For use with devozine meditations for December 26–31, 2011. Print-Friendly Version
MAKING THE CONNECTION
“I grew up in the suburbs and tried to fit neatly into the preppy stereotype. The summer between my eighth- and ninth-grade years, I moved to a small town with a small school full of kids who worked on ranches and farms. When I walked into my new school wearing penny loafers, argyle socks, and polo shirts with the collar up, I instantly became a target. The next two years were hellacious for me because the box in which I had comfortably resided wasn’t valued in my new environment.
“Unfortunately, the lesson I learned was to look for other boxes to fit into. I became a football player to avoid getting beaten up during P.E. class. I became a heavy drinker because it seemed to impress the cool kids. I got involved in the youth group at church because it impressed my parents and kept them off my back. I got into all sorts of boxes for particular audiences, even when some of those boxes didn’t fit or were incompatible with other boxes.” —Will
MEET THE WRITER
Will Penner has been in ministry with young people for two decades in Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian churches, in public and private schools, and as a popular speaker at youth retreats, camps, and conferences. He has served as the editor of both leading professional journals of youth ministry and has authored or edited books and youth ministry curricula. Most important, he is the husband of Christine Penner, Children’s Minister at First United Methodist Church in Dickson, Tennessee, and the father of five children ranging in age from two to nineteen.
STUFF YOU WILL NEED
- 5–6 sheets of newsprint
- markers
- your choice from the list below for the “Sharing in Prayer” exercise
1. one large cardboard appliance box for the group to share
2. a small box for each person
3. paper and a pen for each person
PLUGGED IN
+ The Archnemesis has a funny list of ten “lesser known high school cliques.” Be aware that the language is racy, so you won’t want to display this on a laptop or copy and paste it into a handout for your group. But the site is amusing and good fodder for ways to think outside the box, beyond the cliques popularized by Hollywood.
+ “Mime Basics: Trapped in a Box in Mime” is a basic how-to video of a mime doing the clichéd “trapped in a box” bit. Depending upon the willingness of the group, this or a similar video could provide a fun lead-in to this discussion. You could also encourage people to try this mime themselves.
CHECKING IN
Before the session, post five or six blank sheets of newsprint on the wall.
When everyone has arrived, choose one person to label each sheet of newsprint as you direct and to record each of the words the group members suggest as you move through the following exercise.
Begin by having your scribe write “high school cliques” on the first sheet of newsprint. Then ask these questions:
What are labels used to describe different groups in your school? (for example: jocks, nerds, band geeks, preppies, goths, junkies, thugs)
Do you feel as if you fit into these categories? (Ideally, the discussion will lead the kids to suggest that they don’t fit neatly into any one group; if not, push the discussion that way.)
If you feel comfortable doing so, expand the discussion by asking what labels people use to describe politicians and their followers (conservative, liberal, bleeding-heart, yellow-dog) or political positions (pro-choice versus pro-life). If you or your group members are not particularly politically savvy, move on to the next sheet.
Instruct the scribe to label the next sheet of newsprint “Christians.” Then ask:
How do people characterize Christian teenagers, congregations, or denominations? (believers, Jesus Freaks, holy rollers, Bible-thumpers)
What are labels that Christians use to separate themselves from other Christians? (Bible-believing, born-again, spirit-filled, evangelical, liberal)
Instruct the scribe to label another sheet of newsprint “adults.” Ask:
How do adults differentiate themselves from one another? (gender, age groupings, race, occupation, social status)
What are different roles adults play? (parent, sibling, child, aunt/uncle, employee, employer, citizen, church member, church leader)
Suggest that putting a label on something or someone states not only what the object is but also what it is not. Invite discussion:
In what ways do some of the labels we wear become boxes that protect us from having other people hurt us or misinterpret us?
In what ways do we wear these labels as badges of identity or honor?
In what ways do labels or boxes serve to keep other people at a distance?
How can they create miscommunication?
How can they hinder us from being completely available for God to use?
EXPLORING THE WORD
Scripture: Galatians 3:23–29, Romans 8:14–17, John 1:12, Ephesians 3:5–6, 1 John 3:1
Ask a volunteer to read aloud Galatians 3:23–29. Then instruct the scribe to label another sheet of newsprint “boxes to break.” Ask:
What boxes does Paul want the Galatians to break? (racial identity—Jew vs. Greek; gender roles—male vs. female; social status—slave vs. free)
Why did Paul choose to mention these specifically? (In all three cases, the predominant culture favored one over the other, leading to abuses of power.)
If Paul were to speak to us as a group, what boxes would he tell us to break?
Invite one or more volunteers to read aloud Romans 8:14–17, John 1:12, Ephesians 3:5–6, and 1 John 3:1 (passages related to our being children of God and heirs to God’s promises). Then instruct the scribe to label the final sheet of newsprint “boxes to construct.” Ask:
What are the new boxes Paul constructs in the scripture? (God’s children; clothed with Christ; Abraham’s offspring and heirs)
What are the implications of these new boxes? How do our decisions change when we see ourselves as God’s children rather than in another category? when we see ourselves as heirs of God’s promise to Abraham?
How do our relationships change when we see God as our Abba (Daddy) rather than simply as our Creator?
SHARING IN PRAYER
Invite people to look at the sheets of newsprint and to reflect on all the words the group has named to describe the ways we are labeled and boxed in.
Distribute supplies for the closing exercise(s) you have chosen. Encourage people to participate in an exercise that symbolizes their breaking out of at least one box that is no longer helpful to them or that is standing in the way of their relationships with other people or with God by
- drawing symbols that represent breaking out of a box,
- taking turns getting into and out of the giant appliance box, or
- decorating a small box as a negative box and then smashing it.
Play some soft music in the background as they work.
When everyone has finished, lead the group in a prayer like this one:
“Abba, thank you for loving us enough to break through the boxes we have constructed, boxes that keep us from being in right relationship with other people or with you. Help us to break free of other boxes as well and to plant ourselves only in the boxes you have provided for us. We are grateful that you treat us as your children, and we want to know how to be better children of God. Please grant us wisdom as we try to act more like you and as we seek to see others around us as your children as well. In Jesus’ precious name, we pray, Amen.”
TAKING IT FURTHER
- One other approach to the theme deals with the boxes into which we place our conceptions of God. Discuss how the Ark of the Covenant, which housed the tablets of law, was seen as the only dwelling place of God. People began to think of God’s existing within the law rather than the law’s being but one manifestation of God. You could discuss how your distinct tradition views certain aspects of the Christian faith, and how labels can be useful in certain ways but can also create blind spots by limiting other aspects of the faith that don’t fall neatly within the box.
- For those interested in demonstrating Christian love to other world faiths, especially Jews and Muslims who share a common Abrahamaic heritage, check out “Abraham’s Path” or the “9/11 Walks” initiative.
