Apex United Methodist Church
Sunday Night Youth Curriculum
2016-2017
Part 2: From Exodus to the Prophets
The Stories of Israel
Spring 2017
Story of God, Story of Us
Apex UMC Youth / 2016-2017
Table of Contents
5. Community: Liberation from Bondage ..................................................... 2
6. Conquest: A God of Violence?................................................................... 4
7. Crown: Like God or Like Others? ............................................................. 6
8. Conceit: Called by God ............................................................................. 8
Spring 2017 Sunday Night Schedule
6:00-7:30
Jan. 22
Jan. 29
Feb. 5
Feb. 12
Feb. 19
Feb. 26
Mar. 5
Mar. 12
Mar. 19
Mar. 26
Apr. 2
Apr. 9
Apr. 16
Apr. 23
Apr. 30
May 7
May 14
May 21
Youth Kickoff – All Youth in CLC Gym
Lesson 5 – Community
Super Bowl – No Regular Youth
Lesson 6 – Conquest
Lesson 7 – Crown
Lesson 8 – Conceit
MS Slime Olympics / HS Small Group Outings
Lesson 9 – Christ
Lesson 10 – Christ
Lesson 11 – Cross: Death
Lesson 12 – Cross: Resurrection
Spring Break – No Youth
Easter – No Youth
Lesson 13 – Church: Pentecost
Lesson 14 – Church: Baptism
Lesson 15 – Consummation
Youth Sunday Practice
Youth Sunday – No Youth
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Story of God, Story of Us
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Community: Liberation from Bondage
Opening Reflection:
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What does ‘liberation’ mean?
o What are some historical examples of people being liberated/set free from
something?
Last semester we heard the stories of our beginnings: God creating humanity in God’s own image,
made for community with God and one another; sin breaking/disrupting that community; God
remaining faithful by calling Abraham & Sarah, blessing them to be a blessing to the world; and God
working through the brokenness of Joseph’s family to redeem and restore the world. This week, we
begin our journey through the rest of the Old Testament. Joseph’s family, the Israelites who have
been living in Egypt, were happy for the longest time. But a new Pharaoh came into power who did
not know Joseph, saw the great number of Israelite people, became afraid of them, and made them
slaves. Once again, God acts to redeem the world, using Moses to liberate God’s people and lead
them to salvation.
Scripture Reflection:
Exodus 2:23-25
23After a long time the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned under their slavery, and
cried out. Out of the slavery their cry for help rose up to God. 24God heard their groaning, and God
remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25God looked upon the Israelites, and God
took notice of them.
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What moves/motivates God to action?
o What can we learn from this about who God is?
o What can we learn from this about God’s relationship with us?
What is the covenant God has remembered? (Gen. 17:7-9)
o How does this place the Israelites within the previous stories of God and humanity
we read in Genesis?
Exodus 3:1-10
1Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock
beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2There the angel of the Lord
appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not
consumed. 3Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is
not burned up.” 4When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the
bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the
sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6He said further, “I
am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses
hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. 7Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my
people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their
sufferings, 8and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of
that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the
Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9The cry of the
Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. 10So come, I will
send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”
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Story of God, Story of Us
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Apex UMC Youth / 2016-2017
Having heard the cries of the Israelites, how does God choose to bring about their
liberation?
o Why do you think God chose to use Moses (and Aaron and Miriam) to liberate
God’s people?
o Who else throughout history has God used to liberate those who cry out to God
under slavery and oppression?
§ Harriet Tubman and Martin Luther King, Jr. have both often been
described as Moses-figures. What might it mean to read their legacies in
light of God’s liberating work through Moses in the Exodus?
Why do you think Moses had to “turn aside” (v.3) in order to fully encounter God?
o Is it ever difficult to see and experience God when life gets busy?
o What might we need to “turn aside” from in order to hear God’s call?
Life Application & Challenge:
God came down. Once again, we are reminded by our story that we do not worship a God
who is distant and far off but a God who draws near, a God who hears our cries, a God who cares
about us. A God who comes down to deliver us from the power of those things that keep us in slavery
and bondage. God is a God who is for us and with us, Emmanuel.
