Preschool Curriculum: God is Relational

We are excited to be starting a brand-new series in our Preschool Curriculum this coming weekend.  We will use the account of Adam and Eve (Genesis 2 & 3) as our backdrop.  Coming off of the past four weeks of teaching about God is Creator, we will now focus on the divine attribute of God is Relational.  (See our current curriculum outline on our website.)  One thing that is incorporated into each lesson is some "Leader Preparation" material, that has the purpose of equipping our leaders with additional theology and application.  Here is the Leader Preparation for this upcoming series:

What's the plan? . . .  One of the first lessons you learn in working with preschoolers is that it's good to have a plan -- not that things always follow the plan perfectly, but it certainly helps to keep things on track.  Over the next few weeks, we will be exploring God's plan when He created human beings and the implications that plan has for us today.

God created human beings to reflect Himself.  Our memory verse for this unit says that we were created "in His own image."  However, we were not all created the same.  The verse goes on to say "male and female he created them."  Even though we are different, we still reflect the image of God.

God also created us to be in a relationship -- relationship with Himself and with others.  God knew that it was "not good for man to be alone" (Genesis 2:18) so He provided another person for Adam to connect with.  God also provided instructions and responsibilities.  Just as God gave Adam & Eve the job of caring for the Garden, God also gives us responsibilities.  He has a purpose for each of us.  But He doesn't leave us on our own to find and pursue that purpose.  He gives us instructions.  Just as He gave Adam and Eve guidelines for living in the Garden, our instructions are found within His word, the Bible.

But the most perfect plans don't always go smoothly.  and God, in His infinite wisdom, even had a plan for our shortcomings.  When Adam and Eve failed to follow God's instructions in the Garden, God already had a plan for their restoration.  He provided His Son, Jesus, as a substitute for the punishment that we all deserve and through Him the hope of a restored relationship.  

As you prepare to share these lessons with your class, take a moment to meditate on God's plan.  Are you even aware that you reflect God's image?  Do you trust in God's plan, His purpose, for your life?  And do you have faith in the restoration that Christ offers, even when you mess up?  Ask God to make His plan real in your life and reveal how you can share this amazing hope with the children in your class.

To learn more about our vision for our Preschool ministry, see this post.  Additionally, you can read a previous post about being created in God's image.