SESSION 1: GOD, THE CREATOR

Bible Story: David Praised God the Creator Bonus Verse: How countless are your works,
(Acts 13:21-23; Psalm 104) LORD! In wisdom you have made them all; the
Today’s Point: God is the marvelous Creator. earth is full of your creatures. Psalm 104:24

LEADER DEVOTION
“In the beginning God created ... ” (Genesis 1 :1). This REFLECT
might be where you expected to start this week as we
talk about God as the Creator. We certainly do not want to • Have you looked out of a window or taken a walk
overlook those vital first five words of Scripture, but God’s recently and allowed God’s incredible creation to lead
creativity is not limited to Genesis 1–2. His creativity is on you to praise God as Creator? If not, plan some time this
display throughout all of God’s Word. As Scripture unfolds week to do just that. Perhaps you could write your own
we gain new glimpses into the majesty of God’s creativity. psalm of praise in a journal.
Many of the psalms, in fact, show us insight into God as • What are some ways you can begin planning to help
the marvelous Creator through the eyes of David the your students observe God’s creativity in His creation
poet/songwriter. This is where Day 1 takes us. Let’s look during VBS? Be sure to jot down a few notes to call on
together at God, the amazing Creator of all things, to see during your VBS.
His creation as an expression of His infinite creativity and
sovereignty.
Before getting to Psalm 104, we’ll need to set up who
David was and why he is important to the overall story we
are telling this week. We see from Acts 13:21-23 that God
was working out His plan for the nation of Israel, which
ultimately included David being anointed as king. More on
that on Day 2.
Take a few minutes to open your Bible and prayerfully
read all of Psalm 104. Notice two expressions of God’s
creativity in this passage. The more obvious are the works
of God in the sky (v. 2-4), the earth and water (v. 5-9), the
springs and the animals (v. 10-14), the trees and birds
(v. 16-17), and much more. The second expression of
creativity may not be as obvious at first. Consider the
words David used to paint a picture for us to see in our
minds. It is God’s creativity at work being displayed
through David’s descriptions as he reflects on God’s
creativity throughout the psalm. As David points to God,
we see God’s creativity reflected in David’s poetry.
“How countless are your works, LORD! In wisdom you
have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.”
(Psalm 104:24)
At the heart of Day 1, we want to encourage students to
notice God’s creation. Then we can lead them to follow
David’s example, and praise God as the Creator of all
things. God is good. His creation is good. And He is still
at work, even now, in the world around us.

