Music: Shallow

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INTRODUCTION

‘Shallow’ is one of the hit songs to come from the latest reworking of A Star is Born. Although your young people may not have seen the film, they are likely to have heard this song, which calls out a simple desire to swim in the deep. This theme clearly resonates with our discipleship journey.

Begin the session with a fun icebreaker. Set up a limbo pole and challenge the young people to see who can bend back the furthest to limbo under it. Explain that during this session we will be exploring what it means to ‘put out into the deep water’ in terms of our relationship with Jesus.

LISTEN AND DISCUSS

Play the track, distributing copies of the lyrics for young people to follow. As a group, discuss:

• Which lyrics stand out to you? Which can you most relate to?
• Are there any lines that are difficult to understand?
• What do you think it means to be ‘searching for more’, or ‘trying to fill the void’?

Help the young people to share their ideas and questions, and explain that the Bible talks on many occasions about the way people search for ‘more’ in life.

Distribute the Bibles and ask the group to look together at Luke 5:1-11. Explain that during this meeting Jesus invited Simon to ‘put out into the deep water’ as a symbol of the life he was inviting Simon to participate in. Jesus wanted Simon and the other disciples to enjoy a deep, full and complete life, and he offers us the same invitation today.

Place a large, clear container of water, such as a plastic box or fish tank, at the centre of the group. Hold out a piece of plasticine or playdough and show the young people how you can control whether it floats or sinks, depending upon the shape you make it into. Tell the young people that the same is true for us in our relationships with Jesus. We can decide whether we want to accept his invitation to ‘put out into deep water’ by choosing to follow him more fully. He will not force himself on us if we are resistant. We have a choice to make.

Give each of your young people a small piece of plasticine and invite them to create the shape of where they feel they are at right now. Do they want to float in the shallow or are they ready to go deeper? As they create their shapes, talk about some of the things they can do to deepen their relationship with Jesus, offering practical advice the young people can try out before praying for them.

As you draw the session to a close, invite them to take their shapes away as a reminder of this invitation, and remind them that they can always choose to go deeper.