OVERVIEW GOAL The goal of Pics or It Didn t Happen is for teens to understand that there is evidence that Jesus is God in the miracles that He did, most especially the Resurrection, and in looking at these miracles grow in faith. THE MAIN POINT Actions speak louder than words. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (John 1). Jesus backs up bold claims with bolder actions. KEY CONCEPTS We don t come to understand who Jesus is only through what He says but also through what He does, specifically His miracles. Miracles are not party tricks and cannot be commanded to happen. They are ways that Jesus reveals His identity as God. Ultimately, the proof that Jesus is God comes from His Resurrection from the dead, when the tomb was empty and Jesus rose to new life, defeating death and giving us all new life. SCRIPTURE Exodus 33:18-23, Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 5:21-43, John 20:1-19, Mark 4:35-41 CATECHISM 547-549, 651-655, 707 ANNOUNCEMENTS Bibles will be used at every Life Night bring them weekly No small group change requests until after 1 month Household applications YOUCAT 90-91 *See end of breakdown ARCHDIOCESAN PRAYER ACTS OF FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE FAITH: O my God, I firmly believe that you are one God in three divine persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I believe that your divine Son became man and died for our sins, and that he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the holy catholic Church teaches, because in revealing them you can neither deceive nor be deceived. HOPE: O my God, relying on Your almighty power and infinite mercy and promises, I hope to obtain pardon of my sins, the help of Your grace and life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer. Amen. LOVE: O my God, I love you above all things, with my whole heart and soul, because you are all good and worthy of all my love. I love my neighbor as myself for the love of you. I forgive all who have injured me and I ask pardon of all whom I have injured. The Fake News Series 1
GATHER (7:30-7:40) That s Bold: We will select creative or outgoing teen and Core Member volunteers. We will invite them to come to the front of the main meeting space, and hand each of them an index card with a bold claim on it. They will have a minute to quietly prepare, and then each will have 30 seconds to prove that bold claim. One volunteer will be preselected as a plant with a true bold claim. At the end, the teens in the room will vote by a round of applause to decide who was telling the truth. There will be three rounds with four volunteers in each round. Some ideas for bold claims are: I have the most street smarts of anyone in this room I saw Selena Gomez at the mall over the weekend I know everything there is to know about sports I have memorized the entire Gospel of Mark I am the strongest person in the room I have never forgotten a person s name I make award winning chocolate chip cookies This game will help transition into the Proclaim as it will begin to bring up the idea of needing proof for bold claims. Jesus backed His bold claim, that He is God, with even bolder actions. The Fake News Series 2
PROCLAIM (7:40-7:55) KEY TERMS: Theophany: A revelation or visible appearance of God, as in the case of Moses on Mt. Sinai. Miracle: A sign or wonder, such as a healing or the control of nature, which can only be attributed to divine power. The miracles of Jesus were Messianic signs of the presence of God s kingdom. Resurrection of Christ: The bodily rising of Jesus from the dead on the third day after His Death on the cross and burial in the tomb. PROVE IT If someone claims something to be true, we don t automatically believe it s true. Sometimes we need evidence. The people in the time of Jesus needed evidence to believe that Jesus was God. Jesus backed up His bold claims to be the Son of God with even bolder actions. THEOPHANIES ARE PROOF In the Old Testament, God would reveal Himself in a physical way, at a specific time, for a specific reason, such as to Moses on Mt. Sinai, called theophanies. In the New Testament, Jesus used similar methods to convey He was God. For example, in the Transfiguration, the apostles go up a mountain and see Jesus in God s glory with Moses and Elijah. When Jesus calmed the stormy sea, He revealed He was God by displaying He had control over the elements which was something only God had. MIRACLES ARE PROOF There are an incredible amount of miracles of Jesus recorded in the Gospels and many not recorded, and they are the evidence of Jesus divine power and relationship to the Father. In Mark 5, after Jesus casts out an unclean spirit, Jairus, a synagogue official, comes to Him and asks Him to heal his daughter. On His way to heal her, a woman with a hemorrhage touches Jesus and is healed. Then, they are told that the official s daughter has died. Jesus continues on His journey to her anyway and, when He arrives, He raises her from the dead. In this one day, Jesus casts out an unclean spirit, heals a bleeding woman, and raises a girl from the dead; He shows dominion over the spiritual world, the physical world, and death. WHEN MIRACLES DON T HAPPEN Before Jesus Death on the cross, He is taken to Herod. Herod asks Jesus to perform a sign. Jesus does not do so. In fact, He will not even answer Herod s questions. Miracles are not magic tricks which can be conjured on command; they are manifestations of God meant for our good and sanctification. We might feel like Herod. We want Jesus to give us a sign or for Him to take care of something in our lives. In performing miracles, Jesus shows us that He is God and can do all things. However, it is also important to remember that He did not come to abolish suffering but to unite us to the Father, and miracles are meant to lead us on that path of faith back to God. THE PROOF OF PROOFS Of all the miracles Jesus worked, the most specific proof He offers of His divinity is the Resurrection. Everything Christ did and taught is confirmed in the Resurrection. In response to the Resurrection, we can now believe that He is who He says He is, and we can trust Him with our lives because He didn t just make bold claims - He backed them up. The Proclaim will end with a Teen Testimony on how Jesus Christ showed up in their life. The Fake News Series 3
