WHAT? What are we talking about today?

ACTIVITY | The Shape Of School Spirit

Welcome back to week two of Most Likely To . . ., through which we're discovering what it looks like to be a great leader. Last week, we talked about how great leaders follow through. But what do we do when we want to follow through but struggle to figure out where to begin? No matter what, a great leader needs to remain flexible and work as a part of a team, so let's start getting in some practice with a game!

INSTRUCTIONS: For this activity, you will have multiple teams compete in making shapes using every team member as quickly as possible. Assign an adult volunteer to each group to be the judge and have them raise their hand when their group has completed their shape. Some options for school-related shapes could be a school mascot, math symbols, laptop, locker, textbook, field goal, desk, or anything else that can be found in school settings. Teams will get points for the fastest and most creative shapes, and the team with the most points wins.

There were infinite ways to make those shapes. Similarly, there are many different ways we could be a leader. Choosing the best way to lead when there are so many different examples to choose from can be confusing. How can we lead in a way that impacts others positively?

ACTIVITY | Walking Away From Our Villain Era

There are so many examples of how we can lead. How do we know the best way? Luckily for us, some villains are represented in the media to give us examples of how leadership should not look.

INSTRUCTIONS: "Chillin like a villain game.”

Most of us don't want to be voted "Most Likely to Be a Villain." The strange thing about many of these examples is all of these villains have people who follow them, despite their poor character. It goes to show anyone can lead and create change, but the type of change is what really matters. How do we know our leadership will have the impact we desire? Let's look at a few stories that might help us see what it looks like to be the type of leader who creates meaningful change.

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

SCRIPTURE | Exodus 20:1–17

In the book of Exodus, we follow a leader named Moses, who was born to a Jewish family and was enslaved in Egypt. He was adopted at a young age and raised by the pharaoh's daughter. God's people endured hundreds of years of enslavement, trauma, and oppression. They were forced to work for and serve the Egyptians and follow the Egyptian way of life. Though he was raised as an Egyptian, Moses discovered his family history later in life and heard from God. Moses listened to what God asked of him, and God used him to free the people of Israel from Egypt. But it was tough for God's people to process the transition between coming from such pain and oppression to completely trust God's guidance. God had set them free, but it took some time before they could fully rely upon God — and even then, following God's way didn't come easy. Learning to follow where God was calling them would take time, practice, and patience. So, God had a plan to help them heal and learn to trust. God asked Moses to write down a set of commands that would clarify and show them what it looked like to live as the people of Israel.

INSTRUCTIONS: Exodus 20:1–17

Exodus 20:1–17 NIV

And God spoke all these words: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. “You shall not murder. “You shall not commit adultery. “You shall not steal. “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

These commandments helped create a guide for God's people to learn how to be in true community with God. The people of Israel were to love and worship God while creating a healthy and flourishing community that was consistent in loving one another. As they did this, God would ensure they had everything they needed — all while being a people who blessed everyone around them. The people of Israel were to help lead the way, showing the neighboring communities what it looked like to love God, each other, and their families well. When there was so much confusion about what to do and how to live, Moses helped the people of Israel focus on what God cares about —loving God and those around you.

SCRIPTURE | Matthew 22:34–39

Over centuries, religious leaders added more and more rules. These weren't God's rules — they were more ways to make worship happen in their context. Eventually, people were judged based on laws made up by these leaders rather than on the original commands God gave. When Jesus arrived, he wanted people to refocus on what mattered most.

INSTRUCTIONS: Read Matthew 22:34–39

Matthew 22:34–39 NIV

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

Jesus reminded his followers how the original commandments were always supposed to remind them to be a community that loved God and others because that was what mattered to God. One of the most incredible things about God is we know God wasn't just throwing a plan together randomly. When we look at Scripture and God's story throughout history, we can see everything is connected and has a purpose that becomes clear in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. We see Jesus didn't only come to fulfill the law by living a perfect life that was impossible for us to live up to, but to show us a new way to live — a way centered on love. God always intended for us to live this way, and now anyone who needed a clear example of that could do just that.

OBJECT LESSON | What Is Jesus' Leadership Like?

