Week Three Are You in the Right Light?

LIVING PRISMS Unit Objectives: Students learn what it means to become Living Prisms for God shining His pure light to the world through our character, actions, and words. This unit explains the concept of Living Prisms that will be woven throughout the lessons the whole year. Week Three Are You in the Right Light? In which light are you positioned? Are you striving on your own to influence others through good works, knowledge, morals, or good behavior? Or have you been transformed into a Living Prism through a relationship with Christ? Jesus changes us so we can influence others as Living Prisms. Supply List: Arrival time music. Opening Activity no supplies. Living Prism Graphic cards laminated ones for each Shepherd group. Living Prism Graphic and Reflection Point slide for large group. Blue Prism Cards and White Shadow Cards for Shepherd Time one for each student. Worship Time music (2-3 songs of your choice). Experiential Worship Prop (if desired) Different types of lighting for each week. Set A and Set B signs for Large Group. Story Journey video: Matthew 5:14-16 Video: Akeelah and the Bee IMPORTANT OPTION: Invite a guest speaker who is a Living Prism for God to tell a short example (less than 5 minutes) of how he/she made a decision to follow Jesus and how it changed his/her life. Teacher and Shepherd Preparation: Lead Teacher: Be familiar with the Living Prism Graphic and Momentum rituals. Read and be familiar with Acts 3-9:22. Memorize and lead the Story Journey, Matthew 5:14-16. Shepherds: Be familiar with the Prism Graphic. Practice and know the story journey, Matthew 5:14-16. Be familiar with Acts 9:1-22. 1

Arrival Time 4:50 5:05 Arrival Time Music The same two or three songs will play in a loop each week of this unit. Arrival Time Opening Activity: Pterodactyl Have students sit in groups of 10-15 with a shepherd. Each person will take turns saying pterodactyl with their teeth completed covered. (Think old person with dentures removed.) Play moves to the person on their right. The shepherd will pick the student that will begin. If a student shows his/her teeth or laughs when saying pterodactyl then he/she must leave the circle. If the person to their right laughs, then that person must leave the circle. The person saying pterodactyl can choose instead to shriek like a pterodactyl. (The person giving instructions can make up what that shriek sounds like.) If someone shrieks play reverses direction. The person to their left must say pterodactyl to the person on his/her left or shriek and reverse again. Each time someone shrieks the play reverses direction. Again, when someone shrieks if the person next to them laughs, he/she must leave the circle. It is very hard not to laugh or to show your teeth, so if the circle empties quickly, play can begin again over and over. Play for 5 minutes total. Lead Teacher Discussion Questions: If it was your turn, what was your task? Was it easy to accomplish your task when it was your turn? If someone was saying pterodactyl to you what was your task? (not to laugh) Was it easy? If someone in your group laughed, did you laugh too? Did your group have more success as you practiced or started over several times? Why? Did you realize you had influence in this game? (could have chosen to be silly to make people laugh or serious to help the other person, or decided to shriek to change the direction) What change did you have to make to use your influence? (cover your lips, take a deep breath to become serious, slow down, or laugh loudly if you wanted people to laugh, etc.) Lead Teacher Share with students: We have been studying what it means to be a Living Prism. A Living Prism is someone who shines the Light of God for others to see. Just like a prism takes light and shows it to us through color, so we show others the Light of God in our actions, words, and character. (Hold a prism up.) Now, if I wanted this prism to work, what would I have to do? (put it in the light) There is no amount of wishing or hoping or trying to talk it into showing up those colors that will work. It has to be positioned in the light. As believers we have to position ourselves to be Living Prisms. Last week we talked about how getting to know Jesus means we shine brighter. There is no amount of wishing, or hoping, or telling ourselves to be good that will make us Living Prisms. Only Jesus can do that! We have to position ourselves so that Jesus can work in us to shine. And, when He does we can influence others for Him! Jesus changes us so we can influence others as a Living Prism. 2

Worship Time: 5:05 5:20 Your Worship Team will greet students and lead them in two to three songs. Experiential worship idea for the Living Prisms unit: Light the worship space differently each week. Try just using lamps, or Christmas lights, or flashlights, etc. The object is to change up your space changing the status quo and to emphasize the light idea. Consider using candles your students can light during a slow and purposeful worship song. Use the Reflection Point graphic. Shepherd Time 5:20 5:35 Shepherd Time Question: Name one person that has greatly influenced you and explain how. (Share the laminated color Living Prism Graphic with your students.) This is our Living Prism Graphic. You will see this picture a lot here in Momentum. This gives us a visual to remind ourselves that we are Living Prisms for God and can shine the pure Light of God to others in our words, actions, and character. Choosing to be a Living Prism means choosing to influence others for God. And the very good news is that Jesus changes us and helps us to be a Living Prism. We don t have to rely on ourselves. We can rely on Jesus. Explain the Blue and White Cards today to your students and allow time for completion. Pray with your students or. Experiential Prayer Activity for this Unit: With the group in a circle, hold hands, or put hands on the shoulders of the people next to you. Go around the circle saying with each person saying a ONE sentence prayer squeezing the hand or shoulder of the person next to them when they are done. Pick a prayer topic for the one sentence prayers (ex: whatever you are thankful for, one person you know that needs God s help, one way in which you want to shine for God, a country, a leader, their schools, etc.) When you hear the musical cue or other cue designated your Lead Teacher you will know to move your group to Large Group Time. 3

