Winterfest 2012 Post-Event Lesson- 4

Winterfest 2012 Post-Event Lesson- 4 “12”

Before the lesson: 1. Say a prayer for your students and for your words. Make this lesson your own. Feel free to use the material that best suits your group. Pick and choose. Mix and match.

2. Go over these notes and make them your own. Use what works for you. You may not want to use all of this material. Adapt this plan (edit, add, subtract) to make it fit you and your students.

3. Have an index card, pen or pencil for each student to use in the concluding exercise.

4. View these video links to determine if you want to incorporate the videos into your lesson plans: (some videos require purchase) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0-HMwUXkfQ Igniter Video: That’s Why We Are Here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnVAE91E7kM Greatest Marriage Proposal EVER!!!

Introduction

Love will make you do some pretty crazy things. A person will go to incredible lengths to pursue a relationship with someone they love.

Here’s an example of one cool, crazy way to pursue a relationship: Check out this video on you tube entitled: Greatest Marriage Proposal EVER!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnVAE91E7kM

Another example of going to incredible lengths for love is the story of Britain’s King Edward VIII. Even though 75+ long years have passed, the world continues to be fascinated by the love story of Edward VIII and American socialite Wallis Simpson. The King sparked a constitutional crisis when he fell madly in love with Simpson and wanted to marry her. The prime ministers of the United Kingdom and others opposed the move. Edward ultimately abdicated the throne so he could marry Simpson. In a broadcast to the nation in December 1936, after spending just 325 days as monarch, he said, “I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love.” The couple married in May 1937 and became known as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. They remained together until Edward’s death in 1972; Simpson died in 1986.

What is the craziest thing you’ve seen or heard about someone doing in pursuing a relationship like this?

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done to show your love for God? Bible Exploration

Look at this passage from Luke 9:23: “And he said unto all, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” (ASV)

In this passage, the phrase “come after” carries with it the idea of a passionate romantic pursuit. Can it be said of your relationship with Jesus that it is a passionate pursuit?

Intimacy with God requires commitment. It doesn’t happen magically, quickly or easily. We have a definite responsibility in cultivating closeness with God.

James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.”

Our part in drawing near involves discipline.

“Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. You can count on this. Take it to heart.” 1Timothy 4:7-8 (MSG)

Do something amazing….pursue passionately your relationship with Jesus! Commit to communicating with Him every day…. listening to His Word every day…..talking to Him every day. Read the Bible and pray! You have a new Bible….make a plan that works for you and follow it! Get to know your God deeper and deeper each day!

“…faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Romans 10:17

Christian spirituality is based on having a relationship with God. Falling in love with God means we participate in the very life of God. In Him, our lives take on cosmic significance.

The Bible tells the story of our relationship with the God who reigns over everything. Out of His amazing love, God invites us to live in His Kingdom. God created us to enjoy abundant life, and learning to live life to its fullest in relationship to our Creator is the purpose of real spiritual discipline. God’s Kingdom is where his will is being done, where God lives His love through us.

Living under God’s direction answers the age-old question, “Why are we here? God created us in his image and his likeness. (Genesis 1:26) He made us to be like Him. He made us for relationship. In creation, God gave humans the most exalted role, to represent and even share in the character and person of God Himself. Those who choose this life under God’s direction embody God’s kingdom. The Bible is the fascinating and dynamic story of a loving God interacting with his creatures in a gracious way in spite of their rebellion. Unfortunately for many believers, the biblical stories remain isolated in a distant past, far removed from their daily lives.

But Christian spirituality requires embracing the biblical story as our story. Not just the creation story, but all the stories of the Bible are about Gods’ loving relationship with humanity. With us! We, therefore live in the biblical story. It becomes the story of our lives. Therefore, the main character in my autobiography is not me, but God. He alone gives my life meaning. In the Bible we meet God and we meet our true selves. This is why reading the Bible is so important.