BREAK (7:55-8:45) Pray: Always begin in prayer. Ask for a volunteer teen to pray, but especially since the group is still getting comfortable with each other, it is ok if the Core Member opens in prayer. Break the Ice: 2 Truths and A Lie If you want to play a game before jumping into discussion, play 2 truths and a lie. Don t know how to play? Here is a step by step instruction: http://www.wikihow.com/play-two-truths,-one-lie Small Group Discussion Use the following questions to lead a discussion on the topic: Whip Around: What s the boldest claim you have ever made? What are some things in your life that you needed proof in order to believe? Think back to some pics or it didn t happen events in your life. What eventually made you believe? If you are doubting Jesus is God, what might make you believe? Encourage the teens to pursue these things, ask questions, explore the faith... What are some miracles you remember from the life of Jesus? Which ones stand out to you as particularly helpful in believing that Jesus is God? Why? Have you seen God work a miracle in the life of a friend or family member or maybe even your own life? Can you share the story? Miracles of Jesus and Miracles of His Followers: During the Last Supper Jesus told His Apostles: Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it (John 14:12-14). Not only does Jesus prove who He is by miracles that He did, but the same power that rose Jesus from the dead lives in His followers. Core: Pick 1-2 examples below of Miracles of Jesus and similar miracles of His followers. Feel free to use some of the discussion starters below each example: Miracle of resurrection Jesus and St. Peter Read The Raising of Lazarus (John 11:14-27, 38-44) and Peter restores Tabitha to life (Acts 9:36-42) What does this miracle reveal about who Jesus is? Is resurrecting someone something someone who is merely human can do? If this really did happen, how does that affect your faith? Do you have the boldness and trust in Jesus and His power that Jesus did? If you do not feel like you have the same faith Peter did after Pentecost, what is one thing you can do this week to spend concrete time praying and asking for the gift of faith? Miracle of the Eucharist The Last Supper and Lanciano Read The Last Supper/Bread of Life Discourse (Luke 22:14-20 and John 6:52-56) and Watch Jonathan s video on the Miracle of Lanciano: https://youtu.be/fnd0hqjsphk (Or tell the story yourself if you know it J) The Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Jesus. Jesus left us this miracle of His Presence so that every time we go to Mass we receive Him. When you go to Mass every week, has it ever occurred to you that you are witnessing a real-life miracle? How will this thought change your experience of Mass next week? Jonathan talked about the Eucharistic miracle of Lanciano where the Eucharist also physically transformed into flesh and blood when the priest was doubting and lacked hope that Jesus was really present. Has there ever been a point in your life where you doubted God or felt hopeless? In those moments did you ask God to give you the gift of faith or hope? What is one way the group can pray for the building up of your faith or hope in God? The Fake News Series 4
SEND (8:45-9:00) Praying for Miracles Small Groups should gather back together in the Gym and bring their attention to the large cross in the center of the room. Core Members pass out post it notes and pens to each teen in your group. Jonathan or Paige will open in prayer with the passage about the Storm at Sea (Mark 4:35-31) while soft instrumental music plays in the background: Miracles didn t just happen back in Jesus time, but they continue to happen today. Jesus wants to answer our prayers with miracles. We are about to have the opportunity to bring Him our petitions and trust His providence and power. Sometimes miracles happen in the silence and we don t see God s presence in our midst, kind of like the disciples when Jesus was sleeping in the boat. Sometimes we see dramatic manifestations of God like when Jesus calmed the storm. In both moments there is one reality: Jesus is present. Take a moment to write down something happening in your life that you want to ask the Lord to work a miracle in. When you are ready, come up to the cross, remembering that the empty cross is evidence of Jesus resurrective power and that Jesus is God. Then, place your prayer request next to the prayers of many others who have gone before you, countless prayers that have been answered, and have faith that Jesus works miracles today just as He did back then. While the band leads the group in a song, teens will be invited to come forward and place their prayer request on the cross. When everyone is finished, we will close with a prayer over the intentions placed on the board. We will close with the Act of Faith, Hail Mary and the Ave. I called, you answered and you came to my rescue and I want to be where you are. The Fake News Series 5
90 Did Jesus work miracles, or are they just pious tales? Jesus really worked miracles, and so did the apostles. The New Testament authors refer to real incidents. [547 550] Even the oldest sources tell of numerous miracles, even the raising of the dead, as a confirmation of Jesus preaching: But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you (Mt 12:28). The miracles took place in public; some of the persons involved were known by name, for instance, blind Bartimaeus (Mk 10:46 52) or Peter s mother-in-law (Mt 8:14 15). There were also miracles that in those Jewish circles were considered shocking and outrageous (for example, the cure of a crippled man on the Sabbath, the cure of lepers). Nevertheless they were not disputed by contemporary Judaism. Nowhere in the world has so great a miracle occurred as in that little stable in Bethlehem; here God and man became one. Thomas À Kempis 91 But why did Jesus work miracles? The miracles that Jesus worked were signs that the kingdom of God was beginning. They expressed his love for mankind and reaffirmed his mission. [547 550] Jesus miracles were not self-aggrandizing displays of magic. He was filled with the power of God s healing love. Through his miracles he showed that he is the Messiah and that the kingdom of God begins in him. Thus it became possible to experience the dawn of the new world: he freed people from hunger (Jn 6:5 15), injustice (Lk 19:8), sickness, and death (Mt 11:5). By driving out demons, he began his victorious advance against the ruler of this world (meaning Satan; see Jn 12:31). Nevertheless, Jesus did not remove all misfortune and evil from the world. He directed his attention principally to freeing man from the slavery of sin. His central concern was faith, which he also elicited through miracles. 241 242 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, He has done all things well; he even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak. Mk 7:37 The Fake News Series 6