Justice for All Week 2- HOPE

WHAT? What are we talking about today?

ACTIVITY | Agree or Disagree?

Welcome back to Justice for All, where we're talking about what justice is (and what it isn't). We've got a great conversation ahead of us today, but to start us off, let's talk about who you are (and who you're not).

INSTRUCTIONS: Designate one side of the room as the "Agree" side, and the other side of the room as "Disagree." After reading each of the following statements, have students run (or skip, walk, or roll) to the side of the room they think is true of themselves. After each statement, give a few students a chance to share why they chose the side they did. I'll read a few statements and you can decide: agree or disagree?

You have an interesting life. Maybe you're just lucky or maybe you work to make your life interesting!

You are bold. You're fierce! You're strong! You take risks!

You attract attention. People seem to like you and want to be around you!

You've paid your dues. You've worked hard for all the things you've achieved!

You think outside the box. You don't think like everyone else does! You're comfortable being a little different.

You stand for something. You know who you are and what matters to you!

No matter how you responded, these qualities and traits are all great to have, but let's be honest — if you are any of these things, you probably have some haters. Having these qualities can sometimes make others feel . . .

Jealous. Uncomfortable. Intimidated. Annoyed. Threatened.

Title Slide

STORY | Talk about a time someone was "ruthless" to you.

We all get into conflict with others once in a while. But sometimes our "haters" can be ruthless.

INSTRUCTIONS: Tell a story from your own life (or ask a volunteer or student to tell a story) about a time when someone was ruthless to you. You can keep this story lighthearted by talking about a friendly prank war or some goodnatured teasing between friends, or you can be more vulnerable by talking about a time you really struggled because of someone else's cruelty.

Growing up, each summer I worked for construction crews framing houses.

I was with my dad’s crew for five years, and another crew for four years.

On one of these crews, there was a dude name Keith.

Keith was a hard worker but a really rough dude.

He was an alcoholic who drank so much his voice was raspy, and he also did some drugs.

But Ole’ Keith was cool with me bc I got out there and worked hard like he did.

But one summer his daughter Lynne came down from North Carolina.

Lynne and I kinda talked that summer, and he didn’t like that too much.

Keith’s attitude towards me changed.

He started to get angry with me every day at work until eventually he got up in my face and started screaming and cussing me out cause I messed up on some part of the house we were working on..

Here I am like 16 years old and got this 40 year old half crazy dude up in my face and I didn’t know what to do bc I had never been screamed at like that before...

In both small and big ways, humans can be ruthless to one another.

Bullies can be ruthless. Fake friends can be ruthless. Internet trolls can be ruthless. But nothing hurts more than when your own flesh and blood — your family — attacks you. Ruthless behavior isn't something that just happens now in the 21st century. People have been cruel toward one another for a long time. For as long as there have been humans, there has been jealousy and fights for power.

OBJECT LESSON | Tower of Hope

Have you ever experienced someone's ruthlessness? Have you ever felt like someone (or everyone) was completely against you?

Maybe you've been hurt by someone in your family. Maybe you've been devastated by something that's been done to you. How do you hold on to hope when you've been a victim of ruthless injustice? How do you get past bitterness when everything within you hurts? When it feels like people are out to get us, we need a firm foundation to help us withstand the weight and pressure of those challenges.

SO WHAT? Why does it matter to God and to us?

OBJECT LESSON | A Coat of Many Colors

INSTRUCTIONS: Bring back that coat or robe from last week. When you talk about it, put it on or show it off. When the coat is taken from Joseph, take it off or throw it on the ground.

SCRIPTURE | Genesis 37:12-24

Last week, we were introduced to a guy named Joseph. We're going to continue that story today. In case you missed it or forgot, here's what's happened so far:

Joseph has eleven brothers, and most of them hate him. That's because their father, Jacob, loves Joseph more than the rest of them, and it's really obvious — Jacob even gives Joseph a special coat and tells him to spy on his brothers for him. But that's not the only reason. God speaks to Joseph in a dream. In the dream, Joseph sees he will one day be in a position of authority, ruling over his brothers. So Joseph brags about it. When Joseph tells his brothers he's going to be in charge of them, they are not happy. Their hatred for him grows and grows, until — well, let's see what happens next.

INSTRUCTIONS: Read Genesis 37:17-24

Genesis 37:17–24 NIV

“They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.” When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing—and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

As Joseph was arriving to where his brothers were working, they saw him coming from a distance. Remember, Joseph's father had given him a bright designer coat that his brothers were jealous of. Everyone in the neighborhood could probably see Joseph coming from a mile away!

When Joseph's brothers saw him coming their way and remembered how he thought he was so much better than them, they were filled with jealousy and anger. In their anger, they made a decision. They didn't just want to kill his dreams. They wanted to kill him. But luckily for Joseph, Joseph's oldest brother, Reuben, intervened.

He said, “We’re not going to kill Joseph. No murder. But yeah, he needs to go, so let's just throw him in this well out here in the wilderness and leave him there.” Reuben secretly planned to go back later, get Joseph out, and take him back to their father. But he couldn't tell his brothers that because otherwise they might not agree to go along with the plan. Joseph's coat was torn from his body to send a message: "You're no better than us! You're just an arrogant little boy with dreams!"

