TRANSFORMATION

A Bible Study activities on allowing people to change

(1-1 ½ hours)

Leader:

People change. We call it transformation and as Christians it is an important part of our beliefs. But we all know that change isn’t easy. People see us in a certain way, or we have a particular reputation. If we change, it makes others uncomfortable, or they don’t believe it, or they have a hard time letting us change. We often act the same way about others; we have a hard time letting go of who they were in our minds.

The scriptures are full of people who were able to change and grow and transform. In the Christian scriptures the change is often linked to the person’s encounter with the human Jesus, or the Risen Christ. Yet even then, other people around them had a hard time believing the change.

EXPERIENCING THE STORIES

Divide the participants into two groups. Have one group read the Mary Magdalene scriptures and background, and the other group read the Paul scriptures and background. Give them twenty or thirty minutes to come up with two skits based on the reading, one telling the story in the first century, the second, updating it to this century. Then do the skits for each other.

Paul (also known as Saul) Background: Saul did not know the human Jesus. We first hear about Saul a few years after Jesus’ death and resserection. Saul hated the followers of Christ. He believed that they were heretics and were corrupting his religion (remember all the early Christians were still Jewish). Saul heartily approved of imprisionment and even death by stoning for the followers of Christ. Read Acts chapter 9 verses 1-31 for the story of his transformation.

Mary of Magdalene Background: Mary (not to be confused with Mary the Mother of Jesus or Mary of Bethany who was the sister of Martha and Lazarus) was a woman who was plagued by what they called demons. It could have been mental illness, depression, or metaphorical demons like drug addiction. No one really knows. In any case she would have been a person hardly valued by her culture or society, probably very isolated and ignored. She encountered the human Jesus and they developed a very close relationship. Read Luke 8:1-3; John 19:25; John 20:1-18; Mark 15:40-41, 47; Mark 16:1-11; Matthew 27:55-56, 61; Matthew 28:1-10 for her story.

TRANSFORMATION IN MY LIFE

Invite the participants to do some journal writing or drawing on the following questions:

· Do I know anyone like Saul/Paul before his transformation?

· Do I know anyone like Saul/Paul who has transformed?

· Do I know anyone like Mary of Magdalene before her transformation?

· Do I know anyone like Mary of Magdalene who has transformed?

· How am I like Mary of Magdalene or Saul/Paul?

· How have I changed over the years?

· Are there people in my life who have changed, but I still see them in the old way?

· Are there people in our society as a whole that we don’t believe can change/transform? How do we treat them?

· If there is a chance of transformation for everyone, how would that effect our criminal justice system? The death penalty?

When people are finished journaling, have a discussion about the questions with the whole group or in small groups.

CLOSING RITUAL

Invite the participants to stand in a circle and hold hands. Go around the circle and let each person lift up a prayer to God either silently or out loud for themselves or someone else around issues of transformation. These can be prayers of thanksgiving to God for a transformation (e.g. thank you God for my Grandfather who is a recovering alcoholic) or a prayer of intercession for someone who needs a transformation in their life (e.g. God please be with my cousin who is suicidal).

Deepening Faith: Youth Ministry Resources and Some Miscellaneous Advice

Rev. Lizann Bassham, Front Porch Spirit Press