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Honoring Lent with Your Youth Group
February 17th, 2010 | 
Author:
I stole/adapted my ideas from this HERE It’s a great site!
Focus: Lent is a time to look inward to seek how we might more fully accept God’s love and peace and grace in our lives.
Objectives:
- Youth will take part in a game to review basic facts about the season of Lent.
- Youth will create masks as a way to reflect on our inward sin.
- Youth will discuss the story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.
- Youth will participate in a worship experience to consider their own journey of Lent.
Materials needed: Bibles, copy of questions for opening activity, undecorated masks, markers and scissors
1) Opening Activity: (10 minutes) Play “One Step Forward, One Step Back.” Line group across the middle of the room and ask the questions below. Those who get the answer right, take one step forward. Those who get the question wrong take one step back. The “winner” (and aren’t we ALL winners?) is the first one to cross the finish line where you are standing. What do they win? Hmmm? How about something purple? (I’m going to give them some purple candy)
- The official (liturgical) color of Lent is red. True of False? (False. It’s purple – representing royalty and repentance.)
- Lent lasts for 40 days, not counting Sundays. True or False? (True.)
- The word Lent comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word meaning “midwinter.” (False. It translates “springtime” since that is the time of year the season generally falls.)
- The 40 days of Lent are a reminder of the Bible story in which Jesus spends 40 days alone in the wilderness and is tempted by the Devil. True or False? (True. It also recalls the 40 years the Israelites wandered in the wilderness.)
- Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, when people often have the sign of the cross made of ashes placed on their foreheads. Most often, these ashes are made by burning palm leaves from the previous year’s Palm Sunday service. True or False? (True.)
- The ash is supposed to represent the story in which Jesus places dirt or ash on a blind man’s eyes to make him see again. True or False? (False. The ashes represent humility and our own mortality – from dust we came and to dust we shall return.)
- Many people give up something during Lent. The point of this practice is to show your willpower. True or False? (False. It is a practice of self-denial that allows room in your life for God to do something new.)
- Fasting is a common practice in Lent but the one day people don’t fast during Lent is Sundays. True or False? (True. People traditionally do not fast on Sundays as Sundays are to be reminders or a foretaste of the coming resurrection.)
- The phrase “Glory to God” is traditionally never spoken during Lent and does not make its return until Easter morning. True or False. (False. “Alleluia” is the what many churches abstain from saying in worship during Lent.)
- The last week of Lent is known as “Holy Week.” True or False? (True.)
- On Maundy Thursday, the last Thursday in Lent, we recall the last night and meal that Jesus shares with his disciples. True or False? (True.)
2) Digging In: People often wear masks during the Mardi Gras activities that come just before Lent. Masks symbolize the way we often try to hide our sinfulness or our true nature. Lent is a time of taking off our masks, of examining our true selves, of being real before God so that we can come to understand that God knows us fully, forgives us, loves us, and encourages us to grow and become all we were created to be. Within this context, give youth an unfinished paper mask. (Click here to get a printable mask) or You’ll need this Template for a Mask
Ask them to decorate the outside of the mask with words, images, and colors that represent how others see them – their “outside” self. On the inside of the mask, encourage them to display their “inside” self – their fears, their doubts, their shortcomings. When finish, invite responses from youth about the experience of creating these masks.
3) Going Deeper: (20 minutes) Invite youth to read the story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4: 1-11). Ask one or more persons to read the narration, another to read the words of Jesus, and one or more to read the words of the Tempter. Help the group to explore this story where Jesus goes off on his own to do some soul-searching and , in a sense, confront his own demons. The journey Jesus takes into the desert — the journey to be alone with God and to seek God’s guidance about our true identity — is the journey we are all invited to focus on during Lent.
ASK:
- What do you think Jesus might have had to give up to go out in the wilderness by himself?
- The things the Tempter offers him are not intrinsically bad: food in a time of hunger, political power in a time of Roman oppression, a leap of faith. So why do you think Jesus resists these temptations?
- What memories do you have of times you faced choices that at the time seemed like good ideas but were ultimately led you in an unhealthy or unfaithful direction?
- Share what you do when you want time alone to think/pray/reflect. Where do you go? What do you do?
Ask youth to reflect on how Jesus gives up much to go out in the wilderness to move closer to the heart of God. What do they make of the artist’s interpretation of the Tempter? Distribute note cards and ask participants to draw a line down the center. Invite them to echo Jesus’ journey by writing on one side of the card something they will consider “giving up” during Lent (food, TV, internet, etc.) and on the other side something new they would like to take on during Lent that might help them connect more deeply with the experience of God in their daily lives (prayer, random acts of kindness, helping their parents, going to worship, reading the Bible, exercise, etc). Encourage youth to keep these note cards and place them somewhere that they will see them daily in the coming weeks of Lent.
Finally, invite the group to gather in a circle and place their completed masks in the center as an offering to God of both their inner and outer selves. Conclude together with a prayer of confession and assurance of pardon.
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Tags: How to celebrate Lent with teenagers, Lent, what should I give up for lent, youth group | 
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Youth Group Topic: Conflict
- Examine how conflict is a normal part of human interaction.
- Help students discover that they can settle their differences and move on after conflict
- Help students implement a plan for dealing with conflicts.
