With just two days to go before the presidential

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1 POST-ELECTION AMERICA NOVEMBER 6, 2016 Volume 22 Number Youth Ministry Partners and Cokesbury YOUTH CONNECTING FAITH AND LIFE With just two days to go before the presidential election, many Americans are anxious about the outcome. Regardless of who is elected, roughly half of voters will be let down, frustrated, or even angry. So how will people move forward? How can a country so politically, racially, and economically divided work together to solve so many problems? Take Off Your Shoes We all have been exposed to the rhetoric and vitriol of the campaigns, and we all must put it behind us. Humility is where many of the great biblical leaders started. Moses was humbled by God s power and presence in the burning bush before he brought all of Israel together and led them out of Egypt. Paul was struck blind on the road to Damascus and humbled by Christ before he worked to bring Jews and Gentiles together. Regardless of our political ideals, humility before God is our starting point. Only when we are humble enough to confront and correct our individual sins will we be able to love others despite their sins and move forward together. Lighting the Path As we follow the Holy Spirit, we are called to be the missionaries, the light-bearers, the first to forgive, the peacemakers, and the healers. With God s help, we must reach out to those with whom we most disagree and find what we have in common. We can build on our common beliefs to express mutual respect (and even Christian love) to those whose experience and perspectives are so different from ours. Then we can agree to work together to solve a problem with the variety of gifts present and available, along with God s guidance. When we work this way creating common ground we are bearers of light in a darkened world, and we provide the hope others need to join with us in the task. Regardless of our political ideals, humility before God is our starting point. TIP FOR THIS ISSUE Be an example of humility, holiness, and lightbearing for your group. Do not allow disparaging comments about anyone, especially political candidates (or their supporters) during your discussions. Emphasize that our devotion to God and unity in Christ come first and foremost before any political beliefs. That unity in Christ and love for one another is what allows us to respect vastly different beliefs about issues and find ways to work together to solve problems.

2 TEACHER BIBLE PREP MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER Question of the Day: What are some likely reactions to the outcome of the 2016 presidential election? Purpose: To help teens create common ground in the name of Christ. Cultural Connection: 2016 Presidential Election and Helping People Move Forward Topic: Creating Common Ground ALL GROUND IS HOLY AND COMMON 1 Peter 1:13-16 It is written, You will be holy, because I am holy. 1 Peter 1:16 Commentary: The first step in creating common ground is in changing our perspective. We must reset our vision, recognizing that all people and all places are sacred not because we say so, but because God created it so. Peter quoted Leviticus 19:2 to remind people that their identity in Christ was rooted in the God who created all things and made them holy: Say to the whole community of the Israelites: You must be holy, because I, the Lord your God, am holy. God s call to Israel was to live holy lives according to the commandments God established. Like the Gentiles to whom Peter wrote, we must go back to the birthplace of holiness God alone before we judge others for their points of view. When we humble ourselves and are disciplined in personal holiness, we will discover just how much we all have in common, and we ll know how to work toward common ground. Questions to think about: What is holiness? What does it look like in a person s life? How is humility a necessary part of holiness and seeking common ground? What are some stereotypes used to describe Democrats? Republicans? What do both groups have in common? GROUNDS OF LOVE Genesis 33:1-17 He himself went in front of them and bowed to the ground seven times as he was approaching his brother. But Esau ran to meet him, threw his arms around his neck, kissed him, and they wept. Genesis 33:3-4 Commentary: Esau had suffered ultimate betrayals at the hands of his brother Jacob. Esau had no reason to forgive or trust Jacob. Jacob had no reason to believe Esau would not kill him, so he sent ahead gifts in an effort to make up for what he had stolen from Esau. As Jacob approached, he bowed toward Esau showing respect and hoping Esau would show mercy. On neutral and sacred ground, the brothers reunited. God had worked in both of their lives giving one the ability to forgive and the other the ability to humbly make amends. Questions to think about: What is the significance of the brothers meeting on neutral ground? Why did Jacob send ahead gifts to Esau? What did that act tell Esau? When we are at odds with someone, why should we be first to reach out? How was God at work before the brothers reconciled? How might God be at work in our country? LIGHTING THE WAY Matthew 5:1-16 In the same way, let your light shine before people, so they can see the good things you do and praise your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16 Commentary: Every day many people are working to create common ground among groups of people. They use their unique 2