SESSION 1 7
Worship Prep
† Leader kit items 2 and 3
† Printables
• “Playlist”
• “Session 1 Opening Slide”
† Slips of construction paper
cut in equal parts of red,
yellow, blue, and green.
† Four sets of the same
supplies such as construction
paper, tape, cardboard tubes,
markers, cardboard, etc.
† Pens, tape
† A sheet of bulletin board
paper with God is printed in
the center.
Leader Tip
Invite a church member who
works in the visual arts as a
painter, drawer, photographer or
sculptor to come to the session
to share about his or her work
and how creativity brings glory
to God. Encourage your guest to
show some creative samples
to students.
8 VBS 2022 STUDENT LEADER GUIDE
WORSHIP (30 MINUTES)
• Show the “Session 1 Opening Slide”
on the screen.
• As students enter, distribute a colored
slip of paper (red, yellow, blue, green)
to each student and instruct students
to keep their slips for later in the
session.
• Welcome students to this first
session of Student Vacation Bible
School. Invite students to introduce
themselves. Pray over the session and
students. Allow time for students to
greet people next to them.
• Say: “Our theme is Spark Studios
where a spark of creativity will ignite
as we draw, paint, build, design, and
explore ways to celebrate who God is
and who He has made us to be.”
• Point to the screen and share that
this session is entitled, “God, the
Creator.” Say: “We will discover that
our creativity is a gift from the One
who created everything and designed
us for His glory.”
• Invite a student band to lead the
group in singing songs from the
“Playlist.” Call on a student to pray after
singing a few songs.
• Instruct students to take out their
colored slips of paper and find the
other students with their same colors
to form four groups. Lead groups
to select one student to come to
the front of the room to collect the
supplies for his or her group.
• Give each group the same supplies
such as construction paper, tape,
cardboard tubes, markers, cardboard,
and so forth. Say: “You have a chance
now to use your creativity and work
together to create a masterpiece. Be
sure that every student in your group
participates in some way.” After a
few minutes, call time and allow each
group to show their designs and share
about them. Place these on display at
the front.
• Call attention to the “VBS Scripture
Poster” (kit item 2). Assign groups the
following phrases of the theme verse
that is on the poster: Red Group—for
we are his workmanship; Yellow
Group—created in Christ Jesus for
good works; Green Group—which
God prepared ahead of time; Blue
Group—for us to do. Lead each
group to recite its phrase in unison
in the order of the theme verse,
with all students ending by saying,
“Ephesians 2:10.” Do this two times.
Challenge students to memorize this
verse over the next few days.
• Point to the creations on display
and say: “Just as these are your
creations and workmanship, we
are God’s workmanship.” Ask: “For
what does this verse say we were
created? (good works) What are some
examples of good works?” Invite
students to respond and discuss.
• Say: “Because God is Creator, the
Master Artist, He is worthy of our
praise. We will see in this session’s
Bible study that David praised
God the Creator.” Pass out pens to
students. Lead them to think of words
that describe God to them personally
and write at least one word on their
slips of colored paper. Guide them
to tape their slips of paper on the
bulletin board paper entitled “God is”
on the floor in the center of the room
to create a word portrait of God.
• Instruct students to circle around the
portrait. Refer to “Session 1 Poster” (kit
item 3). Call on students to recite this
verse in unison together.
• Say: “We are going to end our session
in prayer, focusing on praising God
for who He is. Once I open the
prayer time, feel free to speak your
characteristic of God aloud as praise
to Him.” Open the prayer, thanking
God for who He is. Once students
have had time to respond, end the
time with prayer.
MOTIVATE (15 MINUTES)
Choose a song from the “Playlist” to
play before the designated start time for
the session.
MASTERPIECES
• Assign each student one of the
following words: brush, paint, canvas,
easel. Instruct students to find the
others with their word to form groups.
• Ask: “Who knows our VBS theme for
this summer?” (Spark Studios) Say:
“Our theme is built on creativity and
the arts, with a focus on God as the
Master Artist. We will learn how God
is working to redeem, reclaim, and
transform us—His creation—to the
original design He planned for us.”
• Give each group a large sheet of
paper and markers. Say: “Today, we
will focus on the visual fine arts. The
first form we will explore is drawing.”
Invite groups to work together to
create a mural by drawing on the
sheet of paper. Say: “Every student
must contribute to the mural, and the
mural needs to tell a story that makes
sense.” Play music from the “Playlist”
in the background as students work.
After a short time, ask each group to
display their masterpieces.
• Refer students to their learner
guides, page 4 to match the famous
masterpieces to the artists who
created them. After a short time,
provide the correct answers so
students can check their work.
• Say: “The artists who created
these famous pieces of art in your
book were very creative. You may
or may not consider yourself an
artist, but God made all of us to be
creative. People reflect the creativity
of their creative God. We are His
workmanship, a masterpiece in
process.”
Motivate Prep
† Leader kit item 3
† Printables
LET’S GET CREATIVE • “Playlist”
• Direct groups to discuss the following: † Dry erase board or poster
with these questions printed
What is a definition of creativity? What to display:
role do we play in creativity? What is • What is a definition of
the most creative thing you have ever creativity?
done? Allow a couple of volunteers to • What role do we play in
share from their group discussions of creativity?
the second question. • What is the most creative
thing you have ever done?
• Ask: “Does anyone know what a haiku † 4 large sheets of paper
is?” Say: “A haiku is a Japanese poem † Markers and crayons
that consists of three lines, with five † Pens
syllables in the first line, seven in the † 4 tear sheets
second, and five in the third. To keep † Bibles
our creative juices flowing, we are † VBS 2022 Student Learner
going to write a haiku. Within your Guides (1 per student)
groups, get creative and write a haiku
about God as Creator.” Distribute a
tear sheet to each group. Give them a
Leader Tip
few minutes. Then, ask each group to
share. Congratulate students for being Ensure you comply with CCLI and
so creative and doing such a good job. streaming services guidelines
when playing music at your
• Instruct students to open their Bibles church. Contact your church’s
to the middle. Ask: “What book of the worship leader for questions
Bible is in the center?” (Psalms) Invite about playing recorded music
during your sessions.
six students to each read one of the
Book of Psalms facts on page 4 in
their learner guides. Say: “In today’s
session we are going to learn about
King David, his love for music, and
how he used songs and poems to
praise God.”
• Call attention to “Session 1 Poster”
(kit item 3) and point out that the verse
is found in Psalm 104:24. Recite this
verse in unison as a group.
• Say: “God created the world and
everything in it from nothing by simply
speaking it into existence. He is the
ultimate example of creativity. Before
we dive into our Scripture passages,
let’s pray.”
• Pray these words: “God, as we read
Your Word, grant us wisdom and
understanding through Your Spirit.”
SESSION 1 9
Examine Prep
† Leader kit item 4
† Ask an artist or painter in
your church to paint a partial
image on a canvas.
† 4 tear sheets
† White crayons
† Watercolor paints
† 1-inch paintbrushes
† 4 cups of water
† A plastic crown
† Small sets of play dough
(1 for each student)
Leader Tip
You may need a small bowl to
pour paint into and paper towels
for clean up.
10 VBS 2022 STUDENT LEADER GUIDE
EXAMINE (30 MINUTES)
KINGLY DESIRES
• Call on a student to read Acts 13:21-23.
Share the following context to these
verses. Say: “The nation of Israel
begged God for a king because all
the nations around them had one. So,
God gave them a king.” Ask: “What
was this king’s name?” (Saul) “How
long was he king and why was he
no longer king?” (40 years, he failed
to obey God) Say: “God provided
a second king.” Ask: “What was his
name?” (David)
• Say: “God blessed David, and David
became a mighty king. He was
victorious in battle. He was powerful
and rich. He was a talented musician
who played instruments and wrote
songs. He was famous, and he
could have thought of himself as the
greatest person in the world. But
instead, David chose to honor God.”
• Ask: “According to these verses, who
was a direct descendant of King
David?” (Jesus, Acts 13:23) Say: “God
had promised Israel a long time
before that He would send them a
Savior through the line of David, and
He fulfilled that promise in Jesus. This
truth helps us remember that God’s
Word is true and that God always
keeps His promises, even today.”
• Ask for a show of hands for any
students or family members who
have traced their ancestry or done an
ancestry test.
• Direct students’ attention to
“Genealogy of Jesus” (kit item 4). Say:
“This is the lineage of Jesus.” Ask:
“Can you spot David’s name?” Use a
marker to circle David’s name in the
line. Say: “Isaiah 11:1 tells us that there
will come forth a shoot from the stump
of Jesse, and a branch from his roots
shall bear fruit. Jesse was the father
of David.” Then, draw attention to
Jesus’ name on the list and draw a box
