Begin: Guide reads the background, scripture &
prays for the class
10:00-10:10 AM
Unwrap-Opening Activity
10:10-10:25 AM
about the Story
Investigate: Tell & Wonder
10:30-10:45 AM
Learn by Doing
10:55 AM
Dismiss: Review the
Cornerstone & Closing Prayer
Look deeper into the Creation story to explore one of God’s great attributes: God creates goodness of
chaos.
Read Genesis 1 & 2
Consider what truths are found in the two
very different stories of creation. What do
we learn about God in each of the creation
stories?
.
The first chapter of Genesis paints the picture of a
God that brings order out of the disorder. The earth
was “without form and void.” God speaks and order
becomes into being. Boundaries are made.
Looking at the idea of separating and of setting limits is important here, and moves to the heart of the
passage. God is portrayed here as coming into the
formless, empty, dark chaos and, through a spoken
word, God’s own order is created. God divides light
and darkness, tames the waters, and establishes dry
land. In other words, God establishes a safe place
for human existence. There is no threat of daily or
annual failure of the physical world, because God is
the Creator and Sustainer of the world, totally independent of human activity and without the need of
other gods. This is God’s world. This story describes
Place a small pile of jigsaw puzzle
pieces at each table for the students to put together in small
groups (these are available for you
at the church).
Later you will link back to this activity as an example of bringing
human existence as anchored in the nature and activity of God.
Another way to look at this story is that God used
what The Creator found, chaos, and made it work. It
suggests that God doesn’t need to start over with
the world, or with us, but rather God works with the
world the way it is because there is still a goodness
there. The world, and we, are redeemable because
of the loving God who created both.
order out of chaos, albeit on a
small scale.
More details on this discussion are
given in the “Investigate” portion
of the lesson.
Distribute Bibles to everyone in the class or have
them on the tables prior to class beginning.
Form Groups and assign each group a section to read
from the first two chapters of Genesis, looking for
guidelines or limits set for creation. (ex. the sea stopping at the land, guiding patterns such as day/night)
To introduce the idea of God creating “order out of
chaos”, have the class imagine what “chaos” might
have looked like before creation began. The class
can also share situations they would describe as
chaotic.
Perhaps the “chaos” was a bit like the puzzles they
put together at the start of class…. At first all of the
pieces were a jumbled mess with no order at all.
Then, once the students went to work, clear pictures
emerged that were colorful, beautiful, and orderly.
God showed his love for us in every step of creation,
because the order and rhythm of nature are essential
for our survival.
Wondering for the class
It’s difficult for anyone, let alone 9-11 year olds, to
imagine a world of nothing. A world void of sky, land,
outer space, or oxygen. No sound, no scents; nothing thing to see or touch.
 I wonder how you might describe total nothing-
ness?
God does not need to start from the beginning to
create. God can make order from chaos.
 Let’s brain storm things that can get out of con-
trol, and what needs to be done for them to shift
into order or control?
God doesn’t require anything to “be God”… not order or land or sea or light. God can be God in any
environment.

Why do you think God made the world at all if
God doesn’t need it to survive?
 I wonder why God bothered to set limits in na-
ture and put so much order into creation?
YOU be the CREATOR!
Using any materials that you wish, challenge the class to come up with the design for a TOTALLY NEW animal, landform, tree, or fruit. They must name it and
list a few details about it. Go around to each table to listen to them describe
their “new” creation.
Potential Materials to have on hand:
Air-Dry Modeling Clay
Wikki-Stixx
Pipe Cleaners
Paper and Markers/Colored Pencils
Watercolors
Dirt
Plastic bags to put their creations in to take home.
Say: Today we learned to see one
of God’s great attributes: God creates goodness out of chaos
Call: The Lord be with you.
Response: And Also with you.
Let us pray
Almighty and everlasting God, you made the
universe with all its marvelous order, its atoms,
worlds, and galaxies, and the infinite complexity of living creatures: Grant that, as we probe
the mysteries of your creation, we may come
to know you more truly, and more surely fulfill
our role in your eternal purpose; in the name
of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
BCP, page 827
This age group is learning
to apply scripture to their
faith as a guiding principle
rather than focusing on
the facts of the story.
Most of them will be
familiar with the Creation
story, but today we are
looking at the deeper
theme in creation that
God created order out of
chaos.
Older children may ask
how creation can also
include the scientific
theory of creation. Accept
their wonders and ask,
how might God have
created everything and
science, too?