Sensational Tabloids Setting the Stage Read The story of "Doubting Thomas" is one of the more well-known accounts of the resurrected Christ appearing to the disciples. For reasons that are not clearly explained in John's Gospel, Thomas was not present when Jesus first appeared to his followers following the resurrection. This resurrection appearance was amazing in itself - Jesus came to the disciples behind locked doors. The other disciples shared the good news with Thomas, saying "we have seen the Lord," but Thomas refused to believe unless he saw the risen Lord himself. Perhaps this description of Thomas is not fair, for Thomas certainly was not alone in his questions. Thomas serves an important function in John's account of Jesus' resurrection. Like Thomas, readers of John's Gospel were not present when Jesus arose from the grave. They did not see the first resurrection appearance with their own eyes. Through Thomas, the reader is invited to touch the scars of crucifixion and remove any doubt that Christ arose. Rather than looking down on Thomas for his weak faith, perhaps we should recognize that he was the only person among the disciples who can give us, today, the reality of the resurrection. Through Thomas we are able to better understand what it is to not see for ourselves and understand. The story of Thomas in John's Gospel makes clear in a summation of who and what Jesus really is. As Thomas actually touches Jesus, he says "my Lord and my God."  The "blessing" that follows this statement is arguably the point of the entire gospel. Jesus is the Lord and God both of those who see and believe and of those who do not see and still believe.    Tell the Story Road Work, Trek and Journey: Needed: Copy of John 20:19-29 Read the story. Setting the Stage Road Work, Trek and Journey: Needed: Tabloids, blank paper, markers Break up into teams of 5 or 6. Have available a collection of tabloid newspapers on tables in your meeting area. Have blank sheets of paper available as well. Have the youth create a front page layout of their own. Give examples like: "The Amazing Common Meal Diet, Loose up to 20 pounds in one week!" or "Teens Imprisoned in Church Building, Must Work all Night to be Released." This is a sensational lock-in description. Point out that usually a portion of the sensational story is true but just twisted a little.  Reacting to the Story Road Work: While the group is working on their "tabloid layouts," set up chairs in rows like a news conference. Give a note card and a pencil to the youth and invite them to pretend that they are reporters who have gathered to hear breaking news. Read  Rumors have been circulating that Jesus of Nazareth has risen from the dead. Some of his followers have seen him and even touched his wounds. One of his followers has prepared a statement describing this event. Please hold all questions until the completion of the reading. Again, read John 20:19-29. Take Questions at the end of the reading. Try to reread any part that might answer a question.  If the text does not provide an answer for a particular question, tell them that you do not have that information at this time. Other answers could be; "No comment," I am not taking questions on that at this juncture." Reacting to the Story Trek: Needed: paper, pencils, Bibles Form Four teams and give each a paper, pencils and a Bible. Assign each team one of the versions of the Easter story: Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, or John 20-21. Allow time for each team to read their version of the story and list all the people mentioned who saw Jesus after he rose from the dead. After the teams have finished their research, have them share their list with the rest of the group.  Make a master list of the people who saw Jesus from all the versions. As a group, talk together about the following questions: ·Which version of the Easter story seems most unusual? Why? ·How do the stories differ? ·How are they the same? ·Which version surprised you the most? Why? ·How does this activity affect your understanding of the resurrection of Jesus? ·What do you believe about Jesus' resurrection?   Reacting to the Story Journey: Ask the following questions. ·How are conversations at school like "tabloid papers?"  ·How do you know what stories to believe? ·If someone tells you that drugs are the coolest thing since icebergs, how do you know that they are or aren't? ·If someone tells you that your relationship can only grow by becoming more intimate, do you need to try place your fingers in the wounds to know this is not the way?    Connecting to the Story Road Work: Play the game: Why and Because Give everyone in the group a pencil and a 3x5 card. Have them write a question beginning with the word "why." Collect them. Now have everyone write out answers on cards that begin with "because." Collect them. Redistribute them at random and have kids read the questions they receive along with the answer. Connecting to the Story Trek: Needed: Index cards, pencils, Bibles Inform the participants that they will be dividing up into groups as a way of preparing themselves for a debate. Try teams of four or whatever seems appropriate for the group. Try to have at least three teams. The topic for today will be "Freedom of Speech." Pro- All people should we be able to say the thing they want to say regardless of proof or not. Con- Proof must be on file before any action, spoken or written, may be presented to the public.  Allow each group to devise a plan of why they think this topic is "just" or "unjust." After a few minutes for the groups to talk among themselves, bring the teams together and explain the debate rules.  Flip a coin to see if pro or con starts. One speaker at a time will stand before the group and make their statement. Then it is time for rebuttal. Have the teams take turns making their point. Each side should have four chances to speak. The team that must watch the first round will choose the winner, then they will start again, against the winner, pro or con. Connecting to the Story Journey: Read Where do we get the correct answers? We make decisions about right and wrong automatically in our daily lives. These decisions are probably based on our living environment and are  derived from what we have been told and not experienced. Without a guide or experience we have nothing to base our decisions on except for our own selfish desires. The Bible records a famous example of the human tendency to want to make moral decisions on our own, without referring to or submitting to any outside standards.      Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord had made. He said to woman, "Did God really say, 'you must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"      The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'you must not eat from the tree that is in the middle of the garden&ldots;'"      "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."      When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye&ldots; she took some and ate it. (Gen. 3:1-6)   How does the story of "Doubting Thomas" relate to the one you just heard? Do you have to experience it to know that it was wrong? Can you learn from the experience of others? Is the Bible a written record of the experiences of others? Does God care that we all have a tendency to want to experience things before we believe them?   Stretching the Story  Road Work: If you need fill time, tell the youth you will need to make a delivery system to get their "Sensational Tabloids" to the public. Have them make paper airplanes out of the tabloids and have contests. Furthest, Coolest looking, Best loops, Most likely to return&ldots; Living the Story  Road Work, Trek & Journey: Close by reminding the youth that Thomas is often remembered as "Doubting Thomas." That is probably not the way he would have wanted to be remembered, and the youth may have decided that is not a fair description of his faith in Christ. Ask the youth to consider how they want people to remember them in relationship to their faith. What name do they want others to give them? Invite youth, who are willing, to share this name with the rest of the group. Close with prayer. Thank God for Thomas's example and ask God to help us to be faithful as we ask questions and seek to follow Jesus. PRAYER: Invite the youth to join hands and offer a few words of prayer if they want. The leader starts the prayer, then squeezes the hand of the person to the left to indicate their turn, if they do not wish to speak just pass the squeeze and so on, until the squeeze gets back to the first person.