YOUTH GROUP GAME ON THE BIGNESS OF GOD
Bible: Psalm 19:1-2, 6
Bottom Line: In every moment, God's existence, power, wisdom, and goodness, are being declared by creation.
SUPPLIES
- 2 Round plastic tablecloths
- 2 Large buckets
- 2 Large, black garbage bags (at least 50-gallon bags
- Scissors
- Clipboard, paper, and pen
- 50-75 water balloons
- Optional: Purchase a portable water ballon filling station like this one on Amazon.
GAME PREP
This is an outdoor water game, played best in a field or parking lot.
Before students arrive, cut two holes in the bottoms of the large garbage bags.
Make the holes large enough for a student to put their legs through so they can pull up and “wear” their team’s garbage bag – making sure to hold it up, so it doesn't fall down.
Fill 50-75 water balloons, divide in half, and place in two large buckets.
In this game, two students will get very wet – everyone else will get splashed.
Divide students into two teams of equal size.
Have each team stand at one end of your gameplay space.
Next, each team will choose a student that will "wear" a garbage bag for their team.
Have those two students stand at the opposite end of where the teams are standing.
They will need to be at least 15-20 feet from their teams.
Give each team a round, plastic tablecloth and a bucket of balloons.
Also, give a leader the clipboard with paper and pen to keep score of each team’s points throughout the game.
HOW TO PLAY THE GAME
Say: The game we are about to play will require teamwork and communication with your teammates.
It won’t be easy, but I’m sure you will all do a great job!
I have given each team a bucket of water balloons and a plastic tablecloth.
Spread out your tablecloth and have your team gather around so that everyone is holding the edge, all the way around.
Each team will chose a person to represent their team by wearing a garbage bag.
When I say GO, your team will toss a water balloon onto your team’s tablecloth.
You will work together and use the tablecloth to catapult the water balloon into the air and into the garbage bag your teammate is wearing.
That person can move around freely to catch the water balloon.
You will get 1 point for landing a balloon in your team’s garbage bag and 2 additional points if the balloon stays intact and doesn’t break after your teammate catches it in their garbage bag.
The game is over when the teams are out of water balloons.
The team, with the most points, wins the game!
TEACH
Say: You discovered very quickly that the only way to play that game well was to communicate and work together.
I had previously mentioned that you would need to work together, but you had to figure that out on your own.
In life, communication is important. And it's particularly hard when you want to say something to someone...but for whatever reason they just don't get it.
I want to take a quick survey…
Raise your hand if you have ever experienced “pareidolia.”
You might have no idea what that word means, but most, if not all of us, have participated in this activity before.
An example of pareidolia is looking at the clouds in the sky and seeing shapes and objects that aren't there.
Who knew there was a name for that?
Most of us have had experienced this when we’re lying on the beach, or staring out the window in a car, looking at the clouds, and suddenly you can see the shape of an elephant, or Mickey Mouse, or a dinosaur.
You might have even tried to convince someone else that it’s really there in the clouds so that they can see it too.
And it can be frustrating when they can’t see it!
The thing is – you can’t make someone else see something that hasn’t been revealed to them.
They have to see it for themselves.
Read Psalm 19:1-2 & 6
The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak, night after night they make him known.
(6) The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end.
Nothing can hide from its heat.
In this scripture passage, King David is looking at the sky, and he is observing the beauty of God's creation.
What we see in nature is meant to continually show us that God exists and tell us how amazing of a Creator He truly is.
The more we know about the world around us, the more glory (or fame) we should give to God.
In every moment, God's existence, power, wisdom, and goodness, are being declared by creation.
Verse 2 says, “Day after day… night after night they make him known.”
It’s like a continuous story of God’s greatness that is being told by all of his creation.
Verse 6 talks about the movement of the sun and how the Heavens follow its course from sunrise to sunset every day.
During the summer months, we break out the SPF 100+ and try our best to get bronzed, but not burnt.
It's hot, sweaty, and often, miserable.
The sun’s ultraviolet rays provide Vitamin D, which keeps our bones healthy, but exposure to the sun can also be dangerous.
Staring at the sun can cause blindness.
If you are out in the sun and lose too much salt and water in your body, you can suffer from heat exhaustion or even heat stroke.
And probably most of us have had a sunburn at some point in our lives.
So, why am I telling you about the dangers of the sun?
Because just knowing about worst case sun scenarios isn’t enough – you have to understand, acknowledge, and react to their existence.
Raise your hand if you know that you can get a sunburn if you’re out in the sun all day.
That’s all of us.
Now, raise your hand if you have ever had a sunburn.
Again, that’s all of us.
(If it isn’t everyone, just comment on how many people raised their hands.)
When we look at the sun and other aspects of nature, we see the handiwork of God.
It's not just a bunch of random stuff that has appeared all over the earth, but a designed plan for creation.
But seeing it isn’t enough.
The entire world can see the sky, sun, and moon, but that doesn’t mean they acknowledge its creator.
From the beginning of time, God has been reaching out to man through nature, His Word, prophets, and Jesus, but there are still those who choose not to worship Him.
There is a danger of not recognizing God in our lives, and that starts with the lost opportunity to have a relationship with Him.
Ask: How does having a relationship with God affect your life?
Allow a few responses from students.
Knowing God changes everything about your life – the way you think, interact with others, how you manage your time, and how you will spend eternity.
When you follow Jesus, God directs and guides you to make good decisions.
And as you study His Word and pray, you start to think and act like God.
Sin separates us, but God's grace and mercy allow us to come close to Him.
So, when you don’t have a relationship with God, your life is very different.
Instead of being guided by God, you are led by your own wisdom and knowledge, and in case you didn’t know, you don’t know as much as God.
A life without a relationship with God is empty because the part of you that was created only to be filled by Him is never fulfilled.
God has desired to reconcile our relationship with Him since it was broken, to the extent that even creation is calling us back to God.
This summer, when you're enjoying the warmth of a hot, summer’s day, think about how God placed the sun in the sky to remind you how amazing He is and how much He loves you.
End lesson.