Small group devotions

Transcription

1 Small group devotions Use these devotional ideas with small groups of campers. Age-level coding Each devotion is recommended for use with specific age levels. To find out which activities are best suited to your group, look for the letter corresponding to the age level of your group. Feel free to adapt an activity for use with your group. The Bible study writer for each age level has contributed two devotions for each daily theme to use in small groups. The coding letter in bold type indicates the source of the devotion. L = Lower elementary U = Upper elementary J = Junior high S = Senior high A = Adult I = Intergenerational DAY 1: Abraham Bible text Genesis 17:1-8 (Covenant with Abraham) Family tree L U Materials: Bible, a large piece of paper or poster board, crayons or markers Read Genesis 17:1-8 together. In this passage God promises Abraham that he will be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. Together, have your group draw a large tree. At the top of the tree, write Abraham s name. On the rest of the tree, have campers write the names of their family and friends. Do this until the tree is covered with names. Close with a prayer, thanking God for all of these descendants of Abraham. The Great Commandment L U Material: Bible Read Mark 12:28-31 and talk about it as a group. What does it mean to love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength? What does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself? What are ways that we can do this? Divide campers into two groups, and explain that each will come up with a skit about a child during recess at school. One skit will be about a child who only thinks about him- or herself. The other group will put on a skit about a child who is really trying to love her or his neighbor. Have each group perform their skit for the group. How are they different? Close with prayer, thanking God for helping us love our neighbors. God is love Read 1 John 4:7-21. Then discuss the following: How do we know that God loves us? What does the author say we should do since God loves us? How will other people know God s love? Why do we love? After reading and discussing the passage, give campers time to journal or reflect on the following: A love that never ends Outdoor ministries curriculum, 2014 Lutheran Outdoor Ministries. May be reproduced for local use. 65

2 God is love. What does love look like? Campers may choose to respond to this journal prompt in a myriad of ways such as the following: drawing making a cartoon writing quietly sitting and reflecting After campers have had some time to independently consider the Bible text and prompt, gather back together. Invite volunteers to share some of their ideas, as they are willing. Close in prayer together. Way of love Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 and have campers stand up every time they hear the word love. Read the passage a second time and replace the word love with God. For example, verse 4 would read: God is patient; God is kind.... Have campers silently read the passage a third time and have campers insert their own names where it says love. What does this author seem to think is more important than anything else? What is one of the things that the author says about love? This passage is often read at weddings. Do you think the author is talking about a romantic love or something else? What surprised you about this when you replaced the word love with God or your own name? Could you say all of that about God? Yourself? Close in prayer. What does it mean to love myself? Materials: Bible, paper, pencils Jesus said that the second of the great commandments is to love your neighbor as yourself. (Reread Mark 12:28-31.) It s pretty straightforward to talk about loving God and others, but what about loving yourself? Isn t that arrogant and stuck-up? Ask campers what they think it means to love yourself. Who do they know who does it well? What does it look like when someone loves him- or herself too much? One way to love ourselves is to have gratitude for who God made us to be. Read Psalm 139 (especially verses 13-14). How can these verses help us understand why we are special? Have campers make an acrostic with their name, writing the letters down the left side of a piece of paper. For each letter in their name, have campers write one thing that makes them special and unique, a gift God gave them. Some campers may need help with creative ways to use their letters. An example follows: C creative I independent N nice D dancer Y yummy (likes to bake) Cabin covenant If it s not your camp s practice to make a cabin covenant at the beginning of your camp week, create one together as a devotion. Explain to campers that a covenant is a set of promises. Just like the promises God made to Abraham, they ll make promises to one another for their time at camp. Have campers collectively decide how they want to live together this week. (Some examples: respect each other s stuff, be on time, listen to each other.) Create a list of up to eight promises for your covenant. Have campers all sign the bottom as their promise to be part of this group. If your camp does make a covernant on the first day, revisit what was created and talk about how the guidelines have been working so far. Ask campers if they have any additions they d like to make. How does God s covenant with Abraham change the way they see the cabin covenant that they ve all created together? Give campers the opportunity to initial or draw a symbol on the covenant to indicate they agree to it again. Pray for your time together this week and for the promises you are making to the group and to God. Theme verse sing and shout Share the summer theme verse with campers: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might Deuteronomy 6:5. Shout or sing this verse. Some options follow: A love that never ends Outdoor ministries curriculum, 2014 Lutheran Outdoor Ministries. May be reproduced for local use. 66

