin. By trusting in Him, we are saved from the punishment our sin deserves. Jesus died
so that we can live.
Session 6: The Tower of Babel
Main Point: God created people to give Him glory. (P)
God created people to give glory to Him alone. (K)
Theme: I’m so glad to spend one more day with you before I head off on my big adventure. Today is the
day I set off for wide-open skies. Pretty soon it will be just me and my hot air balloon and the Lord as I sail
over planes, valleys and mountains! Today’s Bible story is about some people who saw the world because
God scattered them over it.
Story: [Tower of Babel: Genesis 11:1-9]. After Noah the people devised a plan to build a city and a large
tower into the heavens. They sought to obtain for themselves what they believed was good, but they ended
up separating themselves from God and from each other. God confused their language and scattered them
over the earth.
Christ Connection: People chose to give glory to themselves instead of God. They ignored God’s plan, so
God confused their language and scattered the people all over the earth. One day, Jesus will gather
together all of God’s people - people from every tribe and people who speak all kinds of languages - and
they will worship Him.