MEETING AIM
To explore why Jesus died, what happened when he did, and our response to that.
BACKGROUND PREPARATION
You’ll need pieces of paper with a diverse range of job titles on, paper, pens, scissors, art stuff, Bibles and a distinctive chair. You should prepare one or two volunteers – either leaders or Christian young people – for the Hot Seat activity.
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BLINK BALLOON DEBATE
As they arrive, give everyone a piece of paper with a job title on it. The jobs should be very varied in terms of their perceived ‘worthiness’; ranging from things like surgeon general to drug dealer. Ask them to think about why this person’s role is needed in society; to consider all the positive contributions they make. Explain that you are all passengers in a hot air balloon. The balloon is losing altitude, and the only way to save the majority is to throw a third of you overboard! Everyone has 20 seconds to explain to the group why they should live. At the end of that time, the group takes a vote as to whether the person gets to live or die. Once everyone has spoken, check whether you’ve managed to eliminate a third of the group. If not, repeat the exercise with the survivors – but this time they only have ten seconds to
Key Point #1
Jesus came to die for everyone, not just the well-behaved. When he was on earth he ate with tax collectors – the most despised members of the community. He died for the drug dealer just as much as for the surgeon; and he doesn’t view those people with prejudice in the way that we sometimes do.
OPTIONAL - SERIES LINK
If you’re running the four-part series, show a clip from your chosen movie. Every movie contains an ‘all is lost’ moment, where it appears that good is losing the fight with evil; where hope is all but extinguished, and that’s the clip you’re showing here. Some examples: The Lion King – the death of Mufasa; Star Wars – Obi Wan Kenobi is ‘killed’ by Darth Vader; Toy Story – Buzz realises he’s a toy and loses his arm. Ask: why is this scene so important to the movie? What is your emotional response when you watch it - and what do you want to happen next? We’re wired to find this kind of ‘all is lost’ moment hard to watch; we desperately hope that there’ll be redemption, even if it seems impossible. In this session we’ll look at the ultimate ‘all is lost’ moment – Jesus’ death on the cross.
SIN LEAGUE
Split into groups of four or five, and give out paper, pens and scissors. First, ask the group to write down all the ‘sins’ they can think of. Now get them to cut up their pieces of paper so that each ‘sin’ is on its own piece. Can they order the ‘sins’ from most serious to least bad? After a few minutes, take some whole-group feedback. Some questions to prompt discussion:
• How did you decide which sins were worst / least serious?
• Which sins do you think matter most to God, and why?
• Who do these sins cause a problem for? You? Others? God?
Key Point #2
The Bible tells us that even the things we consider to be small sins are enough to separate us from God, who is perfect (read Romans 3:23). There are no ‘big’ or ‘small’ sins – just sin, and sin had to be dealt with in order for us to be in relationship with God.
HOT SEATS
Give out Bibles to everyone, and place a distinctive chair in the middle of the room. Ask someone to read Mark 15:15-40 to the group, and encourage those who know the Bible well to try to hear it in a fresh way. It’s the familiar story of Jesus’ death; yet it’s also the most dramatic and important story in the Bible. In an attempt to get inside it a bit better, you’re now going to meet a couple of the key characters. Brief some volunteers in advance to play the parts of key characters at the cross. One person should be the centurion, others could be disciples, the person who thinks he’s calling Elijah, or Simon from Cyrene. One by one, invite them to sit in the ‘hot seat’. Once they’re sitting there, anyone in the group can ask them any question they like; your volunteers must improvise an answer. Make sure everyone has access to their Bible – including the volunteers, and allow a certain amount of silly questions. You may not need to guide the discussions, but try to focus it on what they saw and how they felt at the cross. Before each one leaves, ask them a final question: what do you think was really going on at the cross?
Key Point #3
Jesus died as a sacrifice in our place, because of our sins (read Roman 3:24). But that’s not the end of the story. Like the ‘all is lost’ moment in a film where it appears the hero has failed, it’s followed by something incredible…
SILENT AT THE CROSS
Hand out pens, paper and arty materials for sketching, but ask everyone to put away their Bibles and any distractions such as phones. Explain that you’re going to attempt the ancient Christian practice of solitude together. Talk through, then work through the following list
• Once everyone is in a relaxed and comfortable position, read the passage from Mark 15 again.
• Ask everyone to think about what they’ve just heard. Pray, inviting God to help you all reflect on the story, then start the clock on three minutes of silence.
• Invite those who want to, to pick up a pen and start writing a letter or prayer to God in response. No one else will see it. Allow up to five minutes for this; less if they’re not engaged.
• Read the passage again.
• Repeat step two, but this time holding the silence for at least five minutes. After three minutes is up, they can begin to draw anything they like as an artistic response or prayer.
As you finish, encourage everyone to keep reflecting on the cross and what it means for us in the week ahead. You may want to end with a time for people to silently talk to God about their own sins, and if you’re running a series, make sure you encourage everyone with the news that next week, it all gets a lot better!
