September 16, 2008

Disciple I Group Meeting

Lesson 2 – The Creating God

September 16, 2008

Gathering and Prayer (5 minutes)

Theme: The Creating God

Theme Word: Wonder; Focus Scripture: Genesis 1:27

Opening Prayer

Video Segment (20 minutes)

Listen for similarities between the Creation stories of Genesis and the Babylonian creation story. Video Discussion Questions: What differences do you see between the two Creation accounts in Genesis 1 and Genesis 2? What does understanding Genesis 1-2 as a backdrop for the rest of the Bible say about God and our relationship to God?

Scripture and Study Manual (20/20 minutes)

Review of This Week’s Readings: Discuss the “square-box” notes you took as you were reading the assigned Scripture and study manual for the week. Summarize your responses and be prepared to share your insights with the larger group.

§ Reading and responses for Days 1 and 2

§ Reading and responses for Days 3 and 4

§ Reading and responses for Days 5 and 6

The Image of God: What does it mean to be made in the image of God? What do you think is the meaning of God’s forming “man from the dust of the ground” and then breathing into his nostrils “the breath of life”?

The Garden of Eden: What does Eden symbolize for you? What do you suppose is the symbolic significance of the “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”? In Gen 2:17 God tells Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil: “for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.” How are we to understand “death” in this passage?

Wonder: Describe a time when you felt such wonder at the majesty of the creation that you could only praise God. Discuss how each of the passages assigned for this week reflect the theme of wonder.

Sabbath: How are we to understand the Sabbath rest? Describe your day of rest. What changes in attitudes about ourselves and toward God do we need to make if we are to take seriously the sacredness of the Sabbath?

Two Creation Accounts: compare the images of God in Genesis 1:1-2a to 2:4b-3:25. What do they say about Israel’s understanding of God?

Light: Read Gen 1:3-4. Using your prior knowledge of scripture and resources like a Bible concordance and Bible dictionary, identify several ways in which the image of light is used throughout the Bible.