Is Anything Too Wonderful?

Note to the Teacher

The key phrase for this lesson is, “Is anything too wonderful?” The icebreaker invites youth to create the ways God has worked in their community through good news. The discussion encourages students to think about ways in which laughter and compassion were used to minister. The activity allows youth to share pieces of themselves while also remembering that God has created them for something great. Times are based on a fifty-five-minute lesson period but may be adjusted.

Icebreaker: Some Good News (20 minutes)

Invite your students to watch a short clip of John Krasinski’s “Some Good News” (start at 1:30 and end at 4:55).

After watching the clip, give the students fifteen minutes to come up with their own version of “Some Good News.” Encourage them to “report” on impossible-to-believe events from their community, things that stretched their belief in God, places where they saw God at work, and good news stories that should be celebrated within the church community, school community, or town/city where they live.

Option 1: No tech needed + props: Grab a few awesome good news stories from around the world and share them with your group. Don’t be afraid to let your kids get creative. Provide a table of props for their “newscast.”

Option 2: Tech + props: Don’t be afraid to let your kids get creative. Provide a table of props for their “newscast” and record the students.

* Sharing something like this with your larger church community has the opportunity to bring your congregation into the youth ministry and share in the larger things God is doing in the community in a way that they might not otherwise be engaged. If you have permission, share this in a space appropriate for your context (social media, website, worship services, council meetings, etc. In some contexts, these could be considered “testimonies” – powerful stories of personal experiences in faith.)

Read Scripture (5 minutes)

Our scripture reading today involves the stories of people who were called to follow God.

Genesis 18:1-15; Matthew 9:35-10:8

Discussion (15 minutes)

• How has laughter played a role in your faith journey? (Maybe funny stories from church or Bible stories that made you laugh.)
• Have you ever laughed because you were uncomfortable or because you were feeling sarcastic?
• What would you do if three messengers appeared and gave you a prophecy? Are you skeptical? Would you believe them?
• Do you think Jesus still uses laughter?
• Tell us about a time you were filled with compassion. Why do you think you had that compassion?
• Why do you think Jesus said “…the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few”(Matt. 9:37)?
• Who do you think can be “called,” based on our scriptures today?

Activity and Discussion (20 minutes)

Take this lesson to the next level by getting students’ hands and imaginations involved using a ball of yarn. Have an adult leader start and toss the string to someone. After the adult has tossed the yarn, have him/her share one good thing that God has provided. (Maybe the person is a great storyteller, is inclusive of others, or is the one who always brings a laugh to cut the tension.) The point is to identify ways God is working in each individual. After the adult has stated one good thing, have a student then toss the yarn to someone else while holding on to a piece of the yarn, and repeat the process. After everyone has received some “good thing,” you should have a web of yarn with every participant hanging on to a piece of it.

Remind students that God has called them to something great and is using them to build the community around them as well. They are all interconnected because of the community and should use their gifts to build each other up while following their dreams.

To end the time together, cut the string and encourage each participant to take a piece of the string to tie to a bag, a shoe, a belt loop, or make an anklet to signify that they are all connected and called by God.

Total time: 55 minutes

NEEDED RESOURCES:

• YouTube access or good news stories (optional)
• Props for a newscast (optional)
• A cell phone for recording the newscast (optional)
• Ball of yarn
• Pair of scissors