FAITH CHALLENGE
Isaiah and God’s Vision of Peace
May 25 – June 22, 2003
Week 1 – Images of Self
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Gathering Time/Introduction: (Coach)
1.
The Coach leads the
opening routine: snack, fellowship, Prayer Wall activity, and Prayer
Chain. Name tags are available. For
this class the students will be divided by sex – male and female in separate
classrooms.
2.
Explain and ask for the
offering.
3.
The Coach reviews the
timeline. The lesson for this unit is
from Isaiah and fits into the timeline under “God Judges and Redeems a
Nation.” Point out that we are
returning to a previous era in the timeline.
We have just completed a series of lessons on the birth, baptism, life,
ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus (New Testament) and now, for the
summer we are digging back into the Old Testament. Introduce the youth to some of the background material on prophets
from the Curriculum Writers’ Bible Study (attached). Emphasize especially the role of prophet as visionary:
“Visionary” (Hebrew hozeh) is the preferred term for a legitimate prophet in other books (Amos, Micah, Isaiah, Chronicles). It refers to the means by which prophets received their revelations. In the scripture lesson for this unit, Isaiah received a vision of a just community and is relaying this vision to the people of Israel.
4.
Introduce the Guide,
who leads the workshop lesson.
Workshop Lesson Procedure: (Guide takes over from here)
Scripture
1. Ask the question, “What is peace?” and gather answers
on a piece of flipchart paper. At this
point in time, accept all answers and write them up as the youth call them out.
2. Hand out copies of Isaiah 65:17-25 (attached) and
colored pencils, pens, or highlighters.
Display the list of aspects below on flip chart paper. (Physical,
Emotional, Spiritual, etc.) As we read, each student
is to circle or highlight one way that the scripture describes these
aspects of peoples’ lives. Ask for volunteers
to read each verse out loud, going around the room until all verses have been
read.
Physical
(hint: verses 20, 21, 22, 23, 25)
Emotional
(hint: verses 18, 19)
Spiritual
(hint: verses 18, 19, 24)
Social
(hint: verses 18, 21, 22, 23)
Economic (hint: verses 21, 22, 23)
Political (hint: verse 22)
3. Write the descriptions that the youth discover in the
scripture beside each aspect on the flip chart paper. Ask them again how this
scripture describes peace. Listen for
and make a special point to affirm any who suggest that peace is well-being,
wholeness or health, welfare, prosperity, and safety.
4. What does it mean to say that peace is not just the
absence of war? (We do not have peace as Isaiah defines it if we ignore
the physical, spiritual, social, economic, emotional and political issues
affecting others. In other words, we cannot sit idly – in so-called peace -
while others in our families, society, the world, suffer.)
Mural
1.
Create a cultural
mural. Start by asking questions about how society and culture see young women
or young men today. What does the media say you are, or should be? Brainstorm
these ideas on flip chart paper. Record, without filtering, whatever the kids
say about what is expected of them, what peer pressures they experience. What
does the world say you should be? Spend only about 5 minutes on this to get
everyone thinking.
2. Distribute a collection of magazines. Ask the youth to look through the magazines and look for pictures that represent the cultural demands on them today. Focus on images of self today. There will be other opportunities in the weeks to come to explore other aspects of society. Roughly cut out the pictures and be ready with glue stick to post on the appropriate section of mural paper. (10 minutes) Note: Later we will join the other class mural sections together.
3.
What does God say about
us? Review some of the scripture and bible verses that describe God’s image for
us. Go back to the flip chart paper and review ideas of God’s vision of what we
should or could be?
4.
Compare the list
describing God’s image of us compared to society’s image of us.
Neighborhood
1.
Make a home for
yourself as a child of God. Take one of the precut forms. Fold and glue it into
the shape of a house. Use markers, scripture, stickers and pictures to decorate
your house with ideas and images of yourself as God sees you – not as society
thinks of you. Decorate your house with any or all of the following:
·
Your name
·
Your God given talents
·
Scripture verses that
you like
·
Magazine pictures that
indicate God’s vision for you
·
Images or words of
peace
2.
Place each home on a
section of foam board that will eventually be joined with others to create an
entire town.
Wrap-up:
1. Ask students to tidy up. Put away enough of the paper and glue and markers to help refocus the youth’s attention.
2. Give each student an opportunity to share the house he or she has built. Encourage each student to describe some of the things they have used to decorate their house and why they chose their particular images or words.
3. Hand out index cards and give the youth a few minutes to write a brief prayer that addresses their individual thanksgivings, or hurts, or confessions. Encourage them to refer to issues raised in the scripture, the mural, or their houses. Tell the youth that these cards will be collected and their prayers incorporated into a closing worship at the end of this unit. They are not required to put their names on their cards.
On flip chart paper, you may wish to prompt with a few lead-in sentences:
· Lord I know that I don’t always live as a student of God. Sometimes I …. Please help me to …..
· Dear Lord, I praise you for the many blessings you give to me. I thank you for ……
· Dear God, sometimes I hurt so bad when…..
· Jesus, my Lord and Savior, please help us to ……….
Closing (Coach):
1. Announce that the kids are encouraged to invite a friend to participate in the class next week. (the class location is noted on the schedule)
2. The Coach conducts the closing prayer time. Invite any youth who wish to share the prayers they wrote in the closing prayer time.
3. Collect the index cards.
4. Close/lock the door and turn off the lights.
Guide preparation in advance:
1. Check out your room setup and supplies.
2.
Mural paper taped to the wall with the caption: What
does the world say I should be?
3. Memory verse written on the board or in a prominent place.
4. Supplies: see list in overview section.
5. Precut house forms from poster board.
6. Prepare flip chart paper for discussion of aspects of peace in Isaiah discussion.
7. Write prompts on flip chart paper for writing index card prayers