Leader Hack: School shootings or other community violence can stir up a wide range of emotions in all of us. In the wake of the recent news from Uvalde, Texas, so fast on the heels of shootings in Dallas, Buffalo, and Laguna Woods just last week, you and the students in your group might be feeling any of these emotions, or all of them at once.
For your group time there will be questions for which you don’t have answers. Here’s a useful response to keep handy: “I don’t know, but…” There are a number of ways to access the power of this phrase to hold a safe space with a teenager:
I don’t know, but …
… that’s an important question.
… I wonder that, too.
… thanks for sharing it with me.
… how about we meet again later to talk about it again?
Questions from the Gathering
I will ask students to journal a few thoughts to some questions during our gathering time. When you get into a group ask the students in your group what they wrote down. Take your time to listen and resist the urge to jump to an answer. Use the “I don’t know but responses in the list I provided.
- When tragedy happens I ________________
- I get ________________ at God when tragedy happens
- I struggle to trust God when ____________________
- The question or questions I have about tragedies is _______________
Learning To Lament
Common spiritual reactions to tragedy include anger at God, questioning God, and struggling to trust God. The most appropriate response to these kinds of reactions is to lament. Lament is a God-given tool to pray and worship our way through pain and tragedy. While uncomfortable and sometimes awkward to read, the psalms of lament (there are over 65 of them) in the Bible give us language for crying out to God in ways we might not normally find acceptable.
Read Psalm 13
1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
3 Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
4 and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing the Lord’s praise,
for he has been good to me.
Ask reflection questions
- Is it okay to say these kinds of things to God?
- What emotions bubbled to the surface?
- Where could this kind of prayer go from here?
- What does verse 5 signify? What happens in verse 5?
Prayer
Spend time praying together as you wrap up group time. Here is a verse to use for your prayer time.
Lamentations 3:21-24
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.'”
Whats Happening!?
Red River Gorge
Summer Trip June 13-16 This summer the high school ministry heading on an outdoor adventure to experience God through the natural beauty of His creation. On Monday, June 13, 2022, we will venture into the wilderness of Red River Gorge KY. While we are there we will carve out space for mediation, prayer, time with Jesus, physical challenge, and conversations all geared to help us grow in our intimacy with Jesus. We will return on Thursday, June 16. Space is limited! Register Here!
Summer Calendar
- June 7 Summer Kick off!
- June 13-16 Red River Gorge (We will not Gather on Tuesday June 14th)
- July 5 – No gatheirng.
- July 12 Boat Wars!
- July 26 Beach Day!