Welcome to our 37th weekly online youth group lesson. We wish you an early Merry Christmas and look forward to hopefully having in-person youth group sessions again in the start of the new year.
When we are back in person, we will continue our overview lessons on the book of Revelation, but until then, we have some other things we can tackle … specifically, Romans 12. More on that in a moment.
We’ll kick off with a music video that was used as a rallying cry for our youth group community outreach efforts over the past couple weeks:
Please continue praying for those impacted by COVID — a list that continues to grow, and includes a number of the members of our youth group. In these times, it can be hard to se how COVID fits into God’s bigger picture. In times of question, it is good to be reminded of the message within Romans 8:18-30 … especially focused on the concept of Romans 8:28 (NIV): “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
Sally Sheets had her 11th treatment this week, has her 12th in two weeks and then gets a new work-up and answers on what is next with the pancreatic cancer situation. Please continue to uplift her, Pastor Paul and the entire Sheets family during these times.
As youth group leaders, Michelle and I have been praying that each young person connected to our youth group has a time of renewal and rejuvenation heading into the new year. We are excited about new opportunities, and for the great potential we see in each one of you.
Over the past couple weeks, we have been responding to requests for help from within our greater community, and our youth group/church has directly impacted 63 lives this holiday season.
We provided more than 100 cards to residents of Brookdale Graysonview retirement home … residents that were especially struggling because they were disconnected from family and the rest of the world because of COVID. The activities director recently reached out to thank us for our efforts … she said many of the residents really appreciated their cards and notes of encouragement and that she (the activities director) was blessed by the cards because she wound up contracting COVID and was quarantined away from work and unable to provide programming for the residents. The cards helped fill that gap until she could return. She said that each card may have seemed on the surface as a small thing, but it was a big deal to each person who got them.
One of our youth group moms made a ham pot pie meal complete with homemade bread and cookies … that meal along with an encouraging note was delivered to a home-bound older couple near Mazeppa. Their eyes lit up when they heard they were receiving their favorite meal and they were extremely thankful, saying it was a nice blessing right before Christmas.
Our church caroling team visited two additional homes suggested by one of our AWANA families via our youth outreach initiative that included three older people who have been shut-in quite a while due to COVID. They received cards, homemade bread and apple butter and it was a nice moment of fellowship.
We helped a soon-to-be grandmother/grandfather duo provide a Christmas for their son and his soon-to-be bigger family … all of which have been off work due to COVID related restrictions, disability and other factors. We also helped provide for a young single mom with a 10-month-old son provide a Christmas experience for him despite losing her job due to COVID cutbacks. Part of the assistance for these last two families came via a connection to Wayside Church’s food bank. On Tuesday night, we literally had a van full of food including whole hams, turkeys, breakfast options, canned goods and so much more. It was overwhelming for us and the looks on the faces of each family as they humbly accepted the help was priceless.
It was a great reminder of the potential we hold as an agent of God within the local communities, and that regardless of our own personal situations, we have the opportunity to make a difference. Take a moment to watch the following mini-movie video that ties in with this theme of helping others:
What did you get out of the message? For me, the little dog was inspiring. Despite its limitations and the cruel way the boy first treated the puppy, it never lost site of its mission — to connect with this broken, struggling person. It is a good reminder that even though we may be struggling during this time of COVID, God can still use us beyond our brokenness and limitations to help others.
Over the past couple nights, Michelle, Paige and I have appreciated getting to stop in at each home connected to our youth group. Not everyone was home, but we were happy to drop off a package of appreciation … a small token of our thankfulness for each of you. Within that bag was a book I recently found that involves devotionals and a bible study specifically focused on Romans chapter 12.
Romans 12 is a short chapter — there are only 21 verses — but they provide quite a bit of valuable information on how God wants us to live our lives. We are encouraged to live our lives as a living sacrifice, to provide humble service to others, to show love in our everyday actions. The full text (NIV) of Romans 12 is below to look over in a moment.
But first, in the cards we left for each of you, we shared a common verse from this chapter … Romans 12:11 (NIV): “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”
So many of you in our youth group have been products of a strong children’s ministry at our church via AWANA and other programs. Others have experienced that initial zeal for God in other ways. However, all the worldly strife and issues we face today from COVID to politics to issues of day-to-day living for teenagers in an uncertain time can dull the luster of our faith. Paul, via this verse, encourages us to stay plugged into that “spiritual fervor” by serving the Lord … and one of the ways we can do that is to live out the truths found within Romans 12, especially by serving and helping others in need.
We thank each of our families for stepping up and helping meet the needs God brought to us over the past couple weeks. We are looking for new ways as a youth group to serve others in the coming year. It starts with this bible study we delivered to you. Please take some time to do the five devotionals from the first section over the next week. We will discuss the deeper lesson of that in next week’s online session.
If you feel God sharing anything specific through your time in this study, or need prayer or a time of chatting about anything else, please reach out and let us know. We wish each of you a blessed Christmas tomorrow, and leave you with the text of Romans 12 to read over and pray about:
Romans 12 (NIV)
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Humble Service in the Body of Christ
3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your[a] faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Love in Action
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[c] Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[d] says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”[e]
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