3 Create a chant with campers by shouting a phrase and having them shout a response (response in parentheses). At the end of the chant, shout Amen! together. You shall what?! (Love the Lord!) With all your what?! (With all your heart!) With all your what?! (With all your soul!) And with all your what?! (With all your might!) Learn the song Love Round, and sing it together. Learn and sing the song Love the Lord by Lincoln Brewster. You can hear the song online using a search engine. Paper chain prayer Materials: Pens, construction paper (various colors), scissors, tape Invite campers to cut the construction paper into strips one for each person. Inform campers that the prayers will be hung in a public place. Have everyone write down someone or something they d like to pray for on their slip. Remind them that, in addition to a concern or request, a prayer can be praise thanking God. Gather the strips and form circles with each one, wrapping the previous strip around the next one and then tape the ends together to form one long, linked chain. When the chain is complete, tape each end of it together to make a circle. Sit around it with each person holding part of the chain. Pray for the things that were written on the paper rings. Hang the chain in a public location as a reminder that you are all connected by God s love. We are chosen by God Have campers meet in a comfortable spot outside. Open with a camp song. Read aloud Genesis 17:1-8. Say, We are chosen by God. This happened long before you or I was even born, and will be with generations long after we ascend to be with God. All God asks of us is to follow God s command: to love God and one another as God loves each of us. This sounds easy, but our sinful side comes out regularly to challenge us and we often fall short. The great part of God s love is seen at this point. God comes to us, helps us up, dusts us off, and forgives us, ever so lovingly. Let s challenge ourselves to follow God s command, not only this day, but every day, knowing God will always be with us! Close with a song that reflects the theme of the day and with a prayer. God s love in action Have campers meet where they can observe other groups of campers. Read aloud Mark 12: Tell the group to spread out and think about the reading while watching the people walk around camp. They are not to talk to anyone; they should just sit and observe. After a few minutes have the group come back together. Talk about what they observed. Did anyone see examples of people loving God, others, self? Knowing what Jesus asks of us now, did you see a time where you wished you could go and help someone? Close with prayer. DAY 2: Israel Bible text Exodus 17:1-7 (Water in the wilderness) Water for all Material: Bible Gather by some kind of water source, such as a lake, stream, or even the camp swimming pool. Have each person think of at least one thing that they use water for each day. What would we do without water? Read Exodus 17:1-7 aloud and then have the group think of the other things that God provides for us. Have campers sit in a circle and begin a closing prayer, thanking God for all that we have been given. Go around the circle and have each person say one thing that they are thankful for that God has given to them. At the end, say Amen together. A love that never ends Outdoor ministries curriculum, 2014 Lutheran Outdoor Ministries. May be reproduced for local use. 67

4 Going camping L U I Materials: Tent or sleeping bags Preparation: Set up a campsite by putting up a tent or sleeping bags in a place where you could camp out for the night. As you set up your camping spot, talk about what you need to go camping. What might you need to take? What would it be like to have to stay here for a long time? Read Exodus 17:1-7 and talk about it. How does your campsite compare to where the Israelites were? What would you need from God to stay here? How does God provide for you? Close in prayer thanking God for all that you have been given. Go fish U J S Material: Deck of cards Teach your campers to play the card game Go fish and give them some time to play. After a few rounds, point out to campers that in order to win this card game, people need to share their cards with others. Then read Luke 9:10-17 aloud. After reading the passage, ask campers to discuss the passage. What are the disciples concerned about when Jesus tells them to give the people something to eat? How many fish and loaves of bread are there at the beginning? In the passage it says that everyone eats and is satisfied. How do you think five loaves and two fish fed everyone? Is there food remaining at the end of the story? Jesus shared the fish and bread with the crowd. Some people say that there was enough because people watched Jesus share and then shared the food they had as well. Have campers think of things they have to share. Close in prayer. Jesus is my portion Ask your campers if they know what a portion is. Explain that a portion is a part of a gift people receive. Another way we use the word portion is that it is enough food to serve one person at a meal. It is also known as a serving. Ask your campers if they know how many servings of water a person should have every day. (Many experts say eight glasses a day are recommended.) The Bible tells us that Jesus is the gift we all share! Just like we need food to survive, we need Jesus and all the good gifts he brings. Have half of your campers find and read Psalm 73: Have the other half of the group find and read Lamentations 3: Give each group time to decide how they want to expressively share their verses with the other group. Maybe each camper could read a verse; maybe the whole group could shout The LORD... and one individual could read the rest. Maybe the group could dance or create movements as one person narrates the passage. Come back together as a whole group and share the passages and their interpretations with one another. Then discuss the following: What things does the author of Lamentations say God provides? (Love, mercies, faithfulness.) How does this give the speaker hope? What is the thing the speaker in Psalms suggests will never fail? What does the speaker in Psalms say God provides? (Guidance, strength.) Sometimes it is hard to see the many things God provides for us. It is hard to wrap love, mercy, and strength in a box like a gift. It is hard to physically touch or see these things in our lives. God gives us more than we are aware of, each and every day. Abundance reminders Materials: Journals, pencils Have campers find one object around camp that reminds them of the abundance in their lives. It can also remind them of the gratitude they feel or want to show for God s abundant gifts. Remind campers that sometimes abundance is hard to notice in a time of suffering or hardship, but that God is still faithful and provides for us. If possible have campers take a small item (like a small rock or anything detached from a living thing). If the object is larger, have campers draw a picture, do a rubbing, or use another alternative. After they find their object, invite campers to write a few sentences about how this creates a reminder and why they chose it to represent God s abundance in their lives. This will serve as a reminder after they A love that never ends Outdoor ministries curriculum, 2014 Lutheran Outdoor Ministries. May be reproduced for local use. 68

