Backpack - Shame

Yesterday we talked about the idea of shame. Have you ever been embarrassed? I have. I remember acting in a play at school (during rehearsal) and falling off of something fairly high. I hit my head, and after a minute or two I came back. It was a little humiliating. I had about 40 people all staring at me, then fell and blacked out.

We all have felt shame before. Whether it's something that is just embarrassing, or it's shame from something we've done, we can all think of times where we felt shame. Do you remember back in school when people cheated on tests all the time? (I hope I'm not alone here...) I remember when everyone used to write the answers on their hands, or at least I thought everyone did. I admit, I cheated on a test and never got caught, but I also remember the feeling of guilt that I had when the test was over, or when I got a good grade. The sin wasn't worth the feeling I carried around with me. Although no one knew about it, I still felt guilty.

Read this passage together: Philippians 3:13-14, "But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

This verse is telling us to put off everything in the past and keep pushing towards what is ahead. We need to push away feelings of guilt and shame so that we can move forward to what God has for us. Now, that doesn't give us freedom to sin. Instead, it gives us freedom to live without feelings of guilt and shame.

Check out the questions below and really let Philippians 3:13-14 into your head.

1. What was your favorite thing you did this week?

2. What has been an embarrassing moment for you?

3. Why are we afraid of embarrassing ourselves in front of other people? (Seek approval of others, don’t want to be made fun of)

4. What type of specific things do we tend to feel guilty about? (Lying, cheating, do things we’re not supposed to do)

Read this aloud to your group - Philippians 3:13-14
“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

5. Why is it usually hard to forget what we have done? (Have a tendency to hold on to things, too hard on ourselves, people keep bringing it up)

6. Should we try to lose memory of what we have done in the past? Why or why not?

7. What does Paul mean when he says “straining toward what is ahead”? (Following Christ’s path for our lives, looking ahead at what Christ has for us)

8. What does it mean to forgive ourselves and why is it hard to sometimes do that? (We admit we made a mistake and try to not make it again; we are too hard on ourselves, we sometimes don’t like to admit we messed up)

Taking Action – Challenge of the Week

As you make your way through this week, think about some things in your life that you have done where you need to: ask for forgiveness from someone/God, forgive yourself for doing something, forgive someone else for something they’ve done to you.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. (part 5 of 5)

This is the final week of “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobez”. If you haven’t been here, or haven’t seen the movie we’ll catch you up…

Four siblings have entered a magical world on the other side of a Wardrobe. The children meet many interesting characters, but Edmund meets someone extremely unusual – The White Witch. She offers him many material things, as well as power over others and the land they are in. The other three siblings hear of her plot and the evil woman she is. Edmund is drawn in to her power and begins to join her plans, but realizes he would be betraying his family and stops. In return, the White Witch holds him captive.

The other three children meet Aslan, a wise and noble lion. He promises to help get their brother back safely any way he can. Aslan’s troops retrieve Edmund, but the White Witch demands that someone pays the price of Edmonds betrayal. Aslan scarifies himself. Later that night Aslan sneaks out of camp, followed by Lucy and Susan, and goes to the witch’s temple to be killed. Lucy and Susan remain with Aslan’s body while Peter and Edmund get ready to fight the war against the angry witch. Please enjoy our final clip of “The Chronicles of Narnia”.

Play Clip (Clip begins at 1:50:58 - Clip ends at 2:05:26)

Ice Breaker Question:

(The icebreaker question will hopefully help your group feel comfortable with one another. Please spend only a minute or two on each icebreaker question.)

1. You've just been hired to a promotions position at Kellogg Company. Your job is to get as many people as possible to buy your cereal, what would you put in your cereal box as a gimmick?

Digging Deeper Questions:

(During the “Digging Deeper” section, make an effort to create a conversation between you and the students. Feel free to ask additional questions about the subject, but try to stay on topic.)

2. Think of a time where you’ve felt similar to the girls in the clip. Can you share a time where you felt like there was nothing you could do about a certain situation or circumstances? Please share how the situation turned out. (examples: When negative rumors are about us; feeling like we are not in control when we’re backed into a situation that we can’t get out of, etc.)

3. Was there a particular person or thing that helped you get through this rough time? (If it was a friend, what did they do to help?)

4. In the clip, Peter decides to go fight the war against the White Witch even though Aslan is dead. Do you think this was a wise decision? Why or why not? (If yes: Because Aslan convinced Peter that he was chosen to lead – If no: Because Peter was just a boy who didn’t really understand the seriousness of what he was getting into)

5. What would you have done if you were in Peter’s position?

6. Also in the clip, Peter says he is fighting the war for Aslan. Do you think we can/should fight God’s battles? What kinds of “battles” have /do you fight for God?

7. If/when we do stand up for God, what are a few things you can think of that we need to keep in mind before, during and after the “battle”? (*Trust Him and His power – not ours; Gain an understanding from the Bible what battles he wants us to stand up against and fight; Discuss the situation with other Christians to get their insight and viewpoint – talk about those problems within your D-Group and small group times)

8. Read Psalm 25: 1-3

“To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;
In you I trust, O my God.
Do not let me be put to shame,
Nor let my enemies triumph over me.
No one whose hope is in you
Will ever be put to shame,
But they will be put to shame,
those who do not trust.”

9. What does this verse say will be the results when you put your hope in God? (“I will not be put to shame” and “My enemies will not triumph over me – they will be put to shame”)

10. What are some other results have you experienced, or could you expect when you put your trust in Him? (Confidence, peace, less stress, happiness, wisdom) What are the risks you take when you really put your trust in Him? (We give up control and have to leave the outcome to Him – and we might not like it!)

11. What does the verse tell us will happen to those who don’t put their hope in God? (That in the end, they will be put to shame and not triumph)

12. Can you think of any characters from the clip that fit the description “those who do not trust” in Aslan? (Edmond (at the beginning of the movie), the white witch, the wolves, etc.)

13. How can we remind ourselves to put our hope in God, like all the characters in the movie should have put their hope in Aslan? (Pray and ask Him, Learn verses that talk about hope, Surround ourselves with friends and mentors who remind us to have hope in Christ)

Pray together that we:
• look for ways to put our trust in God
• have confidence that God is smarter than we are and that His way is better than our way
• know that God is on the side of what is right and what is good – our power and peace comes from Him alone