Workshop 8: Creation

Beautiful orange sunset over a deep blue ocean. — Tapestry is Sunsetting

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Part of Wisdom from the Hebrew Scriptures

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Introduction
From Wisdom from the Hebrew Scriptures

We covenant to affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of existence of which we are a part. — Unitarian Universalist Association Seventh Principle This final workshop presents the very first story that appears in the Hebrew scriptures: the creation of the world. This passage was one…
Workshop-at-a-Glance
From Wisdom from the Hebrew Scriptures

Activity Minutes Welcoming and Entering 0 Opening 5 Activity 1: Creation 15 Activity 2: Retelling the Story 15 Activity 3: Sabbath 10 Activity 4: Explaining Small Group Options 5 Activity 5: Discussion — Option 1 25 Activity 6: Creation Drama — Option 2 25 Activity 7: Creation Mural — Option 3…
Spiritual Preparation
From Wisdom from the Hebrew Scriptures

If you are familiar with the first Creation story passage from Genesis, recall the circumstances under which you heard or read it. What meaning was ascribed to it? How did it make you feel? Try to set aside the “culture wars” debate over the literal truth of the story as opposed to the scientific…
Welcoming and Entering
From Wisdom from the Hebrew Scriptures

Materials for Activity Name tags, durable or single use Bold markers Sign-in sheet and pen/pencil Small table Optional: Refreshments Preparation for Activity Create a sign-up sheet with columns for name, address, phone, and e-mail information and place it on the table….
Opening
From Wisdom from the Hebrew Scriptures

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Chalice, candle and lighter, or LED battery-operated candle Stand or table space for the chalice Decorative covering for the chalice stand Newsprint, markers, and tape Preparation for Activity Prepare a welcoming space, including comfortable seating…
Activity 1: Creation
From Wisdom from the Hebrew Scriptures

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity A copy of the story, “Creation” Leader Resource 1, Creation Background Information Preparation for Activity Print the story and practice reading it aloud. Print Leader Resource 1, Creation Background Information, and prepare to briefly present the…
Activity 2: Retelling the Story
From Wisdom from the Hebrew Scriptures

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Story, “Creation” Preparation for Activity Familiarize yourself with the story so that you can guide a dramatized retelling. Description of Activity Say, “In this story, many of the important elements are not people….
Activity 3: Sabbath
From Wisdom from the Hebrew Scriptures

Activity time: 10 minutes Description of Activity Say, “At the time this story was told and written down, one of the most important elements was the idea that after six days of creating things, God rested. Jewish people still honor a tradition of keeping a Sabbath, or day of rest, every week. For…
Activity 4: Explaining Small Group Options
From Wisdom from the Hebrew Scriptures

Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Newsprint, markers, and tape Preparation for Activity List the small group options and their locations on newsprint and post. Description of Activity Explain options for small processing groups and point out breakout spaces….
Activity 5: Discussion - Option 1
From Wisdom from the Hebrew Scriptures

Activity time: 25 minutes Materials for Activity Newsprint, markers, and tape Preparation for Activity Write these questions on newsprint and post: Why is this story preserved? What were they trying to teach with this story? What is it that we can learn?…
Activity 6: Creation Drama - Option 2
From Wisdom from the Hebrew Scriptures

Activity time: 25 minutes Materials for Activity Lots of brightly colored fabric pieces and scarves of various sizes and textures Description of Activity Invite the group to pretend that they are among the Jewish people newly returned from exile in Babylon….
Activity 7: Creation Mural - Option 3
From Wisdom from the Hebrew Scriptures

Activity time: 25 minutes Materials for Activity Mural paper, about 10 1/2 feet long Poster paints, brushes, and water Smocks Pencils Preparation for Activity Make sure there is ample space to create a long mural….
Closing
From Wisdom from the Hebrew Scriptures

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Leader Resource 2, Creating the Closing Worship Taking It Home handout Chalice, candle and lighter, or LED battery-operated candle Stand or table space for the chalice Decorative covering for chalice stand Newsprint, markers, and tape Copies of…
Leader Reflection and Planning
From Wisdom from the Hebrew Scriptures

Take a few minutes to talk with your co-facilitator about how the workshop went, using these questions as a guide: What went well? What surprised us as facilitators? Amazed us? Challenged us? How did this workshop strengthen multigenerational community?…
Faith In Action: Green Sanctuary
From Wisdom from the Hebrew Scriptures

Preparation for Activity Find out about the UUA Green Sanctuary program and/or by reading the UUA Green Sanctuary blog….
Alternate Activity 1: Kinship Litany
From Wisdom from the Hebrew Scriptures

Activity time: 25 minutes Materials for Activity Six sheets of paper and pencil/pen Preparation for Activity Be sure that there are at least two adults or youth to meet with this breakout group. Recruit a scribe to record ideas….
Taking It Home: Creation
From Wisdom from the Hebrew Scriptures

We covenant to affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of existence of which we are a part. — Unitarian Universalist Association Seventh Principle Watch the three-part N… television series on human evolution and explore the website for updated information. Both the Hebrew…
Creation
From Wisdom from the Hebrew Scriptures

Genesis 1: 1-31; 2:1-4 (New Revised Standard Version) In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was…
Leader Resource 1: Creation Background Information
From Wisdom from the Hebrew Scriptures

Although the story of the creation of the world is the first story that appears in the Torah, it was one of the later additions to the body of scripture, added after the Jewish people had returned home from their exile in Babylon….
Leader Resource 2: Creating the Closing Worship
From Wisdom from the Hebrew Scriptures

In this program, the closing worship circle offers a time for the group to come back together to enrich each other’s understanding of the story and of their own life experience. This is not a show-and-tell experience, but rather a participatory, co-created worship experience. You will need to do…
Find Out More
From Wisdom from the Hebrew Scriptures

To explore more about how the Hebrew scriptures came to be written, organized, and interpreted, read the work of biblical Scholar James L. Kugel. You can read about Kugel and his work in “Final Architect,” by Janet Tassel, on the website of the Nahum Goldman Fellowship Program. Kugel’s book is…

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Workshop 8: Creation

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