THE CROSS A LIFE NIGHT ON THE PASSION, DEATH, AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS

Transcription

1 GOAL LIFE NIGHT OVERVIEW THE CROSS A LIFE NIGHT ON THE PASSION, DEATH, AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS The goal of this Life Night is to allow teens to enter into the events of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus in a personal way. KEY CONCEPTS Jesus Christ was not what the people of the time expected of a savior. They struggled to understand Who He was and what He came to do. Jesus divinity was revealed in His miracles, healings, teachings, and especially in His Transfiguration and Baptism. Jesus death on the cross was even more unexpected than His life and ministry. ABOUT THIS LIFE NIGHT This Life Night unexpectedly begins with the Proclaim in order to demonstrate that God works in unexpected ways. The Proclaim is about Jesus life and ministry and the struggle the Jewish people had in recognizing Him as the Messiah. Then, for the Break, the teens pray through a Reflection on the Passion. For the Send, the music minister leads the teens in praising God for the Resurrection and Jesus victory over sin and death. Then, in a reverse Gather, the teens celebrate the Resurrection with games and food. ENVIRONMENT The environment for the Life Night is filled with unexpected headlines. Use fake tabloid headlines and social media updates to announce things like, Zayn Rejoined One Direction, Lady Gaga Was Seen In Normal Looking Clothes, The Packers Traded Aaron Rodgers, and Steph Curry Quit Basketball Forever. Tailor this to your group of teens by using local sports figures, local news, and interesting quirks about members of your church community. For example, if you have a teen that always wears Converse tennis shoes, the unexpected headline is, Eddy Went To School Without Converse Shoes. MEDIA SUGGESTIONS KEY TERMS: Sanhedrin Messiah Blasphemy Pharisees SCRIPTURE: Matthew 3:17 Matthew 4:1 Luke 5:11 John 7:52 CATECHISM: Joel Mullen: That Tomb is Still Empty. (youtube.com) Because He Lives, Matt Maher, Saints and Sinners, Provident Label Group, More Than Conquerors, Rend Collective, The Art of Celebration, Integrity Music, SOCIAL MEDIA HASHTAGS: #Godisunpredictable #TheCross 42 THE PROMISE SERIES 43

2 AS YOU GET STARTED... If your music minister cannot attend, play The Tomb is Still Empty following the short period of silent reflection after the Stations of the Cross. To involve teens in the planning and implementation of the Life Night, have the teen leaders write and read reflections for each station. HISPANIC INCULTURATION By Chris Martinez In the environment, consider including some of the following unexpected headlines: Las Chivas Beat America, A Congregation Prayed The Our Father Together, El Paletero Is Now Selling Gluten-Free Ice Cream, First Ever Birthday Party Without A Piñata. In the Proclaim, while speaking on the cross, write the word excruciating so the teens can see. Then ask, What Spanish word stands out to you? Many will respond with, la Cruz, the Spanish word for cross. Tie this is to how excruciatingly painful the cross was and how Jesus suffered through it for us. For the Send, pray the Stations of the Cross in English and pray, Por su dolorosa Pasion, ten misericordia de nosotros y del mundo entero ( for the sake of his sorrowful passion have mercy on us and on the whole world ) in between the stations. This way both English and Spanish speaking teens understand and are included in the reflections as well as learn a new prayer in Spanish. Notes: 44 THE PROMISE SERIES 45

3 GATHER LIFE NIGHT: THE CROSS Welcome and Prayer (5 min) Gather the teens into the main meeting space. Welcome them to the Life Night and begin in prayer. PROCLAIM The Cross Teaching (15 min) Outlines for the teaching are found on pages 50 to 55. BREAK Reflection on the Passion (30 min) Have the teens move to the main church to pray through the Passion narrative. Read through the account of the Passion in John 18:29-19:42. Stop at several points and allow the teens to journal and reflect, using the following questions: John 18:28-38 Do you ever question the truths that Christ offers us? Are there times when you let doubt and fear take over? John 18:39-19:16 The people ask for a murderer rather than Jesus. Where in your life have you chosen sin over Christ? The soldiers beat and mock Jesus. Imagine that you are one of Jesus friends, watching. How does this make you feel? What emotions does this sight evoke? John 19:17-30 What do you think was going through Mary s mind and heart as she watched Jesus give up His life? Jesus is given the title King of the Jews above Him. Is Jesus King over your life? Why or why not? What rules over you? John 19:31-42 Take a moment to recognize the incredible gift Jesus gives you and what it cost. Spend several minutes thanking God for this gift and sacrifice. How do you respect and receive the Eucharist, Jesus Body? Do you reverently receive like Joseph of Arimathea or is it an afterthought or routine? After praying through the Passion, give the teens time to sit in silence and reflect. SEND Resurrection Celebration (25 min) After the silence, transition into a period dedicated to the Resurrection by having your music minister sing joyful songs of praise. This should be a surprising transition and make the teens feel startled. Some suggestions can be found in Media Suggestions. After a couple of songs of praise the youth minister says: We have journeyed with Christ through His passion - the excruciating hours leading to His Death. Now, what? What happens from here? We all know, but do we remember, do we believe it? From death comes Resurrection, Good Friday is not the end. There are times in our lives where we forget the glory that God has won for us. Times when we sit in suffering or misery, times when we lose hope. As followers of Christ, we must not fall into despair. The Resurrection must always be our hope. No matter how dark the day we are living or how far we feel from God, by living in the Resurrection, we live in the knowledge that there is always glory to come. Scripture tells us this over and over again. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. - John 1:5 The people who walked in darkness shall see a great light. - Isaiah 9:2 46 THE PROMISE SERIES 47

