What Left? – For this game, have a student volunteer go to the front of the room. Explain that he/she has one minute to look around the room (if you have a large room, limit him/her to a certain section.) After the time is up, have the student either turn around or exit the room. Proceed to take an object from the room away and place it out of sight. When the student returns, have him/her look around the room and guess what is missing. Repeat as time allows.

 

Ask students why discovering what was missing may have been hard. Explain that when we surround ourselves with lots of stuff, we forget what we’re really missing. Sometimes we feel as though something is missing – a void that’s left unfilled – so we try and fill the emptiness with objects or people, when the only thing that can fill that void is Jesus.

 

Let students know that Unspoken’s video, “Open the Clouds” is about how although Jesus physically left our world, He is ever-present in spirit and will be coming back again. Play video.

 

Take a few minutes to have the students answer the questions from their Video Visuals section on their Student Guide. Take a few minutes and go over what students wrote as their answers. 

 

Have students read the following verses and fill out their Celebration section on their handouts, and discuss the questions as well as their answers.

• What do you think that “eagerly await” means?

• Name something that you tend to look forward to?

• How do these verses make us feel about Christ’s return? 

• Imagine what Christ’s return would be like. How would you describe it now that you know these verses?

Explain that several passages in the Bible are about Jesus’ second coming. Oftentimes, that event is depicted as a celebration for believers. However, as followers of Christ, we shouldn’t just be excited about His return. We should also realize that He is coming back at a time that we won’t expect, and we need to let others know so they, too, can join in celebration. Unspoken’s music video talks about there being room for more in the family of believers – if you notice, as the music video progresses, more dancers start to take part in the celebration. Take a look at these verses and answer/discuss the questions that follow – John 11:25-26; Matthew 24:36; Hebrews 9:28.

• “Open the Clouds” talks about everyone getting an invitation, but you have to reply to it. What does that mean to you, now that you’re aware of John 11:25-26?

• If we knew when Christ would return, would that change how we approach sharing the Gospel with others?

 

Say something like, “We should be celebrating the fact that our Savior is coming back. This celebration shouldn’t be kept a secret; the phrase ‘the more the merrier’ really does apply. We don’t know when Jesus will return, but we do know that the time we’ve been given should be used to praise our Savior and live a life of love that points others to Him.” Have students fill out their Invitation section of the Student Guide, and then close in prayer.