These seem like some simple and easy instructions from Jesus. Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love others as yourself. But this leaves a big question: How do we live it? What does it look like to love God and others in everyday life?

INSTRUCTIONS: For this object lesson, you'll need three clear bins like this with warm water. Each bin will have these items inside: dried beans, water beads, and fuzzy pom poms. Before your program, place all these on a table and cover them. Invite a student to come up and have them describe what the contents of each bin feel like.

When you are teaching, say: When we touch something, we can describe what it feels like. What if the same thing can be said of true leadership? Usually, the test of solid leadership is how it makes others feel. God made us worship, love, and care as Jesus did. Jesus showed his followers what this looks like, but their lives were impacted most by experiencing what his leadership felt like — they were seen and included in Jesus' love.

QUESTION | "What does love look like?"

INSTRUCTIONS: Ask the following questions and allow a few students to respond. Highlight answers showing the way Jesus spent time loving God and others and emphasize the Big Idea.

What were some of the ways Jesus showed he loved God?

What were tangible ways Jesus loved his neighbors?

What's incredible about Jesus is he has invited all of us to lead in this way. If our leadership had a feeling, it would feel like the impact Jesus' life had on others.

OBJECT LESSON | What Jesus' Leadership Looks Like

When we look at Jesus' life, we see what true leadership feels like. We see someone who practiced what they preached.

INSTRUCTIONS: For this object lesson, use one clear bin and fill it with water warm enough for a bath bomb to dissolve in. Use this as an example of the noticeable difference that occurs when we apply Jesus' example and teachings to the way we choose to love as leaders.

When we rely on Jesus and become a leader who chooses to love God and others, we realize we don't need to be the most intelligent, talented, or famous person to be a leader. Moses was a person who was confused and in pain, but God partnered with him to do incredible things. Great leaders choose to love God and others. Take this water, for example, which didn't take special water to become transformed. It simply needed some added ingredients, and it became different. Choosing to love God and others may start as something you have to think about, but it will become easier as you continue to choose love. Like this water, you'll begin to look and feel different, learning to desire and live like Jesus. As we choose to love God and others, our leadership will create spaces where people will be invited to receive the healing Jesus offers. Great leaders focus on the things God says matter most. Moses and Jesus were leaders who helped us see that

great leaders choose to love.

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

REFLECTION | Choosing Love

INSTRUCTIONS: Before your program, print out the handouts included in this week's materials and ensure you have enough pens for your group. Play the song "Stones to Gold" (Ekklesia Music Feat. Uriah Garay) Have students spend time responding to the questions on this week's handout while the music plays.

While it seems simple, how do we live this out in our schools and the other places God has led us? Here are three simple ways that can help you start choosing love right now.

CHOOSE TO LOVE GOD:

Choosing love starts with choosing to love God. If you don't know where to start, choose something from the life of Jesus. You could set aside fifteen minutes daily to reflect on what it means to receive God's love so you can better reflect that love.

CHOOSE TO LOVE OTHERS:

Be intentional about loving others this week. Sit by someone you haven't sat with at lunch, or maybe reconnect with someone you lost touch with. Or maybe be intentional with your family — ask them to go for a walk and talk about what is happening in your life.

SHOW LOVE LIKE JESUS DID:

Being a leader starts when we love others and God but goes beyond that. Jesus showed love as a leader not by lording his power and authority over others but by serving them, and not by going out of his way to make friends with the most powerful and influential but with the powerless. Caring for the outcast at the expense of the powerful didn't make Jesus many friends but it made him a leader who cared about the things God does. This week, look for places you can love and serve in ways that look like Jesus.

RESPONSE | Leadership Can Be Uncomfortable

Being a great leader who chooses to love often requires that we become uncomfortable and share what God is doing in our lives with people we may not know very well.

INSTRUCTIONS: For this response, have students find a partner — preferably someone they don't know very well. Encourage them to introduce themselves to their partner and share something about themselves. To practice modeling leadership, encourage them to share what they wrote down on their handout this week on wanting to choose to love God and others.

Jesus helped us see that people who follow him focus on what God cares about, and as we do this, we become leaders most likely to change the world in ways Jesus would. So this week, remember that great leaders choose to love.