Good morning! I’m so glad you’re all here! Connect Question: If you could design and grow your own tree, what would it look like and what would grow on it? (Example: a purple and green tree that grows gummy bears) Have kids ask a neighbor, and then call on a few to share answers with the group.

Review the Remember Verse. It’s the first week of this remember verse, so say it together as a group 1 or 2 times! The LORD your God is God. He is the faithful God. He keeps his covenant for all time to come. He keeps it with those who love him and obey his commandments. He shows them his love. Deuteronomy 7:9

Worship time:

Invite children to sit in their seats. Before we continue, I want to make sure to share the rules of our Large Group time… 1.Everyone must stay in their seats until we are allowed to move to a different area. 2.We must listen when the leader is speaking, and follow all directions! 3.Quietly ask your small group leader if you need to use the restroom. 4.Keep your hands and feet to yourself. 5.Respect other people and the things in this room.

Thank them (in advance) for following the rules, and remind them that following the rules helps everyone to get along, to learn, and to have fun! ________________________ Before sharing this part of The Big God Story, tell the children they’re about to hear a true story that’s recorded in the Bible. Invite the children who brought to open their Bibles and follow along in Genesis 1—3.

Today I’m going to tell you the beginning of a story. We won’t be able to finish the story today; in fact we will tell this story all year long. Each time we gather together, you may have a different person sharing a different part of the story, but there is one very important thing to remember … it’s all the same story with one main character.

It’s His story and He is the hero. He is unlike anyone or anything else and He is good— always good. Who is it that I am speaking of? Allow kids to answer. That’s right, God. This is the true story of God. Before we get started, let’s stop and ask God to teach us today. Lead kids in Prayer of Release. Tech: Cue Timeline video (& slide) after prayer

In the beginning, everything was completely dark. And God was there. He had always existed, and He always will. Then, one day, God began to create. He created the starry night sky (Tech: Cue Night Sky slide), the big, salty ocean (Tech: Cue Ocean slide), the shimmering leaves on the trees (Tech: Cue Leaves slide), the white petals on daisies (Tech: Cue Daisies slide),

…the tiny seashells on the shore (Tech: Cue Seashells slide), the fins on the blue whale (Tech: Cue Whale Fin slide), the horns on rams (Tech: Cue Ram Horn slide), the swirls of colors in the sunset (Tech: Cue Sunset slide)— everything we see on earth. And God called it “good.”

Because God saved the best for last, He created the first man and the first woman on His final day of creation. We call them Adam and Eve. He called them “very good.” God placed Adam and Eve in a garden in the middle of four rivers, and the garden was very beautiful and full of good things to eat and animals to play with. The garden was called Eden.

Life was good for the man and the woman in the garden. They had a perfect relationship with God! They walked and talked with God. Adam and Eve found plenty of fruit to eat on the trees, and had the important responsibility of taking care of the garden. God even asked Adam to name all of the animals in the garden.

The only thing Adam and Eve were forbidden to do was eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the middle of the garden. (Tech: Cue Tree slide.) God told them that if they ate from it, they would die. (Tech: Cue and follow along with verse slides) One day, as Eve stood in the garden by this very tree, a serpent approached and said, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

“We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” Eve said. “But God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die’ (Genesis 3:1–3). The serpent lied to Eve and said, “You will not certainly die … For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil (vv. 4–5).”

Eve might have stood there looking at the tree for a moment. The fruit looked good, and she was curious as to what it would taste like. Then she made a choice! Because she believed the lie told to her by the serpent, she took a piece of fruit from the tree and bit into it. Then she gave it to her husband, Adam, and he also took a bite.

Once Adam and Eve ate from the tree, they realized that they were naked! That’s why the tree was named the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. They now knew things they hadn’t known before, and their innocence was gone. For the first time, they felt shame. What does innocence mean? Allow answers. Good! And what about ‘shame’? Allow answers.

Adam and Eve quickly gathered leaves to cover their bodies. Soon after, they heard footsteps in the garden. It was God! The first book of the Bible, Genesis, tells us what happened next. Read Genesis 3:9–13 (Tech: Cue Slides) The L ORD God called out to the man. “Where are you?” he asked. “I heard you in the garden,” the man answered. “I was afraid, because I was naked. So I hid.”…

The L ORD God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten fruit from the tree I commanded you not to eat from?” Adam said, “It’s Eve’s fault! She gave me some fruit from the tree. And I ate it.” Then the L ORD God said to Eve, “What have you done?” She said, “The serpent tricked me. That’s why I ate the fruit.”

At the moment Adam and Eve ate the fruit, “sin” entered the world. What is sin? Encourage the kids to answer; interact with their responses. Sin is when we disobey God and turn away from Him. God is holy—He is perfect and without sin. Because God is perfect and holy, He cannot exist with sin. Now that sin was a part of people’s lives on earth, everything changed.

The relationship God shared with people changed. Adam and Eve were the first people to face the very serious consequences of sin. One of those consequences was that they had to leave the garden, live separated from God, and die someday. All people who came after Adam and Eve had these same consequences.

But God is so good. He made a promise that one day He would send a Redeemer who would forgive and pay the price of our sin completely through His perfect love. The Redeemer is Jesus. Many years after Adam and Eve left the garden, God sent His only Son, Jesus, to live on earth as a man and die on a cross as the sacrifice for our sins.

Born as a baby, just like you and me, Jesus grew up and lived a life free from any sin. He became the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Three days after Jesus died, He rose from the dead! It is the biggest miracle that has ever happened. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we have been redeemed. He paid the price of our sin. He redeems us. Jesus made it possible for anyone who chooses to put her faith in Him to have a perfect relationship with God again.

And someday, in heaven, we will get to see God face-to-face. There will be no more sin, no more death, no more hurting. It will be wonderful beyond anything we could ever imagine! Before we get the end of the story, we need to see what happens throughout the entire Big God Story—and we’ve only just begun. Get ready, because next week there may be some cloudy skies … and you might want to bring your umbrellas.

Close in prayer before introducing Worship Response Activities. _____________________________ God redeems. He frees us from sin and offers us the gift of eternal life with Him. Today we’re going to have a chance to respond to our God as we think about these amazing truths.

If you feel you need forgiveness for your sin, or for anything that makes you feel ashamed, visit the "Forgiveness" cross and write or draw prayers of confession to God on the leaves. Tape those leaves to the cross. As you stand near or sit near the cross, remember that God redeems. Take some time to pray and talk to God about the things you drew or wrote on the leaves.

If you’re feeling thankful for the forgiveness God offers us because of Jesus’ death, you can visit the "Thanksgiving" cross. His death paid for our sins so we could have a relationship with God. Spend some time thanking Jesus for what He did for you. Write or draw your thoughts on a leaf and tape it to the cross to thank Jesus for His amazing gift. Spend some time talking to God, thanking Him for His grace and forgiveness.

The prayer wall is also open for you to post any other prayer requests. Once you are done with the response stations, you can come sit in a chair until we dismiss the classes. Remind the group that this is a quiet time to respond to God, and not time to run around. Release kids to Response Stations. Tech: Cue Music After 1 or 2 songs, dismiss by grade.