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The Session
Say: we often talk about people searching for something in life; something to provide a sense of belonging and of feeling complete, to make us feel like life is ‘sorted’. Distribute some magazines and invite your young people to create a collage of images which show some of the things people use to find fulfilment.
Track: Free (Track 12)
Play the track, and ask your young people to identify any similarities between the lyrics of the song and the images they have collected on their collage. How does this song give us a sense of ‘searching’? What do you think the singer means by ‘This world ain’t exactly what my heart expected’? In the song, the singer gives the impression that Church has already written her off as not belonging; can they relate this experience to anything they have felt or seen? How should we respond to this?
Tell your young people that we are going to look at the story of someone who believed they had an understanding of what life was about, until they heard about Jesus. Unsure about who Jesus was, and what impact he could have on the man’s life, he went looking for Jesus. Provide Bibles or printouts of John 3:1-15, and ask someone to read the passage. Explain that this story gives us a glimpse into Nicodemus’ journey and that meeting Jesus raised even more questions for Nicodemus.
Invite someone to read verses 16-21 and say to your young people that verse 16 is one that is familiar to many of us, but rather than simply being just a feel-good sentence, it is a life-changing statement that demands a response. In hearing that God loves us that much, we have to decide whether we are going to act upon it, or choose not to accept God for who he is. The reading continues with a challenge to Nicodemus, and to us, when it talks about things being brought out into the light.
Track: Right Here (Track 3)
Let your young people know that you understand that this session may have raised particular issues for them and if they want to talk about them, there is space for them to do so when appropriate. But, for now, invite your young people to find a quiet space where they can let the words of this song wash over them, and be reminded of just how great God’s love is for them, as it was for the woman in the story.
