BATTLE CRY. An Edge Night on Jesus Public Ministry LEADER OVERVIEW

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1 BATTLE CRY An Edge Night on Jesus Public Ministry LEADER OVERVIEW For 30 years Jesus lived quietly with His parents and there are very few things known about His life growing up or the hidden life. We do, however, begin to see His mission being accomplished during the last three years of His life which constitutes His public life. Jesus public life began when John the Baptist baptized Him in the Jordan River. It was at this time that God revealed that Jesus was His beloved Son. While Jesus was sinless and did not need to be baptized, He was baptized to be an example to us and made Baptism the means by which we become adoptive sons and daughters of God. (CCC ) After His baptism, Jesus is sent into the desert for 40 days. He is tempted in the desert, but He overcomes and has victory over Satan. Through this experience we come to see that we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (CCC , Hebrews 4:15) From this point forward, Jesus begins proclaiming the Kingdom of God, which is the Kingdom of heaven on earth. This fulfills the Father s will to gather all humanity around His Son, Jesus, so that all humankind can share in His divine life. This gathering of humanity around His Son is the Church. This Kingdom of God is not reserved for special people but is open to everyone the poor, the lowly, and even the sinners. (CCC ) Throughout His public ministry, Jesus tells people about the Kingdom of God, speaking in parables and using examples that they would understand to invite them in. Jesus also performs mighty deeds and miracles to show the people that His words are true and to help them to believe in all that He is revealing to them. Ultimately, the coming of the Kingdom of God means the defeat of Satan. Jesus reveals His power over Satan through various exorcisms and, ultimately, through His death on the cross. (CCC ) Jesus was not alone in His public ministry. He chose twelve men to accompany Him on His mission to proclaim the Kingdom of God. He chooses Peter, specifically, to be the first of the apostles and to govern the Church. There were specific apostles at various events throughout Jesus public ministry; for example only three of the apostles were witnesses to Jesus Transfiguration. But Jesus reveals to all of His apostles His plan of salvation and of His coming Passion, Death, and Resurrection, and we, ultimately, see that the kingdom of God will be definitively established through Christ s cross. (CCC ) 37

2 BATTLE CRY An Edge Night on Jesus Public Ministry EDGE NIGHT OVERVIEW GOAL The goal of this Edge Night is to give a brief overview of Jesus public ministry, focusing specifically on His Proclamation of the Kingdom and His call of the apostles. This Edge Night will challenge the youth to recognize the Kingdom of God present with us today and to respond in faith just as the apostles did. SUMMARY This Edge Night begins with a twist on the classic game of capture the flag. The Proclaim walks through the events of Jesus public life and ministry and breaks open His Proclamation of the Kingdom. During the Break, youth will split off into their small groups to discuss the importance of Jesus life and ministry for our lives today. The Edge Night concludes with a time of Eucharistic Adoration where the youth will be invited to place their prayer intentions at the foot of the altar. MAIN IDEAS Before beginning His public ministry, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River and then spent 40 days and nights praying and fasting in the desert. Throughout His three years of public ministry, Jesus proclaimed the coming of the kingdom of God on earth. He performed many mighty deeds and miracles to show people the truth of His words. Jesus called together the twelve apostles from all different walks of life to accompany Him on His mission to proclaim the Kingdom. ENVIRONMENT Carry over the environment from the previous Edge Nights. Put the throne back in place and gather all of the small groups banners from the first Edge Night and display them along the wall at the front of the room. Also display a large ancient looking map of some medieval kingdom s territory next to the throne chair. MEDIA Edge Support August 2017: Apostle Snap Story: Part II (lifeteen.com) Land of My Father Matt Maher (Saints and Sinners, 2015, Provident) Land of the Rising Sun Ike Ndolo (Rivers, 2013, Ike Ndolo) SCRIPTURE Matthew 5:3; Matthew 16:13-20; Mark 1:15 38

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4 BATTLE CRY An Edge Night on Jesus Public Ministry EDGE NIGHT OUTLINE GATHER Snap Story (5 min) As the youth are walking in, play the Apostle Snap Story: Part II from the Media Suggestions. Edge Night Introduction (5 min) Welcome the youth, introduce any new youth, and begin in prayer. Give a brief overview of the topic of the Edge Night using the following as an example: In the Gospels we hear the story of Jesus 33 years on earth, and most of those stories come from the short three years that He walked through countless towns and villages and encountered the people there. Although He did many different works and told various parables, His message was always the same the Kingdom of God was near, and it still is today. Battle of the Kingdoms (20 min) This game is played in small groups. 1. Give each small group a different colored flag and each small group member a color corresponding bandana to wear. 2. Instruct each group that they will have to protect their flag from the other small groups. 3. Give each small group an opportunity to spread out around the space to hide their flag or place it in a strategic spot. 4. Instruct the youth to choose three people from their small group to guard their flag. The rest of the team must go out and try to steal the other small groups flags. 5. The youth who are the guardians of the flags can tag youth who try to steal their flag. If a youth is tagged, he or she must immediately go back to a designated jail and wait for two minutes before returning to the game. The guardians are the only ones who can tag other youth and send them to jail. 6. If one small group gets the flag of another small group, the two small groups merge, both of the flags are placed together, and that team can now have six guardians of their flags. 7. This continues until one small group has conquered all the other small groups. SUGGESTIONS If weather allows, play this game outside. 40