3 TEACHER BIBLE PREP Galilee panorama taken from Mount of Beatitudes which is believed to be where Jesus gave his Sermon on the Mount. gifts to work for justice, to seek peaceful solutions to problems, and to connect or unite those who would otherwise remain opposed. In Matthew 5, Jesus was not telling his followers to boast about their work or to make a name for themselves. Instead, he urged followers to live out his Sermon on the Mount in verses 1 12 and allow God to be revealed through their actions. Their light would not only help overcome darkness but also be a beacon to others who also were trying to share their light. Questions to think about: Who do you see working to create common ground in the world? in your community? What are some groups that seem to be in opposition to one another? How could someone go about creating common ground among them? What do the Beatitudes (verses 1 12) have to do with the salt and light verses? Why might it be a good idea to join with others who are already creating common ground? How does seeing others lights inspire you? How can you inspire others with your light? DEVOTION: THE YOUNG SHALL LEAD At a time when many adults cannot seem to move past their hate, we may need young people to show us the way forward. Take time to read Second Kings 23. Josiah was only eight years old when he became king of Judah. Scripture reveals he was in his early thirties when the scroll of the law was found. He made the decision to reestablish God s law and the worship of God alone. Josiah s reforms show humility and a commitment to personal holiness as a follower of God. As king, he reconnected people to God by lifting up the laws and reestablishing Passover. Though his reign ended shortly thereafter, and Judah eventually fell to Babylonia, Josiah s light still shines for us today. Take a close look at your personal political rhetoric. Have you willingly passed on hateful memes, spread claims made by the media (true or not) to harm a candidate, or stood silent while fellow Christians bashed followers of the other candidate? It may seem harmless and funny at the time, but the candidates are also children of God. Our actions are similar to those of fallen Israel. Take a few moments and reflect on the following: How will you humble yourself this week before God? How will you reconnect to God and God s commandments in order to be holy as God is holy? How will you set aside what divides you from others to find common ground? Pray for God s help this week in leading youth, as well as allowing them to lead you. NEXT WEEK: Who gets into heaven? It s a question that s crossed the mind of at least every Christian you know and many others as well. Who does get in? What is heaven? The new comedy The Good Place playfully approaches the subject. Next week LinC explores the truth about heaven! LinC: Living in Christ is an official resource of The United Methodist Church approved by Discipleship Ministries and published by Youth Ministry Partners and Cokesbury: The United Methodist Publishing House, 2222 Rosa L. Parks Blvd., PO Box ; Nashville, TN Scripture quotations unless noted otherwise are from the Common English Bible. Copyright 2011 by the Common English Bible. All rights reserved. Used by permission. ( Available by subscription by calling toll free: Also available for download from cokesbury.com/forms/digitalstore.aspx?lvl=digital%20 Curriculum&catname=LINC&sortorder=5. Writer: Melissa Slocum Editor: Kevin Alton Lead Editor: Jack Radcliffe Production Editor: Pam Shepherd Template Designer: Micah Kandros 3

4 SACRED GROUND Getting Ready: You will need copies of Youth Page 6, pens or pencils, Bibles, rope for tug of war, ribbon, cones, simple cookie recipe with ingredients and baking equipment, access to an oven, battery-operated tea lights (2 per person), 1-inch wide strips of ribbon cut 12 inches long (one per person), scissors, fine-point permanent markers, and tape. OPEN Dig Your Heels In (10 minutes) If weather permits and you have space, take your group outside. Otherwise, find an indoor space appropriate for a friendly game of tug of war. Invite teens to choose Android or ios and move to opposite sides of the space to stand with their team. Tie a ribbon to the middle of a length of rope. Draw lines or use cones to mark the lines between the teams that the ribbon must cross to win. With the Android team on one end of the rope and the ios team on the other, begin the game. As time permits, play 3 or 5 rounds to determine a winning team (best of 3). Say: Tug of War is a fun game to play here with friends! But we ve been witness to a political tug of war for the presidential election during the past two years and it has not been fun. Regardless of who wins or loses the election, we all will have to do our part to help create common ground and move forward. EXPLORE Talk Topic 1: Humble Pie (or Cookies) (20 minutes) Middle School Option Ahead of time find a simple cookie recipe and gather the ingredients, along with a bowl, measuring spoons, mixing spoon, and cookie sheets. Be sure to check with teens about food allergies ahead of time so that your recipe is safe for everyone. (You might enlist their help to find recipe options and ingredients that are safe.) If you can use your church kitchen for this part of the class, that would be ideal. If not, ask a couple of moms (ahead of time) to help you out with baking. Explain to the class that you all will be making cookies. Give one ingredient to each teen. While one teen reads the recipe directions, invite other teens to come up and add their ingredients to the bowl, explaining why their ingredient is important. Invite two teens (or volunteer mom) to mix and drop the cookies on the cookie sheets while you ask and talk about: Is one ingredient more important than the others? Why or why not? Are all the ingredients used in equal measure, or are some things used in greater and lesser amounts? Why? While the cookies bake, continue your discussion using 1 Peter 1:13-16 and the discussion questions in Teacher Bible Prep. Enjoy your cookies together at the end of class! High School Option Ask teens to use smartphones to look up the words humble/humility and holy/holiness and talk about the definitions they find. Next, ask teens to think of and call out people they think of as holy and humble. If you did the opening activity with the rope and Tug of War, hold up the rope and ask: Instead of using this rope for a tug of war between two groups, how could this rope be used to help two groups find common ground? Ask teens to work together to come up with ideas and to demonstrate the ideas using the rope. BONUS SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION Invite teens to turn in their Bibles to First Corinthians 12 and take turns reading the chapter aloud a few verses at a time. After the reading, ask and talk about: How does this passage relate to humility? How might our personal holiness and humility affect others? How does humility help us find common ground with others? 4

