Family Worship (Aug 16)

Have you ever tried to grow a plant? A plant needs several things to grow strong and healthy. It needs good soil, water, sunlight, and room for its roots to grow. If you put a flower in a dark closet and never water it, it probably won't do very well! Plants grow best when they have what they were created to need.
People are like that too. God created us, so he knows what we need to grow and flourish. “Flourish” means to grow and live the way God designed us to live.
In Genesis 2, God created a beautiful garden for Adam and Eve. He gave them everything they needed. They had a relationship with God. They cared for God's creation. They knew who they were and lived within God's good boundaries. And they had relationships with each other.
God made us to flourish too. The best life isn't one where we get everything we want. It is a life lived according to God's good design.

Genesis 2:8-18 (NIV)
Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Discussion Questions

1. What are some of the good things God gave Adam and Eve in Genesis 2?
2. Why do you think God's rules and boundaries are good for us, even when we don't always like them?
3. God made us for relationships with him, his creation, ourselves, and other people. What is one way you could help one of those relationships flourish this week?

Activity: What Does It Need to Flourish?
Find a plant, tree, or flower outside. As a family, name everything it needs to flourish: sunlight, water, good soil, air, space, and anything else you can think of.
Now draw a picture of a large flower with four petals. On the petals write: God, Creation, Myself, People
Talk together about what a healthy relationship in each area looks like. Let everyone add examples to the picture.
Finish by remembering that Jesus is the One through whom God created everything—including us! We were made through Jesus and for Jesus, and he helps us become the people God created us to be.

Prayer
Father, thank you for creating us and giving us so many good gifts. Thank you for Jesus, through whom you made all things. Help our family trust your good design. Teach us to love you, care for your creation, understand who you made us to be, and love one another well. Help our family flourish as we follow you. Amen.

Memory Work:

New City Catechism
33. Should those who have faith in Christ seek their salvation through their own works, or anywhere else?
No, everything necessary to salvation is found in Christ.

Memory Verse
Deuteronomy 31:8
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.