Going Places Week 1- Caring 14:13–21

POLL | Where Would You Go?

Welcome to the first week of our new series, Going Places. For some of us, meeting new people and being in new environments can be intimidating. But we hope you will find connection and friendship here because, throughout this series, we are "going places" when it comes to our friendships.

THIS OR THAT GAME

Maybe you haven't been able to go on a road trip, but maybe it’s on your bucket list. Who here has seen videos online about people visiting your dream locations?

What makes any trip like this even better is doing it with friends. Let's say you create an elaborate itinerary for a road trip. Who would you invite? What if the roles were reversed? Would you go on a trip someone else planned? Frequently, we want people to join our plans, but would we do the same for them?

*Title Slide*

OBJECT LESSON | Road Trip Snack Debate (Part 1)

INSTRUCTIONS: For this object lesson, bring a bunch of road trip snacks that you know your students will have opinions about. Before your program, set up a snack table in the teaching area, placing all the snacks on it. Ask students which road trip food is their favorite as well as some follow-up questions.

I'm curious about your snack opinions.

When you go on a road trip, how many snacks do you pack on a trip? Do you let other people pick the snacks for the whole trip? Do you bring a few things that you keep for yourself? Turn to your neighbor and talk about which snack you would bring. Who would love one of these snacks right now? Snacks make everything better, but our tastes vary. This is similar to our friendships. We're all different. We have different wants, snack preferences, and ways to connect. Not all differences are fun or delicious like these. Sometimes, they can be more challenging to navigate, and you may not feel understood. Friends will go to many places together, but with so many unique needs and perspectives, moments along the journey can be hard. We may be so focused on fulfilling our needs that we miss seeing the needs of those around us. We are so focused on what snacks we want to bring for us that we forget to ask what snacks we can bring for our friends.

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

SCRIPTURE | Matthew 14:13–21

Let's read a story about how we care for each other from the perspective of Jesus' friends and followers. Jesus traveled to many places with the same group of people, but the destination never mattered as much as the work they did together along the way. Before we jump in, you need to know that Jesus was baptized by his cousin, John. That's why we call him John the Baptist. John was one of Jesus' first followers — he was family and a friend.

John believed Jesus was God's promise to the world even before Jesus' disciples did. He baptized Jesus in the Jordan River and constantly told others about Jesus. Just before the story we're about to read, Jesus found out that John was killed. For Jesus, losing a family member and someone who believed in him from the beginning was a shock. He was experiencing a massive loss in his life, and then this happened.

INSTRUCTIONS: Read Matthew 14:13–21

Matthew 14:13–21 NIV

When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Jesus' disciples were worried that it was getting late in the day, and they were in the middle of nowhere. They wanted to wrap up the gathering and send the massive group of followers away so they could find food for themselves, but there was a bigger picture to consider. They cared about the crowd and were concerned about what could happen if there wasn't enough food to go around.

Would they be responsible? Could the crowd turn on them? Would people die?

Jesus also cared for the large crowd and wanted to feed everyone. He told his disciples to give them something to eat immediately. Why wait? There were thousands of people, though. Maybe they knew Jesus could do a lot with whatever they found, so when the disciples could only muster five loaves of bread and two fish, they brought them to him. With the involvement of his friends, Jesus took the bread, prepared the fish, and miraculously fed everyone.

OBJECT LESSON | Road Trip Snack Debate (Part 2)

What was the biggest party you went to where everyone had enough to eat? A wedding or a potluck, where everyone brought food? Think about how many people it takes to serve a large group like that. Now imagine there are thousands of people! Jesus knows what we need and will stop at nothing to make sure we have those resources, like food, love, and peace.

INSTRUCTIONS: For this object lesson, have your volunteer leaders pass out the snacks sitting on your snack table. Ask the questions below and give a few students a chance to respond.

Where do you see yourself in this story?

Are you like the disciples, who were so focused on the enormity of the situation that they were overwhelmed? They preferred to send people away for their own good rather than have them stay near Jesus. They didn't realize how well Jesus provided for everyone. Are you more like the crowd, who knew there was something good about this man, Jesus, so they wanted to stay near? Perhaps you're waiting for a miracle to prove Jesus is who he says he is. Do you see yourself in Jesus' actions? Even when we find ourselves in overwhelming situations, we can still care for ourselves and those around us in creative ways. Jesus reminds us that friends care for each other. Even when we're thinking of our own wants and needs, we're challenged to see others, and hopefully, they will do the same for us. We all feel like we individually don't have enough to offer, but when we gather our resources with others and invite Jesus in, we see that we have plenty.

