PROOF!
It's Your Move
Work Zone and High Way
At 5 min. till start "I Walk By Faith" - Maranatha. When the song's done, welcome, & introductions, make announcements. Have prayer cards @ the tables. Next Week Re-Chili, W.O.F. 26 & 27
Which Way Are We Moving
Work Zone & High Way
Begin with a large group
PROOF!
"Just because you can't see it, that doesn't mean it doesn't exist." How many of you have ever seen the wind? You can't really see the wind. You can see things blowing in the wind, like dirt, leaves and rain. You can see things the wind does like ripples on water, storm damage and trees or grass bending gently in a breeze. And you can feel wind cooling you off on a hot summer day. How many of you have seen a distant galaxy with your own eyes, or a million dollars? Most of you will not see these things in your life time, but you know they exist.
Faith is a difficult thing to describe, but it's an essential concept to understand in Christianity. You can't see faith, but you can see what faith does. How can we see faith like leaves blowing in the wind? How can we see faith like ripples on the water or grass? How is someone else seeing a distant galaxy relate to faith?
Even when we see things that prove something, we may not be seeing the truth. Remember the inspirational story "Footprints in the Sand"?
"One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was only one set of footprints. This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints. So I said to the Lord, "You promised me Lord, that if I followed you and my faith was strong you would walk with me all the days of my life. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there was only one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, weren't you there for me?" The Lord replied, "The times when you saw only one set of footprints in the sand, is when I carried you."
Steps of Faith
To begin have the youth choose a partner (of similar size is good). Then form 2 circle one inside the other and one partner in each. Have circles rotate in opposite directions. While they circle each other a caller will shout out one or several, as the game becomes more difficult, of 4 commands. (To be preformed one after the other.)
The commands are:
"Horse" -a youth sits on the back of the other who is on hands and knees (like a horse)
"Chair" -a partner gets on one knee and the other partner sits the knee that is up
"Knight"-one partner jumps in the arms of the other (or holds up one leg if this is too much)
"Bang"-all fall to the ground
And at any time:
"Freeze"-all freeze in whatever position they are in.
The point is to be the fastest to get and remain in the last position called without moving for 10 seconds. If freeze is called all play stops at that point for the 10 second count. The slowest or the ones who move are out.
Have sponsors help with judging&ldots;
Break into Journey Groups
Moving In
Work Zone & High Way
Work Zone divide into 2 smaller groups mixed boys & girls.
Eiffel Tower
Needed: paper with a circle on it handout.
Show the youth a circle drawn on a piece of paper.
Say: This is an enlarged view of a piece of a larger structure. Please identify the structure and where this piece fits on it. You have 60 seconds. Go.
Ask for guesses.
Say: For your information, this is the fourth rivet on the sixth secondary support crossbeam, located on the west side of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, 120.32 feet from the ground.
ASK:
* Why couldn't you identify the part?
* How is this exercise like or unlike trying to figure out what God is doing by examining a single action or event?
Say: We don't have God's perspective on life. God sees a big picture we can't see. What doesn't make sense to us or seems unfair or unjust is still part of God's plan. For instance, God sent Jesus to live among us and to serve hardhearted people who eventually murdered him. It makes no sense-until we step back and see the larger picture of God's plan to redeem mankind.
ASK:
* What are other things about life that are hard to understand or accept?
* How do you reconcile what you can't understand with what you know about God?
Moving On
Work Zone & High Way
Losing It
Needed: Job handout, a sack like a plastic grocery bag.
Have the youth decide what is the most valuable possession they have with them right now and hold it out in front of them (anything but undergarments, pants or shirts). Everyone must have something in his or her hand. Have four volunteers take turns reading aloud Job 1:13-22.
Job 1:13-21
One day when Job's sons and daughters were dining at the oldest brother's house, a messenger arrived at Job's home with this news: "Your oxen were plowing, with the donkeys feeding beside them, when the Sabeans raided us. They stole all the animals and killed all the farmhands. I am the only one who escaped to tell you."
While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: "The fire of God has fallen from heaven and burned up your sheep and all the shepherds. I am the only one who escaped to tell you." While he was still speaking, a third messenger arrived with this news: "Three bands of Chaldean raiders have stolen your camels and killed your servants. I am the only one who escaped to tell you."
While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news: "Your sons and daughters were feasting in their oldest brother's home. Suddenly, a powerful wind swept in from the desert and hit the house on all sides. The house collapsed, and all your children are dead. I am the only one who escaped to tell you."
Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground before God. He said, "I came naked from my mother's womb, and I will be stripped of everything when I die. The Lord gave me everything I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!" In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.
After the reading, have the youth close their eyes tightly (no peeking) and hold out his or her "valuable possession". Read the following slowly and at the same time take items away from everyone.
Say: Don't open your eyes until I tell you. What you hold in your hands is your whole life. You hold your family. Do not resist when I come and take your object away. You're holding your possessions. Relax your fingers and prepare to let go. You hold your best friends. Imagine offering everything you have to the Lord. You hold your health. Let it slip away when you feel me take it. You hold your future. Do not resist. (Pick up the rest of the items and then continue.) Now open and close your fingers. You hold nothing. It's all gone.