5 PROCLAIM Battle Cry Teaching (10 min) This teaching can be found on pages 44 to 46. BREAK Small Group Questions (15 min) Break the youth into their small groups and use the following questions to lead a discussion: What is one thing that stuck out to your from the teaching today? How would you describe the Kingdom of God? How have you experienced the power of the Kingdom of God today? What do you think it would have been like to witness one of Jesus miracles? What do you think it was like to be an apostle? How can we continue Jesus mission to proclaim the Kingdom of God? Do you believe that God still desires to work miracles today? 8th Grade Adaptation (15 min) For your 8th grade youth who are looking to be more challenged have them do the following activity during small groups. Give the youth ten minutes to prayerfully reflect on the Scripture passage of the call of the first apostles and the miraculous catch of fish (Luke 5:1-11). Give them each a Bible and the Scripture reference, and instruct them on how to do Scripture reflection. The simplest way to do this is to read the Scripture passage, reflect on it and anything that stood out when reading it, rest with the passage, and respond in a specific and concrete way in everyday life. Encourage them to place themselves in the story to make it come alive. It may also be good to give them a pen and paper to write down different things that stood out to them in the Scripture passage. While the youth are reflecting, the Core Member should read over this passage and be familiar with the story so that he or she can better lead the discussion. After the 8th graders have had time to do this, bring them back to their small group, and discuss the following questions: Was it easy or hard for you to reflect on the Scripture passage? Why? What is one thing that God spoke to you through this Scripture? What do you think it was like to be Simon Peter in this passage? How would you have responded to the miraculous catch of fish? How does God call us to be disciples today? 41

6 SEND Eucharistic Adoration (20 min) To the end the Edge Night, gather the youth in the church after small groups for a short time of Eucharistic Adoration. If possible, have the parish music minister come to play two to three songs of worship during Adoration. As the youth enter the church, and before the Eucharist is exposed, give them each a small piece of paper and something to write with. Use the following as an example to introduce this time of prayer: During Jesus public ministry, He performed many mighty deeds calming storms, healing lepers, raising the dead, feeding thousands of people, and many, many more. Jesus still desires to work great miracles in our hearts and lives today. In Sacred Scripture, Jesus teaches us that we can ask for what we need and that God will listen to our prayers. (CCC ) In a few moments, Jesus, our King, will be present in our midst in Eucharistic Adoration. As we pray and sing together, we invite you to write down on your paper what it is that you need from God. Maybe you need to know God s love or an increase in patience, or maybe you need help forgiving someone in your life. Once you have finished writing down your prayer, you can come forward and place your prayer at the foot of the altar as a sign of you trusting your intentions and your heart to the King of Kings. After a few songs of worship and after all of the youth have finished writing their prayers and putting them at the altar, repose the Eucharist. Then end this time of prayer using the following as an example: We will close this time of prayer by praying the Our Father. Near the end of the Our Father we pray Thy Kingdom come. This refers to the Kingdom of God which is to come at the end of time, but we also experience a taste of the Kingdom through the Eucharist. It is our duty as disciples and followers of Jesus to make this earth as it is in heaven, to make this earth a place where Jesus is King. Tonight we will pray as a reminder that the Kingdom, power, and glory all belong to Christ the King. (CCC , ) Close the Edge Night by praying together the Our Father and put specific emphasis on the references to the Kingdom of God. STEP IT UP Instead of having your music minister come, challenge the youth to spend this time in silence and to soak in the peacefulness of the Kingdom of God present in the Eucharist. Notes: 42

