Ready-To-Use Worship

Because worship isn't all about singing songs of praise. This is a series of non-musical worship sessions designed for young people. 

Worshipping with a promise  

AIM: Encourage young people to commit to investing in their spiritual growth.  
PREPARATION: Make available sticky notes and pens. 

Introducing the idea (15 mins) 
Introducing the theme of New Year’s resolutions and ask your young people if they have made any. Use the following questions to stimulate discussion: 
  • Why do we make New Year’s resolutions? 
  • Why do people make promises concerning how they look? 
  • Why do so many people not stick to their resolutions? 
Suggest that January is a great time to recommit to God and to plan how we can live our lives as better Christians over the coming year. Read Matthew 5:33-37 about keeping the promises you’ve made to God. Ask about the false promises they’ve made in life to other people, and start thinking about the false promises they’ve made to God. Read the Methodist Covenant Prayer (see www.youthwork.co.uk/links) - since God has made promises to us, we should give something back. 

Devotion (10 mins) 
Encourage the group to find a space on their own. Ask them to look back at the spiritual journey they’ve taken over the past year and think about how they could improve their lives in the coming year. Ask them to make a promise to God if they feel able, and write it on a sticky note along with their name. Here are some guidelines to follow when writing promises: 
  • The promise must be achievable and realistic for them 
  • Be specific, eg ‘I will pray for 5 minutes after breakfast every morning’ 
  • Make a promise that you can measure eg ‘I will do this twice a week’ 
  • Have a time scale, for example ‘I will do this by Easter’ 
Background music may help. When finished, invite them to stick them up so they can be seen by the rest of the group, but say that they can hand them to a leader if they are personal. 

Follow-up (10 mins) 
Discuss how they found writing these promises, and pick a few to read to the group. Talk about accountability, and agree to revisit the sticky notes in future meetings. Finish with a prayer committing the promises to God, asking for His help to keep them, and thanking Him for His faithful promises to us.