Young people's session

Read Bible notes on John 3.14-21

Many items are now designed to be short-lived so we can move on to the latest, fastest model. How does this alter your view of eternity?

How can young people grasp the concept of something eternal in our throw away society? They may struggle with the idea of trusting something or someone to be there for ever. How can we help them trust in the eternal God?

For Mothering Sunday.

Go to www.rootsontheweb.com for all links, templates and images. 

Admiration game    5 mins E

• Think of 10 contrasting pairs of famous people. Ask the young people to run to the left or right of the room, to choose between one or the other, depending which of the two they most trust or look up to. Include politicians, musicians, footballers, teachers, local celebrities, etc.
• Encourage the young people to share why they picked those particular people. Ask: What qualities do they have that you admire?

First impressions

You could also use the image and following questions to help
introduce the theme.

Click on image to view larger version or use the Jump menu to go to This week's images.

• How does looking up at the light through the trees make you feel?
• How might ‘the light’ speak to us of something eternal?
• How can we show that we live in the light rather than the darkness?

Eternal promises    5 mins    W E

You will need: pens, copies of the passage, dictionaries.

• Give out a pen and the printed passage to each young person.
  As you read the passage through slowly, invite them to draw an upwards arrow next to any words they think are about eternal life.

Play the track ‘In God We Trust’, Hillsong Worship on Open Heaven/Run Wild, as you read.

• Then discuss together what the word ‘eternal’ means and find some definitions from dictionaries or online.
  Ask: Do any of the words from the Bible passage make a good definition? 

Obstacle course     10 mins E

Experience how difficult it can be to trust

You will need: cups filled with sand or water, a blindfold.

• Place a large number of full cups in rows along your space. Invite one young person to be blindfolded and ask for a volunteer to guide them round the cups, just using verbal instructions, e.g. take one step to the right.
• Swap roles and allow everyone to have a turn (you may need to refill some cups if they’ve been spilt!). Afterwards, discuss together how difficult it was to trust. Ask whether looking to Jesus can make negotiating the obstacles of life easier.

Who or what do we look up to?    10 mins W E S

Consider why we put our trust in them

You will need: magazines, newspapers, glue, scissors, large sheet of paper, pens. 

• Invite the young people to make a collage of people and things they look up to.
• Ask the group to write the qualities they admire in what they have chosen around the edge. Discuss together: How long do you think you will admire these people/things? Do we trust in them, and if so, why?

Our broken world 10 mins W E A

Explore our responsibility to make sure our world lasts

You will need: spoken word clip.

• Play the clip.
• Then, in small groups, consider the following questions: How do you think God feels about what we are doing to the world? Do we believe our world will last if we don’t make any changes about our behaviour? What practical things can you do as individuals and as a group to help look after the beautiful world that God created? Pray about these things as a group.

Check-in: Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues 

Consider together what you have explored, what that means for each of you and how it might influence your daily lives. 

• Go back to the definitions of ‘eternal’ from Share the Word and invite the young people to write these, or just the word ‘eternal’ onto a stone.

     Play the track Trust in You, Lauren Daigle on How Can It Be, during this activity.

• Invite everyone to take their stone away as a reminder of God’s promise of eternal life.

Go with God 24/7

Look up this week and notice things you don’t normally see. Keep a journal about what you see and how this changes your perspective.   
W E S A

ROOTS at home resource

Before you finish, give out the ROOTS at home resource to encourage faith at home.