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PREPARATION
Much of the information in this session about the role of women in Jesus’ day comes from an incredible book called Jesus Through Mediterranean Eyes by Kenneth E Bailey. Invite your church to treat you to a copy. It will blow your mind! You will need: strawberry laces, Hula Hoops (crisps!), ringed sweets, the ‘Pure Sex’ handout from the links section of the Premier Youthwork website, two colours of post-it notes and an assortment of pens.
YOU’RE A SWEETIE!
10 mins
Charm bracelets have trinkets hanging on them to represent different things in life: wealth, success, happiness, health, lasting love etc. The group are going to make bracelets for themselves (or each other, depending on how hygiene friendly you choose to be!) using Hula Hoop crisps or ringed sweets threaded on strawberry laces. As you make them, discuss what ‘gifts’ they would like to give each other for life (i.e. joy, phone that never needs charging, peace etc), and why.
God loves giving us good things. But he also loves it when we crave good things for ourselves too. We’re not talking about chasing after wealth, popularity and success - those things don’t set us free. Instead, we’re talking about choosing to live life God’s way - because we know it’s the path to true freedom. There’s a word for this kind of life - and the Bible calls it purity. If you think that purity is all about being a virgin, think again! Being pure is about regularly asking God to forgive us and help us live his way (Psalm 51). Jesus gives us his Holy Spirit who fills us with power to live for him, free from the things that offend God and hurt us. A transformed attitude to relationships and sex is one way that we show we are seeking a pure life that honours Jesus.
PURITY PROJECT
15 mins
People often think that Christians are obsessed with sexual abstinence (not having sex) when in fact we’re totally surrendered to being faithful to what Jesus asks of us. Read 1 Corinthians 6:18, where Paul encourages the church to run away from anything that plays games with God’s gift of sex which is to be enjoyed in a committed married relationship. Slice up the list of decisions and behaviours on the ‘Pure Sex’ handout from the links section of the Premier Youthwork website and ask the group to decide what Paul might consider ‘YAY WAY!’ or ‘NO WAY!’ for someone choosing to live a pure life.
We’re about to look at a story of Jesus meeting a woman who felt excluded from society because of the life she led. This might sound like a random bit of a history lesson, but it’ll help us see how knowing Jesus then living his way transforms everything! In the time that Jesus was on Earth, for every 140 men there were about 100 women. What happened to the other women? They were left to die when they were born the ‘wrong’ sex.
Leaving an unwanted baby to die was common practice in the Roman Empire. It wasn’t covered up, it just happened. In Ancient Rome, a father was required to raise any male child born to his wife, but by law he was only required to raise the first female child born to his wife. All other female children were disposable and often abandoned. In Ancient Athens girls received little or no education. Women were always seen as the property of men. If a woman in Greece or Rome was seduced or raped, the husband was by law required to divorce her. The laws about women were mainly laws about property - who got what. In Ancient Sparta, a mother who gave birth to a son would receive twice the amount of food as a woman who made the mistake of giving birth to a daughter. Why does all this matter? Because Jesus never treated girls or women like this; he was a rebel. He wasn’t ‘nice’ to them - he empowered them. Just like he went out of his way to set them free from their sin and called them into a new life as his disciples, Jesus does that for us too.
DESTINY GIRL
10 mins
Read John 4:1-30 as a group. Say: Jesus didn’t start by pointing out her sin. In fact he never tells her to stop doing what she’s doing. He simply offers her something better. Discuss what it is he offers her. Give each girl three post-it notes and a pen. On the first post-it note ask them to write words that sum up how her life was and how she felt before meeting Jesus. On the second post-it note ask them to write down words that sum up her life and how she felt after she met Jesus. On the third post-it note (to be kept private) ask them to write what they would like Jesus to do for them. Keep hold of this as you go into a time of prayer together.
UNLEASHED
15 mins
This is the end of the four sessions so it’s important to chat through some ‘next steps’ with the group to make sure they can continue to access support through mentoring or small group sessions like these. It’s important to draw together all you’ve talked about over the past few weeks, inviting the girls to share what they feel they’ve discovered about God and themselves. Ask them to look at the third post-it note and then, one by one, ask the girls to hold their note and stand in the middle of the circle. Read 2 Timothy 1:6-7 over them and then gather round to pray for them, that the Holy Spirit would fill them with love and power.