around it. Instruct them to look at the
other names to see if they recognize
any or find any that they are curious
about.
• Say: “God planned for King David to
be part of the redemptive story, not
the culmination of it. David would
carry out God’s will. Jesus would be
the One to fulfill it.”
• Display a canvas that has an
incomplete image on it, a painting
that has not been completed. Point
to the canvas and say: “David was
part of God’s big picture, but it wasn’t
about David, himself. We, too, are part
of God’s plan, but our lives are not
only about us. We live for something—
Someone—bigger than ourselves, to
carry out His plans and purposes.”
• Give each group a tear sheet and a
couple of white crayons. Lead them
to work together to summarize Acts
13:21-23 in one sentence as a social
media post. Next, guide them to
create a secret, hidden message
by writing their summary on their
tear sheets using the white crayons.
Instruct them to bear down with
their crayons so that the print will
not be too light. Once all groups
have completed this, lead groups to
exchange their sheets with another
group.
• Say: “Painting is another form of the
visual fine arts. Earlier, we saw some
of the great masterpieces in art history
in our learner guides. Painting media
consists of oil, tempera, acrylic and
one that we are going to use today—
watercolor.”
• Distribute watercolor paints, 1-inch
brushes, and a cup of water to each
group. Direct groups to paint over the
tear sheets to discover the hidden
messages. Ask each group to read
aloud the summary they discovered.
Commend groups for their work.
PRAISE FOR CREATOR GOD
• Say: “Now, let’s go back to the Book of
Psalms.” Lead them to turn to Psalm 104.
Point out that David was the author of this
psalm. He wrote it as worship of God the
Creator and as an argument against sun
worship. Say: “Even in these ancient times,
people were worshiping things other than
the God of creation.” Ask: “What are some
things people today worship?” (money,
phones, stuff, careers, relationships, and
so forth)
• Say: “In this psalm, David wrote about
the greatness of God. He explained how
everything God created has a place and
a purpose. David celebrated God as the
King of the Universe. He wrote that even
the sun and moon follow God’s plan.
David understood his place in creation.
God created David to be a king, but God is
the true King of everything. Let’s read this
chapter and break it down even further.”
• Say: “As we read this psalm about Creator
God, we will discover other characteristics
of God.”
GOD IS KING
• Call on a student to read Psalm 104:1-4.
Hold up the crown. Say: “We see God as
King in these verses. David recognized his
place before the Creator God as a place
of submission.”
• Ask students to share examples of king
language found in these verses: clothed
with majesty and splendor, wraps himself
in light as if it were a robe, spreading out
the sky like a canopy, laying the beams of
his palace on the waters above, making
the clouds his chariot, and so forth.
• Ask students to complete the activities in
the “God is King” section of their learner
guide on page 5.
GOD IS AUTHORITY
• Say: “We are going to play a variation
of the childhood favorite game ‘Simon
Says’ called ‘Leader Says!’ ” Ask for three
or four students to serve as leaders. Pull
these students aside and give them these
instructions: You are to give students
actions to perform. Precede some actions
with ‘leader says…’ and others without it.
Start slow at first. As the game gets going,
speed up giving commands, talking over
each other, and even giving the same
commands. The goal is to confuse the
students as much as possible. Tell leaders
to take their place around the room.
• Say: “When I say go, our leaders will begin
to call out commands for the rest of you
to follow. Only follow those commands
preceded with ‘leader says.’ If a leader
gives a command but does not say ‘leader
says’ before the command, you are not to
follow it. If they say ‘leader says’ and you
don’t follow the command, then you are
out of the game. If you do a command that
is not preceded by ‘leader says,’ then you
are out. The objective is to be among the
last students still in the game when time is
called to end the game.”
• Be mindful of your time, not allowing
“Leader Says” to go on too long. Recognize
the last student(s) standing. Ask students
to debrief this activity, comparing the
leaders to other authority figures.
• Ask a student to read Psalm 104:5-9.
Invite students to call out examples of
God’s authority found in these verses.
(established the foundations of the
earth, at His rebuke the water fled and
mountains rose up) Ask: “What evidence
do we see in our everyday lives that God
is in control and has ultimate authority?”
• Lead students to “God Is Authority” on
page 5 of their learner guides.
GOD IS PROVIDER
• Call on a student to read Psalm 104:10-18.
Say: “Here, we see God’s provision.” Allow
time for students to give examples of this
from the Scripture. (provides water for
all creatures, food for animals, crops for
people to cultivate)
• Instruct students to answer the question in
“God Is Provider” on page 6 of their learner
guides. Then, invite them to share, one
at a time, some of the ways that God has
provided. In between each one, say: “God
is our Provider.”
• Ask: “How can you use what God has
given you to help someone in need?”
• Remind students that God may provide
for others through us and our willingness
to share.
SESSION 1 11
 GOD IS DEPENDABLE
• Ask a student to read Psalm 104:19-23.
Say: “In these verses, we see God’s
dependability through the orderliness
of creation.”
• Lead students to page 6 of their
learner guides to “God Is Dependable”
to complete the activity.
Sharing the Gospel
• Ask students to ponder this question:
This icon identifies an “Can God depend on you to share His
opportune time to share the love and gospel with others who do
gospel with students as led by not know Jesus?”
the Holy Spirit.
GOD IS OUR HOPE
• Read Psalm 104:24-30 or ask a
student to read these verses aloud.
Say: “Here, we see all of creation
waiting for God’s future provision. We
see David pause to worship God.”
• Cross reference and read aloud
Romans 8:18-23. Say: “When we have
Christ in our lives, we have the hope
of an eternity with the Father. Jesus
made that possible by dying on the
Apply Prep
cross for all of our sins and being
† Leader kit item 5 resurrected, so we can be reconciled
(1 per student) and restored to God.”
† Bulletin board paper
(1 per group)
† Colored chalk
† VBS 2022 Student Learner
Guides (1 per student)
APPLY (15 MINUTES)
CONCERT OF PRAISE
• Say: “We are going to follow David’s
Leader Tip example from Psalm 104 and pause to
take time to worship and participate
If you have several students
in a concert of praise.” Encourage
who are artists, consider inviting
them to showcase some of their students to spread out. Play songs
work at an Art Show. If you are from “Playlist.” Lead students to
needing to fund raise for a trip, reflect on and give God praise
think about holding a silent personally. After a few minutes,
auction of some of these items invite students to stand in a circle.
(if okay with your students). Distribute a copy of “Responsive
Use “Art Show Promo Poster”
Reading - Concert of Praise” (kit item
printable to promote this event.
5) to each student. Invite students to
recite the lyrics of this hymn written
by St. Francis of Assisi in 1225 as
directed on the handout.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN
FOR ME?
• Point students to open their learner
guides to page 7 to complete the
following statements.
12 VBS 2022 STUDENT LEADER GUIDE
• Say: “Another form of the visual fine
arts is sculpture. The media an artist
uses for molded sculptures include
clay, wax, paper-mache and plaster.
We are going to experience sculpture
today using everyone’s childhood
favorite: play dough!”
• Give each student an individual-
sized play dough container and give
instructions to use it to create a
representation of hope, both for today
and for the future.
• Refer students to page 7 in the learner
guide to answer the question found in
the “God Is Our Hope” section.
GOD IS WORTHY OF PRAISE
• Call on a student to read aloud
Psalm 104:31-35. Say: “In these last
verses of this passage, we see God’s
people worship Him. He is worthy
of our praise. The poem ends with
‘Hallelujah.’ which means ‘Praise God.’”
• Ask students to respond to the last
questions in the learner guide on
page 7 in the “God is Worthy of Praise”
section. Encourage students to look
up and read the Scripture passages
noted there at a later time.
» Seeing God as Creator, who created
me in His image as a unique
masterpiece, I will ... .
» My role in God’s creativity leads me
to ... .
PSALM 104:24
• Give each group a sheet of black
bulletin board paper and colored
chalk. Instruct them to print the words
of Psalm 104:24 with the chalk and
create verse art to go along with it.
• Lead each group to hang their art on
a focal wall. Recite the verse in unison
as one large group several times.
PRAY
End the session by saying: “We are
beyond thankful that Jesus fulfilled
God’s promise of being our Savior.
 Recreation Prep
ROTATIONS (30 MINUTES EACH) † Text or email students and ask
them to bring their phones
MISSIONS with them to this session.
Remind them that they are not
Plans for leading a missions rotation can be found in the printable resources of the to use them until recreation,
student leader kit. and even then, not everyone
will need to use their phone.
† Make copies of “Photo List” for
RECREATION groups from printable items.
† Purchase a small prize for the
PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT winning team.