4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world our faith. - 1 John 5:4 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. - 2 Corinthians 5:17 After three long days, Jesus rose. On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed. He said to them, Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold, the place where they laid him. But go and tell his disciples and Peter, He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you. That is our joy. That is our hope. Christ s Resurrection from the dead doesn t just have meaning for the disciples but us as well. Our broken, sinful hearts can return to God the Father because Christ died and rose for us. (Mark 16:5-7) After the Send, bring the teens together in your gathering space and play games. If possible, have a party atmosphere with decorations and cake to celebrate the Resurrection. Some suggestions for games are: Charades: A game in which someone acts out a word or phrase without using any words or sounds and the rest of the group (or their team) has to guess what word or phrase they are performing. Ships and Sailors: This is a follow the commands game. The leader says the command and the teens have to follow. A teen is out when they do not follow a command correctly or cannot get into a group with the proper number of people. The numbers can be adjusted based on your group size. Captain s Coming: Stand at attention (the only command that gets them out of Captain s Coming is Hit the Deck) Hit the Deck: Drop to the ground Ships: Run to the right side of the room Sailors: Run to the left side of the room Three People Rowing: Three teens sit on the floor and pantomime rowing Five People Eating: Five teens stand and pretend to eat Four People Pointing North: Four teens come together and point up. Man Overboard: One teen kneels the other stands behind him or her, puts his or her hand on the shoulder of the kneeling teen and looks around. Pterodactyl: In this game everyone stands in a circle and hides their teeth with their lips (making a sort of toothless face) and says Pterodactyl going clockwise around the circle one at a time. The goal of this game is to make other people laugh and show their teeth. The direction changes when someone makes a loud Pterodactyl noise. Ninja: The goal of this game is to slap other people s hands before they can move it away. It is fast paced and sneaky. The teens all stand in a shoulder-to-shoulder circle, bow, and then jump backward into a prepared stance. Then, the game begins with one person making a move towards another person or defensively stepping back. The only way you can move is if it is your turn or, if a person strikes at you, you can move away. If someone slaps your hand that hand is out but you can keep the other one in. Even if you change places in the circle, the original order of people stands as the order in which you can move. Notes: 48 THE PROMISE SERIES 49

5 KEY WORDS THE CROSS PROCLAIM OUTLINE Sanhedrin: The supreme court of justice among the Jews. Messiah: The Anointed One whom the Jews were awaiting as Savior. Blasphemy: Any word or act insulting God or holy things. Pharisees: Rigid defenders of Jewish religion and traditions. TEACHING POINTS The Jewish people had been waiting for generations for the Messiah to come and restore their relationship with God. They were expecting a great warrior, someone who would wage an earthly battle and free them from the rule of the Romans. Jesus, a poor and lowly carpenter from Galilee, was the one to come and claim to be the Messiah. This confused people and many did not believe because He didn t fit their expectations. The religious authorities did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah. They disliked Jesus because He was causing unrest and did not follow their rules. The Sanhedrin declared Jesus was deserving of death because He said He was God, and that was blasphemous. They handed Him over to the Romans whose law could condemn someone to die. However, the Romans could not find any fault with Him. WHO IS THIS JESUS? Jesus is God. Jesus divinity was revealed to His people multiple times through His preaching and healings, and especially at two solemn moments, the Baptism and the Transfiguration of Christ, the voice of the Father designates Jesus his beloved Son. (CCC 444) Unlike the majority of the Jewish people and the religious authority, the disciples knew who Jesus was. They were His friends, His closest companions. After the Last Supper, when the guards came for Jesus, the disciples lost their faith and ran away. Only John, His mother, and Mary of Magdalene stayed with Him and believed in Him until the end. When we sin, we deny Him, just like the Jewish peopled denied Him. Let take this opportunity tonight to turn towards Him, to enter into His Passion, and immerse ourselves in the greatest event of all time. Notes: 50 THE PROMISE SERIES 51

