Overview

Icebreaker: My Favorite Things or Play-Doh Perfection
Bible Reading: Hebrews 11:29-12:2, CEB
Discussion Questions
Active Learning Activity: Run the Faith Race Derby
Prayer

Note to the Teacher

The key phrase in this scripture (for this lesson) is, “So then, with endurance, let’s also run the race that is laid out in front of us, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us.” The lesson concerns how “we are encouraged, in fact, required, to live in community, to live in relationship. Relationships take other people. Community implies other people. We cannot be in a relationship with ourselves or be a community of one.”

The icebreaker encourages youth to prioritize joy over stress, frustration, or perfection. The discussion encourages them to think about their faith and the communities that support them. The activity demonstrates teamwork and how each person can help support others in this race we call life.

Times are based on a fifty-minute lesson period but may be adjusted.

Icebreaker (10 minutes): Exploring joy over stress, frustration, and perfection

Option 1: My Favorite Things (High Tech, Medium Prep)

Supplies: Music Player (CD, TV, Mobile Phone, speakers, etc.), whiteboard or paper and pens

Prep work: Find the song “My Favorite Things” from the Sound of Music – any format, including streaming (“My Favorite Things”). Write the lyrics (or have them pre-written) on a whiteboard or paper so that everyone can see.

Watch or listen to “My Favorite Things” and explain that the Governess Maria is trying to calm the children down (due to a frightening lightning storm) by focusing on things that bring them joy.
Look over the lyrics with the class.
Together, the class will create a new, modern version of the song.
Youth think about things that bring them joy to replace the underlined items.
Youth come up with two things that bring them stress to replace the bold items.
Challenge them to maintain the same number of syllables in each line. (Extra challenge: keep the couplet rhyming scheme.)
When the youth have finished, play the song again and have them sing the new lyrics they created.
Now they can think about all these joyous things the next time they feel stressed.

Option 2: Play-Doh Perfection (No Tech, No Prep)

Supplies: Enough Play-Doh for everyone in the group

Give everyone a container of Play-Doh. Tell them to make their favorite animal. Then tell them whatever they make has to be perfect. Each time they say they are done, challenge them to make it more perfect by making it as realistic as possible. (This means adding fur or scale details, ensuring the eyes have exact pupils and irises, and creating ears, wings, and other features.) Continue to instruct them to strive for perfection, accuracy, and photo-realism. Ask:

How frustrating was it to try to be perfect?
Do you think there is such a thing as true perfection? Why or why not?
How much joy did you have when you first saw that you were going to play with Play-Doh today? Did that joy last throughout the activity?
Jesus is “faith’s pioneer and perfecter.” Because he is perfect, we often “look to Jesus and are reminded how far we have yet to travel to the destination. As soon as we begin to fade, convinced that we are far from the goal and—more than that—incapable of ever reaching it, then we look to Jesus and see an invitation and encouragement. And something more. We see joy.” What would your life look like if, instead of trying to be perfect, you brought joy into the journey of becoming a little more perfect every day?

Bible Reading (5 minutes)

Our scripture reading comes from the Book of Hebrews, which was “written by an unknown hand to an unknown and scattered audience.” This passage discusses the remarkable accomplishments in faith of some Old Testament heroes. It also encourages us to “fix our eyes on Jesus” and live out faith like the witnesses who came before us.

Read Hebrews 11:29-12:2.

Discussion Questions (15 minutes)

Themes: faith community, stories of faith and amazement.

What is easy and what is difficult about being part of a community?
Is there a difference between being a part of a community and being a community?
What might we learn from people who think and act differently from us?
Who do you see leading faithful lives?
Who are some people in this room leading faithful lives? How do they show it?
How can we visibly live out our faith and inspire others in our community?
Talk about a time when your faith led to an amazing experience, or talk about a story you heard about someone else’s faith leading to remarkable change.

Active Learning Activity (15 minutes)

Create cardboard cars and race them in teams

(Adapted from “Toilet Paper Roll Race Car”)

Supplies: Cardboard toilet paper tubes, two toothpicks per car, four plastic water bottle caps per car, one straw per car, a hole puncher, scissors, tape, and markers (for decorating the cars).

Optional: small toys for drivers.

This activity will help students with teamwork and encourage friendly competition. Working together on their cars demonstrates how they are not running the race – living life – alone but can support one another with their creativity, passions, and talents.

1. Pair students or put them in small groups.

2. Each team will design and decorate a car using the provided supplies.

Cut the straw into two pieces, each a little shorter than a toothpick.
Insert one toothpick into each of the two straw pieces.
Punch four holes near the bottom of the tube for the wheel axles. Try to make them as even as possible.
With the toothpicks still inside the straws, insert the straws into the holes of the cardboard tube.
Punch a tiny hole in each of the water bottle caps by using a toothpick or tip of the scissors.
Insert the tips of the toothpicks into the plastic caps to create the wheels.
Decorate the car with markers.
Optional: Cut a hole in the top of the tube to fit a small toy.

3. Create a starting line and a finish line by putting tape on a table.

4. When everyone is ready, begin the race!

Optional: You can have a bracket race by racing two cars at a time. The winner advances to the next round until there is a single final champion.

How did it feel to compete among friends who are part of your community?
How would it feel to compete against strangers?
How can activities like this build community?

Prayer (5 minutes)

Close the session.

Pray with the students, thanking God for the faith communities and examples we have.

Ask if anyone has any joys (things they want to thank God for) and any concerns (things they want to ask God to help with). Ask different students to pray over the joys and concerns to encourage participation from everyone.

Supplies Needed:

Icebreaker (“My Favorite Things” option)