PLAY
• Say: “In today’s session, we looked at drawing, painting, and sculpture as different Recreation Tip
forms of the visual fine arts. Another form is photography, and we are going to use Consider including at least one
photography during this recreation time.” leader to accompany each group
in the photo scavenger hunt.
• Inform students they are about to compete in a photo scavenger hunt. Form small
groups, possibly by gender, by grade in school, or by shoe color. Note: The point
of a photo scavenger hunt is for your students to engage with one another and
their environment while taking photos of their interactions, not just the act of
taking the photos themselves.
• Say: “I am going to give each group a list of photos that your group needs to take.
The first group to take all the photos, get back to me, and show me your photos
will be the winning team. The winning team will receive a prize.”
• Give these rules:
1. You can go anywhere on the church property to get your photos, but you cannot
leave campus.
2. Only use one phone per group.
3. You cannot enter any space where other groups are conducting VBS that
interrupts or distracts.
4. Walk at all times. While this is a competition, we cannot have groups running.
5. There should be no more than two groups at the same photo location at a time.
If that is the case, move on to the next photo on the list and come back.
6. Your group should report back at the end of 30 minutes. (Designate one student
in each group to set a time on his or her phone.) You will have no longer than 30
minutes to get your photos. If no group gets all of them, the winning team will
be the one that has taken the most photos.
Pass out “Photo List” and start the activity. Award the group with the most photos
from the list as the winner and give them a prize.