SCRIPTURE | Luke 6:31–32

Caring for 5,000 friends was core to who Jesus was. He taught his disciples and teaches us that loving everyone, including our enemies, is part of following him.

INSTRUCTIONS: Read Luke 6:31–32

Luke 6:31–32 NIV

Do to others as you would have them do to you. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.

This is one of the most challenging things to live by: Do for others as you want them to do for you. If I'm honest with myself, I'm frequently self-focused and self-centered. I often think of and care for myself first. Caring for others is one of the last things on my mind.

I think we want to care and don't always know how. It takes paying attention, but that's not always as easy as it seems. We know Jesus loves us, and when we follow him, we see people the way he sees everyone — lovable and worthy of care. While Jesus was mourning the loss of his cousin, he still cared for thousands of people by feeding them. He practiced what he preached about loving others. When we follow and trust him, he shows us that we can do these things too. We can be like Jesus by asking him to help us see the needs of our friends and others. As we do this, he will make us more and more like him — people who are open to opportunities to care because friends don't miss a chance to care for each other.

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

REFLECTION | Friend Care

How can we start paying attention and caring for those around us? Although we may not be asked to feed five thousand people, the world's needs can seem overwhelming. Let's take a look at some practical ways to notice and serve like Jesus.

INSTRUCTIONS: For this reflection, you'll need a whiteboard or large easel pad and writing utensils. Spend time dialoguing with students about the action steps, brainstorming practical ways they can do each one. As they respond, write down ways they can care for others in their everyday lives. Encourage them to think about friends with "big needs" and suggest encouraging their friends to do things like talking to friends, parents, group leaders, school counselors, therapists, or a church staff member. Help steer the conversation away from specifics or gossip. Keep it supportive and helpful.

PAY ATTENTION:

Let friends know you're there for them through small actions. You could send a DM, a snap, a meme, or even a chocolate bar, as long as it's something that lets them know you're thinking of them. These small actions can show love throughout their day.

OFFER SUPPORT:

What problems exist in your friends' lives? Is there some way you can offer support, like driving them places or being available for a call at certain times of their day? ‘

CALL FOR HELP:

When a friend comes to you with a big need, you don't have to solve their problems alone. You can invite others to help be a team of support, which may include professional help. If you have a friend going through an issue you don't feel equipped to handle, that's okay. Gather the courage to point them toward professionals like therapists and doctors.

RESPONSE | Caring For Our Friends

Like any road trip, friendships are a journey. It's not always about the destination but the adventures along the way. A fulfilling friendship includes following Jesus together. You may get lost, tired, or need to take a break, but we have the privilege of being the kind of friend who follows Jesus. We can let him show us how to support others through the ups and downs of life. Jesus shows us that friendships are not just about what we receive but how best to go through life together.

INSTRUCTIONS: For this response, you'll need blank index cards and pens. On one side, ask students to write the name of a friend they want to care for this week and choose an action from the list that they can do for them. On the other side, have them answer the question, "How do you wish your friends cared for you?" Consider putting on some quiet music as students respond.

Friendships are two-sided. Jesus want us to care for others but he also wants us to have friends who care for and support us. Maybe you haven't had the most incredible friendships, or you might say you don't have friends who care enough about you. That's okay. That's why we're doing this series about friendship. We hope this series will help you start seeking out friends who are caring and supportive.

PRAYER | Index Card Prayers

INSTRUCTIONS: For this prayer, you'll need the slide included in your week one materials. Encourage students to quietly say this prayer for the person or people they wrote down on their index cards.

Before Jesus fed the crowd of 5,000, he asked his disciples to help. We can all care for each other together. We're not in this alone. Look at your index card again. This week, pray for the friend God brought to your mind. This is an easy first step to living like Jesus, who showed us that

friends don't miss a chance to care for each other.

ACTIVITY | Bigger, Better, Best Challenge

INSTRUCTIONS: If you are doing the Bigger, Better, Best Challenge as your fall event, this would be an awesome place to introduce the event. Even though it isn't a road trip, it will create some memories like one. All of the information for that event can be found in the discipleship section of your Grow dashboard.