Introduction
There has been much speculation about singer Justin Bieber and his Christian faith. This session explores what a very public act of worship says to us, not only about this particular singer, but about our own expressions of faith.
The session
Before the session, set up a small stage area. This could be as simple as a secure table or an old pallet, or something more elaborate with lights and curtains! As you begin the session, invite some of your young people to take to the stage and perform a small act such as singing or dancing. If appropriate, you may want to invite members of your group to rehearse something before the session, or if you prefer, simply invite performances on the night.
Say: Each of us find ourselves ‘on a platform,’ at times; the lights shine in our face and it feels as though all eyes are on us. What we do at those moments really matters and it is that idea that we are going to explore during this session.
Track: I could sing of your love forever
Play the track, which can be found performed by Justin Bieber on YouTube. Explain, if they are not aware, that this took place at a recent concert in Paris, when Bieber began to sing the song during his performance. Ask the group:
- Who do you think Justin Bieber was singing this song to?
- Why do you think he chose to sing this song?
- Why do you think the audience responded in the way they did?
- What do the words say to you?
Explain that this was one moment in a performance where the singer appears to move away from his regular setlist and takes time out, in front of a massive audience, to publicly worship God. We can make endless assumptions about what was happening here, what might have been in the singer’s head and why he chose to do this, but the truth is we will never really know. What we can see is that, in the midst of a performance where all eyes are firmly on Justin Bieber, he chose to lift his eyes higher and publicly declare his worship.
Say: There are times when we too find ourselves on a platform, admittedly not on this scale, but times when people look to us to see how we react to a given situation or scenario. Invite the group, or perhaps a leader, to share their own such experiences.
- How do we take the opportunity to lift our eyes higher?
- What does it mean for us to publicly worship God?
Invite someone to read Matthew 5:14-16 and remind the group that we are called to let our light shine, not to gain personal glory or public accolades, but rather to take the opportunity to point to Jesus.