The Exodus, God’s liberation of the people from slavery in Egypt, is central to understanding
God’s mighty acts in the world. God’s mission is one of liberation, and God’s people are called to
partner with God in bringing liberation to all those who live in slavery and oppression – yes, even
today.
•
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What keeps us in slavery and bondage today?
o What might God be seeking to liberate/release you from?
How is God calling you to be an agent of liberation for others?
o How might you “turn aside” from the busy-ness of life in order to encounter the
God who is calling you?
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Story of God, Story of Us
Apex UMC Youth / 2016-2017
Conquest: A God of Violence?
Opening Reflection:
•
Are there ever circumstances where it is ‘right,’ ‘acceptable,’ or ‘allowable’ for a
Christian to kill another person?
o Does God ever condone killing? (Consider: War, Death Penalty, Self Defense)
Last week we recalled the story of God using Moses to liberate God’s people, leading them out of
slavery in Egypt and into freedom in the Promised Land. In the desert at Mt. Sinai, the people entered
into a new covenant with God (the Ten Commandments), but still acted-out; this time they broke the
newly instated second commandment and made an idol, the golden calf, again disobeying the God
who remains faithful to them. This week we hear the story of the “conquest” of the Promised Land,
considering what it means to own a story that includes violence and bloodshed in the name of God.
Scripture Reflection:
Joshua 6:20-27
Context: Joshua has succeeded Moses as the leader of the Israelites and they are entering the
Promised Land, preparing to overtake Jericho, the first city standing in their way.
20So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound
of the trumpets, they raised a great shout, and the wall fell down flat; so the people charged straight
ahead into the city and captured it. 21Then they devoted to destruction by the edge of the sword all in
the city, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.
22Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house, and
bring the woman out of it and all who belong to her, as you swore to her.” 23So the young men who
had been spies went in and brought Rahab out, along with her father, her mother, her brothers, and all
who belonged to her—they brought all her kindred out—and set them outside the camp of Israel.
24They burned down the city, and everything in it; only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze
and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. 25But Rahab the prostitute, with her
family and all who belonged to her, Joshua spared. Her family has lived in Israel ever since. For she
hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
26Joshua then pronounced this oath, saying, “Cursed before the Lord be anyone who tries to
build this city—this Jericho! At the cost of his firstborn he shall lay its foundation, and at the cost of
his youngest he shall set up its gates!” 27So the Lord was with Joshua; and his fame was in all the
land.
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What stands out to you in this passage? Does anything about it unsettle you or make you
uneasy?
Why were the Israelites invading Jericho?
o Do you think they correctly interpreted God’s will? Why or why not?
o Could their interpretation of God’s will have been perverted/distorted by a
personal desire for land, money, power, etc.? How so?
§ What are instances throughout history of Christians distorting God’s will
for their own purposes? (The Crusades, Colonial & Antebellum Slavery,
American Indian Reservations, the Holocaust)
§ Does this still happen today?
What do you make of Joshua commanding the Israelites to save Rahab?
o What part did Rahan play in God’s plan? (Cf. Matthew 1:5)
o Did she serve God’s will? How so?
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Story of God, Story of Us
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Apex UMC Youth / 2016-2017
What do you make of v. 27?
o What does it mean for Scripture to say that the leader who oversaw the genocide of
a city had the support of the Lord with him?
o Can we act against God’s will and still have the Lord with us? How so?
Life Application & Challenge:
Beginning with Abraham, God had long promised this land would be a place of peace and
prosperity for God’s people. The “land flowing with milk and honey” would be a place that was to
give the world a glimpse of the Garden of Eden, where human beings lived in perfect communion
with one another and with God. However, we see in Joshua that humanity is still prone to
misunderstanding, even distorting, the will of God – even while attempting to faithfully follow God’s
call. As uncomfortable as it may make us, this is part of our story. The slaughter of Jericho, the
Crusades, Christian churches condoning slavery, clergy who ran the Klan – all of these events in one
way or another define what it means to be “the people of God.”
