I hope that this adventure through God’s story is going to teach us a lot and allow us to have some fun while we experience it together. Before we begin, let me share a little bit more about how we can be thinking about these stories as we move through them.
In every Bible story that we go through together, there will actually be TWO story lines going on: we’ll call them an Upper Story and a Lower Story. The Upper Story tells the big picture, the grand narrative of God seeking relationship with human beings as it unfolds throughout history. Every story in the Bible is a part of one, bigger story...the Upper Story.
The Lower Story are the smaller stories we will look at each week that tell the details of particular people and the events that happen in their lives. What will be eye opening is when we are learning about a (lower) story and we begin to see how it is connected to all the other stories.
When we look at each story with the Upper Story and Lower Story in mind, it helps up:
1) see that God and God’s plans for the world are the central character in the story. 2) It’s helps us put our own lives into the “bigger picture”, and see how God’s story continues with us.
Sometimes events like a break-up or failures leave us feeling like there is no hope. But when see that God has a long-range plan and better story for our lives, we begin to see life with a bigger perspective. We might event see difficult circumstances as an opportunity for God to show us something better.
In what ways was life different in the creation story from life today?
Why do you think God rested after he had finished creating? What could this mean for your life?
Why do you think God created humans in his own image? What does this mean for you?
What do you think motivated Adam and Eve to sin against God?
Why do you think God put the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the garden?
Why did God flood the earth?
What does this act of judgment tell you about God?
In what ways do we see corruption and violence in our world today? How do we see it in our own lives?
God, thank you for this time together, and for allowing us to begin this incredible journey through this story. Help us to reflect on what we’ve experienced today in the week ahead. And may we look forward to learning about more about you and your wonderful, mysterious plan for the world in the weeks to come. Thank you for being a God who is creative, powerful, and true to Your promises. Amen.
Part 2
Abraham left his homeland and a wealthy family business that was passed down from generations to follow God. How do think this would have been difficult? What did God give him in return?
What might God be asking you to give up to follow him?
The story said that Abraham was “righteous” in God’s sight? What do you think this means? Was Abraham perfect? How did he express doubt in God in this story? Can teenagers be righteous? How or why not?
Why do you think God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac? What do you think Abraham—and Isaac– learned from this experience?
Because Jacob had shrewdly acquired Esau’s birthright and stolen their father’s blessing, Jacob feared his brother’s revenge. How did Jacob prepare for his meeting with Esau?
What attitude did Jacob have when he wrestled with the “man” who Jacob eventually realized was actually God?
Jacob’s name was changed to Israel...meaning “to struggle with God.” How do we “struggle” with God? How might it be good to “struggle” in our faith?
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