SESSION TITLE

EXPERIENCING

TELLING

RESPONDING

STORY

There is a Big Story running through the Bible; God has been involved with people and creation throughout history and they have a chance to be a part of God’s story.

Drama activity

Young people are given the first four acts of a play. They have to create a fifth act that is true to the beginning of the story and the characters in it.

DVD clip

Young people give their reflections on the Bible.

Young people read the names of Bible characters which are written on leaves on a tree. (The tree is made from branches in a Christmas tree stand.) They write questions they have about the Bible and hang them on the tree.

SOURCE

God made an amazing world for us to live in. He gave it to us to look after and to develop.

Drawing exercise

Young people add to each other’s pictures and risk them being ruined or improved. Young people move round four stations on creation themes.

DVD clip

Showing the wonder of creation, a quiz on artists, modelling clay to make creatures, lego to make models.

Talk

Explain that God created a beautiful world and gave it to people to develop in a way that reflects who God is.

The group brainstorm ways in which people have developed creation.

Young people spend time in quiet reflection listening to words and music.

BROKEN

People rejected God and the whole of creation was spoilt; our relationships with God, with each other, with the planet and with ourselves are all broken.

Group task

In fours, they have to prepare a film review but each group member has a barrier to overcome. For example, one is blindfolded; one wears earplugs.

Talk

Explain how sin has spoiled our relationships with God, with ourselves, with each other and with creation.

Small groups create a rap, poem or dance to communicate how the Fall has affected us.

INVITATION

To begin the work of restoring what had been spoilt, God invited the people of Israel into a special relationship that was intended to bless the whole of creation.

Young people mend broken plates to illustrate how hard it is to put things back together exactly as they were.

You select a small group of young people to represent Israel, giving them privileges and responsibilities.

Talk

Explain how the people of Israel were chosen by God and were blessed to be a blessing.

The group creates an ideas exhibition – what would the world, community, yourself be like if the Ten Commandments were kept?

CHOICE

The Israelites asked for a king to rule over them, and started worshipping idols.

Young people take part in athletic activities while the leaders tempt them to stop.

DVD clip

Animated cast list of kings on DVD.

Talk

Explain that the people of Israel had a choice of whether to serve God or idols.

Young people spend some time in quiet reflection, listening to words and music on idolatry today. They add their ideas of current idols to a graffiti wall.

REALITY

The Bible deals with the reality of life. We can be honest with God about our feelings and experiences.

Young people record the emotions they felt during the week. They answer ‘agony aunt’ letters, using verses from the wisdom books of the Bible to help.

DVD clip

Psalms in contemporary settings.

Young people write their own psalms using suggested patterns.

COMMUNICATION

The prophets called people back to God, and dropped big hints about the Messiah who was to come.

During the week before this session, some members of the group could take part in public prophetic acts.

Young people enter a room with 6 CDs playing at once. They have to choose which one to listen to.

Talk

Explain how the prophets called people back to God, sometimes using quite dramatic means.

Young people identify the messages we hear today through our culture and reflect on which ones we listen to.

CHALLENGE

Jesus arrived to live among us, as God in human form. He showed us a radically new way to live and introduced us to the upside-down Kingdom of God. 

Young people make different kinds of models of human beings; Jesus is a perfect, model human being and also our model to show us how to live.

Young people take part in ‘the great reversal’, an activity to illustrate that the first shall be last and the last first. 

Talk

Introduce Jesus, sent by God to redeem the world. Talk about the upside-down nature of the Kingdom of God.

Young people draw images in response to parable of the sower that reflect how they are responding to God.

SOLUTION

Jesus’ death and resurrection have brought about the restoration and renewal of everything that was spoilt and broken in the Fall – including our relationships with God. 

Young people play a game with forfeits every time a mistake is made to illustrate the fact that it’s impossible to be sinless by our own effort.

DVD clip

Peter just after Jesus has died – feelings of despair and disappointment.

Talk about how God restores relationships through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Young people have an opportunity for confession using helium balloons.

LIFE

As part of the body of Christ, the Church, we are called to work out our faith in every area of life.

Young people take part in a treasure hunt in the local area, to get them thinking about the scope of the kingdom of God.

Talk

The need to be a follower of Jesus in every area of life.

Young people make prayer cords with beads.

HOPE

Jesus will return in the future to bring in a new heaven and a new earth.

Young people think about the view of the future portrayed in films.

Talk

Explain about the future hope of Jesus’ return.

Young people create a city of peace from junk modelling.

CONTINUING THE STORY

A chance to review the course and to encourage young people to continue to engage with the Bible.  

The final session is an opportunity for feedback and is in a different style to the other sessions.