Rhytm Week 3- Share Your Story
Notes
Transcript
WHAT? What are we talking about today?
ACTIVITY | Children's Story Rap Battle
Welcome to another week of Rhythm! I hope you are having a blast learning how to connect with God in fresh ways.
INSTRUCTIONS: For this activity, choose an instrumental song (like this, or this, or this) or something else you prefer.
To play, contestants have to read a popular Children's story to the beat. Or if you have students that can beatbox, you may have them come up and do the moment while someone else reads the story.
Yes! Those children's books will never be the same. Stories are a part of life, aren't they? They've helped us grow up and have shaped us along the way. That's what stories do — they shape us. Our own stories that we're living shape who we are, too.
VIDEO | A Clip of Jennifer Hudson Singing "A Change is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke
Some of our favorite songs come from compelling stories. In 1963, singer Sam Cooke traveled with his band through Shreveport, Louisiana. They had called ahead to make hotel reservations, but when they arrived, they were dismissed. Sam, who happened to be Black, was trying to stay in a hotel in the South when segregation was still a common part of the culture. Inspired by other musicians of his time, he wrote a song communicating his experience and his hopes as a black man living in the United States called "A Change is Gonna Come." Jennifer Hudson sang this song a few years ago during an awards ceremony. Let's listen to her sing this song and tell this story. Pay attention to more than the way she tells the story is more than just lyrics. It is her body language and dynamics that help tell it.
INSTRUCTIONS: As a teaching tool, play a short clip from a video like this (1:00–3:49) of Jennifer Hudson singing at a performance in honor of actor Denzel Washington.
QUESTION | "What did you learn about Sam's story?"
As she was singing, what did you learn about Sam Cooke's life through the song? INSTRUCTIONS: Ask the previous question and allow a few students to respond.
We all have a story. We all have something valuable to share with those around us, but unlike Sam Cooke, we may not have that song sung on TV. We've been in this series that's all about our spiritual life having a rhythm to it. This week, we'll discuss conversations around spiritual growth and how sometimes we can feel pressure to share stories about what God is doing in our lives. For some of us, it can almost feel a little unnatural. Most of us are not likely to randomly strike up spiritual conversations when walking the school hallways. When we read the Bible, we see that not only do they encourage us to have spiritual conversations, but we also see examples of it. That can make a lot of us nervous. How do we go about this? What does it look like to have conversations about faith that aren't super clunky or forced and don't feel like a formally planned-out lecture?
SO WHAT? Why does it matter to God and to us?
SCRIPTURE | Acts 8:26–40
The Scriptures have incredible stories of people willing to have conversations about their faith that can help us learn how to do this in a way that isn't strange or forced. There is one story in Acts 8. The news about Jesus started spreading worldwide because people were willing to tell their stories about how God was moving. Let's read to hear how the story went.
INSTRUCTIONS: Read or summarize Acts 8:26–40
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”
The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
Kind of a bizarre story, right? Philip is open to God's Spirit leading him. God leads him into some incredible conversations when he listens to where the Spirit tells him to go! God opens other opportunities as we dare to take chances to follow God's prompting — just like Philip. Let's take a closer look because there are some cool things in this story that I don't want you to miss:
First, Philip was open to God's leading.
Where might God be leading us to have faith conversations where we could tell our of God's work in our lives? Philip was open to having these conversations, and God led him into scenarios where those conversations would happen!
Second, Philip listened to the Eunuch.
Notice he didn't speak first? Philip didn't automatically pull out a script and start sharing his story. Instead, he listened to what the Eunuch was reading. This is such a crucial step — too often, we think we must be the first to speak because it's our faith story. This story helps us see that listening is a great first step.
Third, Philip asked great questions.
Sure, they were simple questions, but they were intentional! That's what we can do when talking about Jesus with our friends or family — when it's our turn to speak, we can use Philip's example and be curious by asking great questions. Like Philip and the Eunuch, asking questions helps us understand what God is doing in this person's life.
Lastly, because Philip listened and asked great questions, the Eunuch was open to listening about what Jesus had done.
You can see a rhythm to sharing the story that can help us overcome our fear. We listen first, ask questions that help us see how God is already moving, and then doors open where we can share our story. Listening and asking questions shows others that they are seen and valued.
SCRIPTURE | 2 Corinthians 4:3–6
Something that helps me feel less pressure is understanding that when I share my story in conversations, I am not sharing to hype myself up. I am sharing about the God who is working in me — God is the main character!
INSTRUCTIONS: Read 2 Corinthians 4:5–6
For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
The apostle Paul cared a lot about the church in Corinth, but it wasn't always a cakewalk. In other places in this letter, we see that the church in Corinth had many internal problems and conflicts, and some of the people in the church also questioned Paul and whether he was an actual, legitimate apostle and leader.