- Divide students into smaller groups. Ask each group to develop a skit that illustrates a problem that is common to contemporary teen culture. Suggest things such as gang activity, parent issues, sibling rivalry, school issues or friendship difficulties. Instruct each of the students to go into separate rooms, write a brief (two to three minutes) skit, and then rehearse it so that they can perform it before the rest of the groups. The skit should demonstrate a conflict that includes an argument. The catch is to challenge them to come up with two outcomes for their skit. The first outcome should demonstrate what it might be like without using Christian principles or allowing God to be part of the solution. The second should bring godly principles into the situation. Of course, the second alternative should be the goal. Give groups a time limit of no more than 15 minutes to put their skits together. Then allow only 15 minutes for all of the groups to perform the skits. Watch your time carefully so that this exercise will not consume the entire meeting without allowing for the Bible study portion.
- Show the following funny videos on Conflict
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Find a game that involves conflict
- Refer to Ephesians 4:26: “ ‘In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.” Explain that anger causes us to underline our convictions, letting others know what we are passionate about, emphasizing why we feel strongly about an issue and perhaps righting a wrong. There is nothing wrong with anger. However, there is one rule: Do not allow your anger to become the cause of sin.
- Also refer to Ephesians 4:29: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up.” Help students realize that anger should not be expressed in rage and it should not be used to manipulate others. The goal of our conflict is to grow together in Christ.
Acts 11:1-3 (New International Version)
Peter Explains His Actions
1The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him 3and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
Acts 15:1-6 (New International Version)
Acts 15
The Council at Jerusalem
1Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad. 4When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.
5Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.”
6The apostles and elders met to consider this question.
Acts 15:12-18 (New International Version)
12The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13When they finished, James spoke up: “Brothers, listen to me. 14Simon[a] has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. 15The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:
16” ‘After this I will return
and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild,
and I will restore it,
17that the remnant of men may seek the Lord,
and all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things’[b]
18that have been known for ages.[c]
Acts 15:19-29 (New International Version)
19“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”
The Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers
22Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, two men who were leaders among the brothers. 23With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. 24We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— 26men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.
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Tags: conflict, How to handle conflict in the church, youth group |
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Youth Group Topic… TEMPTATION
I’ve been reading about temptation in Jim Burns book titled “Uncommon Bible Study Outlines and Messages”.
Preparation
For the introduction, you will need:
- Two gift boxes (or any boxes you want)
- newspaper (to stuff the boxes with)
- Wrapping paper and ribbon
- A candy bar
- small rock
Before the meeting, prepare two identical boxes. Fill one box with a rock. Fill the other with paper and a candy bar. Wrap the boxes the same.
Opening Game…
We’ve all faced temptation at some point in our lives. Sometimes we come through victorious and sometimes we fall flat on our faces. Temptation comes when we are deceived into believing something false—that we can get something that really isn’t there.
Ask for two volunteers to come to the front of the room. Have one of the volunteers choose one of the boxes. Give the other box to the other person. Before having the volunteers open the boxes, tell everyone that inside one box is a candy bar, while the other box contains a rock. Ask the
group members and your volunteers to guess which box contains the candy bar. After a few guesses, have the volunteers open the boxes. Then ask the following questions:
1. Why did you think the box that you selected had the candy bar in it?
2. What was the only way to find out which box contained the candy bar?
3. How did you feel when you opened your box and found just a rock inside it?
Finish the illustration by talking about how temptation is just like the box without the candy bar. It looks nice on the outside, but when you open it, you will find out that the promises are just empty. In the same way, Satan uses empty promises when he tempts us. Temptation comes when we are faced
with a situation where we are enticed by what appears on the outside to be something of value to us. Today, we will look at how Jesus faced temptation and what that means for each of us.
Here are the Bible verses we will be covering on Temptation:
Psalm 103:11-12 (New International Version)
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us
Psalm 119:11 (New International Version)
11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Jeremiah 31:34 (New International Version)
34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor,or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’
because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.
Matthew 4:1-11 (New International Version)
1Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[a]”
5Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
” ‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[b]”
7Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[c]”
8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[d]”
11Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Luke 4:13 (New International Version)
13When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (New International Version)
13No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
Hebrews 4:14-16 (New International Version)
Jesus the Great High Priest
14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens,[a] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. 16Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
James 1:13-15 (New International Version)
13When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
1 John 1:8-9 (New International Version)
8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 2:1-2 (New International Version)
1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for[a] the sins of the whole world.
Here are the questions we will be going over:
Temptation
1. What are the top 10 temptations that teenagers face today?
2. What makes temptation so tempting?
3. What are some of the consequences of giving in to the top 10 temptations?
4. What was a time in your life when you gave in and suffered the consequences of sin?
5. What do the following verses have to say about temptation?
· Psalm 103:11-12
· Psalm 119:11
· Jeremiah 31:34
· 1 Corinthians 10:13
· Hebrews 4:14-16
· James 1:13-15
· 1 John 1:8-9
· 1 John 2:1-2
6. Complete this sentence: “The most difficult area for me in dealing with temptation is . . .”
7. How does (or should) knowing that Jesus went through temptation help you personally?
8. How can Jesus help you in dealing with temptation?
9. How can your friends or the youth group members help one another in dealing with temptation?
