INTRODUCTION
A positive and affirming take on how supportive relationships can lift us up when we are down, which resonates with many promises God makes to us.
THE SESSION
Before the session, stick up an assortment of emojis around the room. Depending on your group, ask the young people which symbol best portrays how they are feeling today, or have a more generic conversation about how these images become a shorthand way to describe our feelings.
TRACK: COLD WATER
Play the track, providing a copy of the lyrics, together with three different coloured highlighter pens. After playing the track the first time, invite your young people to highlight, in two different colours, any phrases they can relate to and any phrases that they have heard friends use. Ensure that this part of the activity is done privately as an opportunity to reflect, rather than a discussion, but be prepared to discuss issues raised by this.
Play the track again and ask your young people to highlight in the final colour any words or phrases that remind them of things Jesus said. Invite your young people to share their responses to this activity and discuss where they can hear Jesus’ words in this song.
It may be helpful to remind your group that we may be able to relate to aspects of the song ourselves without agreeing with everything that is said. The same is true when we think of how this song relates to God’s words; there may be points of familiarity, but there may also be points of difference.
Provide Bibles and encourage your young people to look up some of the points of recognition. These may include Matthew 14:22-33, John 14:6 and Hebrews 13:5.
Help your young people to unpick some of the themes highlighted by these passages. Remind them that being a follower of Jesus does not make us immune to feeling low or from experiencing depression; be careful to direct your young people to further practical support as you discuss the issues raised. As appropriate, ask the group:
- How can we help our friends and those around us who may be struggling in this way?
- What does it mean for Jesus to never let us down?
- How can we deal with disappointment when other people let us down?
- What do these readings have to say to us in our situation?
Invite your young people to share their own stories of how Jesus has held them up, perhaps through other people. Discuss what it means for Jesus to hold us up, and how God’s support is unfailing. As you draw the session to a close, pray for your young people and for any particular issues they may be facing that have been raised by the session.