5 return home. A possible way to write about their object follows: This reminds me of the abundance Jesus offers, because.... Journaling J S A Materials: Journals, pens or pencils Find a place that is relatively quiet, away from other cabin groups. Give campers a few minutes to sit in silence and listen to what they hear around them. Invite campers to journal for a bit of time (10 to 15 minutes maximum, quietly and by themselves) about the stories they heard today. How did God provide for Israel in the wilderness? How does Jesus promise to keep us from being hungry and thirsty? How do you feel God provides for you? Who is someone you wish could see God s abundance more? Suggest a few options for their journaling time. If this is the first time campers have been reflectively silent, keep encouraging them to try to just write and think alone. Be patient with them! Manna and depending on God In today s story, the Israelites are thirsty and angry with Moses and God for leading them into the desert without a plan for water. What you didn t read is the previous chapter (16), in which the people are hungry to the point of wishing they had died in Egypt. God then provides them manna (bread from heaven). Read together Exodus 16:1-4 and Manna which literally means what is it could not be hoarded because it was distributed equally and would spoil by the next day. The Israelites were forced to depend on God for their food and their livelihood for 40 years. Discuss the following: What do you rely upon? What could you not go a day without? What does it mean to depend on God? The unfair parable Materials: Bibles Read together Matthew 20:1-16. Then, assign campers (in groups of one to three) to retell the story from a certain perspective that of the landowner, those who worked 12 hours, those who worked 9 hours, those worked 6, those who worked 3, and those who worked 1. Give groups a minute or two to discuss how they ll tell it before having them do so. After sharing the various versions of the story, discuss the following: Who in the story represents God? What do we learn about God from this parable? Who in your life loves you even though you ve done nothing to earn it? Who in your life loves you even though you ve hurt that person? God provides! Have the group meet near a water source of some type. Open with a camp song and a prayer. Have a volunteer read Exodus 17:1-7. Say, God does provide for us with all we need. We see this in today s reading, even when a person may be a place where they think it would not be possible. The part some would argue is this: Not everyone has enough! This is very true! God reminds us though; we are to remember what Jesus tells us about loving one another. When we do this, all have enough and we see the true love of God. The challenge for us today is to make sure the abundance from God helps all people. Close with a camp song and prayer. Seeing God s abundance This is a walking devotion. Have the group meet at one point and walk to another location. Before walking, have a volunteer read Luke 12: Tell the group to walk and look for different ways God provides in this place. These can be from nature or something human-made; they do not need to be for humans either! Tell them to be creative, and then clarify where to meet when they are done. Depending on time constraints, tell the group how much time they have to get to the meeting place. Once all have returned, discuss what they found. Ask how many thought about the text while they were looking. How much more did that open the world to God s abundance? Close with a prayer thanking God for all that we have been given. A love that never ends Outdoor ministries curriculum, 2014 Lutheran Outdoor Ministries. May be reproduced for local use. 69

