FOCUS OF TODAY: We have courage by our belief in...
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SCRIPTURE FOUNDATION
Ephesians 6:10-18New Revised Standard Version Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.
FOCUS OF TODAY: We have courage by our belief in God. We give others courage by acknowledging God’s gifts in them. BEFORE SUNDAY Read 1 Samuel 17 (the whole chapter) which is the account of David and Goliath ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Trunk or Treat on Wednesday, October 26. Middle School will host a trunk! We need Men’s Shelter volunteers for Friday evening, November 11. Join us! 7 days of Serv-i-bration the week of November 6— all Middle School Sunday School classes will be packing snack bags for A Child’s Place!
BRING TOGETHER: (Led by a HS Student) Announcements, Attendance
GAME TO BEGIN: Birthday Line-up Have the students line up in order of their birthdays (month and day, year isn't necessary). The trick is, they CAN NOT TALK AT ALL. You'll find they resort to sign language, nudges, someone might try to start directing, etc. When things are difficult, we tend to get creative and think out of the box.
Three “David and Goliath” moments, to warm us up for the big story: [you can choose one] https://youtu.be/aJBgFvbod2I?t=2m45s Stephen Curry 2008 NCAA run with Davidson https://youtu.be/uuBrRzAXiVo Top 10 biggest upsets https://youtu.be/mkCOgwJ_dMY Disney’s Movie: Miracle David and Goliath stories are all around –
Collect the Lesson Ideas on the butcher paper Process Questions How many of you think there is any other possible application we might gain from this story that seems so familiar? How likely do you think it is that you’ll be able to walk out of here thinking about this story in a whole new way?
ASK
The Will to Prepare Ask how many of the group has ever heard the old saying, “The desire to win is not nearly as important as the desire to prepare to win.” Process Questions Do you agree with that idea? Do you think David had ever picked up five smooth stones and used them with his slingshot before? How many times do you think he had done this? What kinds of things do you think David was doing as a shepherd boy the sheep that prepared him to face Goliath (He was becoming a disciplined musician; he was becoming an excellent marksman with the slingshot; he protecting his sheep and experiencing God protecting him against the lion and the bear)? How important do you think it was that David had most of his training in trusting God during times when no one else was around? What kinds of things do you think we can do to grow in our love for God when no one is looking?
How many of you know the story of David and Goliath? How familiar would most of the people at your school be with the basic outline of the story? When did you first hear about it? Explain that since this is such a common story, it is likely that it has been used to make a lot of points about living as God’s person. Remind the group that you don’t want to take a lot of time today rehearsing lessons from the story that they have already heard, and so you want to start the class by collecting all the “David and Goliath Lessons” they can remember. Using one of the easels, collect lesson ideas. Explain that the idea is to try to remember every application of the story they have ever heard, for example, “It’s not how big you are, but how big your faith is that matters.” If you’ve got a group that is slow to start talking, have them each write down one lesson they have heard (or might make up) from the story of David and Goliath. Remind them that the “lesson” doesn’t need to be something they agree with.
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Most folks grow up with a desire to make a difference, to make their lives count for something, but most are not willing to pay the price of preparation for that to happen. But David was. David wasn’t enrolled in an official “make a difference in the world” training school. He was simply using the opportunities where he was to prepare him to be used by God.
Did David know he would eventually face Goliath? Can you prepare for something, even when you don’t know what it is? If someone in our group wanted to know what they could do in their lives to prepare to be the kind of person who really makes a difference, what kinds of habits do you think they should have? Which do you think our group is more like—David or the Israelite soldiers? Why? If we wanted to train our group to be Davids—Christians who trusted God to do the impossible through the -- what changes would we need to make in the way we do things? Can you think of any wild, risky challenge that God is calling our group to, one that is big enough that most people would say, “There’s no way you could ever do that!”?
BEFORE DISMISSAL Have a bowl of smooth stones in the front of the room. Ask the group if they remember what “five smooth stones” have to do with David’s story. Explain that these are the “smooth stones of preparation,” reminders of the habits of preparation folks in the group want to make regular in their lives. Explain that these habits might be something like praying, studying the Scripture, and meeting with a Christian mentor, even approaching your sports or musical activities as service to God. Ask the group to think silently about what habits of preparation they would like to build and continue in their lives. Explain that after a minute of silence, you will close the group in prayer. Explain that after the prayer, you would like for them to pick up as many stones as they have “habits of preparation” (up to five stones each). Ask them to keep a stone with them as a daily reminder of their choice to prepare to face whatever Goliath’s may be in their future. Provide them with a minute of silence, allowing them to write their habits of preparation if they like.
End with Prayer, Hope and Wonders
Give this time in your group some thought before you begin your time together. How might you like to end your time together. How might you close with prayer?
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