Large Group Time 5:35 5:40 Lead Teacher: Review the Living Prism, Blue Buckets, Shadow Cards, Offering, Poem, Rock 5:40 5:50 Lead Teacher introduce the story of Saul/Paul. Jesus had already died and rose from the dead and those that believed Jesus was the Messiah were first considered a sect of Judaism and went by the name of The Way. To the religious Jew, the idea that Jesus was the Messiah was offensive and unbelievable! They had hoped for the Messiah for centuries and believed the Messiah would become King on earth and save them all from the oppressive rulers of the day. They could not believe that Jesus death could possibly mean that He was ruling but not on earth. There were two main groups that religious Jews belonged to at this time. The first were the Sadducees. The Sadducees held great power as they were aristocrats and had wealth. They made up about 70% of the Jewish ruling council. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead so the idea that the Messiah would have risen from the dead seemed like blasphemy to them. The other group was the Pharisees. They were more like the common man and made up about 30% of the Jewish ruling council. But they also very religious and unable to believe that the Messiah could be a man who did not rule on earth. As the numbers of Christians grew, the Jewish religious leaders for both parties became more concerned, jealous, and angry, and used their political and financial power to influence others to arrest and persecute Christians, all in an effort to put an end to The Way. One disciple, Stephen, was seized by the religious leaders and taken before the Jewish ruling council, called the Sanhedrin. There Stephen gave powerful testimony of why Jesus was the Messiah and flat out told the religious leaders they were stiff necked murderers. Stephen was then stoned and we meet Saul for the first time as he stood giving his approval for Stephen s death. 5:50 6:05 Shepherd Circle Shepherds teach Acts 9:1-22 Read the verses or have a student read. Talk points: Saul was a religious leader, a Pharisee. He was educated, trained, experienced in his strict faith. He had the backing and support of the Sanhedrin the Jewish ruling council. Here at the beginning of chapter 9 we find his still breathing out murderous threats. He was specifically hunting for members of The Way to put them in prison. Jesus dramatically gets his attention. There is a flashing light and a voice from heaven. The Jews recognized that a voice from heaven would be from God. God used this as part of this dramatic moment. 4

Saul is confronted for his actions, and God makes it very clear that persecuting Christians is the same as persecuting Him. The Light was so powerful Saul is blinded. (What if we experienced God s Light like that? What if we could give it away like that?) Saul is not yet converted. He has not made the decision to follow Jesus. He remains blind and is lead away. God sends a believer, Ananias to see Saul. Ananias is so afraid of Saul that he tells God no to start with! But God reassures him and he goes. When Ananias prays, Saul becomes a believer! He makes a choice. We know this because scales fall from his eyes he can now see the truth and he goes and gets baptized. Saul makes a choice to position himself in the Light which means following Jesus. Saul is so transformed that he begins to boldly preach and his words are powerful. His transformation is astonishing. People can barely believe their eyes and ears! 6:05 6:10 Video Clip: Akeelah and the Bee Use scenes where Akeelah is back in her community practicing for the national spelling bee. We see her whole community, even the gang leader, join her journey, encouraging her and helping her practice. Lead Teacher Debrief: Last week we watched the movie scenes where first Akeelah s coach Dr. Larabee turned her down because she wasn t ready. Then we saw her go back ready. Do you remember what she had to do to become ready? (become humble choose to learn) Did Akeelah s choice to be ready to work with Dr. Larabee put her in a new position? What kind of position? (chose to learn, to practice, to obey Dr. Larabee, to believe in herself the position of a champion in training) Did her position affect others? How? (yes her community was affected. They caught her enthusiasm, her dedication, her drive to win) Did her position affect her? How? Was she transformed in any way? We have discussed today that we must position ourselves to become Living Prisms. Would you say Saul was a Living Prism? What did he have to do to position himself in God s Light? (believe in Jesus) Was Saul transformed? How? Our position is our choice. If we want to be Living Prisms or God we must position ourselves by believing in Jesus and knowing Him more and more. When Saul did so he became a powerful Living Prism because his position allowed Jesus to transform him. Your choice to follow Jesus, to believe in Him, to choose Him, puts you in a position to be transformed into a powerful Living Prism! Jesus will change you so you can influence others as a Living Prism. Closing Activity 5

6:10 6:20 Option A - Lead Teacher - Play the video of the Story Journey Matthew 4:14-16. Or if you have it memorized, just lead it yourself. Close in prayer and then send students to dismissal areas. 6