Stay in Love with God It's Your Move Work Zone and High Way No Chat Room this week. We need at least one adult and several youth volunteers to work one shift on Saturday, Dec.6, 6-9pm for the Angel Tree. Cookie pick-up is next weekend. All youth need to bring 10 dozen cookies, (some hand decorated would be nice) before 9am to the FLC. Say: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind" ( Matthew 22:37 ). It's God's greatest commandment: to love not a religion or a philosophy or a lifestyle but the Person that is God. And it should be easy . . . God is, after all, beautiful beyond description. So because God's glory is so great, it should be easy to love him and to worship him with our lives. Right?  - Not even. It's one of the great ironies of the Christian life that the one command that should be the easiest for us to follow is actually the hardest. That must be why we often hear so little teaching about loving God for his glory. As a result, you may focus more on strict obedience to God than worshiping God for his glory. Tonight we are going to look at "Staying in Love with God" by passionately acknowledging Him.   Have the each grade get into its own group. Then take one from each grade to form mixed age groups of 7 for the next 2 "Journey's".   Which Way Are You Moving? Work Zone & High Way A Minute Here, Minute There Needed: One sponsor for each small group, paper and pens Say: Staying in Love with God really isn't an option for Christians. We can't just put God up on a shelf and take Him down when we need Him. Just like any relationship, we need to put time and energy into our relationship with God. We can't just be "Sunday Christians"; God should be evident in our life every day. There are many ways you can grow in your devotion to Jesus, and one of the best ways is learning to spend daily time with Him. We're going to write a story, no more than 2 pages, about what your life will be like in the year 2030. Everyone stay near your small group, get a couple sheets of paper, a pen, spread out a little and begin. Don't tell teenagers how long they'll have to do the activity, after no more than two minutes call time. Form a circle. Collect the beginnings of the stories.   ASK: * Did you have a pretty good idea for what you were going to write? * Why isn't the activity complete? * How did you feel as you found out time was up? Explain. * How much time would it take to complete the activity? * In order to really complete a task such as this, how much time and paper would it take to make it reflect your actual goals and dreams? * How is that commitment like the time you should spend developing relationships?   Moving In  Work Zone & High Way   Developing Relationships (Stay in mixed small groups) Say: We're going to take this a few steps further. Each group member gets 30 seconds to find out as much as they can about the other youth in the group. You don't get 30 seconds to talk about yourself you get 30 seconds to ask questions. After about 7 minutes, distribute the blank page 2 from the previous lesson and pencils to each person. Say: Now silently write down what you remember about the other youth in your group. Then have youth each take 30 seconds more to ask questions or confirm information on their paper.   ASK: * How much did you learn about each other in the first round? * Did you learn anything new in the second round? Why or why not? * What might you learn about each other if you had five minutes a day to spend talking together? * Did you learn from the questions others asked? * Why did Jesus spend time alone with God? * Is it just as important to spend time alone with God as time spent knowing God with others?   Split into Journey Groups   Moving On Work Zone  Perfection Game (Form at least 2 smaller groups) Needed: paper from the earlier "Journeys", a folding chair Give each youth a sheet of paper and have them fold it into an airplane. Have teenagers stand five feet from the folding chair and take turns throwing their airplanes through the space between the seat and the back. Then have them step five feet farther away from the chair and try again. Repeat until they can no longer hit the target.   ASK: * How did you feel trying to hit the target? * When did you do your best? worst? * Why was it impossible to consistently hit the target? * How is moving further away from the target like not staying in love with God? * What could you do to hit the target more often? What could you change?   Moving On High Way Worship - Showing the Love  Needed: paper and pens Say: What do skateboarding, playing the guitar, writing a composition, hanging out at youth group, washing dishes, talking to a friend, eating ice cream straight from the carton, and waitressing have in common? They're all opportunities to stay in love with God! Your idea of loving God may be based on the idea of worship - sometimes stale and dull to many young people. Teenagers associate worship with a stark sanctuary, boring sermons, and ancient music. And that's a shame. Because worship in its truest sense is more colorful, alive, and dynamic than anything you usually associate with it! How could it be any different when it's the result of contact with our living, holy, creative, merciful, almighty God? I'd like you to pair up with someone and think of a one-sentence definition of the word worship. Write down your definition and after several minutes I'll ask you to share what you've written. Give teenagers a chance to compose and share their definitions. Have the group combine ideas to create a complete definition of worship, and write it on a new sheet of paper and place it in the center so everyone can see it. ASK: * Whom do you admire? * How do you show your admiration for them? * What's the difference between admiration and worship? worship and staying in love with God?   