Description
This 3-week series explores the concept of grace through a variety of different lenses. These lenses, themed around fairness, judgment, and self-forgiveness will challenge teenagers to explore grace in a way that is a lot more nuanced (and maybe more uncomfortable) than your typical Sunday school lesson. The lessons are not meant to capture the theological concept of grace in full, but the avenues through which young people might encounter grace in their real lives, in both comforting and affronting ways. The series includes activities such as games with unfair rules, a mock sentencing for a crime, and a case study, as well as readings from theological giants like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Henri Nouwen, and John Wesley.
Week 1- Unfair
This lesson is an introduction to the grace of God through the lens of “fairness.” It includes an intentionally unfair game, the story of the prodigal son, some cultural conversation, and a time of personal reflection. The lesson will push your group to engage with the reality that God offers grace in a way that doesn’t align with our cultural narratives. Finally, it will encourage them to become better agents of God’s grace in their world.
Scripture- Luke 15:11-32
Week 2- Judgement
This lesson explores the meaning of grace through the lens of justice and mercy. Students will begin with an activity where they act as “judges,” determining the correct punishment for a misbehaving child, only to find that the situation is considerably more complicated than it seems at first. Selections from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, personal reflection, group discussion, and more will expand their understanding. This lesson is meant to challenge students who may come in with a relatively black-and-white vision of what people “deserve” and encourage them to enter into Christ’s grace for others while also examining where they may have received that same grace themselves.
Scripture- Matthew 18:21-22
Week 3- Loved and Accepted
Teenagers often struggle to forgive themselves or believe they’re truly loved and accepted by God for who they are. In this lesson, young people will use two case studies to dissect how they think about grace for themselves and others. They will then unpack cultural, personal, and other influences shaping those beliefs. Using theological concepts and a pastoral passage from Henri Nouwen’s seminal “Life of the Beloved,” students will be encouraged to embrace greater grace for themselves in their lives.
Scripture- Matthew 3:16-17
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