6 DAY 3: Ruth Bible text Ruth 1:1-18 (Ruth and Naomi) Your people will be my people L U Materials: Bible, construction paper, markers or crayons Read Ruth 1:15-16 together. Distribute paper to campers and have them write their name down the center. Have everyone think of persons that God has provided to help care for them. Help campers to write the names of these individuals on their paper, connecting the names to their name as if they were in a crossword puzzle. For example, Andrea might use the D in her name to start Dad. When everyone has finished, share papers with the group. Close in prayer by thanking God for those who care for us. Helping others Materials: Bible, blindfolds Gather campers and read the story of the good Samaritan from Luke 10: Talk about the story together. How could the priest and the Levite have helped the man? Why didn t they help? What makes it difficult to help others sometimes? Help campers to choose partners. Give each pair a blindfold and help one person put it on. Give the blindfolded camper a task. (Task suggestions: carrying something to another location, taking a piece of trash to the garbage can, or returning something that was borrowed.) Their partner must help them accomplish the task and make sure that they do not get hurt. When tasks have been accomplished, switch roles. After everyone has had a chance to be blindfolded, talk about it. How did it feel to be the one who was being helped? How did it feel to help someone else? Close in prayer, thanking God for opportunities to help others. Back-to-back stand Have campers sit back to back with a partner on the ground. Have partners link arms and then try to stand up without using their hands. When campers have done this successfully, have them try it with four, six, or eight campers. Discuss the following as a group: How would this activity have been different if you had to stand up on your own without using your hands? Do you think doing things with people makes the tasks easier or harder? What about group projects at school? What do you like or dislike about them? What have you done this week at camp that you needed other people to help you accomplish? (Paddled a canoe, set up a tent, etc.) Say, God has given us great gifts in family and friends! God has built us to live in community with other people. While working together isn t always easy, we can t go through life by ourselves. God has blessed us through our family and friends. This week we have our cabin group to rely on and build community with. Close in prayer. Lean back Materials: Webbing or strong rope Give your group a piece of webbing or strong rope tied in a circle (about the size of a hula hoop). Have the group stand in a circle around the webbing. Have campers hold onto the webbing with both hands. Challenge the group to lean back while holding on to the rope. The goal is for everyone to lean back at the same time so they support one another. Be sure to designate a few spotters during this activity. Read 1 Peter 3:8. Discuss the following: What was difficult about this activity? What makes living with others difficult? A love that never ends Outdoor ministries curriculum, 2014 Lutheran Outdoor Ministries. May be reproduced for local use. 70

7 Why do you think God gave us family, friends, and community? What can we do with others that we can t do on our own? How can other people help us in our faith journey? How have other people reminded you of or shown you God s love? Close in prayer. Bible memorization Materials: Bibles, index cards Ask campers to share their experiences memorizing Bible verses. Ask campers to consider why memorizing scripture could be important or valuable. Have they experienced any time when a Bible verse came to mind at an important time? Read John 15:13 together. Why could this be an important verse to have memorized? Read the verse in context, John 15:9-17. Discuss what the main theme of the passage is. Read John 15:13 aloud again. Ask campers to put it into their own words. Now practice saying the verse together several times, always concluding with the address John 15:13. Use small index cards to write the verse. Encourage campers to keep practicing, even consider making a code word to signal the group to recite the verse. Modern day Samaritans Gather the group and read aloud the story of the good Samaritan, found in Luke 10: Give the group a set amount of time to create a skit that tells the story in the context of your camp setting. Encourage them adapt the scenario to something that could happen during their time at camp this week. If possible, set up an opportunity to perform their skit at an all-camp worship, a campfire, or just in front of another group. If time allows (or the group is really excited about creating the skit), challenge them to create a skit set at school or within a sports team. In and out activity Material: Rope Make a circle on the ground with a piece of rope. Read aloud the questions below. For each one, have campers step inside the circle if their answer to a question is yes, outside the circle if the answer is no. Campers can leave one foot in the circle if undecided. Add your own questions to the following: Do you like pizza with pineapple on it? Do you have your own cell phone? Have you been made fun of by someone at school in the last year? Are you sometimes unhappy with how you look? Are you good at playing a sport? Have you ever talked negatively about someone behind his or her back? Do you like your family? Explain that we establish boundaries all the time and make rules about who is in and who is out. But through Jesus life, death, and resurrection, there are no boundaries to God s love. Pick up the rope. Nothing can separate us from the love of God not how much money we have, how popular we are, or how good we are. Rooted in word to withstand worry J S A Materials: Bibles, chalk and chalkboard or marker and dry erase board, ball Just as trees need extensive, deep roots to suck nutrients from the soil and to keep the tree planted firm and grounded, knowing scripture can keep us steady when storms come. We rely on what we re accustomed to and what we practice; in times of trouble, what we know comes to mind and guides our actions. The Holy Spirit often works through God s word to provide great comfort. Read Matthew 6:25-34 together. Ask campers the following: What concerns were mentioned in the text? (What you ll eat or drink, what you ll wear, clothes, appearances, who will take care of you.) A love that never ends Outdoor ministries curriculum, 2014 Lutheran Outdoor Ministries. May be reproduced for local use. 71