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8 BATTLE CRY An Edge Night on Jesus Public Ministry TEACHING GUIDE GETTING STARTED To cover the basic information follow along and craft the talk based off of the bullet points. If your youth are ready to take it deeper, start incorporating a few of the Going Deeper call out boxes (like the one below) by picking the ones your youth would relate to the most. GOING DEEPER Check inside these boxes for tips and ideas on how to take your youth a little deeper with the Proclaim. THE BEGINNING OF JESUS PUBLIC MINISTRY We learned that for the first 30 years of His life, Jesus lived a quiet normal life growing up in a simple and humble home with Mary and Joseph. There is not much known about those years; the majority of what we know about Jesus comes from the final three years of His life known as His public ministry. Jesus public ministry officially began when He was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. (CCC 535) Project an image of Jesus Baptism and read Matthew 3:13-17 aloud. When Jesus was baptized, we hear the voice of God the Father telling us that Jesus is His beloved Son. The same thing happens in our baptism, we become sons and daughters of God. (CCC ) Project an image of Jesus in the wilderness and read Matthew 4:1-11 aloud. Straight from His baptism, Jesus goes to the desert to spend forty days and nights fasting and praying. Ask the youth to respond: What is the longest you have ever gone without eating? How did you feel in this situation? Do you think that Jesus felt this same way when He was fasting? On the 40th day, Jesus is visited by Satan who tempts Him to disobey God, but Jesus is faithful to His Father. (CCC ) GOING DEEPER We remember Christ s time in the desert and His faithfulness to the Father each year during the season of Lent. The forty days of Lent mirror Jesus experience it s a time of penance, prayer, and fasting. 44

9 THE PROCLAMATION OF THE KINGDOM The Gospels are filled with the stories of Jesus public ministry. We hear the words He spoke, the miracles He performed, and the love He showed to all whom He encountered. But what was the purpose for all of these words and deeds? All of these things pointed to the simple truth that Jesus came to proclaim that the kingdom of God was coming. Ask the youth to respond: What do you imagine when you think of a kingdom? What is the Kingdom of God? Well, a kingdom by definition is the territory of land ruled by a specific king. So, the Kingdom of God is God s specific territory, but it is not so much physical land as it is a spiritual gathering of all His people through the saving work of His Son, Jesus Christ. First of all, this Kingdom refers to heaven, but also the Kingdom of God is here on earth because Jesus is present with us. We experience the Kingdom of God on earth through the Church. God the Father desired to gather people together to share in His divine life. This was fulfilled through Jesus who establishes the family of God, which we know as the Church. (CCC ) Although Jesus first announces the coming of the Kingdom to the people of Israel, the Kingdom of God is for everyone the poor, broken, sinful, and lowly. In fact, throughout Sacred Scripture He proclaims, Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven and I came not to call the righteous but sinners (Matthew 5:3; Mark 2:17). (CCC 543, 545) GOING DEEPER The Kingdom of God is a mystery that we cannot fully understand or comprehend, but Jesus often told parables to teach us about the Kingdom. Choose one of the Kingdom parables from Matthew 13 to read aloud to the group and discuss its meaning. During His time on earth, Jesus didn t just tell us about the Kingdom of God, but He also showed the people that power of God was real, present, and working in their lives. (CCC 546) Project an image of Jesus performing a miracle. He healed lepers, raised Lazarus from the dead, multiplied food, and calmed the storms to help us believe that He is who He says He is the Messiah. All of His miracles invited those who witnessed them to respond in faith. (CCC ) Although Jesus was able to cure many people s sickness and illnesses during His public ministry, His greatest work was freeing us from the slavery of sin. The coming of God s Kingdom means the defeat of the devil. During His life, Jesus showed His power over evil and darkness when He freed those who were possessed by demons, and, ultimately, He defeats sin and darkness through His death on the cross. (CCC 550) THE APOSTLES Jesus chose twelve men to travel with Him during His public ministry. We know these men as the twelve apostles. He chooses the most unlikely people to walk and journey with Him. They were uneducated fishermen, tax collectors, a zealot, and even a teenager. Jesus gives them the authority to preach the Kingdom of God and even to heal and cast out demons. (CCC 551) 45

10 Of these twelve men, one had a very unique role Peter. He was chosen to be the rock of the Church after an encounter he had with Jesus. Project an image of Jesus giving Peter the keys to the Kingdom and read Matthew 16:13-20 aloud. Peter was given a specific authority by Jesus and was our first Pope. Peter was one of the three apostles, along with James and John, who got to be present when Jesus was transfigured on the mountain revealing His future glory and once again that He is the Son of God. (CCC ) GOING DEEPER Read the story of The Transfiguration from Matthew 17:1-8 and discuss with the youth what stands out the most to them and why. The apostles got to witnesses many incredible things because of the time they spent with Jesus. It was to the apostles that Jesus first reveals that He is going to suffer, die, and rise from the dead. (CCC ) It is this very action of Jesus dying and rising from the dead that establishes the Kingdom of God forever. Not only does it reveal the power of Jesus Christ, our true King, but it opens for us the doors to heaven, which is the everlasting Kingdom of God. (CCC 501) It is this Kingdom that we are destined for, and we are called to follow Jesus Christ, the one true King, and to be His disciples. He calls each and every one of us to follow Him and to proclaim the Kingdom of God that is here and present through Christ in the Church and also the Kingdom that is to come. Ask the youth to respond: What is one thing I can do this week to share about the Kingdom of God? It will not be an easy battle, to stand up for the Kingdom of God here on earth will be challenging but we know we ultimately have a King on our side who is all powerful and has already won the whole battle by the His death on the cross. Notes: 46

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