January 15 - In the Beginning...
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The goal for this night is to help the teens recognize God’s plan of salvation from the beginning of creation. This night will also address the issues commonly associated with this Scripture, such as evolution. The night will also introduce the fall of man and the consequences of Original Sin, and give the teens an opportunity to prayerfully examine how sin affects their everyday lives and their need for God’s love.
This night has a twofold purpose - it starts of our Scripture semester with the story of creation, but it also sets up the Paschal Mystery we’ll start diving into in March by talking about man’s need for salvation.
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image from:
biologos.org
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Description:
We begin the night by breaking the teens into small groups and giving them a Bible passage to read together. Half of the groups are given Genesis 1:1 - 2:4 (the first story of creation). The other half of the groups are given Genesis 2:5 - 25 (the second story of creation). The teens then view 3 different videos that depict the stories of creation, and are asked to present an argument to the group choosing which video they thought best represented the story of creation found in Scripture.
The teaching for the night then explains that there are 2 different stories of creation in the Bible. This teaching explains how we read the creation stories - as theological stories, not scientific accounts - and what they tell us about who God is and who we are.
After the teaching, the teens break back into their small groups for a discussion. The small groups also read the next part of Genesis - the Fall of Man - and discuss how The Fall has affected their lives today. Finally, the groups gather together for a recap of the night where we are reminded that the consequence of The Fall is that sin entered the world. God's response to our sin is His incredibly mercy and so we pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet together.
Parent Connect:
(This section is a brief outline of the teaching for the night with suggestions on how you, as a parent, might connect personally to the night's topic. It is copied directly from the LifeTeen lesson plan we use for the teens.)
When we look at the account of our earliest existence in the Bible, found in the book of Genesis, we are presented with a story of creation involving a creator, creatures and an intended order. We learn what makes us who we are, why we are that way and what's going to happen later on to us. We learn of this in a story that serves as a prehistory to the historical story of our salvation. This is important when discerning the message of Genesis. This also explains how there are two accounts of creation in the Bible: Both are true because both tell us the truths about God, man and salvation, but are not meant to be a moment-by-moment description.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that, "Scripture presents the work of the Creator symbolically as a succession of six days of divine 'work,' concluded by the 'rest' of the seventh day. On the subject of creation, the sacred text teaches the truths revealed by God for our salvation, permitting us to 'recognize the inner nature, the value and the ordering of the whole of creation to the praise of God.'"
Our Bible uses two accounts to explain our origin. The first story tells us that God created man and woman in His image and likeness. It also tells us about our place in creation—we are given full dominion over all the goodness of the world. In the second story, we are presented with a corresponding account which explains our origins as revealed to us by God through the author of the text. We learn that, "the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." At the time when the world was nothing, God created a human being and gave him life.
"The biblical account expresses this reality in symbolic language when it affirms that 'then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.' Man, whole and entire, is therefore willed by God."
God planted a garden in the world and He put the man in it. God filled the garden with animals, but the man knew that he was not meant to live alone with the animals—he was created greater than them. So God cast a deep sleep over the man and from him took one of his ribs and built it up into a woman—a partner and a helper—for the man. At this sight, the man recognized the beauty of the Lord's creation. The man called the woman "bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh." Finally, some other creature who bore the image of God; some other creature that could share love.
The man and the woman, Adam and Eve, lived in this garden of Eden with God. They were happy there. God gave them one commandment while in the garden. He asked them not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Adam and Eve's choice to go against God had lasting effects on all of humanity. Adam and Eve's sin, like all sin, has consequences. Because of their choice, we are now exposed to temptation and sin. Because of their choice to go against God, we are separated from Him and need a way back. God loves us so much and wanted to be back in communion with us that He sent his only Son so that we might be rescued from sin and death [read John 3:16].
- The first Adam was disobedient which resulted in original sin. Jesus was obedient, and His obedience is what makes our salvation possible.
- The serpent tempted Adam and he succumbed to temptation. Satan tempted Jesus in the desert and Jesus did not give in.
- It was in a garden where Adam refused to obey. Jesus accepted the Father's plan for His death in a garden.
Through the stories of Adam and Jesus, we can see just how much God loves us. He loved us enough to create us with the free will to choose to obey Him or disobey Him. He also loved us enough to give us a second chance – a way to get back to Him when we choose sin.
God is constantly seeking us. He wants to be an intimate part of our lives. He wants us to let Him love us. At the same time, He knows that there are times we will choose not to see Him – when we will choose to ignore His presence and reject His gift of love just as Adam did. However, God will not leave us in death, turmoil and sin. Adam's expulsion from the Garden is not the end of the story. Jesus is the New Adam and the way back to God.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a great gift that the Church has given us because we meet Jesus with our sin and turn to Him for mercy and forgiveness. In this Sacrament, the priest acts "in the person of Christ" to be the tangible presence of Jesus for us – we turn to Him with all our sin and lay our hearts out for Him to show us God's love.
Discussion Questions:
(This section provides some questions for you to continue the night's discussion at home)
- What does it mean to you to be created in God’s image and likeness?
- How does the fall relate to us today? What do you think some "modern day fruit" would be?
- How do you think Satan tempts people today? What tools does he use?
- What practical things can you do when faced with temptation to help you avoid sin?
Weekly Challenge:
Pray a Divine Mercy Chaplet as a family. Or, consider going to confession as a family. There are some great resources below to help you:
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