•
•
Throughout the world today, where do people use God/God’s will in order to do things
that seem contrary to God’s desire for the world?
o What might we do in response?
Where are instances where we are prone to distort/misinterpret God’s will and use it for
our own interests?
o How might we protect ourselves against this?
After the “conquest” of Jericho, the people of Israel entered a period called “the cycle of the
judges.” A foreign land would come and oppress the people of Israel, the people would cry out to
God, God would send a judge, the judge would deliver the people, and the people would repent –
then they would fall back into their ways and the cycle would continue.
Yet, God’s mission remains to mend a broken universe; God will not abandon creation to the
suffering that humanity’s sin has brought upon it. God’s plan to mend the universe is to bless the
whole world through God’s people, the children of Israel. But, God understands God’s people are
prone to succumb to the temptations that seem to assail us from all sides. Despite the atrocity
committed by the people in the name of God in Jericho, God remained faithful. Thus, we see once
again that despite even our most abhorrent distortions of God’s loving faithfulness, God continues to
call us back once more to life in perfect love.”
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Story of God, Story of Us
Apex UMC Youth / 2016-2017
Crown: Like God or Like Others?
Opening Reflection:
•
Who are your role models in life?
o Who do you look to for advice/models for: how to live, fashion advice, study
habits, work ethic, life goals, etc.?
o Why do you look to these particular people? What qualities make them good
exemplars/leaders?
Last week we heard to story of the people of Israel making their way into the Promised Land. We
reflected on the story of Jericho, when the Israelites used violence to achieve what they believed to be
God’s will, so that the people of Israel could establish a nation and be a “people who are set apart.”
As they established their nation (and still acted out against God’s will), they looked around and
noticed all the other nations had kings… Becoming jealous, they went to Samuel, the last of the
judges, and asked for a king, no longer content with having God as their King.
Scripture Reflection:
1 Samuel 8:1-22
1When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2The name of his firstborn
son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beer-sheba. 3Yet his sons did
not follow in his ways, but turned aside after gain; they took bribes and perverted justice.
4Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5and said to
him, “You are old and your sons do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern
us, like other nations.” 6But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to govern
us.” Samuel prayed to the Lord, 7and the Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all
that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over
them. 8Just as they have done to me, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day,
forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you. 9Now then, listen to their voice;
only—you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over
them.”
10So Samuel reported all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king.
He
said,
“These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and
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appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; 12and he will
appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his
ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.
13He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14He will take the best of your
fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers. 15He will take one-tenth of
your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers. 16He will take your male
and female slaves, and the best of your cattle and donkeys, and put them to his work. 17He will take
one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18And in that day you will cry out because of
your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
19But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; they said, “No! but we are
determined to have a king over us, 20so that we also may be like other nations, and that our king may
govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21When Samuel had heard all the words of the
people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. 22The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice
and set a king over them.” Samuel then said to the people of Israel, “Each of you return home.”
•
What is going on in this passage?
o Why do the people ask Samuel for a king?
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Story of God, Story of Us
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Apex UMC Youth / 2016-2017
Reread vv.7-8: What does it mean for the people to reject God?
o Is there a difference between rejecting God and being dissatisfied with God’s
provisions for us? How so?
What does God warn Samuel & the people will happen if they receive a king other than
God?
o Why do you think the Israelites insist on having a king, even after Samuel warns
them of what the king will do?
o Have you ever experienced someone knowing the negative consequences of an
action and choosing the action anyway?
§ Why do you think we do this?
Why do you think God relents and gives the people a king, knowing all the bad things that
will occur?
o What does this tell us about who God is? About the ways God meets us and
remains faithful even in our stubbornness?
Life Application & Challenge:
Instead of embracing their unique role in the world as God’s people, our ancestors wanted to
be ‘like all the other nations.’ So, once more, God met them where they were and gave them their
king. The Israelites transition from serving a God on-the-move (in the tabernacle/tent) to a
domesticated God (in the Temple), from being a group of slaves who serve a liberating God (Exodus)
to a people in power who make slaves of their own (Solomon’s conscripted labor force to build the
Temple), from identifying with the poor and powerless (nomads in the desert) to a people with
mountains of gold and the greatest armed forces in the land. In short, the more God’s people seek to
be “like all the other nations,” the further away they move from God’s vision for who they are called
to be.