SCRIPTURE | Genesis 37:24-36

INSTRUCTIONS: Read or summarize Genesis 37:24-36

So they threw Jospeh into this well, and then some people called Ishmaelites walked up on these guys as they were on their way to Egypt. So the bros were like “let’s sell Joseph to these guys instead of killing him.”

So Joseph, now a slave, was taken to Egypt.

Before he left, Joseph’s brothers took his robe and and dipped it in goat’s blood (GROSS)

They showed their dad Jacob, and he tour his clothes in grief and mourned for a long time.

Joseph's brothers decided not to kill him. But they didn't think leaving him in a hole was a good idea either. So they took their plan a step further and sold him as a slave, without Reuben's knowledge.

They wanted to make sure they didn't have to cover up a death, but in reality selling a human into slavery is also a violent, hateful act.  With this sinful and unjust transaction, Joseph's brothers took the situation from bad to worse.

SCRIPTURE | Psalm 138:7-8

We'll learn more about what happened to Joseph next time, but for now I want to introduce you to someone else who experienced cruel and unjust treatment — David.

David was once a young shepherd boy who God chose to lead the nation of Israel. The only problem was Israel already had a king named Saul. Nobody hated David more than Saul. He was jealous of David's talent and leadership skills and constantly bullied, threatened, attacked, and even tried to kill David. Like Joseph, David's hater wanted to see him destroyed. But here's what David said about it . . .

INSTRUCTIONS: Read Psalm 138:7-8

Psalm 138:7–8 NIV

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me. The Lord will vindicate me; your love, Lord, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands.

*Title Slide

David trusted God would protect him, even when people were out to get him. He faced incredible injustice from someone who wanted to do him harm, but he knew God was with him.

QUESTION | Tower of Hope

No one ever wants to experience cruelty at the hands of other people. But when we do face those things, we get to see just how strong our foundation really is.

We can't avoid the weight and pressure of people's ruthlessness and injustice forever. But when our foundation is made of hope in the goodness of God, we can stay strong when the pressure mounts. So the next time you feel like Joseph or David, being crushed by the weight of other people's cruelty, remember what David wrote about. When there is injustice, you can hold on to hope.

NOW WHAT? What does God want us to do about it?

VIDEO | A Clip from "Sticks and Stones" (Jon Jorgenson)

We've all heard the saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." But if you've ever been hurt by someone's words, you know that's not quite true.

INSTRUCTIONS: As a teaching tool, play a short clip (0:28-1:28) from Jon Jorgenson's poem about bullying called "Sticks and Stones."

*Title Slide*

In this spoken word poem, the artist explains how the words others have hurt him and invites those who bully to wonder about their own hurt and pain. I wonder . . .

Has anyone ever treated you cruelly or unjustly? Have you ever treated anyone else that way? Why do you think bullies do what they do? Have you ever felt like you needed someone to remind you that you're loved? That there's hope? Toward the end of this poem, the artist says, "Even though there's still a trace of the pain you caused, those scars are hard as armor and so faint that sometimes I can't see them anymore." How is that possible? As an answer, he points to Jesus, who . . .

Also experienced the cruelty of people who hated Him.

Speaks love and truth when others speak hatred and lies.

Has our future in His hands even when we feel hopeless.

HOW TO HOLD ONTO HOPE

"Holding onto hope" might sound like a good idea, but when you're feeling crushed under the weight of everything that's wrong with the world and with other people, this isn't so easy to do. If holding onto hope is a challenge, here are some things you can do.

FOCUS ON THE TRUTH. You can hold onto hope by meditating on what's true. Try closing your eyes, sitting still, and reminding yourself what God says is true. Use Bible verses to focus your mind on important truths like, "I was made perfectly and with love by the God of the universe. I was made by the same God that made the stars in the sky and the waters in the sea. I am a unique masterpiece." Try an app like Abide if you need a little extra help!

TALK IT OUT. You can hold onto hope by asking a close friend, parent, counselor, or mentor to help you see yourself as God sees you. Sometimes those we're closest with can best help us see the things about us that makes us amazing. You may even want to consider finding a professional you can talk to.

ASK FOR HELP. If you are being bullied or abused please tell a trusted adult today. You sometimes need to ask for help from others to find a safe place.

BE CAREFUL WITH SOCIAL MEDIA. When you're struggling to hold onto hope and struggling with the cruelty of others, the constant exposure to fake “perfection” on social media can affect your self-worth. If you tend to rely too heavily on the approval of others through likes and comments, think about taking a break or creating some new boundaries to help you stay hopeful.

END

Sometimes haters will try to get in your head and strip you of your value, worth, and dreams. Sometimes those haters will be strangers, sometimes they'll be fake friends, and sometimes they could even be our own family members. When that happens, remember . . .

Focus on the truth that God is with you and can be trusted.

That's where you can find hope, no matter what your circumstances are.

Focus on the truth of who God says you are.

Things like your clothes, your grades, or your current situation don't define you. What God says about you is the only thing that ultimately matters.

when there's injustice, hold on to hope.