Moving Out Work Zone Paper-Wad Ball Game Needed: left over scrap paper Split the small group into two smaller teams. Ask each team to stand in a circle-ish bunch. Have each team crumple their papers into one large paper ball. Say: When I give the signal, each team should toss its paper ball into the air. Team members must try to keep the paper-wad ball in the air as long as possible by batting it upward with open palms. The team to keep their paper wad in the air longest wins. Repeat several times. For an extra challenge, add more paper wads so each team is batting around several paper balls.   After the game, ASK: * How is a paper wad in continual motion like the way our relationship with God should be? * How would you define worship? staying in love with God? Read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ASK: * How do we go about worshipping "continually"? * What aspects of worship are you good at? What parts need work * How can we stay in love with God by the way we live?   Moving Out High Way Where's the Love Say: The Bible says that only God is worthy of worship and we're not to worship idols. Although we don't think of ourselves as idol worshippers, we come dangerously close to idol worship when we treasure someone or something almost as much as we treasure our relationship with God. We are tempted to fall out of love. I'd like each of you to spend a few minutes thinking about what's important to you. What competes with God for your attention? Once you have identified someone or something that competes with God for your attention, try to find an object that could symbolize that person or thing. For example, a letter jacket could symbolize someone's love of football, or a note could symbolize a close relationship with a friend. The contents of your wallet or backpack can provide clues about what's important to you. If all else fails, draw a picture of the symbol you're thinking of. After several minutes, ask students to present and explain their symbols. Then ask everyone to put the symbols on the floor next to them. Say: Now that you've set aside the things that can come between God and you, let's talk about why God ought to be the love of your life. ASK: * What are the characteristics that make God worthy of praise? As youth share their ideas, make a list of their responses on the left side of the paper. ASK: * What has God done that makes Him worthy of your love? As students share their ideas, make a list of their responses on the right side of the paper. Say: While the Apostle John was imprisoned on the island of Patmos, he had a vision of the future in which people from all over the world were worshipping God. Revelation 7:9-10: After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!" ASK: * How did the people show their love for God in that Scripture? Say: Shouting praises is one way of showing love for God, but there are many others. One author has said, "Sometimes the greatest worship is just whispering, 'Jesus,' just saying his name and letting the fragrance of his name fill your soul" ( Glory: A Jerusalem Experience by Ruth Ward Heflin). I'd like you to form groups of three or four and share with each other what is your most meaningful method of worship or how you show your love for God. If you aren't sure, then share a way of worshipping that you are going to explore and try during the upcoming days and weeks.   Extra Miles Work Zone Meaningful Say: While the Apostle John was imprisoned on the island of Patmos, he had a vision of the future in which people from all over the world were worshipping God. Revelation 7:9-10: After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!" Say: Shouting praises is one way of showing love for God, but there are many others. I'd like you to form groups of three or four and share with each other what is your most meaningful method of worship or how you show your love for God. If you aren't sure, then share a way of worshipping or loving God that you are going to explore and try during the upcoming weeks.   Return to the Family Life Center Closing Work Zone & High Way ASK: What did you learn tonight? Say: How will you change the way you live your life each week to stay in love with God? Is it important? Will you think about it more than just tonight? To find real happiness and success you will need to realize that staying in love with God is a way of life and a way of treating others. It's respecting your teachers, peers, family and friends by placing Christian actions in front of what amuses you.   Prayer  God, help us make time for you just as we make time for other parts of our lives. God, help us refocus our lives and worship only You. Thank you, God, for helping us open our hearts to you and express our love for You through worship and action. Help us to understand true love better each day as we make our relationship with You the number one treasure in our lives. In Jesus' name, Amen.   Lesson Supplies: Lots of paper and pens, two folding chairs