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In what ways do we seek to “be like the other nations’? What ideals do we strive after that
are modeled by someone other than God?
o How do these lead us away from being the people God calls us to be?
Saul, David, and Solomon are often considered the “great kings of Israel” – and in
comparison to all the others, they were. But, each of them also did some terrible things, turning
themselves and their people further away from God. This is often true in our own lives still today. In
our attempts to model and create ourselves in our own image, or the image of “the other nations,” we
find ourselves further and further away from resting in our identity as those created in the image of
God.
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Story of God, Story of Us
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Conceit: Called by God
Opening Reflection:
•
What does it mean to be ‘called’ by God?
o What types of people does God ‘call’?
o What does God call them to do?
Last week we discussed Israel’s “great” kings as they sought to become “like the other nations”
around them. This week we hear the last portion of our story before the Story of God makes a
decisive shift. Solomon, the last of the “great” kings, forces his people to build the Temple through
conscripted labor (i.e. slavery). Before his death, Solomon appoints his son Rehoboam as king.
Unfortunately, Rehoboam was no better than his father and lives into the same tyranny as Solomon.
Eventually, he forces a civil war and the ten northern tribes of Israel split off, leaving Judah and
Benjamin in the south. Throughout the wars and the outside forces who come to oppress God’s
people, a small but faithful group of unlikely people called prophets speak God’s truth once more,
attempting to call God’s people back to faithful obedience to God and God’s covenantal love.
Scripture Reflection:
Jeremiah 1:4-10
4Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, 5“Before I formed you in the womb I knew
you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” 6Then I
said, “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy,” 7But the Lord said to
me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak
whatever I command you. 8Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.”
9Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, “Now I have
put my words in your mouth. 10See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up
and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
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How does God call Jeremiah?
o Why do you think he starts out by reassuring him? (‘I knew you…I consecrated you…I
appointed you…)
§ Do you think this gives Jeremiah reassurance about his call? Why or why not?
What is Jeremiah’s response to God’s call?
o Does he doubt himself? Why might this be?
o Why might Jeremiah be nervous about being so young?
§ Why do you think God chose to use someone so young to speak to God’s
people?
o Prophets are often nervous about speaking God’s words to other people (think of
Moses at the burning bush) – Why do you think this is?
§ Would it make you nervous to be speaking on behalf of God to other people?
Why?
How does God address Jeremiah’s doubts?
o What does it mean for God to be with Jeremiah, even when he doubts himself?
o What might it mean for God to “put his words in Jeremiah’s mouth”?
§ Is this a big responsibility? How so?
Life Application & Challenge:
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Story of God, Story of Us
Apex UMC Youth / 2016-2017
Jeremiah has to deliver a difficult message to God’s people – that because of their sin and
continual turning away from God they will experience great suffering and generations of exile in
foreign lands under foreign rulers. This is a message Jeremiah is attacked for, even shunned from his
community, and Jeremiah questions God again and again – and again and again God reassures
Jeremiah that he is the one called by God to speak to God’s people. Even through turmoil, tribulation,
and doubt, God remains faithful – to Jeremiah and to the people of Israel.
•
Do you ever have doubts about God’s call on your life?
o What are some of those doubts?
o How might God be working to help you overcome those doubts?
The people of God eventually had to bear the consequence of their disloyalty to God (not because
God was punishing them, but because they continued to choose a way contrary to what God wanted
for them). If the Exodus was the pivotal story of the people’s departure from slavery to the Promised
Land, exile was the pivotal story of the people’s departure from the Promised Land back into slavery.
The consequences of our choices cannot always be avoided—as the prophets so often reminded us.
Yet, through it all, God’s hesed (faithful love), God’s covenant loyalty, always moves us from exile
to exodus. This is not something God reserves to be the story of a single people, but the story for the
whole world. It is the story God is writing today, for God never leaves God’s people or God’s world
in exile for long….
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