Versions of Right and Wrong Setting the Stage Read You may be familiar with Aesop's fables. They are a collection of stories, featuring human characters and talking animals, that teach wise lessons about human behavior. Similar teaching tools could be metaphoric presentations or allegories.  Aesop was a legendary figure, perhaps a slave who won his freedom and entertained Greek nobility. His fables were renowned for their "morals," ("so the moral of the story is&ldots;") a concise phrase at the end of the story that summed up the main point and underscored the lesson to be learned. The Scripture passage in this session is what Jesus called a "parable." Parables were stories that Jesus created to teach his disciples and others certain spiritual truths. The parable was filled with details that were familiar to the listeners. The listeners would recognize the setting of the story and the actions of the characters and be drawn in to listen further. Parables relied on the listener interpreting the details for themselves and basing their understanding on their own experiences. Perhaps this teaching method allows the teacher to not be concise in order that the listener experiences open ended understanding, that is, the story has many lessons. As we have learned so far, it is our nature as humans to want to experience everything, good or bad. To listen to another's wisdom is just not in our nature. Too many of us seem to already know the point of the lesson; after hearing only a brief bit, we want to move on. We then fail to realize that by moving to quickly we experience less and still claim to know the correct answers. My challenge to the Journey Groups is as follows: "If you know the answer, then you should behave that way. You should put it into practice." These lessons give everyone the ability to engage in communication, without which we will only be passing time. It's hard to be "Down Wit Dat" if you simply do not know what "DAT" is. Ask: What does it mean to be "Down Wit Dat?" Do I have to say, "Do You Understand?" in order for you to say "I understand"? Tell the Story Road Work, Trek and Journey: Needed: copy of Luke 18:18-27, colored have & have not cards, candy As the youth gather, hand each one a colored card, but stack the deck so that there are twice as many blue cards as red. Announce that those holding red cards will receive special privileges today. The red card holders get the good seats and the blue card holders get the floor. After everyone has found their place, compliment the Red card holders at how well they handled their situation and hand out candy to each of them. Read the story Reacting to the Story Road Work Drama Needed: copies of Aesop's Fables   Divide into as many groups as you have sponsors. Sponsors should pick one of the "fables" and help the youth prepare a drama to present to the others. Each group should have a narrator and as many others as parts in the story. Give each group a chance to perform their rendition of the fable. Have the other group(s) try and guess the moral of the story. After all have preformed, ask which story they liked the best, least, which was hardest to understand, why? Probe as deep as you need or as long as the group can bear. Trek and Journey: Have the less-privileged group (blue) sit in the privileged section. Give them equal candy to the other group at this point. Have the privileged (red) group sit on the floor. Ask the less privileged group (blue) to read this story as a story for the rich man and to consider its message for people like the rich man. Ask the privileged group (red) to read this story as a story for the disciples and to consider its message. Allow a few minutes for the two groups to work on this project separately. Then discuss together the following questions: Was it hard to look at the story this way? What is the message for the rich man? What is the message for disciples? What is the message for us?  Hint: It's not about money and not just about taking care of others. Connecting to the Story Road Work Play the Game, "Changing Places" Each team stand in a single file line next to the carpet where it meets the wood floor. Place tables on the floor as the other side marker of two parallel lines about 18 inches apart. At the signal they must reverse their order without stepping outside the markers. Play the game once by stepping around each other, then by crawling "thru the eye of a needle," between each others legs. Better to do the last way, boys against girls. Say:        This game requires a great deal of teamwork. It is difficult to trade places in line just as in the story. To give up what we know and open our hearts and minds to trust is not easy.  Trek: Needed: copies of Luke 18:18-27   Time to look at this story a little deeper. Divide into three groups. Each group will be looking at the story in a different manor. Literal Assume this story happened exactly as it is written. ·What do we learn from this story? ·Why was it recorded? ·What is its message for us? Allegory Each character represents something else - a group, a type of feeling, and so on. Allegories are written to teach complex truths in simple form. ·The quick answer "All these things I have kept&ldots;" is typical of a "know-it-all." Why? ·What might wealth represent, other than money? ·What is the relationship between verse 19 and verse 27? Legend Pretend that you do not know this story comes from the bible. Imagine that you found it in a collection of Native American creation stories or possibly from ancient Greece. ·What might this story be about? ·What do you learn by thinking this way? Come back together and share the responses. Journey: We are at a time in our lives when we know we are traveling somewhere and have some idea of where we are going. We are all on a life journey. Ask for volunteers to talk about the things that are needed on their life journey. These may include companionship, shelter, support, education and so on. Next explore the story deeper. Think of it as an allegory. Characters and things represents something else - a group, a type of feeling, and so on. Allegories are written to teach complex truths in simple form. Ask the following questions: The quick answer "All these things I have kept&ldots;" is typical of a "know-it-all." Why? What might wealth represent, other than money? What is the relationship between verse 19 and verse 27? Hint: It is in our very nature to do the things we want when we want to do them. Is it difficult to control our own emotions and actions unless we have actual experience? To believe in God is to believe in good without physically seeing, without knowing it all. Living the Story Road Work Play the game, "Money and Food" Needed: two coins, a basket of spoons. Have two equal teams line up single file, one beside the other. At one end of the teams there is a single spoon on the floor and at the other end there is a person from each team with a coin. The two people with the coins begin flipping them and showing the coin to the first person in their line. If the coin is heads nothing happens. If the coin is tails, they "turn tail" and run to the spoon and score one point for their team. The sponsor then replaces another spoon. If it is a race, the winner goes to the back of his/her line and sits down, like all other non-racing spoon-grabbers. The looser returns to the front of his/her line and waits for the next tail to come up. The game continues until every one has had a chance to get a spoon, including the flipper, who is last and flips for himself/herself. After the game ask the following questions: Is it just chance that we have the opportunity to help others? What happens if you are not paying attention when your chance comes up? Will you get another? Trek & Journey Needed: paper and pencil  Close the session by asking how can we apply this lesson to our everyday lives. The leader starts a sentence and the participants then take turns completing it. Have someone write down the way the lesson will help. Give them a few minutes to think of something then begin.  "I can use this lesson to help me&ldots;" Next expand on the list by discussing how it relates. Make sure the list includes "dating" and "belief in God." If needed, also explore "learning from others" and "bad choices."   Prayer  Road Work, Trek & Journey 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.