DEBRIEF
• Ask students to share how this activity relates to the lesson today.
• Share with students that God is Creator of all things, including all the items in their
photos. Point out the nature items they took pictures of including the small animal,
flowers, and insect. These may be the most obvious items. Explain that all pictures
included people and share how human beings are set apart in God’s creation. We
are all made as creative people to reflect our Creator God!
SESSION 1 13
 CRAFTS

Crafts Prep
† Bible
† Blue balloons (1 per student)
† Green balloons (2 per
student)
† Dry, empty water bottles
(1 per student)
† Funnels
† Flour (about ½ cup per
project)
† Pencils
† Damp cloths
† Scissors
† Newspaper or VBS 2022
Tablecloths (9781087756639)
to cover tables.
Advanced Preparation
† Make a sample stress ball.
Leader Tip
Keeping the flour cleaned from
the outside of the balloons will
allow the balloons to form a seal.
Earth Stress Ball
WELCOME
Welcome students to the Crafts Design Center. Ask a volunteer to find and read
Psalm 104:24. Show the students the stress ball you made. Explain that students will
be able to make a stress ball that looks like the earth, so that we can be reminded
that God is the marvelous Creator.
ASSEMBLE
Step 1: Place the funnel in the neck of a dry, empty Step 1
water bottle. Add about ½ cup of flour into
the funnel. Use a pencil to poke the flour
into the bottle, if necessary.
Step 2: Inflate one of the green balloons as large as
you can, then release. Inflate it again, about
half full. Twist the neck of the balloon and
hold it closed.
Step 3: Stretch the opening of the balloon over the Step 6
water bottle while holding the twisted neck
of the balloon closed. Continue to hold the
opening of the balloon around the top of
the bottle and allow the neck of the balloon
to untwist. Invert the bottle and squeeze
so that the flour from the bottle goes into
the balloon.

