Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried

Acting out Mark 15 was a great experience for the teens.  The really got into it.  Of course it is a story that most everyone had heard before, but acting it out like this helps one see things a little differently.

Apostles' Creed Week 6

"I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended to the dead.  On the Third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting."
Review

“Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried”

Read Mark 15:1-39 using The Voice translation and have the teens act it out.
Pilate
Jesus
Crowd (everybody)
Soldiers
Some in the Crowd
Chief Priests and Scribes
Bystanders
Centurion

Why do you think the creed mentions Pontius Pilate?
Dates the crucifixion
The early church insisted on distinguishing themselves from many of the cyclical religions of the time - the death and resurrection of Jesus is not the same as the mythology surrounding Osiris, who was linked with the flooding and retreating of the Nile (a cycle), nor of those surrounding persphone and the reasons that there are seasons.
Jesus life, death and resurrection happened in a particular time.

What do you think the significance of Jesus suffering is? (There are a lot of ways to answer this, so I am not looking for one specific answer).

We’re going to watch a clip about the ugliest woman on the internet.  Her name is Lizzie and she has a rare genetic disease that prevents her from gaining any weight.

Split into smaller groups:

How would you have felt if you were Lizzie and 4 million people thought you were the ugliest person on the planet?

Do you think God can use suffering such as Lizzie’s for good?  Why or Why not?
Follow up: How is God using Lizzie in the midst of her suffering?

Have you ever felt similar things that she described - like you were worthless, like you were “literally being punched over and over and over,” that nobody loved you or cared for you, or that you had nothing to offer?

In what kind of ways did Jesus suffer in the text that we read?

How did God use Jesus’ suffering for good?

Read Romans 8:28

This doesn’t say that God causes our suffering.  But it says that God works in the midst of our suffering.

What are some examples from your life of ways that God has used suffering for good?

What trial will you let God use in your life this coming week?

Regather

Hebrews 4:14-16 (review from last week)

Jesus has been through life and suffered greatly.  He walks beside us in our suffering.  This is why it is so important that we talk about Jesus as fully God and fully human, as we talked about last week.

God doesn’t cause suffering.  Human sin causes suffering.  Disease and death are here because of our sin.  Even when bad things aren't a direct consequence of our sin, it is still a result of the Fall, of humanity's sinfulness.  And it is God who continues to work things together for good, who is continually pulling all of creation toward himself.  And Jesus entered into that resulting in a powerful demonstration of God’s resurrection power, which is what we’ll talk about next week.

Close in prayer.

This week, I adapted a great lesson from source4ym.com. http://www.thesource4ym.com/DiscussionStarters/Discussion.aspx?printerfriendly=true&id=69