8 Which of these things do you spend time worrying or thinking about? You can memorize verses 33 and 34 by writing the verses on a chalk or dry erase board. Pass around a ball while singing a song. Yell, Stop! at random. Whoever has the ball when the singing stops gets to erase one or two words from the verses. After each erasure, have everyone read the verses aloud together, automatically filling in the missing words. Eventually, the words will all be gone but you should know the verses by heart. All in the family! Open with a camp song and a prayer. Have a volunteer read Ruth 1:1-18. Say, God has blessed us with all sorts of people in our lives. From parents and grandparents, to aunts, uncles, brother, and sisters; not to mention all the friends we surround ourselves with daily. We are friends because we are connected by something, and through this are loyal to each other. There is no quotient or maximum number. The more people in our lives, the more love we have to share! It is a challenge to find more friends and get more love! Close with a camp song and a prayer. How big God s family is! This devotion is for the evening when the stars are out. Have the group gather in a space where there is a clear view of the stars. The group can either sit or lay down in a dark area of the camp. Have the leader read Psalm 148:1-12, by flashlight, while the group is looking up at the sky. After the reading have the group think about how vast God s family is and how everything is connected. They number like the stars! Discuss their thoughts and ideas. Close with a prayer. DAY 4: Jonah Bible text Jonah 4:1-11 (Jonah and God) A bad memory? Material: Deck of cards Have someone shuffle the deck of cards and lay them all facedown on the ground. Have campers take turns turning over two cards to see if the numbers match. If a camper picks two that match, the campers get to keep them. If the cards do not match, turn them over again. Keep playing until all the pairs have been found. Talk about memory. What made it difficult to remember where cards were? Did it get easier as the game went on? What do you think God s memory is like? Read Psalm 103:1-5. What does this say about God s forgiveness? Whose sins does God forget? Close in prayer, thanking God for the forgiveness of our sins. The Lord s Prayer in action Teach the Lord s Prayer to your campers. It may be familiar to some campers. Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial. And deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen. Then as a group, make up motions. Use this as a way to actively pray with your group for the rest of your time together. A love that never ends Outdoor ministries curriculum, 2014 Lutheran Outdoor Ministries. May be reproduced for local use. 72

