To be distributed freely amongst any and all youth ministers who can use this material.
Coordinated by: Youth Ministry Conversations
Written by: Josh Beeler, Alice Cates, Chris Cherry, Alix Davidson, Chris Hughes, Jason Matlack,
and Andrew Noe
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Unit 1 – Old Testament Stories
Deborah
Judges 4-5
Samson
Judges 13-16
Prophets
Kings
Jonah
Jonah 1-4
Nehemiah
Nehemiah 1-6
Unit 2 – New Testament Stories
Nicodemus talking to Jesus
Mary/Martha have Jesus over
Stephen
John 3
Luke 10:38-42
?
Josh Beeler
Josh Beeler
Josh Beeler
Josh Beeler
Chris Cherry
Chris Cherry
Chris Cherry
Chris Cherry
Chris Cherry
Unit 3 – Miracles
Water to Wine
John 2:1-11
Feeding of the 5,000
Mark 6:30-44, John 6:1-14
Heals two blind men
Matthew 9:27-31
Walking on Water
Matt. 14:22-33, Mark 6:45-52, John 6:16-21
Unit 4 – Worship
Why we worship/what does it mean to worship
Communion
Unit 5 – Missions
Session 1
Session 2
Unit 6 – Trinity
Intro to unit
Introduction lesson
God
Holy Spirit
Jesus
Writer Info
Chris Hughes
Chris Hughes
Andrew Noe
Andrew Noe
Alice Cates
Alice Cates
Alix Davidson
Alix Davidson
Jason Matlack
Jason Matlack
Jason Matlack
Jason Matlack
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Deborah
Scriptures:
Judges 4-5
Learning Objective:
To reexamine the Old Testament story through new eyes. Youth have
heard these stories as little kids; now they will get a chance to look at
them from a new angle. Students will gain an understanding of the
general context of the book of Judges, wrestle with the context of the
book, and gain an appreciation for the leadership of Deborah in a time of
characteristically weak leadership for the nation of Israel.
Activity:
Good Evening, Judge.
-Each round, one student is chosen to be the “judge”, and should leave
the room or go to a designated spot where they cannot see what is going
on in the rest of the group. While they are away, the leader should
choose a student to be the “unknown voice.” Once chosen, the “judge”
should be placed where they can hear but not see the “voice.” At that
time, the “voice” student should say “Good evening, judge” to the
“judge” in a disguised voice. Once the “voice” student has taken their
seat, the judge should face the group and take 2 or 3 guesses (depending
on group size) at who they think might have been the voice. If the judge
gets it right, they remain “judge.” If they do not get it right, the
“unknown voice” gets to become the judge. Repeat play as much as
desired.
Bible Study
Intro
 Reintroduce the Series: Old Testament Stories—Seeing Them Through New Eyes
 There are TONS of stories in the Bible that we heard as kids that have WAY more to
them now that we read them as teens.
 One of the books where this is most true is Judges
 Judges takes place at a unique period of Israel’s history after two of their greatest
leaders ever—Moses and Joshua—had died. During this time, things really went crazy.
And it had a lot to do with how Israel related to the nations around them.
 And it’s pretty interesting, because in the book of Joshua, it says over and over again
that Israel totally destroyed the nations they conquered and killed all of its citizens—a
pretty crazy story on its own!
 But in Judges, that doesn’t seem to be the case. In fact, it says that they failed to do
what God and Joshua commanded them to do (Read Judges 3: 1, 5-6).
 And the book of Judges says this became their greatest downfall. (Judges 2:11-14)
 So because they failed to do what they were called to—because they failed to remain
faithful to God, they were defeated by outside forces.
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There’s a powerful truth there about the significance of following God’s ways, but it’s
wrapped up in some pretty crazy context right? All this war, fighting, killing—we aren’t
very familiar with that, but it’s crucial to understanding this story. We’ll talk more about
it soon.
But this is the context that Judges is meant to be read in: ALWAYS keep it in mind
(Judges 2:16-23)
In spite of their failure to follow God’s ways, God is merciful, and raises up leaders to
save them. This is the story of the judges. And even the judges don’t always get it right.
Even though God raises them up, some still mess up. There are good judges & bad
judges—we’ll talk about one of each & let you decide what they get right & wrong.
Deborah
**Leader should be familiar enough with details of Judges 4 to tell the story of Deborah,
Barak, Sisera and Jael**
 Not what you remember, right? This is an INTENSE story!!
**Question: What stood out to you about the story?**
**Question: What questions do you have after hearing the story?**
**Question: Who did you relate to in the story?**
 The context piece here is HUGE: we can’t forget what time and situations this story
takes place in.
o The judges are working in war-torn Israel who is constantly fighting off enemy
forces.
o That was the center of life. So any thoughts about God or how God worked were
shaped around that.
o But it still has something to teach us today. The beauty of our God is that God’s
truths can be applied at anytime in any place!
o There are awesome things to be learned from this story’s characters.
o And what’s really cool, something that we don’t get to see that often: it’s heroes
are women!
 Take a look at Jael, the tent spiker’s, resume:
o Even as an average citizen, Jael was well informed of who the enemies, and their
leaders, were.
o She was confident in her ability and took up the role she played wholeheartedly.
o She was strong enough to defeat the general of the enemy army.
o God has given you the wisdom and strength to accomplish the tasks you have
been given: commit yourselves to seeing them through!
**Question: Did you see anything else about Jael?**
 And even more impressive, take a look at Deborah’s resume:
o She was a prophetess and spoke for God! (Judges 4:4)
o She served as judge for the nation of Israel! (Judges 4:5)
o She made military decisions for the nation (Judges 4:6-10, 14)
**What impressed you most about Deborah?**
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So ladies, if you ever thought you couldn’t be strong leaders among God’s people,
Deborah is a perfect example to prove that wrong! Check out the way they refer to her
in the song of Chapter 5 (Judges 5:7)
In the midst of wars, or in middle school math classes, God’s truths can be found:
o God uses the faithful. Deborah and Jael offer themselves to God to be used
however necessary.
o God constantly chooses to use who society deems weak or lowly.
o Working with others is a sign of strong leadership—as Christians, we don’t need
to go it alone. Rely on each other’s gifts and talents (Deborah—Leader; Barak—
Warrior; Jael—Faithful and Ready to Help)
o In all things God is good and to be praised—just check out this epic song that
Deborah and Barak sing!
Prayer
**Question: Do you have any other questions about our story tonight?**
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Well in case you couldn’t tell, Deborah was a pretty solid judge for the nation of Israel.
Next week, we’ll look at a guy who was called as judge over the people, but went about
it a much different way, and got quite a bit more wrong!
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Samson
Scriptures:
Judges 13-16
Learning Objective:
To reexamine the Old Testament story through new eyes. Youth have
heard these stories as little kids; now they will get a chance to look at
them from a new angle. Students will explore Samson’s role in the book
of Judges, discuss his positive and negative attributes, and learn from the
role he played in Israel’s encounters with the Philistines.
Activity:
Reader’s Theater
-Split students into 4 groups. Each group will be assigned on chapter of
Samson’s story to read and become familiar with (you might choose to
leave out 16:1-3 and Samson’s prostitute encounter—but you don’t have
to!). After 15 minutes of preparation, groups will take turns presenting
their dramatic reenactments and readings/tellings of the story.
Bible Study
Intro
 Reintroduce the Series: Old Testament Stories—Seeing Them Through New Eyes
 There are TONS of stories in the Bible that we heard as kids that have WAY more to
them now that we read them as teens.
 One of the books where this is most true is Judges
 Judges takes place at a unique period of Israel’s history after two of their greatest
leaders ever—Moses and Joshua—had died. During this time, things really went crazy.
And it had a lot to do with how Israel related to the nations around them.
 Remember what we talked about last week: how important context is. The Israelites
lived at a war-torn time when every bit of life had thoughts of conquest, war, and defeat
at its center.
 It can be tough for us to understand today, but even how they thought about God had
to do with war and its outcomes.
 So with that in mind, we come to this crazy story that you all just presented for us so
well! The story of Samson has A LOT more to it than you probably remember as a kid.
**So what were some of the most interesting portions of the parts of the story you read?**
**What questions do you have about what you read?**
Leaders should be familiar enough with Judges 13-16 to fill in the important blanks of what
isn’t talked about.
 Those are all really great thoughts! You’ll get a chance to talk more about those in small
groups in a bit, but I want to talk a bit more about Samson and his leadership of the
people of Israel.
 Samson is usually remembered as this strong leader of the people of Israel, and he’s
definitely strong, but is he really that great of a leader?
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I mean if you think about it, he does fight the Philistines, Israel’s enemies, but it’s always
for selfish reasons. In his whole story, not once does he consider the needs of the
people he is meant to be leading. At one point they even call him out for putting the
nation at risk (Judges 15:11)
Samson is blinded by revenge throughout the whole story and it’s pretty much the only
motivation that he acts out of—even when he asks for God to strengthen him one last
time before his death!
In much the same way, Samson is motivated by his lust throughout the story as well. He
falls for beautiful women of this enemy nation who worship other false gods, and he
sacrifices his calling to be a good leader for the sake of his own pleasure.
o He tells them his secrets.
o He sells out his calling from God in an effort to please Delilah.
o He even ruins his own chance for gain when he tells his first fiancé his riddle!
Samson was certainly strong, that much is sure, but throughout his life, he dedicates the
use of his strength to his own passions and not God’s purpose.
He goes after what he wants and not what his people or his God need.
That’s something we can all relate to.
We’re going to break into groups and talk more about that now. Consider Samson’s
story and think about how it might be similar to your own. Do you follow any of your
own passions over God?
Prayer
Small Group Questions
1. What parts Samson’s story had you never heard before or forgotten about?
2. Do you think Samson was a good or a bad judge for Israel? Why do you feel that way?
3. How do you feel about what Delilah did to Samson? (Be sure to mention to students that she
was actually being a more faithful and beneficial leader for her people than he was! See how
they feel about that.)
4. What do you think it would have looked like for Samson to serve God and his people first?
5. Have you ever gone after your own passions more than God’s purposes? Are you doing it
now? Do you want to share what they might be?
6. What’s been hard for you to understand about the book of Judges?
7. Do you have a hard time with God being in the middle of all the war stories? Does it help to
understand the context that Israel lived, and was writing, in?
8. What have you learned about God from the stories of Deborah and Samson?
9. What have you learned about people? About yourself?
Prayer
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Prophets
Scriptures:
1 Sam 8:1-22, Isaiah 9:1-7, Isaiah 2:1-4, Isaiah 40:1-5, Jeremiah 9:1-7, Jeremiah 31:31-34
Learning Objective:
To reexamine the Old Testament story through new eyes. Youth have
heard these stories as little kids; now they will get a chance to look at
them from a new angle. Students will explore the contexts, beliefs and
teachings of two of Israel’s most revered prophets—Isaiah and Jeremiah.
Students will see how even prophets can hear different words from God,
yet come to similar conclusions: God desires obedience and just living.
Activity:
Two Truths and a Lie
-This is a classic “How well do you know your Friend?” game. Each
student takes a turn sharing two truths and one lie about their life with
the group. The group has to guess which of the three statements is a lie.
With a lesson about discerning what the core message of the prophet is,
and if someone is lying about whether or not kings are good for Israel,
this game of discernment should fit right in!
Bible Study
 So we talked about some of the most epic of people last week—Kings!
 We talked about what happens when you place the burden of so much responsibility on
the weight of one person’s shoulders—when they are supposed to think for the people
and honor God with their decisions, it becomes a heavy burden quickly.
o Sometimes they make good decisions—which the Bible celebrates!
o But many other times, they make selfish, bad, or REALLY ugly decisions that
burden the people and help to lead them astray from God’s will.
 So very early on, God provided the Israelites with equally respected and significant
people to help them follow after God’s ways.
o At the most basic level, most Israelites at least saw the prophets as equals to the
kings—they balanced out the power of the king by speaking for God when the
kings went astray.
o In this line of thought, the two were meant to be equals—both holding power
given by God to help the Israelites follow God’s desires.
 But in a different line of thought, some Israelites didn’t trust the kings at all.
o Many Israelites thought that having a king showed disrespect for God in the
community.
o And there were many people who felt this way—even some of the prophets!
 Last week we talked about Saul and some of the ways that he got things right and
wrong.
o But what we didn’t talk about was that the first prophet he worked with didn’t
think there ever should have been a king in the first place.
o Let’s read about that—can someone read 1 Samuel 8:1-22 for us?
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You Don’t Want a King
 So in this story, the people don’t seem like they are left with much other choice but to
request a king.
o Samuel’s sons are not following in his footsteps, and they would be bad role
models for the people.
o So something else has to be done. And they ask for the only other thing they
know—a king.
o But from what this passage tells us, they already have a king—who is it? (God!)
o By asking for a king, they are rejecting God as their king.
o So Samuel gives them all these warnings about what a king will do to them, and
they ignore them all—their minds are set.
o This is the same story that we heard all through Judges, and with Saul: the
people refuse to follow God, they reject God and demand what they want, and
God in his patience and love allows them to have what they request.
o In this line of thought, a king is the symbol of the direct rejection of God.
 And that’s how Israelites and the prophets in this line of thought would have seen
things.
 Prophets and Kings: Some saw them as equally powerful and necessary partners in
governing God’s people, and some saw them as adversaries—with kings representing
the waywardness of the people.
 The role of the prophets was to declare the words of the Lord to the people.
o Sometimes these words condemned and sometimes they support kings
o But in all things, we can’t forget what they ultimately pointed to: God desires
obedience and just living.
Isaiah and Jeremiah: Context
 So even two of the most prominent prophets in our Bible don’t agree with each other
on the topic of kings—Isaiah and Jeremiah. And where they come from has a bit to do
with it.
 So let’s talk about Isaiah.
o Isaiah was a prophet in the southern kingdom of Judah (you might consider a
quick lesson on the two kingdoms—Israel and Judah). More importantly, he was
a prophet in the king’s court.
o And though later both Israel and Judah would be taken into exile, the first part of
Isaiah was written before all of that happened.
o So taking that into consideration—Isaiah was a prophet in the king’s court while
they were relatively successful as a nation— do you think Isaiah favored or
opposed kings? Why? (Favor)
o That’s right—Isaiah supported the kings. In fact, he was of what is called the Zion
tradition, which taught that Jerusalem was God’s city in which he dwelled and
the king from David’s line was God’s anointed ruler on earth.
o So in Isaiah’s prophecy, the king was very important.
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But Jeremiah’s background was very different
o Jeremiah came from the line of the Levites.
o In the early Old Testament, the Levites were chosen to be the priests of God’s
tabernacle.
o But during David’s kingship, David had two chief priests.
 One was named Abiathar and he came from the levitical line also—he
was Jeremiah’s ancestor.
 And the second was named Zadok. Zadok founded a different priesthood
that served the Israelites alongside the levitical priests.
 But when David got older, his sons fought for his throne. Two in
particular—Adonijah and Solomon.
 In the fight, Abiathar and the levites supported Adonijah and Zadok and
his priests supported Solomon.
 In short, Solomon won. And when he did, Zadok and all of his priests
gained the right to serve as the sole priesthood of the royal court.
 So when Jeremiah came on the scene, his line of priests had been cast
out of the court because they had not supported Solomon.
o So as an outcast prophet, what do you think Jeremiah did?
 That’s right—he prophesied against the kings.
 He told the people that to be faithful to God, they needed to return to
the pre-king laws of God—follow only the commandments and covenants
given by Moses.
So what all this history is getting at is this: the role of the kings was in constant
reconsideration.
o Some people thought they were good and others didn’t.
o But no one questions that the role of the prophet was of God.
A prophet was judged not by who or where they came from, but by whether or not their
words proved true and portrayed the true nature of God.
So what we’re going to do is split into groups (you can do two groups or four and just
give the same lesson to two groups). Some of you will get some passages to read from
Isaiah. Others will read some of the words of Jeremiah.
o After you read your first passage, I want you to consider a couple of questions:
 What does this have to say about kings?
 What does this have to say about the people of Israel?
o After you read your second passage, I want you to consider a couple of
questions:
 What does this passage have to say about God?
 What is the hope or challenge for us?
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*Break into small groups*
Group 1: Isaiah
Isaiah 9:1-7—Be sure to read the title of the passage: “The Righteous Reign of the Coming King.”
Inevitably, students will have only heard part of this passage in the context of Christmas. But in
its original setting, most scholars believe it was an address for the coronation of King Hezekiah.
This celebrates the coming of a new king who will hopefully serve with the ideals of a true
Davidic king.
Isaiah 2:1-4, 40:1-5—God seeks to teach God’s people the ways of the kingdom. God wants to
restore the nations and establish peach for all people. Whether it’s through the reign of a king
or not, in the end God seeks to comfort God’s people in help them to lead lives of holiness and
godliness.
Group 2: Jeremiah
Jeremiah 7:1-11—Jeremiah takes to task the idea that God will dwell with the people simply
because the temple of the Lord is in Jerusalem. This was a common mode of thought for Davidic
and Zion tradition teachers. Instead, Jeremiah says that God will dwell them if they live justly
and DO justice in the world around them. It is not the presence of a king or a temple that
pleases God, but holy living by God’s people.
Jeremiah 31:31-34—Even when we have gone astray. Even when our poor decisions have led to
the worst of outcomes (when Jeremiah wrote this prophesy, the people of Israel were being
taken into captivity/exile), God promises hope and restoration. Our God desires for us to know
him and his ways. Our faith is not in a man or in ourselves, but in God’s salvation.
*Gather into large group*
 So let me hear it—what did your passages teach you? (Get reports from groups)
 That’s awesome! I think it just goes to show us how rich the Bible is that we can hear
two prophets come from two very different contexts and backgrounds and yet present
the same message about our God. It’s incredible!
o Isaiah writes about the goodness of the kings and how God is using them to
instill justice in the world around, but when you get down to it, it’s still not about
the kings at all.
 They are merely God’s agents for accomplishing God’s purposes
 In the end, God is still at the center of attention.
o And Jeremiah, who basically uses the same message to bash the kings, David’s
line, and anything having to do with the temple, does so to get across the same
point: God desires something better for all of us.
 And it has to do with being completely devoted to him.
 God wants our full devotion and wants us to rely on God’s ways and
justice.
o King or no king, the truth of God still resounds at the center of the message: God
calls all of us to righteous living and wants to restore us and give us hope in the
redemption from sin.
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Prayer
THAT is why the prophet means so much in our faith—they set us back on God’s path
and remind us that, no matter what the context of our world is, our call is to embody
the justice, mercy and forgiveness that our God offers to each of us.
So be encouraged by that message today: you have a God who loves, forgives, heals and
restores. Go into the world and do likewise.
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Kings
Scriptures:
Judges 21:25, and others listed below
Learning Objective:
To reexamine the Old Testament story through new eyes. Youth have
heard these stories as little kids; now they will get a chance to look at
them from a new angle. Students will explore some of the works of
Israel’s first king—Saul—and discuss the positives and negatives of his
time in power. They will focus on the significance of leaving one person
responsible for major decisions in life, and what happens when we
neglect God’s role in the process.
Activity:
Castle Ball
-In a discussion about kings, how could you not play a game about
defending the castle!? Students will split into two teams to play a
standard game of dodge ball (setup the court however you normally
would). In this version, catching the ball gets the thrower out, but a
player from the catching team does NOT come back in. Instead, there is a
new element: each team has three bowling pins (or large cones with
tennis balls on top) at the back of its court that they must defend. If one
is knocked over, every member of the other team who has been
eliminated is allowed to come back in. There are two ways to win the
game: eliminate all of the other teams players, or knock over all three
“castle turrets.”
Bible Study
Intro
 Do you remember all of that Judges craziness?
o What parts of the stories do you remember? Did you read anymore? What other
crazy stories did you read?*
 All perfect examples for the overarching point of the Judges narrative: even when God
appointed judges as leaders (as poor of leadership examples as some were) for the
people, they still ignored and disobeyed God and went astray from worshiping and
following only him.
 But one question we haven’t asked yet is ‘Why did they disobey’?
 Well, the author of Judges gives us an answer in the VERY last verse of the book—Read
Judges 21:25
 The people did what they wanted and strayed from God because they didn’t have a
king.
 There was this prevailing idea that they needed a king. That a king would fix everything.
 So let’s look at that idea:
o What are some good things you know about kings—good things they can
accomplish, or maybe some stories of good kings in history or books?
o What about bad things?*
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This is important to note, because the fact that kings get it right and wrong has been
true throughout history—I mean, even kings are human!
And that’s important to remember because Israel was never completely convinced
about whether or not having a king was a good thing.
There were large groups of people who swore that having a king was the greatest thing
Israel do, and there were some who would remain skeptical of the kings the whole time
they reigned.
And the Bible focuses on both of these perspectives a great deal. In fact, in most of the
books that we read about the kings in, we read about a second group of very powerful
and authoritative people in Israel’s history that many believed countered the power of
the kings—the prophets.
Where kings were thought to have been given the sword by God to be protectors and
enforcers, prophets were given the words of God to challenge the leaders and people
and offer correctives for right living in society and the world.
And even among them, there were mixed opinions about who was more significant.
There were kings who respected the words of the prophets above all else, and there
were prophets who believed the kings were divinely placed where they were and were
to be totally respected.
Lesson: Part 1
 Today, we’re going to look specifically at the kings.
 What are the advantages and downfalls of putting so much power into the hands of one
person? What happens when the king rejects his obligation to pursue God’s desires first
and foremost? What can we learn from these kings?
 Out of all the kings, there are three that are probably the most significant: Saul, David
and Solomon.
 We’ve heard a lot about David and Solomon, but we don’t talk too much about Saul, so
we’re going to do that today.
 We’re going to break into three groups and look at some different examples of Saul’s
actions as king and how they affected the nation of Israel—The Good, the Bad, and the
Ugly.
 When we come back together, your group will present the information to the others to
teach us about Saul and what he did as leader for the nation of Israel.
*Small group leaders should be familiar with the stories they will be sharing, and should be
ready to ask the questions associated with each. Groups should spend about 15 minutes in this
portion of the lesson*
Group 1: The Good: 1 Samuel 9:1-2, 1 Samuel 11
-It’s a happy moment for Saul to be chosen king! But what are his merits?
-1 Samuel 11 could be seen as a pretty weird story! But look past the cultural pieces that are
kind of strange. What are the good attributes that Saul demonstrates? (Strong commitment to
God, forgiveness, unity)
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Group 2: The Bad: 1 Samuel 13: 5-15
-Saul gets a pretty big punishment for ignoring the sacred role of the priest. What does that
teach us about the responsibility of the king vs. the prophet? Is it still important today to work
well with others and share roles?
Group 3: The Ugly: 1 Samuel 15: 10-11, 1 Samuel 18:10-15
-Being the king comes with great responsibility. Remember it was believed the people stumbled
because they had no leader. Do you think you could handle all of that responsibility? What
would you do well? What would you struggle with?
-This story with David is a pretty important turning point. When Saul goes down, he crashes
pretty hard, and the people see it. Do you feel bad for Saul at all? Have you ever failed publicly?
What happened, and how did you deal with it?
Lesson: Part 2
 So I want to hear all about what you all talked about. Which group had “The Good”?
What did your stories talk about? What did you learn?
 That’s awesome! The Bible’s not short on good things that the kings did. Even though
the authors are pretty skeptical about these human leaders, they are intentional about
mentioning what they did right.
 Saul didn’t get much right, and he’s rejected as king pretty quickly, but he’s not
completely vilified. His accomplishments are celebrated, even if only for a short while.
 With that said, which group had “The Bad”? What did your stories talk about? What did
you learn?
 Very good! This section is a perfect setup for who we will talk about next week—the
Prophets. This story affirms what many of the books in the Bible emphasize: the
prophet’s role was incredibly significant and incredibly sacred. Even the king wasn’t
good enough to fill it—you had to be called by God to perform these tasks.
o So the king was important, but so was the prophet.
o What do you think this says about the people of Israel? What does it say about
their God?
 And finally, who had “The Ugly”? What did your stories talk about? What did you learn?
o Yeah, things go downhill pretty quickly for Saul. He goes from being considered
to be the cream of the crop by the people to being on the brink of insanity and
complete rejection by the people and God.
o This has a lot to say about the significance of doing things in God’s power, and
not in our own. Based on your stories, what do you think Saul could have done
differently to honor God?
o Have you ever had to deal with massive failure like the kind that Saul did?
 So that’s one example of what happened when a single guy was given authority over the
nation of Israel. Each time, they get some stuff right, but they also get a lot wrong.
16
o No matter how close they are to God, sometimes they leave God out of their
decisions. And when you have the ability to influence the whole nation, that
carries big consequences.
o And that’s why so many people were skeptical of this system—and why it was so
necessary to have people like the prophets around. We’ll talk more about them
next week!
Prayer
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Jonah: Jo Learns a Lesson
Text: Jonah 4
Main Idea: God is working on a bigger picture and sometimes does things we don’t expect.
Supplies List:
-two bowls of water
-pepper shaker
-liquid handsoap
-paper towels
-YouTube: “NeverWet Arrives Hands On Product Demonstration”
-paper
-pens
Prep List: Move a table into the middle of your meeting space. Put the water bowls, pepper, and
handsoap on the table. Have the paper towels nearby for the youth to use after the experiment. Cue the
YouTube clip ahead of time on your technology, and be sure to test it first. Place the pens and paper
somewhere easy to reach.
Writer’s Note: Jonah is a great book with many lessons. It is common, however, for people to get hung
up on the historical accuracy of this story. With youth, you’ll want to be careful how you answer those
questions and you may want to think about the tradition and viewpoint of your church as well.
I have found a strategy that is helpful, and you’re welcome to use it if it’ll translate to your context.
When it comes to Jonah (and stories like Jonah—Noah’s ark, Daniel in the Lions’ Den, etc), I ask them,
“What do you think the big meaning of this story is? Does that meaning change for you if you were to
find out these are real, historical events? Does that meaning change for you if you were to find out this
story was written just to teach a lesson? Usually, they’ll conclude that the meaning doesn’t change and
that God can still teach us regardless of the historical nature of such stories.
This is a way to legitimately give them something helpful without having to come down on one side of a
discussion or the other. If a youth asks me my opinion, I will tell them what I truly think after I have done
the above process. My opinion shouldn’t influence theirs in either way—this is all about what God is
doing in the story and in our lives, not about personal theological viewpoints.
The Opening
Have everyone gather around the first bowl of water. Pour an ample amount of pepper into the center
of the bowl—it will float on the surface of the water.
Ask:

What do you think will happen to the pepper if I stick my finger into the bowl?
Pick a youth standing nearby to slowly insert one finger into the water (about as deep as the second
knuckle). Tell them to put their finger into the thickest patch of pepper. They should hold it in for a few
seconds and then slowly remove their finger.
18
Ask:
 What do you notice?
[There should be a lot of pepper sticking to their finger]
 Why do you think the pepper sticks?
Have another volunteer put his or her finger into the water in a patch of pepper. The same thing should
happen.
Ask:


What do you think will happen if we introduce another variable? What if I add soap to my
fingertip and then put it in the water?
Will the pepper still stick?
Have a volunteer hold out his or her finger. Apply handsoap to the fingertip up to the second knuckle.
Instruct them to do the same as the others—put the finger into a patch of pepper slowly, hold it for a
second, then remove it slowly. [The pepper shouldn’t stick and should be repelled away from the soapy
finger.]
Ask:

Why didn’t the pepper stick?
Pour a lot more pepper into the second bowl and apply soap to a finger on several different volunteers.
Have them all stand around the bowl and put their fingers in at the same time. You’ll need to use the 2nd
bowl because once soap is in the water, the first bowl will no longer give consistent results (something
in the science changes after soap is introduced).
Ask:


Be honest, how many of you knew what was going to happen with both experiments?
Are any of you science people? Do you know what’s happening here?
Say: Sometimes things in life don’t work exactly like we expect them to.
Ask:




How many of you have ever spilled a drink on your clothes or shoes?
What happened when the liquid hit the fabric?
What if I told you there was a way you could pour water, coffee, mustard, chocolate, or anything
else on yourself and it won’t stick at all?
What if I told you it was possible to make your shoes water-proof?
Say: I want you to watch this video about a real product they sell at stores right now. If you’ve seen this
before, don’t spoil it for others.
Show the NeverWet video from YouTube.
-YouTube: “NeverWet Arrives Hands On Product Demonstration” [run time: 5:04]
Ask:

What do you think about this NeverWet stuff?
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[It might be worth mentioning that, while it does work, the effects wear off quickly when you touch the
surface that was sprayed, so your clothes won’t stay water-proof for long.]
 What else can you think of that doesn’t behave like you thought it would?
 Does God ever behave in ways we don’t expect? When/How?
The Study
Say: We’re going to spend some time tonight talking about a guy who was really surprised a couple of
times by what God chose to do.
Ask:
 What do you know about Jonah?
 Can anyone summarize Jonah’s story for us?
[Make sure they hit the highlights—Jonah was called by God to go to Ninevah, Jonah chose to run in the
opposite direction, Jonah was swallowed by a giant fish, Jonah finally went to Ninevah, Jonah preached
and the people repented.]
Say: Jonah was surprised by God a couple of times. Of course, the first surprise was being swallowed by
a giant fish! The other surprise was God’s reaction to the people of Ninevah. Jonah thought these people
were the worst of the worst, but God still chose to save them after they turned towards God. This really
surprised Jonah.
Ask:

Do you think he was happy about God’s decision?
Say: Open your Bibles to Jonah chapter 4 and let’s find out how Jonah’s story ends.
Read Jonah 4. There is a lot of text here, so you may choose to read the passage yourself or pick a youth
(or more than one youth) who will be able to read it in an engaging way.
Say: Look right here at the beginning in verse 1: “But [God’s grace] was very displeasing to Jonah.” God
acted in a way that Jonah did not agree with. Truthfully, Jonah admits that he thought God might do
this, but it still doesn’t make Jonah happy.
Ask:

Why do you think Jonah was displeased that God saved the people of Ninevah?
Say: Sometimes we think we have God all figured out, but we don’t. No one does. We walk around with
these “boxes” that we try to shove God into, but God doesn’t fit in our boxes.
After Jonah doesn’t get his way, he asks God to let him die.
Ask:

Why don’t you think God gave Jonah what he wanted?
20
Say: God always has a bigger picture in mind. Jonah was an important piece in what God is doing in the
world.
Ask:


Do you ever feel like God doesn’t give you the thing you really want?
Do you ever get mad at God for not giving you what you want?
Say: Jonah gets angry with God for not giving him what he wanted.
Ask:



Is it ok to get mad at God?
Is it ok to question God about God’s answers?
What happens when God does something we don’t expect?
The Closing
Say: Jonah was one piece in a bigger picture.
Ask:



What was that bigger picture?
Do you see yourself as a piece in a bigger picture?
What is that picture for you?
Say: Let’s complete the picture for Jonah. The book ends with a question. God is asking Jonah a question.
In just a minute, you’re going to have a chance write out an ending for the book of Jonah. Does Jonah
accept God’s decision? Does God continue to give Jonah chances? Do the Ninevites stay committed? You
finish it.
Divide the large group into small groups of 3-4 people each. Give each group a piece of paper and a pen
and ask them to write down their ending for the book of Jonah. Judge the amount of time you allow
based on how many minutes remain in the Bible study time and by how quickly the groups seem to
finish.
When time is up or all groups are finished, have the groups share their endings to Jonah. Ask them
questions about why they chose what they did, etc.
After each group has had a chance to share, bring the large group back together and close with these
questions. These are important questions as they serve to apply some of the lessons Jonah learned to
our own lives. Be sure to allow enough time for these.
Ask:



What is the end of the story for you? For your life?
How do you fit into God’s bigger picture?
How does that impact the way you think about God?
21
Nehemiah: Talking to God
Text: Nehemiah 1:5-11, 6:9
Main Idea: Prayer has many forms, but at its core, it is simply talking to God.
Supplies List:
-YouTube video: “The King of Queens Holy Mackerel (faith related parts only)”
-1 copy each of Nehemiah’s Story Parts 1-4
-notecards
-pens
-blank poster board or clean white board
-sharpies or dry erase markers
Prep List: Cue up the YouTube video on whatever technology you use to show clips. Be sure to test it for
audio and picture options ahead of time. Have the copy of each part of Nehemiah’s Story ready to hand
out. Make sure the pens and notecards are easy to reach.
The Opening
Ask:



What is prayer?
How does prayer work?
What are some things you pray for?
Say: We’re going to watch a clip from an older TV show called “The King of Queens.” This particular
episode has a lot to do with prayer and those parts have been pulled out into this YouTube video. I want
you to watch the clip and pay attention to how they use prayer. Think about how you use prayer. We’ll
talk a little bit about the clip after it’s over.
Show “King of Queens” Clip from YouTube. The clip runs about 15 minutes, so plan accordingly. The
show is pretty funny, so most won’t have trouble staying engaged. Since it’s an older show and is being
pulled from YouTube, the quality isn’t great. Make sure you preview the clip on your technology before
Bible study begins.
 YouTube: “The King of Queens Holy Mackerel (faith related parts only)” [Run time: 15:02]
Ask:



What did you notice about their prayers?
What are some things they prayed for?
Did they use prayer correctly? Why/Why not?
22
The Study
Say: Prayer is simply a conversation with God, and it has many forms.
Ask:
 Anyone heard of ACTS forms of prayer?
[As they list these and other forms of prayer, be sure to write them down on a poster or whiteboard.]
 What does ACTS stand for?
[ACTS stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. Be prepared to explain each one if
needed, especially Supplication (making requests/asking). Another common question is about the
difference between Adoration (praise) and Thanksgiving (being thankful).]
 Are there any other forms of prayer you can think of?
[Laments—an expression of grief or sorrow, and Anger—being mad at God]


When might a Lament be appropriate?
When might an Angry prayer be appropriate?
Say: I’m sure there are other forms of prayer, but these are the main ones that people recognize.
Ask:


When you pray, no matter the form, do you have to use formal language and set patterns?
Is it ok to pray really simple prayers sometimes?
Say: Prayer is simply a conversation with God—nothing more, nothing less. Really, it should just be like
talking to a friend. Prayer has many forms, many styles, and many results, but talking to God is talking to
God.
Ask:


What are some famous prayers you can think of?
What Bibles characters do you know who pray?
The first question doesn’t have to be limited to prayers in the Bible. Let them talk through these lists for
a minute and see if Nehemiah’s name comes up. If so, affirm that answer as you would any other and let
them keep talking if it hasn’t been very long. Bring the group back to Nehemiah by skipping to question
two. If no one says Nehemiah, then start by asking question one.
Ask:


Has anyone heard of Nehemiah?
What do you know about Nehemiah?
Say: What if I told you that Nehemiah has a lot to teach us about leadership and about prayer? Today,
we’ll be focusing on the piece about prayer in his journey. Everyone grab a pen and open your Bibles to
Nehemiah chapter 1. [Some may need help finding it.] We’re going to skip around a little bit, but I want
you to be ready to circle things when I tell you.
Ask for four readers to volunteer to help you tell the story. Give each reader a piece of Nehemiah’s story
to read (on additional page at the end of this lesson) and make sure they know what order in which to
23
read their piece. After the readers have finished, thank them, and collect the story pieces and move on
with Nehemiah’s prayers.
Say: This book is 13 chapters long and most of 4 of those chapters are just lists of names of people who
helped work on the wall.
Ask:
 So, out of the 9 remaining chapters of story, how many times do you think Nehemiah prayed?
[Be sure not to tell them the answer just yet, but let them guess.]
 Do you think they were all long prayers?
 Think back to the story summary. Do you remember who Nehemiah prayed for first when he
heard about the broken walls in Jerusalem?
Say: Nehemiah started by praying for the people living in Jerusalem. Find chapter 1, verse 5 in your
Bibles. Listen to this prayer.
Read Nehemiah 1: 5-11.
[This is a long prayer—read it quickly in an overly dramatic voice. The larger point here is about
Nehemiah’s prayer life, not the specific content of this prayer, so don’t worry too much about them
picking up all the pieces as you speed read through this one.]
Ask:



What do you think about that prayer?
Are any of you good at long, flowery prayers like that?
What kind of prayers are you best at?
Say: Let’s read another one of Nehemiah’s prayers. Turn in your Bibles to chapter 6, verse 9.
Read Nehemiah 6:9b (“But now, O God, strengthen my hands.”)
Ask:


What do you think about that prayer?
Is that prayer as good as the first one that was longer? Why/Why not?
Say: If you have your own Bible, I want you to circle, underline, or highlight that part of this verse. [Give
them time to do this.] Earlier, I asked how many times you thought Nehemiah prayed in 9 chapters
worth of story. You had some good guesses. The answer is 11 prayers—most of which are short ones like
the one we just looked at from chapter 6.
Everyone take a notecard from the pile in the center of the room. I want you to write these verses down.
These are the verses where Nehemiah prays. Chapter 1, verse 5-11, 2:4, 4:4-5, 4:9, 5:19, 6:9, 6:14, 13:14,
13:22, 13:29, and 13:31. That’s 11 prayers. Leave this notecard in your Bible inside the book of
Nehemiah.
Ask:



What do you think about Nehemiah’s use of prayer?
How is it different than the examples of prayer we saw in the video clip earlier?
What can Nehemiah teach us about prayer?
24
The Closing
Say: Nehemiah has figured out how to include prayer in his daily life. Some people, like Daniel in the
Bible, are really good at praying a lot and for a long time. Very few of us are going to be that good at
prayer. Nehemiah knows how important talking to God is, and so he lets it fill every part of his life.
Prayer is a key piece of our faith foundation—this helps us build and strengthen a real relationship with
God.
Ask:


What are some ways you can add these quick prayers to your daily life?
How might these prayers help you grow closer to God?
Say: Nehemiah gives us a good example of how talking to God can become a regular part of our day. So
often, we think prayer has to be long and impressive, but it doesn’t. Just remember, prayer is simply
talking to God like you would talk to a friend.
Nehemiah’s Story, Part 1
In those days, Nehemiah served as cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. Cupbearer may not sound like
much, but it really is an honored job to hold. The cupbearer is trusted to test the King’s food to
make sure it isn’t poisoned. Nehemiah was far from Jerusalem, but it was his hometown, and
he heard the people living there were in trouble because the city wall had fallen down and the
gates had burned. Nehemiah prays for the people.
Nehemiah’s Story, Part 2
The King notices that Nehemiah looks sad, so Nehemiah tells him about the problems in
Jerusalem. The King asks Nehemiah what he wants to do, and, after saying a quick prayer,
Nehemiah asks to go help rebuild the wall around the city. The King lets him go and even gives
him resources to use for his journey and to help with the construction.
Nehemiah’s Story, Part 3
Construction on the wall begins and things are starting to get better. Quickly, however,
Nehemiah and the workers are criticized by others, but the builders hold strong and keep
working. Nehemiah and the builders ask God to give them strength. As the others continued to
try to scare the workers away from building, the prayers grew stronger.
Nehemiah’s Story, Part 4
The wall goes up and the gates are restored. There was great resistance, but the people kept
working hard and Nehemiah kept praying. Nehemiah always included God in what the workers
were doing. Nehemiah trusted that this was God’s calling for his life and he made sure to talk to
God throughout the entire process.
25
Nicodemus: Coloring Outside the Lines
Text: John 3:1-21
Main Idea: A relationship with God isn’t about staying inside the lines; it’s about love and having a faith
that’s not afraid to reach outside the lines.
Supplies List:
-blank coloring sheet for each youth and the leader (2 copies of each)
-crayons, markers, colored pencils
-blank poster board or clean white board
-sharpies or dry erase markers
Prep List: Choose a coloring sheet for yourself (both copies), and pre-color one by scribbling all over the
page like a young child might. Make sure no one sees your scribble picture until it’s time. Arrange the
coloring supplies in the room so they are easy to reach.
Writer’s Note: There is a lot of nuance in this discussion about rules and following rules. Depending on
the age of your group, you may need to be careful how you approach this part of the conversation. The
purpose of this study is not to state that reading your Bible, going to church, praying, etc are not
important or that we should “break” rules, but simply to make it clear that these practices exist to help
us further our friendship with God—they’re not intended to be “rules.”
The Opening
Instruct each youth to grab a coloring page and some crayons. Give them several minutes to color their
picture. Let them know they can take their time and they can always finish later.
You should also color your own picture (make sure it is the match to the one you “pre-scribbled” before
they arrived). If you finish before your time allotment is up, feel free to walk around and encourage, but
offer no instructions on how to color. Let them color whatever way comes naturally.
At the end of the allotted time, ask everyone to hold up their picture.
Ask:
 Does anyone’s picture look like this? [Hold up scribble picture]
o Why not?
o How many of you learned to color inside the lines when you were really young?
 What is the purpose of coloring?
o Is it for fun? To make pretty pictures? To be perfect?
 When God looks at these two pictures [good picture & scribble picture], what do you think God
thinks?
o Does God like one of these more than the other? Why/Why not?
o Which of these pictures best matches the way our faith should look? Why?
o Which of these do you think Jesus might pick?
[Note: We obviously have no idea which picture Jesus would pick, but the purpose of this question is to
get them thinking outside the box a little bit and to start a short conversation about how Jesus didn’t
live his life inside the lines.]
26
The Study
Say: Set your pictures aside for a second. We’ll come back to them later. Open your Bibles to John 3.
We’re going to take a look at a story that captures the idea of coloring outside the lines. John 3 tells the
story of Nicodemus.
Ask:




Who was Nicodemus?
What is a Pharisee?
Do they generally follow the rules or break the rules?
What kind of drawing would Nicodemus have created?
Make two columns on your poster board or whiteboard. Write “Pharisee” at the top of the first column.
Say: Let’s make a list.
Ask:

What kind of rules did the Pharisees follow? Anyone remember any Old Testament rules?
Say: Those are good. Now, let’s make another list.
Write “Christians” at the top of the second column and repeat the process. As they’re listing rules
Christians follow, be sure they list some of the big ideas (read your Bible, pray, go to church, etc).
Say: Ok, this is great. We’ll come back to these lists again soon.
Ask:

Will someone please read John 3:1-10?
Say: Pharisees like Nicodemus generally spend their entire lives trying to be perfect. They want to follow
the rules exactly as they’re written.
Ask:
 Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
 If following the rules is a good thing, then why is Jesus always criticizing the Pharisees?
[It is perfectly fine to acknowledge that a desire to follow the rules is a good thing—the idea here is not
to say the rules are bad, but to open our minds to the bigger picture beyond a legalistic approach to
God.]
Say: Jesus never says following the rules is the bad part. Jesus just wants our focus to be on God, not on
following a list of rules. In this passage, Nicodemus comes to Jesus and immediately starts talking about
miracles. For Nic, miracles are things he can see with his eyes and he wants to know more about them.
Nic knows there’s something special about Jesus and he wants to check it out for himself.
Jesus knows what Nic is up to and immediately starts to challenge him. Now, there are some really cool,
nerdy Greek wordplays happening in this passage, but what you really need to know is this: Jesus is
trying to teach Nic that God is bigger than the list of rules Nic follows.
27
Jesus gives Nic three chances, and he gets easier and easier to understand each time, but still Nic doesn’t
get it. He’s too focused on the rules and on what is actually possible to see what God is teaching him!
Jesus—the son of God—is standing right in front of Nicodemus and still he can’t see past the rules!
Finally, Jesus says, “Ok, just let me explain it to you.”
Ask:


Will someone read verses 11-21?
Do any verses in this section stand out to you?
Say: Jesus is trying to explain to Nic that God is way bigger than Nic thinks and that God can’t be
contained by a list of rules. John 3:16 is Jesus explaining God’s promise to Nicodemus—notice Jesus
doesn’t mention any rules here! Jesus looks at Nic and says, “God loves you so much that it’s your faith
and God’s grace that saves you.”
Point to the “Pharisees” rules list.
Ask:
 What does Jesus do to Nic’s set of rules?
[The goal here is to get them to see that Jesus is pointing out that it’s about the bigger picture. Jesus
didn’t throw Nic’s list out, but he did emphasize that he shouldn’t get lost in the nuances—he should
focus on God.]
Say: Nicodemus wants to make it all about doing right and following the rules, but Jesus says, “Open
your eyes! Look at what God is doing right in front of you! God is bigger than you think! The God that
knows how many hairs are on your head wants to be your friend. The God that created a universe that
contains more than 100 billion galaxies wants to be your friend. The God that sent Jesus to show us how
to love wants to be your friend. God wants to blow your mind, Nicodemus! Step back from the rule book
and let God rock your world.”
Ask:


What do you think about that?
What do you think Jesus would say about our list of “Christian” rules?
Say: In Matthew 22, a lawyer asks Jesus what the greatest commandment is—really he’s asking what is
the greatest of all the rules?
Ask:

Does anyone remember what Jesus answers?
Say: Jesus says the greatest of all the rules is to love God with everything that you have and to love
everything that God created, including other people. Jesus says the greatest rule is: Love.
Ask:

So, if Jesus is telling us to step away from the rule book, are we supposed to ignore the things
people tell us to do? [No!]
28
Say: Loving God and loving people is first and everything else will follow. It means loving God and being
friends with God will make us want to read our Bibles to learn more about who God is, we will want to
come to church to grow with other Christians, we will want to pray to talk to God, our friend.
Ask:

So what would Jesus say to our list?
Say: Nicodemus is a really cool character. He’s just like us. All he wanted was to do the right thing and to
try for perfection—we’ve all thought about that before! Jesus reminds Nic and us that it’s all about
love—God is bigger than all the rules!
Think for a second about the pictures you colored. Mike Yaconelli, a well-known author and speaker,
writes this, “Christianity is not about learning how to live within the lines; Christianity is about the joy of
coloring.”1
Ask:


What does that mean?
How is faith like coloring?
Say: Faith isn’t about coloring inside the lines. Faith is about realizing how huge God is and letting God’s
love for us and our love for God guide our lives.
Ask:


What does it look like for us to have a faith that is outside the lines? (real life examples)
o At school? At home? With friends? At church?
 seeing God in the little things
 practicing unpopular forgiveness, defending those who need you
 rallying behind a certain justice issue
Does anyone know where else Nicodemus is mentioned in the Bible?
Say: Nicodemus comes back right at the end of John in chapter 19. Nic understood what Jesus was
teaching him in chapter 3 and he got it. In chapter 19 he shows up to help with Jesus’ body after Jesus
was crucified. Remember, Nicodemus is like us—he just wanted to do the right thing! He does get it and
so can we!
1
Mike Yaconelli, Dangerous Wonder: The Adventure of Childlike Faith (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1998), 141.
29
The Closing
Say: Everyone take a new, clean version of the same picture you colored before.
I want you to re-color it! This time think outside the box, outside the lines, and really let yourself go.
Scribble, use random colors, draw in a background, don’t worry about realism—have fun! Celebrate the
joy of coloring!
A life and relationship with God isn’t about coloring inside the lines, it isn’t about rules, and it isn’t about
what other people think. A relationship with God is about the joy of coloring, the joy of living, the joy of
loving, the joy of faith!
Love God and love what God has created, including yourself. God is bigger than a list of rules—let
yourself be a scribbler!
30
Mary and Martha: Practicing Presence
Text: Luke 10:38-42
Main Idea: Real relationships come through being truly present with one another and with
God.
Supplies List:
-a legal copy of Jars of Clay’s “Human Race” from the “Inland” album
-pens
-print outs of the “Human Race” song lyrics
-white board or blank poster board
-dry erase marker or sharpie
-any materials needed for the large group activity
Prep List: Have the copies of the song lyrics and the pens ready for the beginning of the lesson.
Always remember to test your technology before getting started. Be sure to prep any potential
group games you choose to play during the “Practicing Presence” portion of the lesson.
The Opening
The opening activity involves playing a song by “Jars of Clay.” Be sure to check the rules your
church has on using music in large group settings. Since you won’t be charging anything to
listen, it’s common for you to be able to play the song as long as you give credit to the band. An
easy way to cover your bases is to list the band, album title, production company, and year on
the bottom of the lyric printouts.
Ask:



What old music do you listen to? Anything from your parents?
What of today’s music will your kids listen to? Anything?
Why won’t today’s stuff be popular for our kids?
Pass out the lyric sheets for the Jars of Clay song. Once everyone has a copy and a pen, cue the
song “Human Race” off their album “Inland.” (Don’t hit play just yet) Preface the song by telling
them it talks about our culture and how we tend to approach the world.
Say: Use the pen to write thoughts or notes down on your sheet as you listen. Try to pick out
what this song is saying about our culture and how we interact with other people.
Play the song.
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Ask:
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What did you notice?
What do you think the line “Labeled a friend you’re unfriending” means?
What do you think the line “The promise of love is downgraded, faith in available excess”
means?
What do you think this song says about our culture?
[Our culture tends to be disposable, throw away in nature]
What are the advantages of a disposable culture?
What are the disadvantages of a disposable culture?
[Inauthentic relationships, surface level friends, few things that will last and
make a real difference, people mostly concerned with themselves]
When we can easily throw out whatever we don’t want, what important things do we
lose?
[Real, authentic relationships become harder]
What do you think the line “look in my eyes, touch my face” is trying to say?
What does it mean to really be “present” with someone?
How can we move past the disposable culture and build real relationships?
The Study
Have the youth open their Bibles to Luke 10:38-42.
Say: The passage for today is a familiar one. We’re going to read about Jesus visiting the home
of his friends Mary and Martha. As we read, I want you to notice the differences in how the two
sisters relate to Jesus.
Have someone read the passage.
Ask:


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What is Martha doing in this story?
What is Mary doing?
Which one of them is doing the right thing?
[Note: This is kind of a trick question. They both are doing the right thing, the key
here is getting the youth to realize that sometimes there are things that should
take priority over our “to do” lists.]
Say: Mary is present with Jesus.
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Ask:

Do we have to choose: tasks or presence? Why/Why not?
Be prepared for the conversation to include a discussion about homework, chores, or other
tasks that do have a high priority, even over friends many times. If need be, add a short piece
about creating priorities (obviously, homework and jobs given by parents/guardians are
important).
Say: Martha isn’t doing anything wrong, she’s just missing what’s more important in the
moment. Tasks and “to do” lists are good and important things, but sometimes we have to
allow ourselves to put away the distractions and really be present with people. We’ll get a
chance to practice this idea of presence today.
Start by collecting everyone’s cell phones and electronics. It’s easy to have them put these
items into a bucket (make sure they’re all on vibrate or silent). Remind them that being present
with each other means we’re actually engaged and having real conversation, not distracted by
our phones.
Spend the remaining time in the lesson doing some kind of activity together that your group
enjoys. It can be anything, as long as they do it together and are having conversation and being
present. Ideas could be board games, group games, social activity, or even a field trip if time
allows (bowling, nature walk, etc). Maybe the youth have good ideas of their own. Allow 5-8
minutes at the end for the closing questions.
The Closing
Ask:

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How important is it to be present with each other? Why?
How important is it to be present with God? Why?
What does being present with God look like?
What are some ways we can add presence to our lives and our relationships with God?
[Write their answers down on a white board or poster.]
Say: I want to challenge everyone in this room, adults included, to pick one of these and try it
every day for 1 week. It may not be easy, but we can do it. Let’s try one of these great ideas for
a week and see what happens. We’ll report back next week.
As you leave, remember this: Truly noticing others means we move past stereotypes and
surface level friendships, and we actually learn about each other. It means we don’t define
friendship based on Facebook. It means we sit at the feet of Jesus. We have to talk, be present,
listen, and learn. We have to love—really love. That’s how we are present with others and that’s
how we are present with God.
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Stephen: Standing Strong
Text: Acts 6-7
Main Idea: A worshipful attitude is a strong addition to our faith foundation to help us stand
strong in what we believe.
Supplies List:
-Tower Supplies (suggestions):
-index cards
-rolls of tape (one per team)
-pipe cleaners
-popsicle sticks
-orange cone
-magazines
-paper
-markers
-2 Bibles
-Poster board or whiteboard
-Sharpie or dry erase marker
Prep List: Make sure all the tower materials are already divided evenly for the number of
teams that you’ll have. Spread them out into different parts of the room so groups can work
with plenty of space. It’s helpful to have trashcans available as well.
The Opening
The opening activity calls for youth to build a tower together in small groups. The materials
listed are simply suggestions. Be sure to let them know how much time they’ll have because it’s
important each group is able to construct a tower that is testable so the point of the lesson can
be further demonstrated.
Split the large group into small groups. Try to mix the ages and friend groups. Small groups of 46 work best for this activity.
Say: Use the materials in front of you to build a tower. You can make the tower any way you
want, but there are 2 rules: First, your tower must be able to stand on its own—no taping it to
the floor and no leaning it against something. Two, your tower must be able to support the full
weight of two Bibles on top. In the end, the tallest, free-standing tower that successfully holds
the Bibles will win. Make sure you are working together in your groups.
Remind them of their time limit. Prizes for the winning team may also be a good idea (candy
bars work well and are cheap).
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At the end of the building time, have each group move their tower to the center of the room. If
a group is unable to move their tower without compromising its structure, that’s ok. Test each
tower by placing the Bibles on top. Declare a winning group and pass out any promised prizes.
Say: Keep this activity in the back of your minds. We’ll come back to it.
The Study
Ask:
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What is it like when you are greatly outnumbered as a Christian and are facing people
who believe something different?
How should we handle those situations?
What about the other people? Are they always wrong?
Say: People who have different beliefs than us aren’t automatically wrong, and we can still
learn a whole lot from them. Often, popular culture thinks differently than Christians do, too.
Ask:

What do you think about culture? Is popular culture bad?
Say: Culture isn’t always bad. Many times, it tries, but just doesn’t see the whole picture. As
Christians, We have the opportunity to see what’s better.
Ask:
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Ask:
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What is easier: following culture or following God? Why?
Why would most people find it easier to blend into the popular culture than stand apart
from it?
Do you ever get caught up in trying to blend into culture? How?
What are some ways popular culture tries to influence us?
[Write these down in a column on the poster or whiteboard—(potential
suggestions) money, food, power, technology, unhealthy friendships, sexual
urges, opinions trends, etc through movies, games, music, tv, advertising, etc.]
Do you think you are influenced by the sermons you hear on Sunday?
Say: Think about this for a second: If sermons are about 30 minutes long every week (they’re
not usually that long, but we’ll round up), that means we spend about 26 hours per year
listening to sermons (0.3% of our year).
Ask: Does that sound like a lot or a little?
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Say: The average American watches 1812 hours (or 75.5 DAYS!) of TV per year (20% of our
year; 1/5; equal to non-stop, 24/7 TV from January 1 through March 16!).
Ask:

Seriously, does that sound like a lot or a little?
Say: We can say, “It’s just entertainment,” and maybe it is just entertainment, but there is no
denying that has an effect on us. Movies and games and music and other things aren’t bad, but
they definitely affect who we are.
Ask:
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So here’s the big question: What is our role as Christians when it comes to popular
culture? Do we need to avoid it at all costs, jump right in and take over, stand against it,
or what?
In what ways can culture be good and helpful for us as Christians?
In what ways SHOULD we be different?
Say: Today, we are going to take a look at a person from the book of Acts who stood up against
the popular opinion when he knew the majority was wrong. Everyone, open your Bibles to Acts
6.
Once everyone has a chance to find the passage, summarize 6:1-7, and then have someone
read 8-15.
Ask:
 Why do you think the Jewish leaders were so upset with him?
 What would you have done if you were in Stephen’s shoes and they arrested you
because of your faith?
Say: Chapter 7 begins with a long speech by Stephen. He stands up in front of the High Priest
and tells everyone about his faith. He goes back to the Old Testament and moves the story all
the way up to Jesus.
What really gets the people angry is when Stephen accuses them of being just like their
ancestors. Their ancestors betrayed and killed the prophets of God who predicted Jesus and now
these people had betrayed and killed Jesus, too! Stephen wasn’t afraid to speak the truth, even
when it wasn’t popular. Stephen went against the popular opinion.
Ask:


Will someone please read chapter 7, verses 54-60?
What does Stephen see?
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Say: This is the only time in scripture that Jesus is said to be standing at the right hand of God.
Every other time Jesus is next to God, Jesus is sitting. I can almost imagine Jesus standing there
clapping—giving Stephen a standing ovation and saying, “Well done, my good and faithful
servant. Well done.”
Look back at the story of Stephen in chapters 6 and 7.
Ask:

What do you notice about Stephen? Is there anything special about him?
Say: We talk a lot about standing strong in our faith. We even talk plenty about culture, but we
never really get to the “how” in this process. How do we stand strong? How did Stephen stand
strong?
Stephen was a normal person like us, but he had a unique way of looking at life. Listen to how
he is described as I read these five verses.
Read Acts 6:5, 6:8, 6:10, 6:15, and 7:55.
Ask:
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Based on how Stephen was described, what do you think “worship” has to do with our
discussion today?
What do you think “worship” has to do with Stephen’s ability to stand up for what he
believes?
Say: Stephen was worshipful in everything he did. Life is all an act of worship for him.
Ask:
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How might having a worshipful attitude help us stand strong?
The Closing
Say: At the beginning of Bible study, we built towers. The towers had to stand on their own and
hold a significant amount of weight on top.
Ask:
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What do you think that activity has to do with our discussion today?
What was the key to making sure your tower didn’t fall over and could hold weight?
[There may have been several keys, but make sure they get around to talking
about the foundation of their tower.]
What does worship have to do with our foundations?
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Say: A worshipful attitude can be a strong piece to help our faith foundations stay strong.
Ask:
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Do you think Stephen was worshipful in what he did?
[Acts 6:15—“his face was like the face of an angel”]
Can we be worshipful in everything we do?
What are some practical things we can try to help us approach life in a more worshipful
way?
[Write these down in a second column on the poster or whiteboard—Pray, even
quick prayers; start the day with reading the Bible; ask God to show you
opportunities to stand strong; remember that God loves everyone, even those
who make us mad, and we should love them, too; etc.]
How might our lives be different if we viewed everything as an act of worship?
How might a worshipful attitude help us stand our ground when we know something is
wrong like Stephen did?
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Jesus Turns Water into Wine
Text: John 2:1-11
Teaching aim: To show youth that following Jesus means unexpected joy and life, like a party
that keeps going
Supplies Needed:
 Party supplies - a party hat, noisemaker, some balloons. Make sure there is something
obviously missing from the part, like the cake
 Props to re-enact the text: robes, more party hats, fake or real cellphones, a water
pitcher
 Another water pitcher
 Water
 Six water glasses
 Red food coloring
 Flipchart/Poster Paper
 Markers/pencils/pens
I. INTRO
What’s missing at the party?
Ask:
“When was the last time you were at a really great party (birthday party, graduation celebration,
wedding)? What was so great about it? What were some of the things they had at the party?”
Say:
“I’ve got some items here for a party. A party hat, some noisemakers, balloons, etc. BUT I don’t
think I have everything I need. What are some things we’d need to have a really great party?”
Take some answers about what it would take to make a really great party happen.
Say:
“Sounds like we’ve got a really great party going. Now I want you to imagine that we’re at this
party and everything is going great. But all of a sudden, we run out of cake…or soda…or chips.
What does that feel like? What do you do?
Sometimes we’re at a party and we’re having such a good time with our friends, we’re having so
much fun and the food is so good - that we just don’t want it to end.”
Set out the six water glasses and the food coloring and pick up the pitcher full of water in your
hand.
“Jesus had the same problem in his time. He and his mother went to a wedding at a place called
Cana. After the wedding there was a HUGE party. And in those days, wedding parties would go
on for days and days. People just didn’t want to stop celebrating.
Now in those days, it was common practice to have wine at the parties. They drank wine, often
because it was one of the safer drinks for them to drink. Remember they didn’t have water
filtration, they didn’t have coke or soda or fruit punch. So they had wine.
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In the middle of this great party, something bad happens. The wine runs out and it looks like the
party is over. And Jesus’ mom asks him to do something about it.
So Jesus tells the party servants to get six big stone jars and fill them up with water. ….Oook
pretty strange request. They pour the water into the jars (pour the water into each of the cups
one by one.) And then someone comes over to taste it (now add a couple drops of food coloring
to each glass) and when they tasted it - it had turned into wine. They could keep the party going!
It’s a pretty bizarre story. I mean why, with all the other great things Jesus did - healing people,
helping the poor, feeding people lots of food - would Jesus do something like this? And why do
we have it in our Gospel stories? Something for you to think about as we jump into this story.”
II. DIGGING DEEPER
Say:
To dig a little bit deeper, I want us to split up into groups and try to see this through the eyes of
some other people. What did other people think when they saw this? What would we think if we
saw it today?
Divide them up equally into three groups (you may want to adapt this if you split up by middle
and high school groups.) One group will be re-enacting this scene as it is. The second group will
be re-enacted it, but they will also have a couple of people “narrating” through Twitter
responses. The third group will create a series of Instagram scenes, including captions for each
scene.
Group 1 - Re-enact
Read the text together (John 2:1-11) and pay attention to who all is there and what they say.
Write down a list of reactions you would have if you saw this happening today. Then recreate
this scene. Assign roles to each person in your group and make a script. Have fun with it and
add your own comments and reactions into the script. Use any props that will help you make the
scene.
Group 2 - #WatertoWine
Read the text together (John 2:1-11) and pay attention to who is there and what they say. Your
group will re-enact this scene and will have 2 Twitter commentators who will insert their
reactions as those they were live-tweeting this event. Assign roles to each person, including
your 2 Twitter commentators. Write a script that re-enacts the scene and includes the sidebars
from your 2 Twitter commentators. Remember to hashtag it up!
Group 3 - Instagram
Read the text together (John 2:1-11) and pay attention to what is happening and who is there.
Divide the story up into 3 or 4 scenes. Your group will present this story as if it were a series of
Instagrams. For each scene, you will need to stage people - where they would stand, what they
might be doing. Finally, you need to come up with a caption for what you would put with each
Instagram.
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Debrief
Go over any interesting bits that came up for each group. Ask them about their reactions and
commend them for doing a great job.
IV. GETTING REAL
Say:
“So now that you’ve had the chance to think about this story in different ways and to see it from
different perspectives, I want to come back to my original question. Why did Jesus do this?
What was the point?”
Take some answers. This is where it might be kind of tough. Truthfully, it may be difficult to get
youth to think about this more abstractly but we are going to try. They may say things like “He
was having a good time,” or “He didn’t want to let his friends down.”
Say:
“Well, I don’t know if we’ll ever really know. But one big clue is about where we find this story.
Where is it in John? It’s at the beginning. Right after John lays out what the story is about and
who Jesus is, this one of the very first stories about Jesus AND it’s his first act of public ministry.
Everything that Jesus does, the healings, the feeding, the helping and even this big party, Jesus
is trying to show us the Kingdom of God. If we think about that – if we think about the Kingdom
of God and we think about this party – what does that tell us about the Kingdom of God?”
At this point, Kingdom of God/Heaven may be a good talking point. Some groups will use it
regularly and will have a working understanding of what it means. Some may not encounter it at
all. For the next part, we’ll use flipchart paper to discuss. If your group does not use this
language, it might be good to have an additional flipchart labeled “What is the Kingdom of
God?” and to take some time to field responses from your youth.
Have one flipchart (or large white sheet of paper) up labeled “What does this tell us about the
Kingdom of God?” Take responses from your youth. Try to gear them towards answers like:
unexpected things happen, the party never ends, there is lots of joy and happiness, everyone is
invited.
V. GOING OUT
Say: “Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of God is like a party. Everyone is invited. Everyone feels
at home. And just when you thought it was over, something wonderful and unexpected
happens, and it keeps on going. How can we do this today?”
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Have some poster paper/flipcharts around the room with different questions to probe them into
making this miracle a reality. They can include these questions:



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How can we keep the party going?
How can we bring the party to others?
What are ways we make everyone feel welcome?
How can we make our youth group/church/community feel like a party?
The idea is to depart briefly from a message about the rigors of discipleship. We who take the
call of Jesus seriously know that it involves sacrifice, change, service and difficulty. Jesus said
as much. But he also said that he had come to give us abundant life, and that in losing our lives
we would find it. That’s the aim of this study – to help students realize there is joy and fulfillment
and happiness in the Kingdom of God too.
VI. BENEDICTION
Say: Remember some of the ways you have said we can share this party with others. A writer
named Frederick Beuchner said this: “The grace of God means something like this: ‘Here is
your life. You might have never been, but you are, because the party wouldn’t have been
complete without you.” Let’s go out and share the good news of God’s grace.
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Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
Texts: Mark 6:30-44, John 6:1-14
Teaching aim: To show youth that you never know when some small offering
can turn into something extraordinary
I. INTRO
What have you got on you? – Scavenger Hunt
Have the youth divide up evenly into teams. Depending on your group size, it could be as few as two or
as many groups as you’d like. This is a simple competition scavenger hunt with whatever items the
youth have on them – in their pockets, book bags, purses, whatever.
Say:
“This is a competition based on what you have with you. So the rules are simple. Take any loose items
you have on you – quarters, wallet, cellphone, paper clips, pencils, notebooks, bible, toe fungus –
whatever you think might be needed and put it in the middle of your group.
Each of your teams will need a designated runner. Only one person can be the runner and it’s the same
person for the whole game. They are the only people who can take items from your group and bring
them to me.
For each round, I’ll call out an item and whichever team gets it to me first will get 10 points.”
Proceed to call out random items that they may or may not have in their stacks. If you don’t see it in the
pile, maybe they have it still in their pockets or on them, they just didn’t think they would need it. (And
if you want to be fair, try to call items that you see in every group.)
After a few rounds, declare a winner and debrief.
Debrief
 What is the most random thing you discovered you had on you?
 When you left your house today, did you have any idea that some of this stuff would come in
handy?
 What did you do if you needed something but didn’t have it? Did others help you out? Did you
help others out? (Chances are, if they did help out, it was for their own team. Though it is a
competition, you can always challenge them to think outside the game and consider sharing
with other teams in a spirit of fair play.)
II. CONNECT
Say:
“While this was just a game and nothing really important was going on, in real life you never really know
when something small will come in handy; or for that matter when something really small will can be
used for something really important.
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That’s what happened in one of the Gospel stories about Jesus. He’s being followed by these huge
crowds and they’ve been going all day. They’re tired and they’re hungry. And nobody knows what to do.
But at that moment, something really unexpected and small makes a huge impact. “
III. DIGGING DEEPER
“As we look through this story tonight, pay special attention to who shows up, what’s being said, and
what’s being done. This is one of those stories where there’s something really big happening, but there
are also so many small things in the story that make the story unique.”
At this point, divide into even groups again. We will look at two different versions of the same stories, so
again, whatever size groups will work best for small group discussion. You can have only two groups, or
you can divide into more groups and have some double up on the texts. If you are feeling particularly
ambitious, this story appears in all four Gospels and you can have a group looking at each account. For
the purposes of this study, there are only sets of questions for the texts in Mark and John.
Have each group read the text together and then use these questions as a handout for them to discuss.
Mark’s Account: Mark 6:30-44
1. Who do you notice in this story?
2. What is Jesus’ response to the hungry crowd?
3. What is the disciple’s response to the hungry crowd?
4. What would be your response?
5. Does five loaves and two fish seem like enough to feed the crowd? Does it sound like a filling
lunch?
6. Where do you think the food came from according to this passage?
7. How did they get all the leftovers?
John’s Account: John 6:1-14
1. Who do you notice in this story?
2. What is Jesus’ response to the crowd? Why do you think Jesus wanted to test Phillip?
3. What is Phillip’s response?
4. What would be your response?
5. Where does the food come from in this passage? How do you think it got there?
6. Does five loaves and two fish seem like enough to feed the crowd? Does it sound like a filling
lunch?
7. How did they get all the leftovers?
Debrief:
Have the youth share their responses to the questions. Ask any follow up questions. Have them thinking
and feeling about what it would be like to be there, and thinking about what miracles are present today.
As a large group, have a discussion with these questions in mind:
 What does Jesus do before giving out the bread?
 What does it mean to be moved with compassion?
 Do you think miracles can still happen today?
Say: There are two parts of the story that I think are important for us today. The first is this phrase:
“Jesus saw the crowd and had compassion on them.” What does it mean to have compassion? That’s an
important thing to take away from this story. (If you have heady students who like digging into words,
you can use the following parts) Compassion comes from this word that’s really fun to say in Greek –
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splangk-ni-zo-my. It’s a word that means “in the guts”. What would we would say today is “It broke my
heart,” or “It really hurt my heart to see that.” In the Greek, it was in the guts. It’s this idea that you are
being moved in the deepest parts of your being to respond. It’s just like an instinct, you don’t have to
think, you just know you have to respond in some way.
One of the things we have to learn is how to see with eyes of compassion and how to know when it is our
chance to respond.
And the second is this: you really never know when something really small can contribute into something
incredible! Just think, this boy comes along with his sack lunch for the day and somehow it is enough. Or,
as some suggest, the boy’s gift of his own lunch prompted everyone else to pull out whatever was in their
pockets and to hand it over for a shared meal.
Whatever the case may be, the truth is this – whatever we give, whatever we can give – can be used by
God for something greater.
IV. GETTING REAL
At this time, the youth are going to reflect on how they see themselves acting out the story. The idea is
for them to see scenes of great need, and think about what they can do to respond – whether big or
small. Have some images posted around the room that show some of the great needs of the world, the
country or your community. I would suggest finding whatever would best connect with your group. For
example, if your church is partnered with a homeless ministry you could have pictures of folks who
struggle with homelessness. It will help them connect the dots between a need in their community and
a ministry that the church is already doing. Here are some ideas for images:
 People who struggle with homelessness
 Strip mining in Appalachia
 Pollution in the Gulf Coast
 Someone struggling with hunger
 Someone in prison
 Refugees
 Migrant workers
Under each photo, have a slip of paper so that youth can write down something they can do to help.
Challenge them not to put a duplicate answer and to think deeper than just surface level responses.
V. GOING OUT
Debrief by sharing some of what is written on the cards. Ask: If you think about how big some of these
problems are, does it seem like what you wrote will make a big difference? What about if each of us
picked one problem like hunger or poverty and did something, would that make a difference? What if
this group of people got our whole church, or our neighborhood or our town, to start working on it,
would that start to make a difference?
It may be overwhelming to hear about the big problems of the world and we can often become paralyzed
into doing nothing. But some of those most significant changes in our world have come because one
person saw a need and offered up whatever help they could. And then another person decided they could
offer up some help too, and then another and so on.
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If you don’t believe me that even a person YOUR age can make a change, let’s listen to some stories
about people who have made a major impact, even if the help they could offer seemed very small:
(Note: for each of these, have one or two youth volunteer to read them for the group)
1. Charlie Coon, age 11
In 2008 Charlie Coons’s big brother volunteered at an orphanage in Jordan, and he returned with stories
about dirt floors, children who had no shoes, and cold, cold nights. Charlie, 11 at the time, was so
affected by this, she immediately decided to send them fleece blankets, creating one from a kit and
inviting friends to make some, too. Soon the sixth-graders and other volunteers in her town had crafted
50 blankets to ship. The orphanage sent back a photo of a child with one of the gifts. “I thought, ‘Oh my
gosh, I made that blanket and now it’s helping someone,’?” Charlie says.
Still, she was pumped to do more. Her dad, Ron, a Rotary Club member, lined up speaking engagements
in their area for Charlie so she could raise money for her new group, which she called HELP (Hope
Encouragement Love Peace). Her goal: to send blankets to orphanages around the world. Ambitious,
yes, but just a few years later, HELP has sent some 700 blankets to nine nations with the help of several
international children’s groups. Her next goal: to establish HELP chapters in all 50 states
2. McClain Hermes, age 8
What started as a bet turned into a mission for McClain Hermes. In 2009, when she was 8-years-old
McClain’s dad promised to shave his head if she could collect 1,000 pairs of shoes to donate to needy
families. Not only did McClain rise to the occasion and complete the task, she decided to start her own
foundation around the cause. Since 2009, her “Shoes for the Souls” has donated thousands of pairs of
shoes to the Atlanta Mission Homeless Shelter.
3. Blare Gooch, age 13
Two days after the devastating January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Blare saw a little boy crying in a pile of
rubble on a newscast. The story brought him to tears. The next day, still thinking about what he’d seen,
Blare remembered the teddy bear that always comforted him. “Then I thought, ‘We could start a drive
for Haiti,’” says Blare. At school, his teachers let him announce his plan over the PA system and ask
other kids to donate bears. Soon a local TV and radio station got wind, and, via Facebook, other schools
joined in.
The result? Blare’s Bears for Haiti gave 25,000 teddy bears to the island nation and about 22,000 more
to nonprofits. This year Blare’s group will collect toys and school supplies, too. Blare’s advice to other
kids is simple. “It doesn’t really matter how small or old you are,” he says. “If you’re young and think you
can’t make a big difference in the world, well, you actually can.”
VI. BENEDICTION
Say: Mother Teresa, who was a well-known Catholic nun and worked with people in the slums of India,
once said: “We cannot do great things, only small things with great love.” Let’s pray that we can see the
world with eyes of compassion, and that even very small acts – praying for someone, giving them shoes,
or sharing a sack lunch – we can do with great love.
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Jesus heals two blind men
Scripture: Matthew 9:27-31
Prayer Request:
Take any prayer request. Write them on the white board, and tell everyone to pick at
least one request to pray for during the week.
Activity: Have everyone stand up and spread out in the room. Have two youth put on blind
folds. Instruct them to find a specific youth (who isn’t blindfolded). All youth can move around,
but if a blindfolded youth touches them, they have to go sit back down. Play until the blind
folded youth find their specific target. Play again if time allows, blind folding different youth.
Scripture:
Pass out the reading sheets. Assign parts, and have the youth read the scripture.
Large group or Small group Questions:
1. If this is the only story you heard about Christ/God what would you think/learn?
2. Why do you think Jesus performed miracles?
3. How were the men following Jesus? Do you think someone was helping them? Or that
they could somehow sense him in the crowd? Or something else?
4. Why do you think Jesus was curious if they believed he could do it?
5. Why is faith in so many of the healing stories?
6. What do you think it was like seeing for them in that moment?
7. Do you think Jesus looked like they thought he would?
8. Why did Jesus tell them not to tell anyone?
9. Why did they tell everyone throughout the district?
Small Groups:
“Roses/Thorns” or “Highs/Lows” or “Rate your week”:
A time for the youth to share positive or negative experiences from the past week with
the group.
Doodling: Allow the youth to draw a picture of the meeting between Jesus and the blind men
while the group discusses the story. Let them share at the end if they want to.
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Matthew 9:27-31 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, crying loudly,
“Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
When he entered the house, the blind men came to
him; and Jesus said to them,
“Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
They said to him,
“Yes, Lord.”
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Then he touched their eyes and said,
“According to your faith let it be done to you.”
And their eyes were opened. Then
Jesus sternly ordered them,
“See that no one knows this.”
But they went away and spread the
news about him throughout the
district.
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Jesus walks on water
Scripture: Matt. 14:22-33, Mark 6:45-52, John 6:16-21
Prayer Request:
Take any prayer request. Write them on the white board, and tell everyone to pick at
least one request to pray for during the week.
Activity: Divide the youth into three groups. Give each group one of the three scripture cards
(Matt. 14:22-33, Mark 6:45-52, John 6:16-21). Each group has 5 minutes to read the story, and
make a picture using themselves as the characters and props, as if the picture was going to be
on Instagram. One person in the group will hold up a caption for the photo. (If possible, take
pictures using your phone and post these to your church’s facebook page the next day)
Activity: Have each group exchange their card with another group’s card. Allow time for each
student to draw picture based on this gospel’s presentation of the story. Allow time for them to
share their pictures.
Large group or Small group Questions:
1. What was different between the three versions?
2. What was the same between the three versions?
3. Why didn’t Jesus just wait for the boat to dock?
4. Why were they afraid when they saw him walking out to the boat?
5. John’s version has them in a row boat, why would a storm be scary in that type of boat?
6. Mark says Jesus intended to pass them by, why is that?
7. Matthew has Peter trying to walk out to Jesus, why did Peter ask to do this?
8. Why did Peter sink? Was it because he didn’t have faith in Jesus, or because he didn’t
have faith that he could follow Jesus’ commands?
9. Why did the storm stop when Jesus was in the boat?
Small Groups:
“Roses/Thorns” or “Highs/Lows” or “Rate your week”:
A time for the youth to share positive or negative experiences from the past week with
the group.
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Why we Worship
Opening: Celebrity Charades
Split the group into two teams. Give teams 2 minutes to come up with a list of as many
adored celebrities as they possibly can. These can be actors, politicians, or other people who
have earned tremendous acclaim. Have them write each name on a separate small slip of
paper.
After two minutes have groups take turns sharing the celebrities they came up with.
Once a name has been said once, the other group cannot repeat it and must throw away their
duplicate slip of paper.
Once all names have been read, put all of the sips of paper into a hat and keep the same
teams for verbal charades! Teams take turns sending one person up to draw a name from the
hat. Each player has one minute to get their team to guess as many celebs as they can without
using gestures, only words (no “rhymes with…”!). After one minute the other team sends a
player to do the same.
Questions for discussion
- Why do we put some people up on a pedestal?
- Do we ever people who aren’t celebrities? Give some examples. (The “cool” kids at
school, people who are beautiful, members of a team or club we want to be a part of,
etc)
- What does it mean to worship someone?
- What does it mean to worship God?
The Lesson:
What Is Worship and How do we do it?
Break students into groups of 2-3. Assign each group one of the following passages: Exodus
20:2-6, 2 Kings 17:38-39, 1 Chronicles 16:23-31, Psalm 100:1-5, Isaiah 29:13, Matthew 14:2833, Romans 12:1-2. It’s okay for more than one group to have the same passage if you have
more than 7 groups. If you have fewer than 7 groups, give each group two passages.
Have groups/partners look up their assigned passage. Pass out worksheets (at the end of the
lesson) to each group/pair.
Give groups 5-8 minutes to complete their worksheets then have each team share their
work with the larger group.
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Questions for discussion
- Who does the Bible tell us we ought to worship?
- What does the Bible say about worshiping things/people besides God?
- What are some things (besides people) that teens today might worship?
Have all youth turn in their Bibles to Daniel 3:1-18. Ask for a few volunteers to read the
passage aloud to the group. Go over the names in the passage (Nebuchadnezzar, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego) to make sure kids are comfortable with them before they begin to
read. After the passage has been read, ask for volunteers to recap the story in their own words.
Questions for discussion
- What did King Nebuchadnezzar demand that the people in his kingdom do? (worship a
giant golden statue)
- What was the punishment for anyone who didn’t worship the gold statue? (they “shall
immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire.” 3:6)
- What are some things that we are tempted to “worship” besides God?
- What might be our “punishment” if we do not worship these things? (people might not
think we’re cool, we might feel left out, lose friends, etc)
- Is that punishment easier or harder than what Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego faced?
Why?
- Do Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego know for sure that God will save them from the
fire? (No! See 3:17-18)
- What would it take for you to respond the way that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
did?
Say, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego believed that God was holy and worthy of their
exclusive worship so much that they were willing to risk their lives for this principle. Even
though they didn’t know if God would save them from the fire, they were still willing to
stand firm in their faith, and worship only God.
Ask:
- What’s the big deal? Why is God so big on being the only focus of our worship?
- Why do you worship God?
Closing
Have students take a moment to write on a slip of paper one thing that they might struggle not
to worship: money, the internet, social media, clothing, a pair of sneakers… what do they adore
more than everything else?
Gather students into a circle. Allow a time of silent prayer for students to reflect on who and
what they worship. Invite them to crumple their papers and toss them into a pile in the middle
of the circle. Close with something like this: God, we want to worship you and you alone. But
there are so many things calling for our attention. Help us to keep these things in perspective.
Help up to have hearts full of worship only for you. Amen.
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Our group’s Scripture passage: ________________________________
Look up your passage and answer the following questions about it. Be prepared to share
your answers with the rest of the group!
1. Is your passage giving directions for worship or actually offering worship?
2. What does your passage teach us about worship?
3. What does this mean for teenagers today?
4. Re-write your passage as though it were addressed to you and your friends.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our group’s Scripture passage: ________________________________
Look up your passage and answer the following questions about it. Be prepared to share
your answers with the rest of the group!
1. Is your passage giving directions for worship or actually offering worship?
2. What does your passage teach us about worship?
3. What does this mean for teenagers today?
4. Re-write your passage as though it were addressed to you and your friends.
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Communion
Supplies Needed:
 Supper!
 Markers
 Bibles
 Butcher paper table covering
 Grape juice
 Cups
 Loaves of bread (or pita, or crackers, or whatever bread-ish material you prefer)
Opening
Plan in advance to turn this meeting into a meal. Have adult volunteers prepare a feast of sorts
for the students. Make sure that everyone can sit together around one big table. Cover the
table with butcher paper that can be written on after supper. Pull tables together in the
fellowship hall if you have to! The meal can be whatever your group loves to eat- Pizza? Friend
Chicken and Mac n Cheese? Hamburgers and hot dogs? Doesn’t have to be fancy, just a
delicious, family style meal! Be sure to enforce a no cell-phone policy. Create a space where
everyone is fully present. Try to encourage the group to share memories and laugh together.
Enjoy this time together as a family! Try to position yourself in a central part of the table.
The Study
As everyone finishes eating, stand up and dispose of everyone’s empty plates. Have an adult
help if you have an extra large group. When the plates have been cleared, Offer a pray such as,
“God, we thank you for the amazing meal that we just shared. Thank you for the hands that
prepared it and the love that was shared around this table. Now help us tune our hearts and
minds to hear what you might be trying to tell us tonight. Amen.
- How was your supper?
- How often does your family eat a meal together? What about your extended family
(grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, family friends)?
- What is it like when your whole extended family gets together for a meal?
Say something like, Gathering a big group together for a meal takes a good deal of organizing
and preparation. We often only get our extended families together on special occasions like
birthdays, Thanksgiving, weddings, and even funerals. As we gathered together tonight I
heard lots of stories and memories and laughing. I really enjoyed our time together. It was
truly a gift from God.
I think maybe Jesus felt the same way when he gathered his disciples together for a
meal. And the most famous instance of Jesus and his 12 closest buddies coming together for a
meal is found in all 4 gospels (that’s Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) but tonight we’re going
to look most closely at Matthew, Mark and Luke.
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Allow students to stay seated at the table, but divide them into groups of 4-6 and give
each group a Bible and a scripture passage. If you have more than 3 groups, give more than one
group the same passage. Spread markers out around the table so that there are more than
enough for everyone.
Passages: Matthew 26:17-29; Mark 14:12-25; Luke 22:7-23
Read your passage out loud together in your groups. Please be respectful of the other groups
around you and listen carefully to your particular passage.
After you have read your passage, take a marker and draw on the butcher paper
covering the table some images that come to your mind as you reflect on the passage you
just read.
After everyone has finished reading and as they are working on their doodling ask:
- What were some key things that happened in your passage?
- Do you think the disciples knew what a somber turn the evening would take after
supper?
- Do you think the disciples understood what Jesus meant when he gave them “the last
supper?”
- What is significant about sharing a meal together?
- Why did Jesus compare himself to bread and wine?
- Why do we still practice this ritual in our church today?