Have teenagers open their eyes.
ASK:
* How would it feel to lose everything that's precious to you?
* What would your attitude be toward God?
* How did Job reconcile the tragedy in his life with his knowledge of God?
Moving Up
Work Zone & High Way
Eye Opener
Needed: blindfolds
Say: Love like faith can't be seen it must be experienced. In fairy tales, love is fresh and exciting. It's soft and beautiful. It overcomes obstacles. True love always wins. The most powerful love story of all time isn't a fairy tale, though. It's a true story. It's a harsh and shocking and often ugly true story. This story's central theme is not beauty and romance, but sacrifice.
Cultural notions of love tend toward the fairy tale variety. Biblical love, loves before love is returned, before love is earned, before love is even sought. It loves without condition. And not only does this love complete you, it sacrifices for you. That is the kind of love God has for us. And it's the kind of love we can have for God and others.
When we look for love in other people, it's like walking around with our eyes closed. Human love is imperfect, and even when people mean well, we're bound to get hurt. But Jesus loves us more than life itself. When we accept his love, it's like opening our eyes and seeing where we're walking. We can experience love without fearing we'll get hurt.
I need a few volunteers to form male-female pairs, to demonstrate for the group. You'll start two feet apart and face each other. You'll be demonstrating the ancient art of a "love nod" by lightly rubbing your foreheads together. However, to make it interesting, one of you will be blindfolded.
Set up the demonstration
Say: The blindfolded person should move forward slowly and try to touch his or her forehead to the tip of his or her partner's forehead. The partner who is not blindfolded must not talk and cannot move or assist the blindfolded partner. If you're having difficulty, the partner who is not blindfolded may growl or make some other peculiar noise to guide your partner.
After a few tries, have the partners switch roles. Afterward, have everyone gather together. Read aloud 1 John 4:20
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
ASK:
* Was faith involved in this "love nod" demonstration?
* What was it like to try to "love" someone you couldn't see?
* What was it like to try to "love" someone you could see?
* What encourages you to love God, whom you haven't seen?
Moving Out
Work Zone
It's Better If I Can See
Needed: Toothpicks and a marshmallow, roll of duct tape
Say: It's just better if you can see where you are going or at least know that you don't have anything to fear. Faith & love are great things to have, but when you can actually see them in God's plan it's much better. Tonight we have looked at ways to experience faith and love without really seeing them with our own eyes. Let's play a few last games just to be certain that you understand how it all really works.
Porky pine
Form as many lines as you want, but have at least 10 per line. Give everybody a toothpick, and have them put it in their mouths. Put a large marshmallow on the pick of the first one in line. Get out your roll of duct tape looking totally serious.
Say: Now we're going to do this blind with tape over your eyes... (allow for the groans) just kidding! Without a clear understanding of our faith in God and His love for us it would be like going through life with a blindfold on. (Finish explaining the game.) On go, the first person must turn to the next in line and let them stab the marshmallow with his or her pick. NO HANDS ALLOWED. Once it is stabbed, the first person must let go of their toothpick. Now the second person turns to the third person for a stab, pass and so on. If someone drops the marshmallow, it goes back to the previous person.
Someone Moved
Have all players sit in a circle and then chose a person to be "it". The "it" is to leave so that "it" cannot see or hear. Have one to four players move or change something in the circle. When "it" returns he is to figure out who has moved in the circle. Somewhere during the game restate how hard it would be to play if you were blindfolded.
Save the last 10 minutes for closing as a large group.
Come back together in The Family Life Center
Moving Out
High Way
It's Better If I Can See
Needed: Toothpicks and a marshmallow, duct tape
Refer back to the "Work Zone - Moving Out" Play the same games, say the same stuff, just stay seated on the couches.
Come back together in The Family Life Center
Closing
Work Zone & High Way
The Leader Closes: Sit as youth gather in a circle.
Do the prayer cards by candle light if possible
Sum up the lesson
Say: Ultimately, we cannot prove without a doubt to just anyone that God exists. But based on the things we see-the universe, the amazing way our bodies work, the lives of others, and our own experiences-we have faith that God has to be involved. His unfailing love is always there for us if we want to accept it. Just like the wind, we know of God and His love by the way things act and react. Those that can see, move about with confidence holding the light of faith in front of them and when things get especially scary we know that Gods love will carry us through.
Close In Prayer: Ask the group to stand and close their eyes and really, yes actually do it, offer a pray about tonight's lesson in a moment of silence.
Wait about 1 minute then end: In Jesus' name, amen.
Sing "Sanctuary"
Lord prepare me, to be a sanctuary,
pure and holy, tried and true:
with thanks-giving, I'll be a living
sanctuary for you.
UMYF Benediction
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you
And be gracious unto you.
May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you
And give you peace.
Shalom!
Gather these for the Lesson: I Walk By Faith -song, prayer cards, 3 papers with a circle on it handout, 20 Job handouts, 3 sacks -plastic grocery bags, 4 blindfolds, box of toothpicks, marshmallows, 2 rolls of duct tape
