Josiah: The Kid King It's Your Move Road Work and Trek Groups Pass out cards for prayers and concerns during common meal. These will be read at the end of the session. Gather in the center of the gym, welcome, introduction of guests, make announcements. For Sponsors: Which way are we moving? 1. There are many things that keep us from God 2. Find changes that will help us grow closer to God 3. Act to get rid of one "idol" this week Which Way Are We Moving Road Work & Trek Large Group Game: Trash the Idols Needed: Several large trash bags, as many long tables as there are teams-set up 4 ahead of time. Divide into teams of 10-12 well mixed teams. Have each team pick two members to hold a trash bag open for them. The bag holders will be collecting trash from their team. Where is the trash? Team members are wearing it. The object is for each team to toss as much trash into the bags with out sliding it across the table. Team members may use anything in his or her possession at the time the game is announced, i.e. shoes, bags, coats, anything with out unclothing anyone. Stress again they must keep their pants, undergarments, and shirts ON! Only one item per member may be tossed at time. Then youth must return to the end of his or her line and wait for the next turn. Play for about 2 minutes, or just before they start to run out of acceptable items to through away. The winner is the team with the fullest bag. Explain: Usually the trash we through out is much more gross than this stuff-it's so something we want to stay away from. Today we're going to look at a type of spiritual trash found in the bible. The word in the bible for what we might call spiritual trash is "idol." An idol is anything we put our trust, time, money and energy in apart from God and his word. In biblical days, little carved images were idols. Today idols come in new forms but still draw our trust and focus away from God and fill our lives with garbage. We are going to look at a story in the old testament about a "Kid King" to help us understand why we need to trash the idols in our lives. Divide in to Journey Groups Moving in Road Work  A Really Trashy Game Needed: Stack of paper, trash bags and cans. Divide into two teams, one on each side of a partition. Give each team a stack of paper and instruct each team to make trash balls to toss over the wall. Play for about 2 minutes. The team with the most trash balls on the other teams side is the winner. Play the game again. After stopping play from the above game have teams go to opposite ends of the room. Determine a winning team. Begin play again with the snow balls where the lye. Each team starts from their line and races to fill a trashcan with as many trash balls as possible. The only way to put the trash balls in the trashcan is to shoot it from outside the safety zone. No one may guard their safety zone from raiding opponents. If a missed snowball falls short of the can the opposing team can only pick it up. Play until most of the trash is in the cans. Keep the cans handy for later. Trek Have the youth sit in a circle, make groups of 2 or 3 next to each other. Have them decide which household chore they hate the most and why. Then after a short period, have each group share what they hate the most. Allow each group to share. Say: You know one of the best reasons I became a parent was to teaching my kids to take out the trash! The following is a true story about a "Dirty Little Secret." Read the hand out - Dirty Little Secret Ask: Can you imagine 33,00 pounds of garbage in your home? You might not believe that your own life could ever get as messy as that, but even this mess started out small. It can be the san for spiritual trash, too. Ask: Will someone please share some examples of trash we can find in the lives of students? Some examples, porn, bad habits, selfish attitudes   Trek Cont. Say: The Bible tells us that keeping garbage of any kind in our lives can have serious consequences. The tricky part is that sometimes we want to keep what the Bible calls trash-idols. An idol is anything we trust in place of God and His Word. In biblical days, the idols were carves images or wood or stone. Idols might come in new forms today, but they still draw our trust and focus away from God and fill our lives with garbage. Moving up Road Work Needed: Three identical 50-piece jigsaw puzzles and one copy of the hand out "Josiah." Ahead of time: Set up 3 tables for the puzzles to be worked on by each team. Place each teams pieces at the opposite end of the room. Divide into three teams, one all girls, one all boys, and one mixed. Have each team see how fast they can complete their teams puzzle relay style. Only one team member at a time may run and get one piece to bring back. All team members may help to put the puzzle together. The first team done with the puzzle is the winner. Here's the catch&ldots;only the mixed team can have the puzzle lid with the picture on it. The other teams must do it with out a picture. Break into as many smaller groups as there are sponsors.  Explain: Isn't it easier to do something when you have a guideline to go by? Tonight we are going to read a quick version of 2 Kings 22:1-23:30 that shows the importance of making sure we are following Gods guidelines. Read: The hand out "Josiah." Discuss: Q: Why did Josiah do what he did?     A: He recognized that something was wrong with the lives of his people. They had strayed far from what God had wanted them to be doing. Q: What was wrong with what the people were doing?     A: Josiah realized that only God should be worshiped and the idols were bringing destruction to the land. Q: Why would God be offended by the idols in the kingdom?     