THIS WEEK’S PASSAGE
1 Samue l 17:20-51
BACKGROUND PREPARATION You will need a Bible, a David Beckham and Phil Mitchell mask, a prize of some kind, a sign-up sheet with the title ‘I commit to doing one act of random kindness this week’, and a way of showing the DVD clips.
Rock-paper-scissors tournament
5 mins
A classic game to begin the session. The great thing about RPS is that it is a game that actively involves everyone and has a level playing field. To add a link to the session theme, pair the smallest young people with the tallest. Depending on the size of the group, go for either sudden death or best of three in a knockout competition format until you’re left with one winner. Don’t forget to have a prize for the winner.
David’s journey
25 mins
This is where you’ll need your David Beckham and Phil Mitchell masks. Divide the group into the two opposing sides. You’ll need people representing the following characters: David (use the smallest member of the group), Goliath (tallest), Jesse (oldest), sheep, David’s brothers (who can double up as the Israelite army if need be), Saul, and the Philistine army. Get one of your leaders to play the narrator.
Give the person playing David the David Beckham mask and the person playing Goliath the Phil Mitchell mask. Narrate the story of David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17: 17-50) as the young people act it out, cheering and booing as their respective champions names are mentioned. Break the story into two pieces so you can make the key points below.
Read: 1 Samuel 17:17-36.
Explain: all David was expecting to do at the start of the day was to take lunch to his brothers and then go back to his father and his sheep. Instead, this boy ends up being commissioned by the King of Israel to fight Goliath.
Ask: can you think of a time when you’ve ignored a person or a situation that needed help because you were too focused on somewhere else you needed to be?
Read: 1 Samuel 17:36-50.
Explain: throughout the story, the odds were stacked against David. He was taking on a giant and nobody, not even his own brothers, had any confidence that he would succeed. But David doesn’t listen to them. He refuses to allow them to limit what he is capable of in God’s power.
Going deeper
15 mins
You could use one, both or neither of these clips.
The Blind Side (0:00– 2:00 minutes - opening voiceover scene). Lee-Ann Tuhey (Sandra Bullock) explains the importance of the left tackle position in American Football, as it defends by attacking those going for the quarterback’s blind side.
Say: often, the best form of defense is not to sit and wait for opposition, but to be proactive, as David was. Using the knowledge of his past experiences, David took the initiative and actively defended God’s people, defying the odds and making a decision that no sane More importantly, he defended God’s name and his people. David is best remembered as a leader who defended not for what he said but because of what he did. Ask: what is your defensive strategy?
Say: fortunately for us in the UK, following and defending God doesn’t physically require us to put our lives on the line. But that can make us lazy. As Christians, we often only react when something has to be done, rather than taking opportunities that could be done. Defending God doesn’t only have to happen when we’re under attack. We have a wonderful opportunity to defend God by doing positive things for people in his name and for his glory.
Evan Almighty (1:25:45–1:27:37 minutes - one act of random kindness at a time).
Explain: we can defend and glorify God by the smallest acts of random kindness.
Ask: do you actively seek out opportunities to defend God in the way you live? What acts of random kindness are relevant to your situation?
Response activity
5 mins
Bring out the ‘acts of random kindness’ sign-up sheet. Encourage the young people to sign it as a way of committing to doing one act of random kindness in the following week, and ask them to report back at next week’s session. If they’re stuck for ideas, direct them to the Tearfund Rhythms website for inspiration.
Close by praying for courage for the young people and that God would be glorified and actively and positively defended in their acts of random kindness.
For notes for adapting see the links section of the Youthwork website.
KEY POINT #1
Opportunities to step out in faith often occur when we’re on our way to do something else. We learn from David, and a thousand years later from Jesus too, how much God’s kingdom can break through when we take opportunities to help the people in need that we stumble upon on the way.
KEY POINT #2
Sometimes being a good leader is difficult because it means challenging the expectations of your friends and family in order to do what you feel God is calling you to do. To quote Albus Dumbledore: ‘It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends.’
Ask: how do you think your friends and family would react if they saw you standing up to them so that you could help someone in need?
