Introduction
Look at a selection of newspapers or online news sources. Talk about the different stories that the young people notice. How do they feel when they see these stories? What do they want to change? What do they think they can do?
Talk about the recent appearance of Ed Sheeran on 2017’s Comic Relief and, if appropriate, show the clip. Ask the group what stands out to them.
Track: What do I know?
Introduce the song, providing copies of the lyrics for young people to follow, and invite them to think about the different claims this song makes. Which lines can they relate to? Which do they disagree with? What does this song tell you about the heart of the singer?
Read 1 Corinthians 13 and focus the group’s attention on the first three verses. Ask the group what this means for us, when we talk about wanting to change the world. How does this concept of love relate to the words in the song?
Remind the group that you see many, many stories of people trying to make a difference in the world, and people doing good deeds, but you can really see when the motivation is love; it really does change everything.
Invite the group to share stories of situations where a person is motivated by love to change something in the word; perhaps they have been on the receiving end of this love, or perhaps they have been encouraged to get involved in serving others as a result of one person living out this love. Look at the remainder of the chapter and talk about how these qualities can begin to make a difference in the world.
Replay the song, and encourage the group to think about what they can use to make a difference in their world. The singer talks about using music, talking about the way that God has given him that gift. What are the gifts and opportunities that God has given you to use? Rather than thinking we have to change the whole world, we should look at the things we can do to make a change.
As you draw the session to a close, pray for your young people, for their gifts and abilities and for the opportunities God will give them in the week ahead to show his love to others.