Some compare human history as told in the Bible to an unfinished six-act play. This play is described in the front section of the Bible that each person who attended Winterfest 2012 should have received. Act I: Intention Act II: Exile Act III: Calling Israel to a Mission Act IV: The Surprising Victory of Jesus Act V: The New People of God ACT VI: Reunion

A crucially important thing you can do is to read the Word of God. God’s Spirit works through the Word actively and powerfully to fulfill His purposes—in you and through you. If you are truly in love with God and have a real desire to live your life with Him, you will want to know what He is saying to you. You will open the “text message” from Him. His Word will guide you, change you and keep you close.

Christian spirituality is NOT just knowing about the Bible. It is much more than that (See Additional Resource 3 – “The Prince of Grenada”). Christian spirituality is a lived relationship with the God revealed in the Bible. He is a God with a story, a history with humanity. He made us, pursued us and even died for us. He wants to be our God and for us to be His people.

Conclusion

God invites us to embrace his love for us. This is the great invitation of Jesus, not just to be part of a church or to be “saved.” Rather, Jesus came not just to save us from our sins but also to save us for himself. He invites us to be his disciples, to embrace love, even though it means going to the cross, following Him step by step into Kingdom life.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

This is the greatest invitation. The path of spiritual formation is to dedicate our lives to being authentic followers of Jesus so we might learn the walk for which we were made. This invitation calls for a decisive step into the Kingdom of God. Start on the path; the path that leads to life.

Distribute index cards to the students. Make sure each student has an index card and a pen or pencil so they can write the following commitment on the card: One thing I will begin to do this week to draw closer to God is:

Conclude in prayer.

Large excerpts of this material are taken from the book, “Living God’s Love, An Invitation to Christian Spirituality” by Gary Holloway and Earl Lavender and are used by permission. This book is published by Leafwood Publishers and is a recommended resource for you as a group leader as you prepare yourself to guide your students into the life-giving path of the spiritual disciplines. Additional Resource 1: Additional Resource 2: Additional Resource 3:

Illustration: The Prince of Grenada

The prince of Grenada, an heir to the Spanish crown, was sentenced to life in solitary confinement in Madrid’s ancient prison called “The Place of the Skull.” The fearful, dirty, and dreary nature of the place earned it the name. Everyone knew that once you were in, you would never come out alive. The prince was given one book to read the entire time—the Bible. With only one book to read, he read it over hundreds and hundreds of times. The book became his constant companion.

After thirty-three years of imprisonment, he died. When they came in to clean out his cell, they found some notes he had written using nails to mark the soft stone of the prison walls. The notations were of this sort: Psalm 118:8 is the middle verse of the Bible; Ezra 7:21 contains all the letters of the alphabet except the letter j; the ninth verse of the eighth chapter of Esther is the longest verse in the Bible; no word or name of more than six syllables can be found in the Bible.

When Scot Udell originally noted these facts in an article in Psychology Today, he noted the oddity of an individual who spent thirty-three years of his life studying what some have described as the greatest book of all time yet could only glean trivia. From all we know, he never made any religious or spiritual commitment to Christ, but he became an expert at Bible trivia.

What kind of faith do you have? Is it anything like the faith of the prince of Grenada? There’s a difference between knowing facts about God, Jesus Christ, and the Bible, and allowing God to change you from the inside out. Many people grow up knowing a lot about Christianity but never have entrusted their lives to Christ. Have you?

Additional Resource 4 You might want to check out: http://www.echothestory.com/

The purpose of Storying is to create an environment for us to experience and join in God’s Story.

For thousands of years, stories were the key means for Jewish and Christian people to learn and experience God. Echo desires to recapture this sacred art of biblical storytelling, inspiring new generations to find themselves in God's Story.

Echo uses a process called Storying (short for Chronological Bible Storying) - a sequential telling of Bible stories followed by a time of review and dialogue. Founded in the ancient Hebrews approach to the scriptures, storying is a unique learning process, revolving around energetic storytelling, imaginative observation and lively dialogue. Storying was rediscovered a few decades ago by missionaries who are now using this method extensively around the world. Storying is also proving to be effective with all ages in Western contexts.