A: God desires us to know, love and obey Him so that He can bless us and provide for us. Worshiping anything else draws our attention away from God. Moving up Trek Needed: A copy of the hand out "Josiah." Explain: If you're like me, when you were getting dressed today, you followed a few clothing guidelines, like deciding that you needed to wear TWO shoes, your belt should go through all the belt loops, and your socks should match. Tonight's contest will be to discover who is best at breaking the clothing guidelines. The contest: Divide into two equal groups. Each group should stand in a straight line directly across from someone else (Have a sponsor play if needed to even it up). Give everyone a chance to look at the person across from them. Have both lines turn around, back to back and take two steps apart, then have everyone change something about the way they look to violate the rules. Give everyone a chance to make his or her changes, and then after everyone is ready, have partners turn and face each other. The first one to discover the violation on the other is the winner for the round. LOOOSers sit down. Re-pair and play again until there is one champ.  Explain: When we break simple clothing guidelines, there's usually not much of a consequence. There are other rules that carry much more serious consequences when they are broken. A boy that became king named Josiah learned want can happen when you break God's rules. Read: Hand out "Josiah" Discuss: Q: At first, what was wrong with what the people were doing?     A: Josiah realized that only God should be worshiped and the idols were bringing destruction to the land. Q: Why would God be offended by the idols in the kingdom?     A: God desires us to know, love and obey Him so that He can bless us and provide for us. Worshiping anything else draws our attention away from God.   Q: These days we hear a lot about people being tolerant and accepting other people's beliefs. We see them smokin' pot, "exploring" each other, drinking before the law allows, shopping endlessly, etc. What should we be doing to bring our selves closer to God? A: Let them roll on this one&ldots;Probe using the word "tolerance" to poke them along. You might even see if you can get them to say they can help other "idol" worshipers.  Moving on Road Work  Needed: Paper, index cards, pens, the trashcans. Road Work Cont. Distribute paper and pens; then ask students to write down something that may be becoming an idol in their lives. If they're not sure, you can help by asking them to think of something they wouldn't want to live without for the next week(other than true needs for food, water and shelter). Explain: These things are not necessarily idols, but may represent temptations that could keep them from growing closer to God. An idol is anything that is more important to you than knowing and obeying God. Such as; money entertainment, popularity, grades, physical appearance, possessions, etc. Place a trashcan in the center of the circle and invite the youth to mash up his or her idol and toss it in. After everyone has made the toss and picked up all the misses, pass out an index card to all. Have them write down a way to stay away from their trashed idol this week. Most should be able to find a way to help around the house to keep them busy and away from his or her  idol. Say: The whole family should be wondering what happened at youth this week when they see you helping out instead of wasting time in self-absorption.   Moving on Trek Needed: A sports item, a piggy bank or wallet, a school textbook, a yearbook, a makeup item. Ahead of time: Set the items around the room on various pedestals. Explain: One of the reasons that we don't grow closer to God is because we have thing in our lives that are very important and we think these things will help us to meet the challenges in our lives. (Point out the items around the room) All of things can become idols: The sports item represents special abilities or talents; the wallet represents financial success; the textbook represents the idol of grades or knowledge; the yearbook represents the idol of popularity and friends; the makeup represents the idol of physical appearance. Each of you is challenged to go and stand by the item that represents the greatest temptation to become an idol to you. Please move silently to each item and form a circle around it. Then, after everyone has made their decision, ask them to join hands at each station and take a few moments to pray silently asking Christ for the strength and guidance to avoid idol worship.   Return to the Family Life Center. Moving out Road Work & Trek Quick Questions Read: 1 Corinthians 8:4-6 1Cr 8:4 Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that "an idol has no real existence," and that "there is no God but one." 1Cr 8:5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth--as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"-- 1Cr 8:6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. Which of the following would be the strangest to see?  · A woman bowing to the ATM in the middle of the mall · Your little sister kissing a poster of her favorite actor before she leaves for school · Your best friend spending all of his money to buy CD's of his favorite band · Your neighbor spending a whole Sunday washing, waxing and buffing his car Pretty obvious, isn't it? How about the one that seems the most normal? Which one wouldn't phase you a bit? Even if you don't bow down or pray to something, it still can become an idol. Don't let idols become more to you than your relationship with Jesus!  Prayer and Concerns  Road Work & Trek  Needed: prayer cards, candle and matches. Sit in a big circle. Dim the lights. The leader begins an affirmation by holding the candle and saying "No idol worship" then passing the candle to the right. Continue around until all have participated. Then place the candle in the center of the circle. Have two youth read the prayer and concern cards from common meal by candlelight.  End with "Let us keep these and others in our hearts and minds, Amen" then have everyone join in singing "Sanctuary" Stand join hands, right over left, and say the UMYF benediction.