Say something like: Even in church today, after all these years and generations, we still
practice the Lord’s Supper. You may want to speak about your particular church’s tradition of
the Lord’s Supper. Do you practice open communion? Do you have to be baptized? Why does
your church do it that way? Unpack as much as you feel comfortable with your kids. Then say
something like, We see from the many stories that we have about Jesus, that he was one who
welcomed all people into his life. So tonight we have shared a meal, we have shared laughter
and love. And now, let us take time to remember as Jesus taught us to remember.
Say something like: On the night Jesus was to be betrayed by his dear friend, he gathered his
12 closest buddies together for a meal. After they had finished eating, Jesus took a loaf of
bread, broke it and said, “Do you see this bread? It represents my body, which I freely give for
you. Every time you eat bread in this manner, I want you to remember me.”
Turn to the person on your right, and invite them to break off a piece of bread. As they do, say,
“The body of Christ, for you _________.” (Say their name). Instruct them to take the loaf and
offer it in the same manner to the person on their right. If you have a very large group or are
pressed for time, you may consider sending another loaf of bread in the opposite direction.
Once everyone has a piece of bread say, “Let us eat together and remember,” and eat your
bread.
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Take a stack of cups and pass them around the table, each youth taking one. Bring out a
pitcher of grape juice. Pour some into the cup of the person on your right and say,
“________(their name), may you be filled with the love of Christ” then pass her/him the
pitcher and invite her to do the same for the person on her right, and so on until everyone’s cup
is filled and everyone has filled someone else’s cup. Again, you may consider sending another
pitcher in the opposite direction for larger groups.
Once everyone’s cup has been filled say, “Let us drink together and remember,” and drink your
juice.
Questions to consider
-What were you remembering as you ate the bread and drank the juice?
- How does taking communion make you feel?
- What are some other ways that we can remember?
Say something like, We remember Jesus for his death and resurrection, but we also remember
Jesus for his life. We remember that he came to this earth to show us how to love God and
love each other better. As we go home tonight, let’s carry these things with us. In the
busyness of our days, let’s continue to remember. Go in peace!
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Missions Session 1
Idea for Execution: The best way to learn about missions is to practice missions. These two
sessions are designed to fit around a missions activity. This could be something as small as
spending an afternoon helping at a local homeless shelter or as large as an international mission
trip. The suggested format is Session 1, missions activity, Session 2. This format could function
as a weekend missions retreat or be used during regular Bible study time.
Preparation:
- Before the session, tape a very large piece of colorful paper on the wall in your youth
meeting room. In large print, write “missions” across the middle of the paper. Have a
variety of colorful markers available for the opening activity.
- Make slips of paper (one per youth) with this quote from St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach
the gospel at all times; when necessary, use words.”
- Familiarize yourself with the scripture passage and context.
Exploratory Question: What is missions and why do we do it?
Scripture: Luke 24:36-53
Opening Activity:
- Give the youth a few minutes to write on the large paper some words or short phrases that
come to mind when they think of missions.
o Ask: Why did those words come to mind? (Try to get a feel for any preconceived
notions, good or bad, that the youth have about missions).
Bible Study
- Have a youth read Luke 24:36-53.
- Read again verses 44-48 for emphasis.
- Discuss:
o What is the context of this passage? (Resurrection and Ascension)
o Why did Jesus tell the disciples that this story must be preached to all nations?
o Say: ultimately, this passage reminds us that when we speak of missions, we are
speaking of God’s mission. This is a mission given to us by Jesus. We are invited
to work with God as God works to fill this world with love.
o If we speak of ourselves as Jesus’ disciples today, what does this mean for us?
o How is missions about more than preaching?
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Meditation
- Give each youth a slip of paper with the St. Francis of Assisi quote on it. Give them about
a minute to read and silently meditate on the quote.
- Discuss:
o How is this idea similar to Jesus’ command in Luke? Does it sound different at
all?
o What does it mean for us to engage in missions, or engage in God’s mission?
Closing Activity
- Give the youth several minutes to journal about their hopes and expectations for the
upcoming mission experience.
o Why are you going to do this?
o How do you hope that God will use you and our group during this mission
experience?
Close in prayer, thanking God for loving the world and asking for provision during your
upcoming mission experience.
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Missions Session 2
Preparation:
- Have five copies of the skit printed (one for each participant).
- Have a variety of colorful markers available for Closing Activity.
- Familiarize yourself with the scripture passage and context.
Exploratory Question: How can we engage in missions in ways that are most helpful?
Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-9
Opening Activity:
- Lead the youth in a discussion of reflection on their recent mission experience. Be sure
to have them summarize what they did and how it went to catch up any youth who were
not present for the mission experience.
o Ask questions like: How did it go? What was an interesting conversation you
had? In what ways was our work helpful?
- Have the youth go back and read their journal entry from the last session about what
expectations and hopes they had.
- How were your expectations met? How was our experience different from what you
expected?
Bible Study:
- Explain that Paul had been a missionary to the Thessalonians and is now writing them a
letter.
- Have a youth read 1 Thessalonians 2:1-9
- What are some things Paul says they did that made their mission trip to Thessalonica
successful?
- How did we act in some of those ways during our recent mission experience?
- In verse 9, Paul says “we preached God’s good news to you, while we worked night and
day so we wouldn’t be a burden on any of you.” What do you think Paul means by this?
- Can you think of any ways that, if we aren’t careful, our mission efforts could become a
burden on the people or organization we are attempting to help?
Exploring Culture:
- Explain that the youth are about to perform a skit based on an excerpt from Things Fall
Apart by Chinua Achebe. The book is written from the Nigerian perspective when the
first colonial missionaries arrived in their village.
- Choose youth to act out parts in the skit below.
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Narrator: The arrival of the missionaries had caused a considerable stir in the
village of Mbanta. There were six of them and one was a white man. Every man
and woman came out to see the white man…When they had all gathered, the white
man began to speak to them…Many people laughed at his dialect and the way he
used words strangely. Instead of saying ‘myself’ he always said ‘my buttocks.’
Missionary: There is a new God, the creator of all the world and all the men and
women. You have been worshipping false gods, gods of wood and stone…The
true God lives on high and all people when they die go before God for judgment.
Evil people and all the heathen who in their blindness bowed to wood and stone
were thrown into a fire and burned. But good people who worshipped the true God
live forever in His happy kingdom. We have been sent by this true God to ask you
to leave your wicked ways and false gods and turn to Him so that you may be
saved when you die.
Crowd Person 1: Your buttocks understand our language!
Old Man: Which is this god of yours? The goddess of earth, thee god of the sky,
Amadiora or the thunderbolt, or what?
Missionary: All the gods you have named are not gods at all…There is only one
true God and he has the earth, the sky, you and me and all of us.
Crowd Person 2: If we leave our gods and follow your god, who will protect us
from the anger of our neglected gods and ancestors?
Missionary: Your gods are not alive and cannot do you any harm. They are pieces
of wood and stone.
Narrator: When this was interpreted to the men of Mbanta they broke into derisive
laughter. These men must be mad, they said to themselves. How else could they
say that their village gods were harmless? So some of the crowd began to go
away.
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Ask:
-
What do you think about this skit?
How was the colonial approach to missions different than ours?
How was language a barrier?
How was culture a barrier?
What damage was done through their interactions?
How were their interactions helpful?
Was culture a barrier at all in our missions experience? (keep in mind there can be
various cultures present even in one community)
How can we communicate God’s love well when we do missions in the future?
Closing Activity:
- Close by inviting youth again to the large “missions” paper on the wall. Give them a few
minutes to write any newer words or phrases that come to mind when they think about
missions.
Close in prayer, thanking God for those people who have shared Christ with us in nurturing,
loving ways and ask God to help your group share God’s love in helpful ways in the future.
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Shared Thoughts Resource: The Trinity
by Jason Matlack, Minister to Youth, Calvary Baptist Church
Teacher Tips:
1. Pray for your group, your church, and yourself.
2. Know your class. Adjust the teaching material as needed to meet your youth where they are
intellectually, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually.
3. Ask follow up questions and encourage youth not to just give the anecdotal “Sunday School
answer.” Challenge them to offer concrete and real world answers and examples. Get “real”
and ask how they feel about the information and discussion.
4. Try something different. Have an artistic group? Incorporate an opportunity to draw or paint
in the lesson. Is there nice weather outside? Consider taking the group outside. You never
know what could come out of your efforts!
5. Have fun! Enjoy the youth that you have right in front of you. God put them there, so enjoy
and grow your relationship with them.
Unit Introduction
What are we talking about when we talk about God? This may seem like an overly
complicated and non-essential question for the average Christian in the pew—and it may be a
ridiculous question for youth in a Bible study or Sunday School class. But taking time to patiently
think, teach about, and discuss the language that we use to talk about God can help us
construct a mature understanding of God and (hopefully) grow our faith in and love of God.
Although accepted as orthodox theology within multiple Christian traditions for centuries,
God self-revealing and existing as being triune might be one of the fuzzy areas in your (and
your youth’s!) worship and understanding of God. Talking about God as being “one holy God
revealed in three persons sharing one nature in hypostatic communion” is pretty heady
language! It is my hope that this unit will help your youth explore the nature of God as Creator,
Redeemer, and Sustainer and begin deeper conversations and exploration about how they
experience and know God.
This unit will explore the Trinity through four lessons. Lesson one will briefly examine the
idea of the Trinity and help youth experience the difficulty of thinking and speaking about God
as existing as a trinity.
The second lesson examines the first person of the Trinity—God as Creator—through a
study of Psalm 104. As a beautiful poetic description of God as the cosmic and caring Creator,
this psalm presents vivid imagery of God that can help youth better experience the Creator
through God’s creation.
The third lesson focuses on Jesus the Christ as the second person of Trinity—God the
Redeemer. This lesson explores Jesus “mission statement” from the beginning of his ministry in
Luke 4:14-21 and unpacks what a “kinship-redeemer” is and does.
The fourth and final lesson explores the Holy Spirit as the third person of the Trinity—
God the Sustainer. This lesson looks at Jesus’ descriptions of the Spirit from the Farewell
Discourse from John 14-16. The Spirit is presented as an ever-present advocate who Sustains
and guides all believers.
Please note that it has been a conscious decision to use the language of “Creator,
Redeemer, and Sustainer” to refer to the Trinity in this unit. This is for purposes of gender
inclusivity and to help frame the content and discussion about God within the lessons
themselves.
Help youth to carefully interact with the Scripture passages pertaining to each person of
the Trinity and to reflect on how and when they experience God as Creator, Redeemer, and
Sustainer in their lives.
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Lesson 1: The Trinity—Little Word, Big Concept
Introduction and Biblical Background:
How can we talk and teach about the Trinity in just one lesson? Trinitarian theology has
occupied the thoughts of theologians and philosophers since the time of the early church. The
Trinity has been a source for writing, questions, debates, and metaphors for thousands of
Christian thinkers for hundreds of years. This lesson will help youth experience the difficult
practice of thinking about God as Trinity, explore a few ways that we can think about the Trinity,
and ultimately acknowledge the mystery of God existing as three persons. Since there is no one
Scriptural text that refers to the Trinity, this lesson will rely on a few brief verses from Matthew
28 and 2 Corinthians 13.
Much of our knowledge about God existing as Trinity is based on theological reasoning
and God’s self-revelation through a few brief biblical examples. The Bible does not contain the
word “Trinity” or describe the idea in any detail. Yet the liturgical formula of baptizing believers in
the name of “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” is recorded as the words of Jesus in the Great
Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). Paul also uses a trinitarian blessing to end the second letter to
the Corinthian church (2 Corinthians 13:13).The Christian communities in which the Gospel and
Epistle writers worshipped developed the belief that God exists and self-reveals as three
persons . It is thought that second century theologian Tertullian first coined the term “Trinity.” A
more formal doctrine of the Trinity was defined during the great church councils of the third and
fourth centuries, prompted in part by their debates regarding the divinity of Jesus and how
Jesus relates to God.
Numerous ideas and theologies attempting to explain the Trinity have been formed
throughout the history of the Christian faith. Ideas of subordination, one-self, three-self,
perichoresis, and social understandings have all been proposed to explain the divine and
mysterious nature of the Trinity. Since most of these ideas are complex and are best
understood in the theological and historical contexts in which they originated, this lesson will
avoid trying to summarize or explain the breadth and depth of trinitarian theology.
So why does this matter? As mentioned in the unit introduction, it is my hope that
examining God as Trinity will prompt youth to think deeply and discover new insights about God.
It is also my hope that carefully teaching and talking about God as Trinity will provide a
language of faith that youth can claim as their own from their worship and experience of our
divine God. Finally, it is my hope that through studying the Trinity we can challenge our concept
of God. So often in American Christianity, we limit our understanding and perspective of God.
As some have stated it, we have “worshipped a God too small.” By confronting the mystery and
depth of the Trinity I hope that we can reveal a bigger God to our youth.
Because this lesson only briefly introduces trinitarian thought and theology and because
doctrinal theology of the Trinity can be confusing, below are a few online resources for
additional reading in the development of Trinitarian concepts of God:
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/trinity/index.html
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/trinity/trinity-history.html
Sources:
“Trinity” Redemption HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, Paul J. Achtemeier editor, Harper Collins,
New York 1985
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Lesson Teaching Points:
1. Trinity, trinitarian, triune, etc. all basically mean “three” or “three in one.”
2. Although the word “trinity” does not appear in Scripture, the formulaic blessing of “Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit” is sprinkled throughout the New Testament. This is because the early
Christian communities in which the Gospels and Epistles originated espoused a trinitarian
(or 3-part) concept of God.
3. When we talk about the Trinity, we are talking about all of the qualities of God. There are
other words to describe this (e.g. God-head, triune God, etc.), but Trinity is most common.
4. We may not always think about God being a “trinity,” especially when talk about God, Jesus,
or the Holy Spirit in conversation or Sunday School lessons. But for hundreds of years
Christians have believed that God is somehow triune in nature.
5. The concept of the Trinity is difficult to talk about and understand, but that is part of doing
theological reflection. God is so much bigger, more complex, and mysterious than we are,
so it’s hard to comprehend a concept like the Trinity—and that’s ok!
Opening Activities: (choose one)
Describe This!
Supplies Needed: table salt in a small bowl, an object that is completely one color (maybe a ball
or toy), a wedding ring, a piece of music (preferably staff music), a Bible, a box to hide these
prompts in before the activity, and four sheets of paper and four pencils
Welcome your group and tell them that the lesson will start off with a little experiment. Divide
your group into four groups either by birthday months (January - March, April - June, July September, or October - November) or by playing two rounds of “rock, paper, scissors”
(everyone plays once with “winners” forming one group and “losers” forming another, then play
again and again divide into “winning” and “losing” groups to create four groups). Give each
group a piece of paper and a pencil. Tell the groups that you will give each one a item to prompt
them to describe something and that they have to work together to write down the description.
Group 1: Describe the taste of salt (bowl of salt—they may take a pinch and taste it)
Group 2: Describe the color of the object, maybe as if to someone who is blind (the object
completely of one color)
Group 3: Describe love, either romantic or familial (the wedding ring)
Group 4: Describe music (the sheet of music)
Note: You can use all four items or, depending on your group size, you can use only three or
two. You can also add or substitute prompts and descriptions if you’d like. Other possibilities
include sour (a sliced lemon), hot (a tabasco or pepper sauce), sweet (sugar), etc.
Give each group their prompt and allow an appropriate amount of time (3-5 minutes) to come up
with a description. Then invite each group to share their descriptions. Finally, place the Bible
near the middle of the room as the final prompt and have each group again work together to
describe one final thing: God. After an appropriate amount of time, invite each group to share
their descriptions.
Questions for Reflection:
1. Why is it difficult to describe certain sensations or ideas?
2. Which was easier—describing salt, blue, love, or music or describing God? Why?
3. Have you every heard the word “Trinity” used to describe God? What do you think it means?
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How Many Names?
Supplies Needed: large index cards or sheets of paper for each youth, pencils, some method to
keep time for the game (1 minute)
Welcome your group and say: Think about how many names you have: a first name, a
nickname, maybe a pet name from a boyfriend or girlfriend, maybe your last name if your on a
sports team, or even a middle name if you are in trouble. You have many names! It’s not
surprising that many everyday things also have more than one name.
Tell your group that they will play three rounds of a “Scattergories”-like game. Every youth
needs a pencil and piece of paper/index cards. Instruct your group to create three sections on
their paper/index cards. Tell your group that you will say a word and that they will have to think
of as many synonyms (or other names) for that word as they can. Each round will last for one
minute. At the end of time, have youth call out their answers. Anyone who wrote the same
answer as another player crosses that word out on their sheet. Those players who have unique
synonyms or names that were not used by another player gets one point for each word. You will
need to act as a game judge to determine which synonym or names are acceptable as answers.
The youth with the most points at the end of three rounds “wins.”
Play two rounds with either the suggested word and synonym lists below or using your own
words. For the final round, use the word “God.”
Here are a few suggested words and some common synonyms. Feel free to use these or use
your own. Youth do not have to use the synonyms on this list, but the lists are given to help you
determine acceptable or unacceptable answers.
Laugh: chuckle, chortle, guffaw, cackle, giggle, twitter, snicker, yuk, crack up, snort, r.o.f.l., l.o.l.
Food: nourishment, sustenance, grub, chow, nom noms, fare, meal, refreshments, provisions
Sleep: nap, doze, siesta, snooze, slumber, shut-eye, rest, catching Z’s,
Couch: divan, Davenport, sofa, settee, loveseat, chesterfield, day bed
House: home, pad, crib, residence
Family: clan, tribe, dynasty, bloodline, lineage, ancestry
God: creator, redeemer, sustainer, Jesus, Holy Spirit, LORD, Father
Questions for Reflection:
1. Why do you think we use so many different words to refer to the once item, idea, or person?
2. What is your favorite name for God?
3. Have you every heard the word “Trinity” used to describe God? What do you think it means?
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Win, Lose, or Draw
Supplies Needed: large dry erase board with markers or paper flip chart with markers, slips of
paper with suggested objects for gameplay, some method to keep time for the game (1 minute)
Tell your class that they will play a game of “win, lose, or draw.” Divide your group into two
teams by birthday months (e.g. January - June on one team and July - December on another, or
by odd and even months). Each team will select a volunteer to draw a slip of paper. The
volunteer must try to draw the object on the paper without writing words or numbers. The
volunteer may not speak. Each team will have one minute to draw and guess the object. If the
team has not guessed the object by the end of time, the opposing team has one chance to
“steal” the point by guessing the object. Correctly guessing the object awards one point. Play to
three points or as time allows.
As a final round, invite both teams to play simultaneously. Tell the volunteers that their final
object is “Trinity.”
Suggested Objects: tire, blender, maple tree, river, mail box, totem pole, panda, chop sticks,
stapler, compact disc (CD)
Questions for Reflection:
1. Why is it sometimes difficult to communicate what you have in your head to someone else?
2. How do you describe God?
3. Have you every heard the word “Trinity” used to describe God? What do you think it means?
Transition: Tell your group that we will next explore more about what we mean by referring to
God as being triune or being a Trinity.
Lesson Options: (choose one)
Baptize Them How?
Supplies Needed: smart phones or a laptop with Internet access or a Bible concordance (like
Strong’s), Bibles
This lesson option explores the concept of God existing as a Trinity through the words of Jesus
in the Great Commission. Tell your group that they will be allowed to use their smart phones, a
computer, or the concordance to find out how many times certain words appear in the Bible.
Assign individual or small groups of youth to look up their words at the same time. (The words
are: Jerusalem, Jesus, messiah, church, and trinity.)
Allow youth to share the search results. After discovering the the word “trinity” does not appear
in the Bible, direct your group to go to Matthew 28:19-20 and ask for a volunteer to read the
passage.
Share the teaching points from the introductory material with your group at this time. Then guide
a discussion of the following questions:
1. Why do you think Jesus instructs his disciples to baptize believers in the name of the Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit?