9 East and west Materials: Bible, compasses Have campers work in groups of two or three. Give each small group a compass. Teach campers the four different points on the compass: north, south, east and west. Consider sending campers on a treasure hunt to a particular location at camp, possibly somewhere that has a symbol related to God s forgiveness present, such as water or a cross. Otherwise you can simply have campers practice using a compass by giving directions such as Go twenty steps to the east. After campers have arrived at the treasure hunt location or had time to practice using the compasses, gather as a whole group. Read aloud Psalm 103: Discuss the following: What is a transgression? How far is the east from the west? What does it mean for us that God would remove our transgressions? Why do you think God forgives us? Close in prayer. Flush it Materials: Bibles, toilet paper (one square per camper), markers Read Matthew 6:5-15 together. Read the prayer a second time, but this time read the account found in Luke 11:1-4. Discuss the Third Petition of the Lord s Prayer together. What does it mean to you that God forgives us? Why do you think the Lord s Prayer includes as we forgive others? Which do you think is harder to do: believe that God forgives you no matter what or forgive other people? Why do you think Jesus gave his followers and us the Lord s Prayer? Give each camper a piece of toilet paper. Have campers use a felt marker to write something they want forgiveness for. Go to a restroom and flush the toilet paper away! Close with the Lord s Prayer. Forgiveness rocks Materials: Medium-sized rocks (2-3 per camper), chalkboard paint, chalk Wash and dry rocks thoroughly; paint rocks completely with chalkboard paint; wait for them to dry. If desired, you can make your own chalkboard paint using laytex or acrylic paint of any color and non-sanded grout. (Mix 1 cup [.25 l] of paint with 2 tablespoons [30 ml] of grout, then mix together well in a container.) Why is it so hard to forgive so many times, as Jesus commanded? (We are selfish and don t like to be hurt.) How do you remember to forgive others? (Prayer, reminders by others; it feels bad to be mad or angry at another.) When the rocks dry, show campers that they can write an action or a name that needs forgiveness with the chalk on their rocks. Rocks can be used for prayer and then wiped off or dipped in water to signify that campers have chosen forgiveness. Journaling J S A Find a place that is relatively quiet. Give campers a few minutes to sit in silence and listen to what they hear around them. Invite campers to journal for a bit of time (10 to 15 minutes maximum, quietly and by themselves) about the stories they heard today. Ask them to think specifically about forgiveness. How does it feel to know that God forgives completely? Point-of-view photo hunt U J S Materials: Pens, camera, scavenger hunt picture close-ups, computer, printer Preparation: This activity requires a bit of preparation work. You ll need to take close-up pictures of things around camp. (For example, take a picture of the knobs on a bathroom sink or a rope that s attached to a sailboat.) Save the pictures on a computer, print them all on one sheet of paper and make copies. Divide the group into teams. Give each team one sheet of paper with close-up pictures on it and challenge them to find where the pictures were taken. Ask them to write below each picture what each object is or where it was taken. They can do the photo hunt in any order to prevent them from A love that never ends Outdoor ministries curriculum, 2014 Lutheran Outdoor Ministries. May be reproduced for local use. 73

10 running into each other. When the designated time is done, gather back together. After the photo hunt, discuss the following: That activity was called Point of view. Why do you think it was called that? In what ways was your viewpoint of a scene limited by the initial picture that you received? When have you made a decision or judgment call based on limited information or experience? Have you been angry with God before for not giving you an answer or what you needed when (or in the way that) you wanted it? Is there a time when you finally saw the big picture a long time after something happened? How can we know that God cares about us, if we can t see the big picture? Forgiveness Open with a camp song and a prayer. Have a volunteer read Matthew 18: Say, Seventy times seven. Jesus talks about how many times we are to forgive someone. Jesus showed us how much he believed in forgiveness even on the cross:... Forgive them for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34). Forgiveness is not easy. God loves all people and the whole world. We are to reflect that love to each other and to forgive as God has done for us. Our challenge is to be more like Jesus and forgive as he showed us. Close with a camp song and then have the group read Matthew 6:9-13. Watching God s hands in action Have campers find a compost pile, a decomposing log, or another place where nature is breaking down materials. Get up close and take a look at the insects that are helping with the decomposition. Read Jonah 4:10-11 as the group is looking at the area. Have them think about the little critters busy breaking down this material. If they were not here, we would not have soil for our plants to grow in. God loves each and every one of these critters. Just think about how much more God loves us. Close in prayer. DAY 5: Jeremiah Bible text Jeremiah 1:4-10 (Jeremiah s call) Circle of love Materials: Candle, matches or lighter Gather your group and have them sit in a circle. Light the candle and place it in the center of the circle. Go around the circle and have each person say one thing that they like about each person. Read John 15:12-17 and close with prayer. Called to love L U Materials: Paper, markers or crayons Give each camper a piece of paper. Invite campers to write their name going down the left side of the paper. As a group, help each person think of ways that they can show God s love for others that start with each letter of their name. For example, Sara might start by writing Sitting with new kids at school after the first S in her name. Darius might write, Donating food to people who are hungry after the D in his name. Read John 15:12-17 and then close in prayer, asking God for help in sharing love with others. A love that never ends Outdoor ministries curriculum, 2014 Lutheran Outdoor Ministries. May be reproduced for local use. 74