I am sure that Paul felt a bit defensive. I wonder if he ever wanted to stop sharing his story because he had been misunderstood. It would have been easy for him to detach from the people in Corinth. That had to be so frustrating to have his integrity questioned! But he kept being faithful and sharing his story. In this passage, Paul clarifies that he is not preaching to make a name for himself. He is sharing his story to talk about what Jesus has done. As Paul talks about what Jesus did in his life, he reminds the people of Corinth to keep telling the same story! God is inviting us to create rhythms that help us tell our stories, but it doesn't have to be a story we figure out on our own. We are simply joining Jesus in the work he's already doing. When we share the hope and grace of Jesus with our friends and family, we can trust that Jesus will help us. Even if we feel misunderstood, we shouldn't give up. Keep listening to God and each other. We can trust the words of Paul when he says that God's light has shone in our hearts and will give us the knowledge to navigate even the most uncomfortable or unknown situations. We don't share our stories to gain followers and get credit. We serve the one whom our stories point — Jesus. When we do that, it's less awkward for everyone involved because we're not trying to pull off this high-pressure performance. We're simply sharing about the main character in our story and the one who has changed our life. You can
create rhythms to share your story,
create rhythms to share your story,
and when you share your account, you're simply pointing to who Jesus is and what he has done!
NOW WHAT? What does God want us to do about it?
VIDEO | A Clip of Andy Mineo Freestyling
Doing this. . . well can be a real challenge. But we need to look back and remind ourselves what Philip did. Philip used what was already there, listened well, and asked great questions to begin sharing his story — it was a natural process that didn't feel rushed, pushed, or pressured. Watch this video of Andy Mineo, a Christian rapper. See how he uses his gifts to share his story!
INSTRUCTIONS: As a teaching tool, play a clip like this (0:14–2:20) of Andy Mineo freestyling about his story.
Did you see how he shared confidently and naturally? We can do that too! The more you tell your story, the more natural it becomes. Practice makes progress.
ACTIVITY | Freestyled Stories
INSTRUCTIONS: You'll need the slides in your Week 3 folder for this activity. Invite students to practice what they are learning. Have them pair up with a friend or someone they are familiar with. Then, some questions will come up on the screen, encouraging them to share that prompt or finish the sentence by sharing with their friend what they think. Here are some suggested prompts that we already made slides for:
Where did you see God show up lately?
What's something you're learning right now?
What's something you're wondering about God these days?
What would you say if you had ten minutes to share what God has done in your life?
What if you only had five minutes?
How about two minutes?
We saw that Phillip had a rhythm to sharing his story, and this can be a rhythm that we learn too:
PAY ATTENTION TO WHERE GOD IS LEADING:
The Holy Spirit is at work in the world and the lives of your friends. Learn to pay attention to where God is moving and be sensitive to where the Holy Spirit is creating space to have conversations. This means that you will be around people who don't have the same faith as you. Part of following Jesus means being around people who need to hear about what he has done.
LISTEN BEFORE SHARING:
When we don't listen to others, we miss out on what God is already doing in their life. Listen closely and be sensitive to the joys, pains, and everything in between. As you listen, you may be able to be more intentional with how and what you share.
STAY CURIOUS, AND ASK GOOD QUESTIONS:
It is easy to think that because they have experienced something that you or someone you know has gone through that you know how they are feeling or what they are going through. Instead of jumping to that conclusion, stay curious and ask questions like: "How does that make you feel? What was that like? What do you hope for?" or "What do you wish was different?"
HUMBLY AND HONESTLY TALK ABOUT WHAT GOD IS DOING:
Remember that Jesus is the main character in the story. Talk about what God has been doing in your life that may relate to what they are going through. Don't be afraid if it is a little awkward at times. Just remember that this is a conversation and not a monologue. Talk about what God is doing, and let your friends respond. Creating rhythms to share our stories doesn't have to be daunting or high-pressure. We can learn to see God in everything and look for ways to share how God has impacted our lives.
REFLECTION | High And Low Notes
Sometimes we wonder if we have any stories about God to tell. When we reflect on some of our most impactful moments (highs and lows), we realize God was walking with us. We see that both the highs and lows contribute to the stories we hold.
INSTRUCTIONS: For this reflection, print out the handouts included in this week's materials. To reflect, on each one is a blank music staff. Have students think about 4–8 of the most impactful moments of their lives. These can be highs like winning a state championship or getting into their choice college or lows like experiencing their parents' divorce or moving to a new school. Have them draw musical notes on the staff, with low letters representing their difficult times and high notes defining moments of joy. Then, underneath the notes, have the students write down how they experienced God during those times. Consider playing some reflective music as students reflect.
The high and low points of our stories help us recognize how God is shaping our lives and help us see how we are similar to the people around us. When we listen to God and others, they become the stories we can share. You can
create rhythms to share your story
create rhythms to share your story
in small ways every day.
RESPONSE | In The Rhythm Prayer Prompts
INSTRUCTIONS: For this response, before teaching time, prepare additional copies of the In The Rhythm Prayer Prompts for your students that missed last week. Encourage students to continue to talk with God about the ways their stories can be.