Opening
Go around the circle and have each person share a time when they were afraid in the dark.
An example of this in the author’s life: I lived outside of Seattle for several years after college, working at a church in a small town. When I first moved there I didn’t have a place to live, so let me live in a house they had. The house was out in a rural area all by itself, and at night it got really, really dark. Being that I was just out of college, it was the first time in my life that I didn’t live around other people. The house was big and old, and creaked a lot at night. I was so scared, that for the month that I lived there I slept with all of the lights on in the house!
Diving into the Bible
Have someone read 1 John 1: 5 – 7.
Move Through These Questions:
- What does John use to describe God in this passage?
- What does it mean that God is described as light?
- What is the opposite of light?
- What does it mean to walk in darkness?
- Following Jesus means that we are walking the light. How would people know we are walking in the light?
- So…this passage says that God is light. And it says that we should walk in the light. So, basically we are being told that we should be walking with God. What does that mean for your everyday life…what does it mean to walk with God?
- If someone is walking in the light…if they are walking with God…how would we know that?
Walking in the Light
Give each person a light bulb and a Sharpie. On one side of the light bulb have them write “Walking In The Light”. On the other side of the light bulb have them write: “Prayer”, “Worship”, “Bible Study”, “Serving Others”
After they have written these words, spend a few minutes talking about the importance of each one. You can even have them come up with examples about how they can do each of these.
Prayer: Remind them this is something they can do throughout the day. One way to remember to pray is to do so at each meal (yep…even at school)
Worship: Worship is our time to put our focus back on God by honoring him. Challenge the students to be in worship each week.
Bible Study: Things like Sunday School, Bible Studies, and small groups are great examples. Also challenge them to be reading the Bible on their own. Maybe they could focus on reading 1 John during the coming weeks.
Serving Others: We are called by God to serve those in need. By doing so, we move the focus from ourselves to others. And by doing that we are able to honor God. re-focus on God, and following the commands of Jesus to love others.
After you have written the above and talked about each one, have the group talk about what it is that stands in our way of living out each of the above.
Closing
As you prepare to close in prayer, have each person share things that make it tough for them to walk in the Light of Jesus.
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