6 TEACHING THE CROSS PROCLAIM DETAILS Have you ever built something up in your head or planned out the way something should happen? You have all these ideas and expect everything to go according to plan, and then something unexpected happens like getting stuck in a traffic jam, or phone dying, or buying unsalted instead of salted butter throws it all off. Share a brief story about an event in your life that you planned well but went poorly, like a date or a vacation. This should be somewhat comical but also illustrate the frustration we experience when things do not go our way. When our plans fall apart it can be very disorienting. We feel disappointed, unsure, confused, and maybe even alone. Welcome to the world of the Jewish people. They had been waiting for generations for the Messiah to come and restore their relationship with God. They were expecting a great warrior, someone who would wage an earthly battle and free them from the rule of the Romans. Jesus, a poor and lowly carpenter from Galilee, was the one to come and claim to be the Messiah. This confused people and many did not believe because He didn t fit their expectations. John 10:30, Mark 8:27-30 God had demonstrated His power to His people over the centuries, in the great battles against the Egyptians, in Jericho, and in the battle of David and Goliath. The Jews were expecting God to do the same with the Messiah. Exodus, Joshua 6, I Samuel The religious authorities also did not believe that Jesus was God. They disliked Jesus because He was causing unrest and did not follow their rules. The various authorities (the Pharisees, Sanhedrin, and Romans) did not even agree on what stance to take regarding the divinity of Christ. The Pharisees said, No prophet can come from Galilee and threatened to excommunicate those who followed Him. The Sanhedrin, the supreme court of justice among the Jews, declared Jesus deserving of death because He said He was God, and that was blasphemous. However, neither had the right to condemn anyone to death and so they handed Him over to the Romans whose law could condemn someone to die. However, the Romans could not find any fault with Him. John 7:52, Mark 14:53-65, CCC 596 However, this is not to say it is the Jewish people s fault that Jesus was condemned to death. We all take responsibility for Jesus death because of our sinfulness. WHO IS THIS JESUS? CCC 597 Jesus is God. Jesus divinity was revealed to His people multiple times through His preaching and healings, and especially at two solemn moments, the Baptism and the Transfiguration of Christ, the voice of the Father designates Jesus his beloved Son. CCC 444 At the Baptism in the Jordan, God proclaims in a loud voice that Jesus is His beloved Son with whom I am well pleased and at the same time, the Spirit descends in the form of a dove. Those present were in communion with the whole Trinity in a very real way. Christ s baptism was the beginning of His public ministry and life, from there He went forward to heal, teach, and proclaim the Kingdom of God. Matthew 3: THE PROMISE SERIES 53

7 Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John in the culmination of His ministry, his face shone like the sun: and his garments became white as light. Then, God the Father said, this is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased. Jesus glory at that moment was so great that Peter wanted to dwell there forever, but instead Christ encouraged him to hold that moment in his heart in the difficult days to come and went back with them down the mountain. Matthew 17:1-8 The Gospels tell us over and over that Jesus was a healer, teacher, friend, son, and leader. He was the carpenter s son, the Nazarene, the man who ate with sinners and tax collectors, the man who drove out demons and let the adulterers go free. Who talked about the coming of the Kingdom of God and proclaimed peace. Unlike the majority of the Jewish people and the religious authority, the disciples knew who Jesus was. They were His friends, His closest companions. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus turns to His disciples and asks them Who do people say that I am? They give various answers including Moses, Elijah, and a prophet. But then, more importantly, Jesus asks them who they think He is. Peter, the bold and outspoken apostle, says, You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus praises Peter and gives him leadership over His Church because only by the grace of God was Peter able to know who Jesus really was. Matthew 16:16, Mark 8:27-30 The disciples believed that Jesus was God. However, after the Last Supper, when the guards came for Jesus, they lost their faith. The disciples became frightened. Where was their warrior? They wanted Jesus to fight the guards, but instead, He told them to, put away your sword. They didn t know what Jesus was doing; they stopped trusting Him, and they left. Only John, His mother, and Mary of Magdalene stayed with Him and believed in Him until the end. Matthew 26:52, John 19:25-26 If the life and ministry of Jesus did not fit the Jewish people s expectation of the Messiah, imagine what they thought of His death on the cross? Many saw it as proof that He was not who He said He was. That little bit of hope that the Messiah had come died. We are going to pray through the Passion narrative. Even though you and I know that the death of Jesus on the cross is not the end of the story, I challenge you to put yourself in the place of Jesus s disciples. Would you have had the faith to follow Jesus if you were called out of your everyday life and didn t know the plan? In what ways are you already following Jesus and His unknown plan? Would you have the courage to defend Jesus, to walk with Him to the cross? Would you have the faith to say, even in the face of death, that the cross is not the end? Jesus is the awaited Messiah, the Son of living God, the Son of God who takes away the sins of the world. In Him, there is restoration and redemption. When we sin, we deny Him, just like the Jewish peopled denied Him. Let take this opportunity tonight to turn towards Him, to enter into His Passion, and immerse ourselves in the greatest event of all time. Notes: 54 THE PROMISE SERIES 55

8 CORE TEAM OVERVIEW THE CROSS: A Life Night on the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus. GOAL: The goal of this Life Night is to allow teens to enter into the events of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus in a personal way. GATHER (5 MIN): Welcome and Prayer: PROCLAIM (15 MINS): The Cross Teaching: BREAK (30 MINS): Reflection on the Passion: SEND (20 MINS): Resurrection Celebration: After the Send, teens will be brought together in the gathering space to play games. Notes: 56 THE PROMISE SERIES 57