2. Why do you think Christians began believing that God exists as a Trinity?
3. Although God self-reveals a lot about Godself through the Bible, through Jesus, and through
the Holy Spirit, do you think it is possible for humans to fully know or comprehend God?
Why or why not?
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Tell Us About Yourself
Supplies Needed: Bibles
This lesson option explores the Trinity through God’s self-revelation in the Bible.Tell your group
that they will play a quick game of charades. Select two or three volunteers (depending on time)
and ask them to act out a persona from the list provided below without talking. Instruct the group
to pay attention and try to figure out what persona the volunteer is trying to show them. They
may use surrounding objects or people as props if necessary.
Personas: movie star, renowned scientist, national politician, police officer, medical doctor
After the group has guessed the personas, point out to them that they would not have been able
to guess what the persona was unless the volunteer acted it out (or simply told them). The
volunteer revealed something personal to communicate who they were supposed to be. Tell
your group that acting out the persona is similar to something called “self-revelation.”
Say: We know a lot about God because of God’s self-revelation. Self-revelation means that God
tells us what God is like. God reveals who God is through the creation, through the scriptures,
through the traditions and liturgy of the Church, and even through our own reasoning. Through
all of the ways that God has revealed Godself to humankind, we began to understand God as
being complex and mysterious. One of the concepts that we developed to describe God, in all of
God’s power and love, is the Trinity.
Instruct the group to find the following passages in their Bibles: Psalm 54:4, Luke 1:68, and
Nehemiah 9:6. Ask for three volunteers to read these passages and then instruct your group to
listen closely as these verses are read.
After the reading, ask youth to identify the attributes God exhibits in each passage (e.g. God
creates, redeems, and sustains). Then tell your group that these verses are part of a larger selfrevelation of who God is throughout the Bible. These verses point to how God can personally
self-reveal as the three persons of the Trinity. Because God has revealed and does so many
things in the Bible, we think of God as being Creator (in Nehemiah), Redeemer (in Luke), and
Sustainer (in the Psalm).
Finally, lead a brief discussion of the following questions:
1. What is your favorite self-revealed image of God from the passages you examined?
2. How has God self-revealed something about Godself to you?
3. When do you feel close to God?
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Closing: (choose one)
Praying in the Name of the Trinity
Supplies Needed: paper and pencils
Close the lesson by asking your group to write a brief prayer together. Invite youth to compose a
prayer of thanks that addresses God in a trinitarian way (Father, Son, and Spirit; Creator,
Redeemer, Sustainer; God, Jesus, Holy Ghost, etc.).
Your group could work together to write the entire prayer or you could divide your group into
three smaller groups and have each smaller group write a part of a prayer to each person of the
trinity. (E.g. Thank you God for creating our world and giving us life, thank you Jesus for
showing us what God is really like and for giving us the gift of eternal life, and thank you Holy
Spirit for guiding and leading us through our busy days and calling us to live a God-honoring life,
Amen.)
Say the prayer to close out the lesson.
Trinitarian Blessing
Supplies Needed: Bible
Close the lesson with prayer and end the prayer by reading the following trinitarian blessing
from the Bible.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be
with all of you.” —2 Corinthians 13:13
God as Mystery Closing
Supplies Needed: None
Invite youth to consider when they (or if) have experienced God as overwhelming mystery in
their lives. Perhaps they felt the immenseness of God while staring at a starry sky, or felt the
mystery of God while seeing the intricate patterns of life in a forest. Invite youth to share that
experience and then lead the group in a prayer thanking God for being more powerful and
bigger than our comprehension.
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Lesson 2: The Trinity—God the Creator (Psalm 104)
Introduction and Biblical Background:
It has often been said that most of the Bible is God talking to humanity, but that the
Psalms are humanity talking to God. As a repository of humanity talking to God, the Psalms are
some of the richest examples of poetry in the Scriptures. Perhaps no one passage is more
powerful in its description of God as Creator than Psalm 104.
Psalm 104 is one of four psalms at the end of Book IV of the psalter which were
probably used as hymns by the ancient Israelites. Psalm 103 and 104 could probably be
thought of as companion Psalms—Psalm 103 describes God’s steadfast love (hesed) and
concludes with God being described as a king and calling all of creation to give God praise.
Psalm 104 picks up on this depiction of God and uses cosmic imagery to evoke God as melek
ha’olam—King of the universe. Psalm 104 focuses on the act of creation and the continual care
and providence of God for that creation. It is thematically similar to God’s self-description to Job
in Job 38-39. It’s description of creation differs from Genesis 1 and 2, however, in that humanity
is the not centerpiece or crowning achievement of creation. Psalm 104 instead describes
humanity is a part of creation that God provides and cares for, just like the countless other
species on the earth.
Many ancient and Hebraic concepts of God are present in this Psalm, such as the
imagery of God riding a chariot. While these are biblical concepts, youth may be unfamiliar with
the significance of some of these images, such as sea creatures looking to God for sustenance
(the ancient Israelites were terrified of the sea) or why bread, wine, and oil are named in the
Psalm (each represents the main crops of the three growing seasons in ancient Israel—wheat in
the spring, grapes in the summer, and olives in the fall). Help youth to understand that the
imagery of this Psalm represent the power of the Creator and providence of God for creation.
God is hands-on in creation and personally relates to God’s children. As one image of God as
Creator, this Psalm shows us a God who is powerful, loving, caring of all of creation, intimately
involved in life and in the world, and who is worthy of our praise! This is what causes the
Psalmist to bless God!
Encourage your youth to take a posture and attitude of praise as a result of experiencing
God the Creator in this lesson. It is easy to note the beauty of the natural world, but it can be
difficult to think beyond our modern scientific worldview to acknowledge the handiwork of the
Creator in the atmospheric conditions of a sunset. It is also easy to forget the beauty and care of
the Creator in the water or nitrogen cycles. All aspects of our world and lives are reasons to
praise God the Creator!
Sources:
Psalms, James Limburg, Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, KY 2000
New Oxford Annotated Bible, Third Edition, Oxford University Press, New York Michael D.
Coogan editor, 2001
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Lesson Teaching Points:
1. Remind youth that we are examining certain qualities of God pertaining to creativity,
creation, and care in this lesson, but acknowledge that the Trinity contains of all of the
qualities of God.
2. God as Creator, usually referred to as God, Lord God, Father God, etc., might be the person
of the Trinity that we think about most when we talk about “God.”
3. Psalm 104 is a vivid poetic description of God as Creator. God self-reveals as a cosmic
creator-king who has lovingly provided for all of creation. The psalm is not “human-centered”
but is “all-of-life” centered.
4. Joy, delight, and play are important in this Psalm. The psalm does not describe a deistic
view of God, but depicts a God who is involved in making grass grow, in the care and
feeding of animals, and the rhythm of the cosmos.
Opening Activities: (choose one)
Write a Poem
Supplies Needed: paper and pencils
Tell your group that for many cultures (including ours!) memorializing a person in song or in
poetry is a high honor! They will attempt to write a brief poem extolling the goodness of a person
of their choosing (real or fictitious). Divide the group into two or three smaller groups and ask
each of them to choose a person that they respect and write a brief poem about that person. It
may be helpful to give the groups a few parameters for this activity, so feel free to use the
parameters listed next or use your own: A quartet with a AABB or ABAB rhyming pattern of
either 11 or 15 syllables per line. After an appropriate time, ask groups to share their work.
Discuss the following questions:
1. Why did you choose that person?
2. Out of all of your knowledge about that person, how much of that knowledge did you use to
write the poem?
3. If the subject of your poem were to write about themselves, how would it be different?
Le’ggo My Legos!
Supplies Needed: lots of Lego building blocks!
Note: If Legos are not available for your use, you can use clay or Play-doh instead.
This option uses free/unstructured play to help youth discuss and think about the act or process
of creation. Set out Legos on the floor or on a table in your meeting area prior to the start of the
study. When youth arrive in the meeting area, invite them to begin building or playing. After a
few minutes of playing (and you might also want to join in the playing!) ask youth a few of the
following questions or follow-up questions of your choosing.
1.
2.
3.
4.
What are you building?
Why did you choose that?
How does it feel to create something you are proud of?
What is the most beautiful thing you have seen in creation?
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Acronym Starter
Supplies Needed: pencils and enough copies of the What Is A Creator? Handout for everyone
Prior to the meeting make enough copies of the Creator Acronym handout for each youth. Invite
your youth to take a pencil and copy of the handout upon entering the meeting space and
complete it. After an appropriate time, gather your groups attention and share the responses.
Then discuss the questions below:
1. Was this an easy or difficult activity? Why?
2. If you had to only choose three attributes or characteristics about God, what would they be?
3. Based on your experience of creation, what do you think God may be like?
Lesson Options: (choose one)
What is the Creator Like?
Supplies Needed: Markers, pens, or pencils, many post-it notes, free wall space, Bibles
Distribute Bibles and instruct your group to find Psalm 104. Explain that that Psalm 104 is one of
the longest descriptions of God as creator in the Bible. Because of this, it is possible for us to
carefully read this Psalm and discover what God has self-revealed about Godself. Ask for
volunteers to read the Psalm—since it has 35 verses, you may wish to ask five youth to read
seven verses each. Share the relevant teaching points with your group after the reading.
Next, distribute the post-its and pens and ask youth to keep Psalm 104 open in their Bibles. Ask
your group to read through the Psalm themselves and find the descriptors in the Psalm (these
could be adjectives or adverbs or ideas expressed, like God providing grass for cattle could be
expressed as “benevolent) and to write one descriptor per post-it on as many post-its as they
need. Select a focal wall or space in your room and invite youth to put up their post-its. After all
of the post-its have been placed, invite the group to consider what descriptors are identical or
similar and then group them in a cluster. Once a few major clusters have been established, help
your group name these characteristics. Discuss the following questions:
1. Does the identification of a few major themes about God begin to create a description or
profile of God? What is that description?
2. Is there anything missing from your description that you have learned or experienced about
God?
3. Has anything in this description surprised you? Why or why not?
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Rewriting the Psalm
Supplies Needed: Paper and pens or pencils, Bibles
Distribute Bibles and instruct your group to find Psalm 104. Explain that that Psalm 104 is one of
the longest descriptions of God as creator in the Bible. Because of this, it is possible for us to
carefully read this Psalm and discover what God has self-revealed about Godself. Ask for
volunteers to read the Psalm—since it has 35 verses, you may wish to ask five youth to read
seven verses each. Share the relevant teaching points with your group at this time.
Next, distribute pencils and paper to your group. Ask youth to either pair up or work individually
to rewrite a section of the psalm using modern language and ideas. You can assign sections or
allow youth to choose which sections they would like to work on. If you have a large enough
group to rewrite the entire Psalm, you may wish to attempt this. Instruct your youth to carefully
read their sections and write down the main ideas or images in each line. Then ask youth to
rewrite each line using more modern ideas and language while still trying to preserve the
original idea of meaning. You may wish to help your groups identify meaning of certain images
of ideas in the Psalm. You may also want to encourage the youth to be creative—the Psalmists
certainly were! If helpful,you may wish to tell your group that the practice of rewriting the Psalms
helps them to more fully understand and “own” the Scriptures for themselves.
Suggested verse section for groups to rewrite are: 1-4, 5-9, 10-13, 14-15, 16-23, 24-26, 27-30,
and 31-35.
After an appropriate time, ask youth to share their work and then discuss the questions below:
1. What were the main ideas in your sections? What do these tell us about God?
2. Aside from the Psalm, what were your inspiration(s) for your rewrite?
3. Did the psalmist include all of the main characteristics about God as Creator that you would
include? If not, what else would you include?
Drawing God
Supplies Needed: art supplies for either large pieces of craft paper or canvasses, etc., Bibles
Tell your group that they will be taking on a fun challenge—to depict God as described in Psalm
104. Ask for a few volunteers to read the Psalm and instruct your group to listen to images that
grab their attention or imagination. Then distribute art supplies to each youth and ask them to
select one image of God from the Psalm and create artwork of the image that most captured
their attention. As they are working, share the relevant teaching points with your group. (Note:
Youth may also work together in pairs or groups of three to complete their artwork.) After
allowing appropriate time for them to work their pieces, allow for a time of sharing. Finally, lead
your group in a discussion of the following questions:
1. What led you to draw this image of God?
2. Have you ever experienced God in the way that your artwork depicts?
3. What is your favorite name or image of God?
Note: You may want to allow additional time at another meeting for youth to finish their
depictions of God. You could then (with the artist’s permission!) display their works in your
meeting area.
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Closing: (choose one)
Write a Blessing
Supplies Needed: paper and pencils
Since Psalm 104 begins as a blessing of God, invite youth to write their own prayers of blessing
to God. Ask them to include something of what they have learned form this lesson in their
prayers. Invite those who would like to share their prayers to close the lesson time.
Standing Applause
Supplies Needed: None
Invite youth to consider all of the wonderful things that are mentioned about God as Creator in
the Psalm and to recall their own experiences with creation—a beautiful sunset, majestic
mountains, peaceful lakes and woods, the diversity of life, etc. Remind your group that many
times people clap and applaud to express thanks or appreciation. Then ask your group to give
God a standing applause and shout (yes, shout!) their thanks and praise to God for all of God’s
creation. Youth may be shy to do this, so encourage them and lead by example.
Creator Closing
Supplies Needed: None
Invite youth to consider when they have experienced the qualities of God as Creator in their
lives. Perhaps they have seen God’s handiwork in a majestic landscape or been in awe of the
diversity of life we see throughout the world. Invite youth to share that experience and then lead
the group in a prayer thanking God for the wonders of creation.
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Lesson 3: The Trinity—God the Redeemer (Luke 4:14-21)
Introduction and Biblical Background:
The second person of the Trinity has many names—Jesus, Christ, messiah, Son of God,
Son of Man, Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, and Emmanuel just to name a few—but
Redeemer is the name that we have before us in this unit. As one scholar notes, “the Creator
becomes the Redeemer of his creatures” through the incarnation and person of Jesus the
Christ. But what is a redeemer? How does redemption happen?
The concept of a redeemer, or more accurately a kinship-redeemer, is prevalent
throughout the Bible. It is perhaps best illustrated by Boaz in the book of Ruth. A kinshipredeemer was responsible for redeeming (or restoring) a relative to a state of financial or social
security or freeing them from slavery. Some scholars believe that the concept of kinship
redeemer is the primary method that God related to the ancient Israelites, as mentioned in
Isaiah 59:20. But God as Redeemer, especially through the person of Jesus, restores all of
humanity to a state of right relationship with God. Continuing within the idea of God acting as a
kinship-redeemer, some Scriptures refer to Jesus as the firstborn within the family of God
(Romans 8:29 perhaps most notably). So for the purposes this lesson, we will explore the
qualities of God as Redeemer of humankind as proclaimed by Jesus and described in Luke
4:14-21.
Luke 4 is an action packed chapter that includes stories from the very beginning of
Jesus’ public ministry. Following a brief description of John the Baptist and Jesus’ baptism in the
previous chapter, Luke 4 contains the story of Jesus’ temptation and and a tantalizingly short
description of his preaching ministry before he arrives in his “home church” to worship “as was
his custom.” It was customary for worshippers to be asked to read a selection from the Jewish
canon of the day, which included the Torah, the writings of the prophets, and some of the
wisdom literature. Jesus selects and reads a portion from a “servant song” in Isaiah. This
passage, recorded in Luke in 4:18-19, can be thought of as Jesus’ “mission statement”—he
speaks these words from Isaiah as an announcement of what he will be about in his ministry,
defining his messianic role. Preaching and healing feature prominently in Jesus’ proclamation.
As one scholar notes, Jesus’ states that he will:
bring to reality the longing and the hope of the poor, the oppressed, and the imprisoned.
The Christ will usher in the amnesty, the liberation, and the restoration associated with
the proclamation of the year of the jubilee.
The Israelite practice of the jubilee was a year-long period that included leaving farmland
fallow, the forgiveness of debts, the returning of lands sold or confiscated to their original
owner’s family or tribe, and the freeing of slaves. This jubilee was supposed to occur once every
fifty years. It was meant to be a radical act of justice, restitution, and forgiveness. Although it is
unclear if the ancient Israelites actually practiced the jubilee, the jubilee ideal was firmly rooted
in the ethical and prophetic consciousness of the people. Jesus raises his listeners’ awareness
of the jubilee in his reading and declares that the time for restoration of property, freedom, and
equality begins now. He reiterates this restoration of personal wholeness (healing) and social
restoration (release of the captives) by saying that the scripture has been fulfilled in “your
hearing,” meaning beginning today. In other words, the Redeemer was already at work then and
is already working now in our hearing to restore, heal, and free us!
As we have already noted, Jesus quotes Isaiah 61:1-2, one of the servant songs from
the prophetic tradition. But Jesus intentionally leaves off the second half of the sentence in
verse 2. The entirety of Isaiah 61:2 is “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of
vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn” (emphasis added). Jesus, who selected the
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scripture to read in the synagogue, intentionally left off the mention of God’s vengeance. Jesus
instead finishes with a proclamation of God’s favor for all people.
Help your youth see a holistic view of Jesus’ ministry and teachings as the historical
personification of God’s desire for the world. Although Jesus accomplishes the restoration of
humanity through his death and resurrection, this cannot be the exclusive content of our
education for young disciples about Jesus or the restorative work of God. The ministry and
teachings of Jesus lay the foundation for the continuation of that restoration through the Church
inspired and empowered by the Holy Spirit (which will examine in our next lesson). Emphasize
that the acts of healing, feeding, and freeing are still possible today and that God our Redeemer
still desires freedom for the poor and oppressed, healing for the sick, and the declaration of
God’s favor!
Sources:
“Redeemer” Redemption HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, Paul J. Achtemeier editor, Harper
Collins, New York 1985
Luke Interpretation, Fred B Craddock, John Knox Press, Louisville, KY 1990
New Oxford Annotated Bible, Third Edition, Oxford University Press, New York Michael D.
Coogan editor, 2001
Lesson Teaching Points:
1. Remind youth that we are examining certain qualities of God pertaining to redemption and
salvation in this lesson, but acknowledge that the Trinity contains of all of the qualities of
God.
2. The second person of the Trinity is God as Redeemer. The Hebraic concept of a redeemer
is a family member who restores a relative to financial or social security. A redeemer gets
family members out of debt or buys and frees them from slavery.
3. God as Redeemer is fully realized in the person, ministry, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
4. Jesus redeems people personally (through healing and wholeness) and socially (through
releasing people from sins).
Opening Activities: (choose one)
Save the Day!
Supplies Needed: A comic book, action figure, or other super hero branded items, paper, and
markers or pencils
Ask youth to think about and name some of their favorite super heroes from television shows,
movies, comic books, or other sources. Once they have settled upon their favorite, invite youth
to share their favorite story of their selected heroes “saving the day” by either retelling it, reenacting it with items used as props from around the meeting area, or by drawing and sharing it.
After sharing, lead the youth to discuss the following questions:
1. Why is this super hero your favorite?
2. Which do you think people like better: stories where the hero successfully saves the day or
stories of where the hero fails? Why?
3. What do you think it means to “redeem” someone or something?
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Real-Life Heroes
Supplies Needed: information of biographies a few “real life” heroes
Before meeting print off short biographies of a few “real life” heroes. Possible options include
CNN’s 2013 Top Heroes (http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/01/us/top-10-cnn-heroes/) or similar
lists. Say: Our world is full of some pretty amazing people—many people who have made a real
difference in the world.
Share the biographies and invite youth to imagine that they have been helped by these heroes.
After an appropriate time of imaginative thinking, discuss the following questions:
1. What makes a hero?
2. What do you think it means to “redeem” someone or something?
3. Would you say that these heroes restored someone or something? Explain.
Alternatively, you may want to focus on a fun story of a “real life” hero, Miles Scott, aka “Batkid”
from November 2013 in San Francisco. You can ask youth to think about who the “heroes” of
the story are and and what real hero work is. Below are a few links with information about the
story:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/15/batkid-san-francisco/3588173/
http://www.sfchronicle.com/batkid/
http://sf.wish.org/wishes/wish-stories/i-wish-to-be/wish-to-be-batkid (This link has stats
and social media information about Batkid event)
1. What makes a hero?
2. What do you think the heroes from the “Batkid” story accomplished?
3. What do you think it means to “redeem” someone or something?
Clean It Up
Supplies Needed: See details and suggestions below.
Explain to your group that cleaning up dirty items is an important task that helps keep the things
you own usable and in good condition. Next, bring out a dirty item and invite one or two
volunteers to help clean it up. Some suggestions might include:
Tarnished silver (bring and use silver polish and cotton towels)
Shining shoes (shoe polish and towels for application)
Dirty mirror (glass cleaner and paper towels)
Either during or after the cleaning, explain that something that is dirty or in disrepair may not be
bad—it may just be in need of a little restoration. Then lead a discussion of the following
questions:
1. Have you ever tried to “restore” or renew a thing? What was it? How did it turn out?
2. What are some things (older or newer) that improve or become desirable with
“restoration?” (e.g. a 1971 Corvette Stingray, a fresco from ancient Rome, etc.)
3. What do you think it means to “redeem” someone or something?
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Lesson Options: (choose one)
Synagogue Re-Enactment
Supplies Needed: None, except for items used around the meeting area as props
Distribute Bibles to youth in your group and ask them to locate Luke 4:14-21. Share relevant
background information about the chapter and Jesus’ early ministry. Explain that this scene
from Jesus’ life is full of drama and can be thought of as a script for a skit. Ask for volunteers to
act the parts from the scene, such as Jesus, worship leader, scroll attendant, and other
worshippers. If you have a large group, you may want to divide youth into multiple groups and
have each group re-enact the scene in a different film genre (possible genres include science
fiction, western, Jane Austin, kung fu, etc.) As youth prepare to enact the scene, help youth to
realize the drama and the controversial statements of Jesus in the scene.
After the re-enactments, share the remaining relevant teaching points from the lesson
introduction. Lead the group in a discussion of the following questions:
1. Why do you think Jesus quoted from Isaiah in this story?
2. If you think about what Jesus read as a mission statement, what would you say Jesus’
main mission is?
3. Where do you see redemption in Jesus’ mission statement? Where do you see
redemption happening in our world today?
Restoration of the World
Supplies Needed: Paper and pencils
Distribute Bibles to youth in your group and ask them to locate Luke 4:14-21. Share relevant
background information about the chapter and Jesus’ early ministry for youth to understand the
context of the passage. Ask for one or two volunteers to read the passage. Point out the
relevant teaching information and draw the group’s attention to the ideas of restoration.
Pass out sheets of paper to youth and ask everyone to work in pairs to carefully examine Jesus’
words in the passage. Ask the pairs to list what Jesus says he will redeem or restore in the
world. (Possible answers include: financial situations, freedom for those who are enslaved or
trafficked, health, our standing with God, etc.) Next ask the pairs to list where they see the need
for restoration in their families, school, and communities. Invite pairs to share their responses
with then entire group and then lead a discussion of the following questions:
1. Why do you think Jesus quoted from Isaiah in this story?
2. What kinds of people would be happiest after hearing Jesus’ “ministry mission statement”
from this passage?
3. Remember what Jesus said he would restore from the text? Where do we see those things
being restored today?
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Jesus is…
Supplies Needed: Paper, art supplies (crayons, markers, pencils, etc.), tape, a focal wall in your
meeting area, and a printed copy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus resource page
Distribute Bibles to youth in your group and ask them to locate Luke 4:14-21. Share relevant
background information about the chapter and Jesus’ early ministry for youth to understand the
context of the passage. Ask for one or two volunteers to read the passage. After the reading,
ask youth to identify the qualities of Jesus that they hear in the passage (perhaps compassion,
or ).
Explain that artists have depicted Jesus in various ways throughout history. Sometimes they
depict in such a way as to highlight or accentuate a certain quality. Reveal the image of Sacred
Heart of Jesus. Share with your group that this picture is a common style among Roman
Catholic artists. The Sacred Heart at the center of Jesus’ chest highlights Jesus’ love for
humanity and the suffering he endured as part of is crucifixion.
Distribute art supplies and ask youth to draw an image of Jesus that accentuates the quality that
most defines Jesus for them. Allow youth appropriate time to complete (or nearly complete) their
artwork and then invite everyone to share. Then lead a discussion of the following questions:
1. Why did you choose the characteristic, quality, or attribute of Jesus that you did?
2. Do you think that if we asked 1000 people to do the same activity you just did we would
see a lot of diversity in what characteristics, qualities, or attributes they chose to highlight?
Why or why not?
3. Think about the picture that you drew of Jesus—what kind of restoration does this
understanding of Jesus offer to you?
Closing: (choose one)
Paul’s Christ Hymn
Supplie Needed: Bible
Gather your group and locate Philippians 2:5-11. Share with your group that this passage was
probably a hymn that was sung in the early church. It focuses on Christ. Read the passage
together to close the lesson time. If you have a musically inclined group, you may want to ask
youth to try and set the words of the passage to a commonly known melody or song. End in
prayer.
Restoration Begins With Me
Supplies Needed: lists from the Restoration of the World lesson option, paper, pencils
This option is based off of the Restoration of the World lesson option. Invite youth to pair up
again with their partner and choose one of the areas in need of restoration from the activity.
Invite the pair to list one or two real-world, concrete ways that they could begin working to bring
restoration to their selected area. If needed, youth may use smart phones for quick research or
fact checking. After an appropriate time, allow pairs to share their ideas. Then close the lesson
in prayer, praying for each pair to act on their ideas.
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Redeemer Closing
Invite youth to consider when they have experienced the qualities of God as Redeemer in their
lives. Perhaps they have felt God’s redemption when they were baptized or seen God’s
redemption work through the words of actions of others. Invite youth to share that experience
and then lead the group in a prayer thanking God for redeeming the world through Jesus.
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Lesson 4: The Trinity—God the Sustainer
(John 14:15-17 and 25-26, John 15:26-27, and John 16:12-15)
Introduction and Biblical Background:
This final lesson focuses on the third person of the Trinity—God as Sustainer. Usually
understood as the Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost, or simply the Spirit, this person of the Trinity
represents “both the presence and activity of God and the continuing presence of Jesus Christ
in the church.” The biblical language of “spirit” comes from the Hebrew word ruah and the Greek
word pnuema, both of which can refer to wind or breath. Most Christians today affirm that the
Holy Spirit is immanently present in the lives of believers, guides the Church, and reveals the
character of God to all people. We will explore the activity of God as the Sustainer from John
chapters 14, 15, and 16.
Referred to as the Farewell Discourse, John 14-17 contains the final words of Jesus to
his disciples before his arrest and crucifixion. Jesus speaks more extensively about the Spirit
here than in any other Gospel. The Spirit is described as a Counselor (from the Greek
paraclete, meaning “to come to the side of,” usually referred to as “advocate”) who will continue
the work of Jesus and recall his teachings to the disciples. This language was intended to
comfort the disciples who will witness the coming crucifixion. In other words, this gift of the
Advocate or Counselor will help them to sustain their faith in the coming difficult days and the
trials of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.
Jesus explicitly describes the Holy Spirit in four key passages:
John 14:15-17—The Holy Spirit will be truthful and will abide in us, we will know God in a
way that world cannot as a result
John 14: 25-26—The Holy Spirit teaches and reminds (as a comforting presence, like in
Isaiah 40:1, it is the consolation or encouragement that comes with the gift of prophecy)
John 15: 26-27—The Holy Spirit testifies to the truthfulness of Jesus and God
John 16:12-15—The Holy Spirit will guide believers and glorify God
Help your youth not to be overwhelmed by all of the Scripture passages in this lesson.
Summarize and clarify to help youth comprehend Jesus’ teaching about the Holy Spirit. If
possible, refer to stories of the Spirit’s empowerment, guidance, teaching, and sustaining
presence in life. Refer to these experience with the language of the Spirit whenever possible. It
is very easy for youth simply to use the word “God” to refer to the activity of the Spirit. While this
is not incorrect, it risks confusion and the collapsing of all identities of the Trinity into the general
catch-all term “God.”
Additionally, be sure to remind youth that our Christian faith holds that the Holy Spirit
empowers the church to continue the ministry of Jesus in the world, incarnate the presence and
activity of God in the world, and comfort and guide believers. We simply cannot be the Church
and continue this mission of God through Christ without the Spirit. As Sloyan notes:
This God active in our midst since Jesus’ departure…is the God of the church’s present
experience. The Spirit “spoken of through the prophets” is the God poured out in fullness
at the beginning of these last days. Without this Spirit there is no life for humanity of the
sort that the Son has from the Father…The totality of godhead is self-given as uncreated gift from the Father (“God”) through Jesus Christ. This gift is bestowed upon
those who believe in Christ risen.
The empowering of the Spirit is perhaps best described on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-13.
In this story the Spirit gushes into the upper room where the disciples were hiding after the
ascension of Christ and empowers them to preach the gospel in numerous language previously
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unknown to them. As a source of inspiration, power, comfort, and confidence, the Spirit
permeated their lives and enabled them to do miraculous deeds. And we, as their inheritors of
faith, have access to this same Spirit—hallelujah!
Sources:
“Holy Spirit” HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, Paul J. Achtemeier editor, Harper Collins, New York
1985
John Interpretation, Gerarg Sloyan John Knox Press, Louisville, KY 2009.
New Oxford Annotated Bible, Third Edition, Oxford University Press, New York Michael D.
Coogan editor, 2001
Lesson Teaching Points:
1. Remind youth that we are examining certain qualities of God pertaining to God’s presence
and guidance in this lesson, but acknowledge that the Trinity contains of all of the qualities
of God.
2. God as Sustainer is referred to Holy Spirit, and the biblical language of “spirit” is based on
the Hebrew and Greek words for wind or breath.
3. The Sustainer is the gift of the self-given fullness of God to guide, teach, comfort, and
empower believers.
4. When we talk about God helping us in life, we are actually talking about God as Sustainer,
the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not a sense of presence sent from God, but is God actually
present within us.
Opening Activities: (choose one)
A Helping Hand
Supplies Needed: A timer (kitchen or on your phone) and suggested items below
Gather your group and ask for volunteers to attempt to perform a few difficult tasks. Explain that
every volunteer will be asked to perform a task three times—once with only their dominate
hand, once with their non-dominant hand only, and once with withe non-dominant hand only
with help from a friend. You may want to allow more than one volunteer to attempt each task
dependent on group size
Suggestions include: scratch your back between your shoulder blades, tie your shoes, put on a
tube sock, put on a large pair of pants with a belt (over their clothes)
Feel free to come up with other activities! After a few youth have tried the tasks, lead a
discussion of the following questions:
1. Which time was the easiest to complete their tasks? Why?
2. How often do you ask for help? Do you like asking for help?
3. Can you remember a time when God helped you? When was it? What happened?
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Most Encouraging Word
Supplies Needed: paper and pencils
Gather your group and distribute paper and pencils. Tell your group that you will read three
scenarios to them. Ask them to write down a few words of encouragement that they could share
with each person in the scenario. After each reading, allow an appropriate amount of time for
writing and then ask youth to share their responses.
1. One day in school you notice John is looking sad and tired. You ask John what is wrong and
John tells you he did not have any dinner last night because his parents ran out of food.
John goes also says that the electricity at his house was also shut off and that his little sister
is scared of the dark so she cried throughout the night. What do you think John would like to
hear as words of encouragement in this situation?
2. Kate just got her final math exam score back and she failed. Kate tells you she is a failure
and that she may as well drop out of school. What might be a few words of encouragement
for Kate?
3. Kyle tells you that his mother was just diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and that she
was given one year to live. Kyle tells you he is not sure how will go on after his mother.
Next, lead a discussion of the following questions:
1. Was this an easy activity? Why or why not?
2. When have you been encouraged of helped by the words of others? What were those
words?
3. If it often thought that being an “encourager” is special gift. Who is the best encourager you
know? What about them encourages people?
Complete Each Other’s Sentences
Supplies Needed: Scissors, copy of the “Sentences” handout.
Prepare a copy of the “Sentences” handout and cut out the sentences in half where indicated.
Distribute the slips to your gathered group and ask them to move around the room and try to
find the other half of their sentence. After an appropriate amount of time, call the group to
attention and have everyone read their sentence with their partner. Lead a discussion with the
following questions:
1. Was this an easy activity?
2. Do you have a friend or family with whom you regularly complete each other’s sentences?
Why do you think that happens?
3. A few places in the gospels Jesus tells his disciples that the Spirit will give them the words
they need to speak in a given situation (Luke 12, Matthew 10, Mark 13). When do you wish
that the Spirit would you give you the right words to say?
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Lesson Options: (choose one)
Qualities of the Spirit
Supplies Needed: Bibles, paper, pencils
Distribute Bibles to youth in your group and ask them to locate the Gospel of John. Share
relevant background information about the Farewell Discourse and inform the group that they
will examine Jesus’ teachings about the Spirit more closely. Divide the group into three groups
by birthdays (January - April in one, May - August in another, and September - December in the
last one) and assign each group to examine Jesus’ sayings about the Spirit (John 14:15-17 and
14: 25-26; John 15: 26-27; and John 16:12-15). Distribute paper and pencils to the groups and
invite each group to carefully read the passage and list the what Jesus says the Spirit does.
After an appropriate time, invite the groups to share their responses. Share the remaining
relevant teaching points and then lead a discussion of these following questions:
1. Were you surprised to learn about what the Spirit does as described in these passages?
Why or why not?
2. Think about all that the Spirit does in the lives of believers. Now imagine that the Spirit could
be described like a person—what kind of “person” does the Spirit look like?
3. Are there any situations in your life right now where it would be helpful for the Spirit to
empower, guide, or comfort you?
4. How can we better listen to the Spirit when it speaks to guide, comfort, or teach us?
Experiencing the Spirit
Supplies Needed: A large number of small slips or paper (about the size of large confetti),
pencils, scissors, an oscillating fan (optional)
Distribute Bibles to youth in your group and ask them to locate the Gospel of John. Share
relevant background information about the Farewell Discourse and inform the group that they
will examine Jesus’ teachings about the Spirit more closely. Invite volunteers to read each
passage. After each reading, ask the group to name what they hear that the Spirit does.
Share the remaining teaching points, especially emphasizing the ideas of Spirit existing as wind
or breath. Tell your group that the entrance of the Spirit into our world happened at Pentecost.
Briefly summarize or remind youth about Pentecost (the birthday of the Church, gift of the Holy
Spirit, rush of wind in the room, flaming tongues, speaking in tongues, etc.) from Acts 2:1-13. If
helpful, you may want to read the passage.
After reviewing the day of Pentecost, ask youth to think about all of ways that the Spirit guides,
helps, and empowers us. Ask everyone to take a few strips of paper each and write down what
they think are the gifts, guidance, and actions of the Spirit as recorded in the Bible and as they
have experienced in life. You may want youth to write the same words multiple times. Make
sure that everyone has a small pile of slips. Gather everyone into a circle and invite everyone to
“re-enact” the gift of the Spirit by gentling blowing the slips upon the person to their left. You
may also want to have a box or oscillating fan for youth to experience the “rush” of the Spirit as
described in the Bible. Afterwards, lead a discussion of the following questions:
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1. Were you surprised to learn about what the Spirit does as described in these passages?
Why or why not?
2. Since the Spirit is described in multiple places in Scripture as “wind” or “breath,” what do you
think that tells us about the closeness of God in our world?
3. Are there any situations in your life right now where it would be helpful for the Spirit to
empower, guide, or comfort you?
4. How can we better listen to the Spirit when it speaks to guide, comfort, or teach us?
Closing: (choose one)
Prayer for the Spirit
Supplies Needed: None
Gather your group and ask everyone to quietly think about the places in their lives where they
would like the Spirit to be active and present. After a few moments of reflection, allow any who
wish to share do so. Then lead your group in praying for the Spirit to be present and active in
those places and for all believers to better listen for the Spirit.
Where’s the Spirit?
Supplies Needed: Craft paper, markers, and tape
Before the lesson meeting time draw or trace a large map or image of the earth on a large sheet
of craft paper. Either hang this sheet in your meeting area and cover or hide it before the start of
the lesson time or simply put it up for this activity. Share with your group that the Spirit of God is
always moving, always working, always calling and inviting believers to fulfill God’s mission in
the world. Ask your group to consider the following question, “Where do you see the Spirit at
work in our world?” and then invite them to write down their answers on the map or image. After
a few minutes of writing, tell everyone that the work of the Spirit is happening all around us and
throughout the world. Finally, challenge your class to join in and get involved in places and
activities where they feel the Spirit is working. Lead a prayer thanking God for being present in
our world and for working in the lives of believers.
Sustainer Closing
Supplies Needed: None
Invite youth to consider when they have experienced the qualities of God as Sustainer in their
lives. Perhaps they have felt God’s strength and comfort when they experienced grief or loss, or
seen the Spirit empower or embolden a brother or sister to do an amazing thing. Invite youth to
share that experience and then lead the group in a prayer thanking God for sustaining believers
in times of trial or grief and for empowering the church to act on God’s behalf in our world.
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Handouts:
Acronym Starter Opening Activity Handout from Lesson 2: God as Creator
What is a Creator?
Take a few moments to complete the following acronym. Choose descriptive words which begin
with each of the letters that spell “Creator.” (E.g. Creative, Relational, etc.) Be prepared to share
your responses with the group.
C
R
E
A
T
O
R
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Sentences Handout for Opening Activity Handout from Lesson 4: God as Sustainer
1. Maria said that her father decided … | … to allow her to go on vacation with her friend Kim.
2. The happiest place on earth is not Walt Disney World … | … It is with your friend.
3. The California condor was once endangered … | … but they are making a come back thanks to
breeding programs.
4. When life gives you lemons … | … you make lemonade.
5. Don’t stop believing … | … hold on to that feeling.
6. Hydrogen and Oxygen … | … makes water.
7. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are … | … all types of social media.
8. The father, son and holy spirit are … | … all part of the Trinity.
9. Your a mean one Mr. Grinch … | … your heart is full of coal.
10.Give us this day our daily bread … | … and lead us not into temptation.
11.For God so loved that world … | … that he gave his only begotten son.
12.He has shown you immortal what is good … | … and what does the Lord require of you.
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Sacred Heart of Jesus Resource for Lesson Activity from Lesson 3: God as Redeemer
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The Amazing Writers!
(feel free to contact them for other work)
Josh Beeler is the Associate Pastor of Youth and College at Central Baptist
Church of Fountain City in Knoxville, TN. He is a graduate of Old Dominion
University and of the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. Josh is
married to his wonderful wife, Sherry, who he enjoys sharing conversation,
adventures, and life with. He is ridiculously playful and works daily to
maintain his mischievousness. Josh enjoys playing, singing, reading,
questioning and laughing with friends. To book Josh as a speaker for an
event, or for more written resources, email him at jbeeler@cbcfc.org.
Rev. Alice Cates serves as the Minister to Youth at Chester Baptist Church in
Chester, VA (just south of Richmond). She earned her Master of Divinity
degree from the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond, her Master’s in
Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University, her undergraduate
degree in Theatre Arts from Campbell University, and was ordained to
Christian Ministry at Biltmore Baptist Church in Glen Allen, VA. Alice greatly
enjoys laughing out loud, preaching, Howie (the greatest nephew in the world),
sunny days in the park, wrangling her bloodthirsty housecat Henrietta, and
Netflixing. Always Netflixing.
Chris Cherry is an ordained minister who received his Masters of Divinity from
McAfee School of Theology. Chris enjoys reading, writing, and teaching, as well as
softball, ultimate frisbee, and skittles. He is currently serving as Minister of
Students at St. Andrews Baptist Church in Columbia, SC. Chris can be reached
at chrischerry@standrewsbaptist.org.
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Alix Davidson Keller is a recent graduate of the Baptist Seminary of Kentucky.
She has several years of youth ministry experience and is currently finishing up
her role as Interim Children’s Minister at Broadway Baptist Church in Louisville,
Kentucky. Alix is passionate about missions and loves to hike, travel, and make
jewelry. If you would like to contact her, you may do so at
alix.davidson@yahoo.com
Chris Hughes is an ordained Baptist minister who has served in youth and camp
ministry for eight years. He currently serves as Minister of Youth at Myers Park
Baptist in Charlotte, NC. He enjoys cycling, hiking, writing and hanging out with his
awesome youth group. Contact him at: chughes@mpbconline.org
Jason Matlack serves as Minister to Youth at Calvary Baptist Church in
Lexington, Kentucky. An Ohio native, Jason received degrees from CarsonNewman College and Wake Forest University Divinity School. His ministerial
interests include retreat planning, curriculum writing, and crafting diverse
worship experiences. Contact him at jason.matlack@gmail.com.
Andrew Noe is the Student Minister at Rosemont Baptist Church in Lexington,
KY, and the content director of YMC. He enjoys superheroes, trying to be
funny, and working on resources for fellow youth ministers. He is married to the
wonderful and amazing Hannah Noe. They have a super intelligent dog named
Daphne, and a water-obsessed cat named Ellie. Contact him at
AndrewNoe@Rosemontbc.net