Living Word · Free curriculum · Sample lesson
Week 1: Creation and the Garden
Genesis 1–3 — Gift, Trust, and the Shadow of Mistrust
Genesis 2:15–3:13about 20 minutesprintable
This is the real Week-1 lesson plan from the free 20-week Living Word curriculum — published in full so you can judge it before you bring it to your class. Every week follows this shape: a playable scene, session beats with timings, discussion questions, and a memory verse.
Tip for teachers: any scene has a direct link — add ?scene=creation-eden (or any scene from the curriculum) to the play link and your class starts right there.
Objective
Students see creation as God's good gift, name the lie that turns God's word into suspicion, and recognize that grace is already moving even after trust breaks.
Memory verse · Genesis 1:1 (WEB)
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”Genesis 1:1 — World English Bible (a modern public-domain translation)
What you'll see in the scene
- The Garden of Beginnings — a top-down world your students walk through in the browser. No download, no student accounts.
- Adam and Eve as characters to talk with, and short scripture scrolls to read along the way.
- The "Shadow of Mistrust" encounter — a multiple-choice moment where students answer from the passage they just walked through.
- A hidden promise to uncover after the encounter — the first glimpse of grace inside the judgment.
Session beats — what to do and what to say
1. Enter the Garden (creation before crisis)
4 minOpen the Eden scene together. Before explaining anything, ask what students notice. Linger on Genesis 1–2 as gift and order — don't rush to the Fall. Name one sign of God's goodness in the world he made.
2. Vocation — made in God’s image
4 minTalk with Adam and Eve in the scene. Ask what image-bearing asks of us: to tend and keep what God made. Summarize human vocation in one sentence the class agrees on.
3. Face the Shadow of Mistrust
7 minLaunch the Shadow of Mistrust encounter and answer a question together. Name the lie plainly: that God's word is meant to limit life. Hold it next to the truth — God's word is for life, and trust is restored, not destroyed.
4. Promise hidden in judgment
5 minDefeat the Shadow and uncover the Hidden Promise. Ask where grace is already moving after trust breaks. Close by pointing students to the difference between merely failing and being given rescue.
Discussion questions
- What is the difference between God's word limiting life and God's word giving life?
- Where do you see suspicion of God begin in the story — and where does it begin in us?
- What does it look like to trust God’s goodness this week, in something specific?
If the class gets stuck
- Walking
- Arrow keys or WASD on a keyboard. On phones and tablets, touch and drag anywhere on the screen to walk.
- Talking and interacting
- Walk close to a character or scroll, then press E (or tap it on a touch screen).
- Encounter questions
- Answers come from the scene itself. If students are guessing, send them back to the scrolls and conversations they just passed — that is the design, not a detour.
- Finding the way onward
- The path through each scene leads east. The Map button in the toolbar shows where the class is and what remains.
Closing
Close in prayer, thanking God for his goodness and asking for trust where we are tempted to suspect him. Remind the class that this game is a doorway, not the destination — bring real questions to your pastor, teacher, and your church family.
Ready to run this with your class?
The classroom beta is free: create a class, your students join with a 6-character code and a first name — no student accounts, no email collected from minors. The full 20-week scope and sequence is public, and this play-at-home game stays free for everyone.