Lesson #11:Old Testment: Suffering

HIGHS AND LOWS:
Write down one high and one low from your week in your prayer journal.  Pastor Breen or a student volunteer will gather them in prayer.

REVIEW:  What do you remember from last class?  About the woman?  About the man?  About the serpent?  About the story called “the Fall”?  You may refer to your one sentence summary from last week if you are drawing a blank.

GATHERING ACTIVITY:
How would you define the word “suffering”?

What are some ways that people in the world suffer?

OUTLOUD PRAYER/LIGHTING THE CANDLE:
Use Heart Ignite’s “Light-of-the-World Prayer,” found on page 29, to highlight places in the world where people might be suffering and they need Christ’s light.

DWELLING IN THE WORD:  Genesis 3:8-24
Take turns reading Genesis 3:8-24 from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.  Underline things you have questions about.  Circle things you like or would like to discuss more.

Comprehension Questions: Answer the following questions as completely as possible (group activity:  do this with your parents):
1.  What did they do when they heard God coming (verse 8)? Why (verse 9)?

2.  What did God ask them (verse 11)?

3.  Who did the man blame (verse 12)?

4.  Who did he woman blame (verse 13)?

5.  What is the serpent’s consequence (verse 14-15)?

6.  What is the woman’s consequence (verse 16)?

7.  What is the man’s consequence (verse 17-19)?

8.  What did the man name the woman (verse 20)? Why?

9.  What did God do for them next (verse 21)?

10.  What is God worried about (verse 22)?

11.  What did God do about this (verse 23)?

12.  What did God use to guard Eden (verse 24)?

Content Questions: Answer the following questions as completely as possible (group activity:  do this with your parents):

What scares, confuses, or challenges me in this text?

What is my favorite part of this text?  Why?

What stories or memories does this text stir up in you?  You might remember a time when your actions suffered consequences, or when you were punished for your actions, for example.

What is God doing in this text?  What is God up to?

CONNECT BIBLE ACTIVITY:  Turn in your Connect Bible to page 10 and read that page as a class.  Then, complete the activity described in bold.  Share your work with the class (take a copy to show to Pastor Breen if you do this activity at home)

TALKING TO GOD/TAKING IT HOME
1. During this week, in your prayers, try using “My Deliverer” as your title for God. Make a special effort to emphasize “but deliver us from evil” when you pray the Lord’s Prayer this week.

2. Write a one sentence summary in your prayer journal. In this sentence, describe your answer to the question “What did you learn about in Confirmation class this week?” in as much detail as possible.

3. Conclude your time together with the Lord’s Prayer.