5 SACRED GROUND Talk Topic 2: Come Together (15 minutes) Middle School Option Ask teens to recall two individuals or two groups of people who are at odds (two friends, two adults they know, two groups at school, two groups in the community, and so on). Direct them to Youth Page 6 to complete the Venn diagram. After a few minutes, invite students to tell what they wrote. Ask: How might God already be at work in each person or group? Use the next few minutes to read Genesis 33:1-17. Discuss using the commentary and questions in Teacher Bible Prep. High School Option Call on teens to briefly tell what they remember about Jacob and Esau, giving some details from some of the stories. Ask for volunteers to take turns reading aloud verses from Genesis 33:1-17, a few verses at a time. Ask: How was humility a part of this reconciliation? holiness? Use the commentary and questions in Teacher Bible Prep to continue your discussion, then ask: How might this be a model for you as you try to create common ground with others? Talk Topic 3: This Little Light (15 minutes) Combined Middle School and High School Option Ahead of time collect enough battery-operated tea lights (available at dollar stores, or ask families or church members for donations) for each person to have at least two (one to light and one to give away). Before you hand out the tea lights, use the commentary and questions in Teacher Bible Prep to lead a discussion around Matthew 5:13-16 and people who are already at work creating common ground. Next, hand out one piece of ribbon per person and say: We all have God-given gifts that can be used to help create common ground. Think about some of your gifts and write one way one of your gifts could be used to help bring people together. (Some examples are: A musical gift could be shared at an event to support victims of violence; athletic gifts could be used to provide a free clinic or training/fun day for kids who would otherwise not have access to that sport.) Ask teens to use a permanent marker to write their ideas on a ribbon and attach to the bottom of one of their tea lights with tape before turning on lights. After a few minutes, ask volunteers to tell what they wrote and then place their tea lights on a table or on the floor in the middle of the group. When all lights have been lit and placed in the middle of the space, turn off the room lights and ask: When you see the lights together, what do you think? How do you feel? After responses, affirm everyone s gifts and say: Take your tea light and ribbon home today as a reminder of what you will do to create common ground in our community. Take a second tea light and give it to someone else, encouraging the person to use his or her gifts also to create common ground in the coming days. Lead a prayer asking God to help teens follow through on using their gifts and abilities in the weeks ahead to create common ground wherever they see a need. TAKE AWAY Every person regardless of his or her age has the opportunity and responsibility to help others find common ground and move forward in solving the problems our communities face. It doesn t take advanced degrees in social justice; it only requires a commitment to personal holiness, humility before God, and a willingness to reach out and connect with the people God calls us to love and serve. 5

6 WORKING IT OUT COME TOGETHER Person/Group 1 Instructions: 1. Write the names of two people or groups who are at odds (see labels). 2. In each circle describe that person or group s unique characteristics. 3. In the overlapping section between the two people/groups write what they share in common. 4. In the third circle, list several of your personal gifts or abilities. 5. In the shared sections write which gifts help you relate to each person or group. 6. In the section where all three circles overlap, write one thing that is common to all of you, or one way you can help create common ground using your gifts. Person/Group 2 Your Gifts Inherit the Mirth In the Bible: Readings for the Week MONDAY: Read Ephesians 4: Why is this passage so important this week? TUESDAY: Read 1 Corinthians 12. How will you humble yourself in God s eyes this week? WEDNESDAY: Read 2 Kings 23. Why is Josiah s story an example of humility and seeking common ground? THURSDAY: Read Galatians 3: How can our unity in Christ help us to heal the divisions among us? FRIDAY: Read Luke 1: What does this passage tell you about holiness, light, and unity? SATURDAY: Read John 8:12. Remember to follow Jesus first. WHAT S TRENDING? When you re old enough to vote, what issue will matter to you the most? Tweet or post your response with the hashtag #whenivote on Twitter or on facebook.com/ 6