Our youth small groups are doing a series called "Deep Justice in a Broken World." The series is adapted from resources provided by Chap Clarke and Kara Powell from the Fuller Youth Institute. It is a great curriculum as it helps young people think beyond simply helping people, and invites students to be a part of God's redemptive kingdom. Our first lesson was on "Who is your Jesus?" and we began by showing this clip from the movie, "Talladega Nights"
In the scene, Ricky Bobby presents a pretty odd views of Jesus. While the clip is suppose to be ridiculous, it helps us begin to think about our own view of Jesus. The reality is that most people have an image of Jesus that is partially true, but often not complete. In fact, we tend to mold and shape Jesus in an image we are comfortable with personally. After the clip, we read different scriptures that reveal different images about Christ (i.e. Little Baby Jesus, Compassionate Jesus, Wild Jesus, Great Moral Teacher Jesus, Santa Clause Jesus, Mr. Fix it Jesus, and Contemplative Jesus).
The discussion went very well as we discussed questions like:
1. Which "image of Jesus" do you think is most common among students today?
2. Which "image" are you most tempted to emphasize?
3. What problems might be created by emphasizing one image and neglecting the others?
4. How does our image of Jesus relate to the way we live? How does it relate to us as we serve others in need?
While we can never completely understand the beauty and majesty of Christ, having a more complete view of Jesus will help us serve and worship him more fully.
