Help Wanted

     As the fall term begins and programs at SPPC get into full swing, I thought it might be a good time to share a lesson from the Sunday School that I saw earlier in the year.  This comes from the senior class but the message fits all ages.

The topic was "putting Jesus at the centre of our lives."  The teacher began with a discussion of the many things that compete for the number one spot in our lives --hobbies, possessions, skills, friends. But Jesus wants to be that number one spot.  He wants to get our focus off worldly priorities and onto him. Because if Christ lives in our hearts by faith, our lives will be strong in love. (Eph 3:17)

The lesson moved on to an activity.  The teacher read the following story and the students acted out the parts.


   Control Tower Tragedy
Once upon a time at a busy airport, four renegade air controllers did not want to listen to their control captain. The renegade air controllers plugged their ears. Then they carried the control captain to a corner and made him sit there. The renegade air controllers marched out to the four corners of the airfield. Each of them set up their own control area. They began yelling at four airplanes that were buzzing and flying around the airport. The pilots and copilots couldn’t figure out where to land, so they circled round and round the airport. The renegade air controllers began to wave their arms. This made the planes go round and round faster.  This made the pilots and copilots throw up on each other. The planes turned sharply. This made the pilots and copilots fall all over each other. The renegade air controllers shouted even louder. By now the planes were running out of fuel. One plane crashed and rolled across the runway. One plane crashed into the people in the terminal. The people in the terminal sreamed. One plane landed safely, but then the last plane landed on top of it. The end.

Questions: Who was in control of the airplanes?
               Why is one central control captain essential for air 
                traffic safety?       
               Who or what controls your life?
               How is Jesus like a central control captain?
               What do you think it takes to make Jesus the centre of
                your life?
                What difference does it make when we make Jesus the
                 centre of our lives?

The students were then each assigned one of the following Bible passages. Matthew 6:24, 6:33, Mark 12:30; Philippians 3:7-11, and asked to create a "help wanted" ad for God, based on their readings. Here is the result.

The lesson ended with one more assignment.  Students were given an index card and asked to write at the top, one thing they tended to make the centre of their lives rather than Christ. Then they wrote a prayer asking Jesus to be the centre of their lives. The cards were taken home and placed in a prominent place as a reminder to keep Jesus at the centre.

As we return from vacation and get back into the swing of things, do you feel moved to respond to God's "help wanted" ad?

Resource for the lesson was

High Energy Meeting for Young Teenagers

Copyright 1999 Group Publishing, Inc.

ISBN 0-7644-2083-6