THIS WEEK’S PASSAGE Jeremiah 1:4-19
BACKGROUND PREPARATION Collect Bibles, the video clip from the links section of the Youthwork website and the relevant section from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe film, pens and paper, and some way of playing music.
Best of the best?
5 mins
Show the clip of Young Apprentice from the links section of the Youthwork website. In this clip we are introduced to the candidates for the first time. Get your young people into smaller groups, and ask them to answer the following questions:
• What skills do the candidates say they have?
• Which skills do you find most impressive?
• Are you surprised by how skilled these young people are, or how skilled they say they are?
• Who would you like to win the competition? Why?
Young vs . Old
10 mins
Ask: what tasks, careers or skills are generally seen as ones for young people? Are these different for adults? Can they be the same or similar?
Say: today we’ll be looking at whether or not God can use us at a young age, or if we have to wait until the future for whatever he has planned for us.
Jumping in
20 mins
Get your young people to take it in turns to read parts of Jeremiah 1:4- 19 to the rest of the group. Ask them what they think the passage is saying, and then discuss these questions as a group:
• What does God want Jeremiah to do?
• How did Jeremiah respond?
• How would you react if God asked you to do something like this? Would your response be similar to Jeremiah’s?
The Prophecy
5 mins
Show the clip from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe from 48:00 to 50:00 minutes, where the Pevensie children are told the prophecy about their destinies.
After you’ve watched the clip say: Aslan had prepared armies for the children to use, just like God has given us gifts and talents to use in ways unique to us. The prophecy in the film shows Aslan’s plan for the children. In the same way, God wants to show his designs and purposes for us (as in verse five of the passage), and the gifts we are given all play a part in that plan. In the movie, the children don’t believe they are a part of the prophecy because they are young, but Aslan believes differently - he knows they can play a part in defeating the White Witch. Similarly, God knows we each have things to offer in his kingdom and wants to build a relationship with us so that we feel comfortable to use those gifts, no matter our age or circumstances.
Personal Plans
15 mins
Ask your group to individually take time to reflect upon their personal talents and gifts that they could use. Put on calm worship music to accompany this time. Give each person a pen and some paper to write down their responses to these questions:
• What gifts or talents do you have?
• How do you think they can be used by God?
• Does anything stop you from using these gifts? (List a few examples if needed).
Once they’ve answered the questions, ask if anyone wants to share what they wrote down and explain some of their answers. When focusing on what stops them from using their gifts, refer back to Jeremiah 1:17-19, explaining that God is on our side as he commands us to, ‘Say to them whatever I command you’. Add that the pressure isn’t on us to perform, as challenges, ‘Will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you’. Instead, our personal relationship with God will shine through as we step into God’s plan for our lives.
Closing and Prayer
5 mins
Say: God has called all of us into a relationship with him and to use our gifts to build his kingdom in any way that we can. It doesn’t matter to God how old you are or what your gifts are. Like Jeremiah, we are being called to act now. Despite the challenges you may face, God is always with you as promised in Jeremiah 1:8.
Pray that each of them will understand their relationship with God and know that their talents can be used for his glory, no matter their age or situation, and that if they face any problems, they will know that God is on their side.
KEY POINT #1
Sometimes God asks us to do things that we don’t feel ready for. Jeremiah knew he was being called by God but thought he was too young to accomplish everything God had in store for him. God calls us to live in relationship with him and asks us to use our gifts now, not waiting for a more ‘suitable’ time in the future.
KEY POINT #2
Just because you are young, it does not mean that God doesn’t want to use you. Sometimes it is precisely because you are different to adults that God can use you in areas which would otherwise be unreached such as in school.
