Unwrapped -2

Intro

Generation Gap

Instructions: Play a quick game that pits students against adults in knowledge about things from each other’s generations. Have students sit together and have the adults sit together. Or choose a representative from each group if you’d prefer to do it up front.

Some possibilities for things to do would be:

For Students:

Take a picture with this camera and then tell us how you’d get your photo (disposable camera)

If you tried to go online in the 90’s, what sound would you have heard?

Successfully dial a phone number on this phone. (give them an old rotary phone)

For the Adults:

Start an instagram live video and document the rest of this game.

Name three famous YouTubers.

Name three internet acronyms that teens actually use, other than “lol.”

When it comes to the technology and culture of the last 50-something years, we are clearly not all qualified in the same areas.

Unqualified

Have you ever felt unqualified to do something that you were asked to do? I have.

It can be awkward when we are unqualified to do something. Maybe you have felt out of your comfort zone when/if:

You were asked to deliver a speech in front of your classmates.

You had to perform a solo in your school choir or orchestra.

A friend came to you in tears, but you weren’t sure how to comfort them.

Someone asked your opinion on a controversial subject and you weren’t sure what to say about it.

Share a story about a time that you were unqualified to do something or weren’t prepared. Or ask a volunteer to do so.

It’s never fun to be thrown into something that we don’t feel prepared or qualified to do. When we feel unqualified, it’s occasionally because we know we really know that we are (which is okay - no one expects you to be an expert or master at everything).

But sometimes we feel unqualified when we don’t need to feel that way. We let the fear of messing up or embarrassing ourselves keep us from doing something we really want to do. When we feel unqualified, we become so aware of our own flaws and shortcomings that we’re afraid to do what’s been asked of us.

But here’s what we need to realize: although we may feel unqualified to share God’s gift, God loves to use ordinary people to share the story of Jesus. Time and time again if you read through the Bible, you will realize that it’s not the most amazing, good-looking, strong, proficient people that God uses to share His story of Love, Mercy, and Grace. Instead, He constantly uses the underdogs, the degenerates, the one’s that have been overlooked…all to accomplish wonders.

How confident do you feel talking about the gift of Jesus with others?

If you weren’t with us at the last Landing, we started a brand new series called Unwrapped where we’re unwrapping the true meaning behind the season of Advent - not Christmas! Like we said last time, Christmas isn’t here yet, but advent is!

Advent is a time to prepare to receive God’s gift. God’s gift isn’t a thing, but a person named Jesus - Someone who has the potential to change all of our lives. Today I want us to talk about what we can do to not just keep that gift to ourselves, but to share that gift with others.

How confident do you feel talking about the gift of Jesus with others?

On a scale of 1-10. *give it a moment.

*give it a moment. Would anyone like to share their answer?

Would anyone like to share their answer?

If we believe that Jesus is the greatest gift of all, why don’t we share that gift more often? I believe we don’t always feel qualified to share about Jesus because...

REASON 1: We know we don’t have all the answers to people’s questions.

REASON 2: We aren’t sure we are the most Jesus-like examples out there.

REASON 3: We are afraid the conversation would be awkward.

REASON 4: I know what I believe but don’t know how to share it.

But what if talking with others about the gift of Jesus wasn’t that complicated? What if you were already qualified to share about the greatest gift the world has ever been given?

You Are Qualified

Look, we all have room to grow. And you don’t have to be perfect to get started. In fact, you don’t even have to be good. You don’t have to know everything about soccer in order to kick a ball around, and you don’t need to be the world’s greatest Jesus-follower to tell someone about the gift of Jesus that you’ve been given. And more than just having the right answers. There are many of us who don’t believe that we are qualified because who is going to listen to someone who:

Has their own secrets that they are ashamed of sharing.

Isn’t exactly winning the popularity contest at school.

Looks, acts, and feels different from everyone else around them.

Honestly isn’t totally sure what they believe.

Whether you’re worried about how much you still need to learn, or how much you still need to grow, or how awkward you sometimes are, it’s okay to be a work in progress.

Let me introduce you to a few ordinary people (and one not-so-ordinary person) who shared the gift of Jesus with others.

Scripture:

Let’s start with the one that is not-so ordinary. John the Baptist was a prophet (someone God used to deliver messages to people). He was Jesus’ cousin, and he was a little odd - even for a prophet. He lived in the desert, ate bugs, and made clothes made out of camels.

Some people may have thought that John was unqualified because of his strangeness, but that didn’t bother John. He continued sharing the gift that he knew was the greatest gift of all - the gift of Jesus.

Read

Who can tell me what that word “repent” means? It means “to turn” or to change your perspective and you ways. It means to turn your life upside down because you know the way you’d been going wasn’t what God wanted for you.

There were skeptics - people who didn’t think much of John himself or of his message. But that was okay with John, and it was okay with the crowds of people who did want to hear John speak. These people were tired of the way things were and were ready for the change that John was promising to them.

John shared the gift of Jesus with others, pointing people to their Savior, and then trusted God to take it from there.

Scripture:

John’s name is one we know well because of the way he shared God’s gift with other people so publicly. But if you pay attention, the Bible is also filled with the stories of ordinary people, like you and me, who shared the gift of God too. These people’s stories haven’t been captured in detail, and they probably weren’t very exciting stories, but that’s the point. When we’re invited to share God’s gift with others, God asks us to share the gift of Jesus in everyday, ordinary ways.

Listen to these two stories:

Read