Young people's session

Read Bible notes on John 16.12-15

Spend a little time thinking about how your understanding of God has changed over time and how this impacts your relationship with God and others. We often find it hard to admit that our perception of God has changed, because this involves realising that we are not perfect. 
There is always pressure on young people to think about ‘what’s next?’, and during exam season, particularly, their thoughts will be on results and what that might mean for their future. Encourage the group to focus on the ‘now’ and see how that impacts their daily living. 

Snap 5 mins E S

You will need: a pack of playing cards.

• Play the track ‘Trust In You’, Chris Sayburn on Saved By Grace, as the young people arrive.
• Play a game of snap with the group. Deal all the cards out equally and ask players to take turns to turn over a card and place it into a central pile. When two matching numbers are revealed in succession, the first player to shout ‘snap’ and put their hand on the pile of cards wins the stack. The winner is the player with most cards when the game is over.
• To win, you have to look at what’s on the table and respond to it in that moment.

First impressions

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

Click on the image to view a larger version or use the Jump menu to go to This week's images. For artist's details, see this issue's illustrators.

Questions

• How does this photo show that immediate action is needed?
• What is going on in your own faith journey right now?
• What can we do right now with the gifts and knowledge that we have to further God’s kingdom (rather than wait)?

Highlight what stands out 5 mins W E

You will need: copies of the Bible passage, highlighter pens.

• As one person reads the passage slowly, invite the group to highlight any words or phrases that stand out for them. Repeat two or three times.
• Afterwards, invite everyone to share the words or phrases with the group. Ask: Did your focus change over time?

Charades  15 mins W E S

Reflect about the person God wants you to be today

• Play a game of charades as a group.
• Invite the young people to act out who they wanted to be when they were aged five. Then invite them to act out who they want to be now
• Afterwards, take some time to think and reflect: Who does God want me to be today?

Revealing God   10 mins E S

Think about images about God that speak in the ‘now’

You will need: pictures that speak of God in a contemporary context (e.g. Where is God? images here), scissors.

• Before the session, print out some different images about God and cut them into ‘jigsaw’ pieces.
• Play the track ‘Fullness’, Elevation Music on Speak Revival, during this activity.
• Pair up the young people and give each pair a jigsaw to complete. The winning pair is the first to complete their puzzle, revealing their picture about God.
• Invite the pairs to talk about their image and what it says about God.

Praying in the present 10 mins E S A

Spend time in the natural world to focus on the ‘now’

• Take a walk outside together as a group, if you are able.
• Encourage the young people to look around them, and to name five things they can see/smell/hear/feel/connect to in the ‘now’.
• Invite them to give thanks to God for five things they are thankful for today.

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

Available by 10 am on Thursday 9 June 2022.

• Ask the young people to spend some time being in quiet and just notice where their thoughts go. Are they able to stay present in the moment? Talk together about how they experienced the silence and what happened in their thoughts. Is there anything that helps us to stay in the ‘now’?
• Finish by everyone writing down one thing, from that time of reflection, that they want to be their focus now, and one thing about their relationship with God that they would like to develop.

Go with God 24/7

Try not to think about what’s going to happen next, or in the future, and be present in the now.   E S

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