11 Go make disciples! Materials: Balloons, tape, straws, string, stopwatch Give each camper a balloon, a couple pieces of tape, and a straw. Have campers tape their straws to their balloons. Tie one end of a string to a support such as a tree or a chair. Have a camper thread the other end of the string through their straw. Tape this end of the string to another support or simply hold it. Then blow up the balloon. Once blown up, do not tie a knot at the end. Instead, release the balloon, watching it zoom to the other end of the string. Depending on your group, you might have several string lines set up for multiple campers to balloon race at the same time. You might also consider using a stopwatch to time each balloon if you are just launching one balloon at a time. After the balloon races, read Matthew 28: Say, After a week at camp, it can be easy to want to stay here. We ve had powerful experiences growing closer to one another and God. God asks us to go out into the world and share what we know about Jesus. Jesus tells his followers to go! Close in prayer. Sending out ceremony J S A Find a location on your site that is close to the place from where campers depart. Remind campers that in a while they will be leaving this place and heading back home. Read Jeremiah s call from Jeremiah 1:4-5 to remind campers what God said to Jeremiah. Take turns with each camper, either in a circle or having them come to the front of the group. Send them out based on the words of Jeremiah 1:4-5. For example, you could say, Katie, God says to you: before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I have appointed you to be sent out to the nations, sharing my love with everyone you meet. If it works well with your group, allow for other campers to share a strength or positive attribute of the person being sent out, affirming that they are not too young to change the world! End your time praying together, forming a friendship circle again. As the leader or counselor, pray for each of your campers by name, sending them out again from your camp to their homes. Make the connection J S A What two days this week did we talk about John 15:13? This week held a lot of love: Loving God first, loving others, and loving ourselves. We know that God is love (1 John 4:8). We love because God first loved us (1 John 4:19). Love is in the Bible 686 times, and we know when things are in the Bible a lot, we should pay attention! The Beatles wrote a song called, All You Need Is Love. If your group knows the song, sing the chorus together. Ask campers what results come from being loving people. (Forgiveness, service, loyalty, recognizing abundance.) Use this question to review the themes from the week and the people who taught those lessons with their lives. Read Mark 12:29-30 and remind campers of the Great Commandment Jesus spoke about. Ask campers to take turns sharing one lesson or nugget they want to take home, something that they want to remember after they leave camp. Affirm each camper s take-away and encourage them to tell someone at home so that they can be reminded of it in the days and weeks ahead. Fill-in love chapter J S A Materials: Bibles, pencils, copies of incomplete passage below, list of missing words Give each camper a pencil and a sheet of paper with the following paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13:1-8. Have campers spread out and fill in the blanks on their own quietly. There are no right answers; the object is not to re-create the original passage. When everyone is ready, gather them back together and share your versions of this part of the love chapter. If I have all the ability to talk about, but don t love others, then I am nothing but a big mouth. If I had all the power to, but didn t love others, then my life means nothing. If I understand everything about, but don t share love, I know nothing. If I give away everything to the poor and even sacrifice my body, I could boast about it; but don t love God s people, then I. Love is patient; love is kind; love is. Love never. A love that never ends Outdoor ministries curriculum, 2014 Lutheran Outdoor Ministries. May be reproduced for local use. 75

12 God acts first Read the following statements. For each one, ask campers which Bible story or day of the past week matches the statement. God provides and protects. (Day 2: Water in the wilderness.) God forgives all people. (Day 4: Jonah and God.) God chooses. (Day 1: Covenant with Abraham.) God loves all people. (Day 3: Ruth and Naomi.) God sends us and works through us. (Day 5: Jeremiah s call.) Emphasize that God acts first in each of these stories, and invites us to respond. We love others because God loves us first. We do not love, forgive, and serve others in order to earn God s love; we do these things because God loves us. We act in response. Invite campers to talk about their favorite Bible story or character from the week. We are one body Open with a camp song and a prayer. Have a volunteer read 1 Corinthians 12: Say, We are all part of one big body of God! The gifts you have are part of this body; no matter how small you may think the gifts are. If we all share our gifts together, just think about what the world God has given us would be like. As we prepare to leave this place, the challenge is to take the gifts you have been blessed with and use them to help the world. Close with a camp song and a prayer. Don t forget to pack Have the group meet where people are getting stuff packed up (parking lot, cabin area, main lodge, etc.). Read aloud Deuteronomy 6:5-9 while the group is standing off to the side and watching the commotion and busyness taking place. Ask the group what this text means to them now. After the group responds, have the group go and help with the different cleaning or packing duties the community is getting done. After helping for a while, have the group come back together. Find out what things they should remember to pack and take home! Close with prayer. A love that never ends Outdoor ministries curriculum, 2014 Lutheran Outdoor Ministries. May be reproduced for local use. 76