Hidden & Mixed In

The key idea of this lesson is that extraordinary things are often hidden and mixed in with the ordinary, everyday experiences of life. The icebreaker invites youth to actively search for hidden items. The discussion explores various ways of understanding the kingdom of God and how we participate in the work of building it. The activity options involve youth in sharing signs of the kingdom or in considering our part in growing the kingdom of God. Times are based on a fifty-five-minute lesson period but may be adjusted.

Icebreaker: Hidden & Found (10 minutes)

This activity is similar to “Hide and Seek,” but it uses items of various sizes. Choose items to hide around the room that are easily accessible and come in different sizes: bouncy ball, kickball, football, soccer ball, volleyball, basketball; full-sized pool noodle, then a pool noodle cut in smaller parts (a half, a quarter, two eighths); or a piece of red construction paper and smaller pieces of construction paper. Hide these items around the room and have the youth try to find them. Play a second or third round and have the youth take turns hiding the items.

Debrief:

• What were you looking for?
• Which items were easiest to find?
• Which items were hardest?
• Were you ever tempted to cheat or find shortcuts?
• What did you have to do to find the harder items?
  Explain that our scriptures today explore things that aren’t as they seem at first glance - and that blessings can be hidden or look different from different perspectives.

Read (5 minutes)

Genesis 29:15-28; Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Discussion Questions (10 minutes)

Genesis 29:15-28

• What motivated Jacob to work for Laban? How might you have responded to Laban if you were Jacob?
• When has love ever motivated you to do something hard?
• Where do you think God is in this story?
• What emotions does this story evoke?

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

• What are the many examples Jesus gives of the kingdom of God?
  • Which one can you understand and put into your own words?
  • Which one is more difficult to understand?
• Why do you think Jesus explains the kingdom of God in so many different ways?
• What similarities (or differences) do Jesus’ explanations of the kingdom of God share?
• How might you describe the kingdom of God?

Active Learning (20 minutes)

Option 1: Play the game, “Kingdom Signs.” This is a semi-quiet game that requires concentration.

Form a circle. Have those in the circle say their names and offer a silent body movement as their “sign” (examples: a peace sign; twirling their hair; a wave; making a funny face). Go around the circle and make sure everyone knows everyone’s sign. Then, one person stands in the middle and closes his/her eyes. The goal is to pass “the kingdom of God” around the circle but hide it from the person in the middle. One person starts by doing his/her sign, then another person does his/her sign.

This is a call-and-response game. To receive “the kingdom of God,” the second person must do his/her sign. Then that person chooses someone to pass “the kingdom of God” to. After the group gets the rhythm of passing “the kingdom of God” around (three of four passes), someone alerts the person in the middle to open his/her eyes. The person in the middle tries to guess who has “the kingdom of God.” The group continues to pass around “the kingdom of God” quietly (this is the most fun part!) while the person in the middle tries to catch them in the act and guess who has it. Once the person in the middle guesses correctly, the person who has “the kingdom” is now in the middle. The same signs are used in the second round.

Debrief:

• How does this game relate to our scripture?
• What was hidden?
• What did you have to do to pass or receive “the kingdom of God”? What did the person in the middle have to do?
• How do we notice the kingdom of God in our everyday lives?
• If we believe God is always with us, how might we transfer some of the skills used in this game to catch a glimpse of God at work today/tomorrow/this week?

Option 2: Play Mustard Seed.

This is an active game variation on “tag.” One person will be the mustard seed. Everyone else walks around the designated area for play, while the mustard seed tries to “grow” by tagging other people. When tagged, the person holds hands with the mustard seed and helps the mustard seed tag everyone else. If the hands detach, a different mustard seed begins a new round.

Debrief:

• How does this game relate to our scripture?
• What was the goal of the mustard seed?
• What role do we play in helping grow the kingdom of God?
• How can we work together to “tag” more people to be involved in our efforts?

Close the lesson by sharing joys and concerns and praying together.

Needed Resources:

Items of various sizes for the icebreaker activity (bouncy ball, kickball, football, soccer ball, volleyball, basketball; full-sized pool noodle, then a pool noodle cut in smaller parts —a half, a quarter, two- eighths; a piece of red construction paper and smaller pieces of construction paper).