Step 4: Once all the flour is in the balloon, hold the

neck of the balloon and slowly let out the air.

Step 5: Use the damp cloth to clean any flour from

the outside of the balloon. Set the balloon
on the table and cut off the neck of the
balloon.

Step 6: Cut the neck from the second green

balloon. Carefully wrap the second balloon
over the balloon with the flour in it. Wipe
away any flour from the outside of the
balloons.
Step 7

Step 7: Cut the neck from the blue balloon. Use

scissors to make a few cutouts from the
blue balloon. This will allow the green
balloon to show through to resemble
continents. Stretch the blue balloon over
the green.

14 VBS 2022 STUDENT LEADER GUIDE

ROCK OUT IN YOUR VBS APPAREL
Get everyone ready with these VBS t-shirts.

VBS 2022 THEME T-SHIRT

Available in child and adult
sizes. Starting at $10.49.

VBS 2022 LIVING

MASTERPIECE T-SHIRT
Available in adult sizes small–3X.
$10.99–$13.99

VBS 2022 CREATED IN

CHRIST T-SHIRT
Available in adult sizes small–3X.
$10.99–$13.99

VBS 2022 POWER PACK

Available in adult sizes small–
3X. Get one of each shirt in
the same size and save!
$25.99–$30.99

GET YOUR VBS APPAREL TODAY AT LIFEWAY.COM

Prices and availability subject to change.