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Real. Present. God. An Introductory Study

2019 LCMS Youth Gathering

Leader Notes

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Goals:

1. Introduce the Psalms and their purpose.

2. Highlight that through Jesus, the Psalms become power-ful prayers for the youth.

Leader Notes (in red throughout):  This study may be done in its entirety, or it may be broken into two studies. If you choose to divide it into two studies, a natural dividing place occurs at “Psalm selections” wherein the youth are given the opportunity to interact with several psalms.

Materials: Bible Study Handout (Participant Version), Bible Study Leader Notes, ESV Bible, (OPTIONAL: Laptop/Phone/Speaker for playing music)

(Italic) Participant Guide Note

INTRODUCTION

It’s amazing how powerful songs can be. Put a tune to words and all of sudden the words become much more memorable and meaningful. Think about how well you know some familiar favorite songs. Consider what they call to mind and how they make you feel. To get started, let’s play a game called “Finish That Lyric!”

Leader Notes:  

This exercise is designed to help youth recognize the power of music, both with respect to memory and emotion. It requires that you select (or let your youth select) 7-8 songs that are well-known by most (if not all) of the group. The goal in this exercise is high youth participation. You might consider watching the most recent episode of “Beat Shazam” to get the idea. If you haven’t heard of the show, google it!   

Option 1: Ask for a youth volunteer to sing the first line of their favorite popular song. See if the other youth can sing the next line. For example, if the volunteer chose the song  “Love Me Do” by the Beatles, he/she would sing:

“Love, love me do. You know I love you....”

and the rest of the students would sing, “...I’ll always be true!”

Option 2: Choose in advance some of the most popular songs your youth listen to today. Google the lyrics, and make your own list of opening lyrics. Then invite the youth to finish the next line as best as they are able. If you choose this option, ask several youth in advance to tell you which songs are most familiar to them.

Option 3: Go through a hymnal and choose some of the most moving hymns that your congregation sings on a regular basis. Some should be joyful, and others should be somber. Christmas hymns, Good Friday hymns, Easter hymns, and hymns of praise would work well. Sing/read the first line, and then see if the youth know the next line.

Do this for at least 7-8 songs to help youth understand the power of music to aid memory and to stir emotion.

How did you do? (Short Answer)

Why it was so easy to complete the song lyrics? (Short Answer)

Hopefully the answers come close to: We have heard the songs repeatedly. It is easy to remember the lines because they are put to music.

Why are songs important to people? (Short Answer)

Possible answers: Students relate to the message of the song. Students really admire the artist. It can put them in a certain mood (pumped-up for a game, study music, date/romantic music).

Do you have a favorite playlist? What songs are on it?  Why are those songs on it? (Short Answer)

PSALMS AND SONGS

What are the Psalms?

Put simply, the word psalm comes from a Greek trans-lation of the Hebrew word for “song.”  What you have in your Bible as the Book of Psalms is a collection of 150 individual psalms or songs.  

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Generations of God’s people have known the Psalms the way you know your favorite songs and hymns. The Psalms were the worship songs and prayers of the Old Testament people, and they continue to play a significant role in the worship life of God’s people today.  Their lyrics can be as memorable and as pow-erful as some of your favorite songs. You could think of the Psalms as a playlist for God’s people. Let’s play “Finish That Lyric” with songs from this playlist.

Can you finish this? Can you name the Psalm? (Fill in the Blank)

“The Lord is my shepherd …” (I shall not want.  Psalm 23)

“Bless the LORD, oh my soul…”  (and all that is within me, bless his holy name. If they are silly or sassy they may say “ooohhh my soul.”  Psalm 103)

“Oh come let us sing to the Lord…”  (let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.  Psalm 95)  

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good…” (for his stead-fast love endures forever. Psalm 136)

Feel free to add some more of your favorite Psalms.  

Why do you think that these Psalms have become so popular? (Short Answer)

If your students aren’t familiar with Psalm 23, for example, take the time to read it together.

Think back to the songs on your playlist, or some of your favorite songs. What are the songs trying to say? Are they all the same? Are they all trying to convey the same thoughts and feelings?

You have songs on your playlist for different reasons. Some songs get you excited, while others allow you to feel sad or even bring you to tears. Some songs make you think of someone special, and others may trans-port you to a memorable moment in your life. The same goes for pre-arranged playlists.

Which lists do you gravitate toward? Workout? Chill? Romance? Roadtrip? The 80’s? Notice that each of these playlists are specifically designed to create a

certain mood, or to bring up specific emotions.

A similar thing can be said about the Psalms. Each Psalm is different. Some express gratitude, others give praise, and still others voice great sadness or even anger. The Psalms can take readers to memorable times and places, and they can bring out all kinds of emotions. The lyrics reflect the innermost thoughts, feelings, or experiences of the author, and they can teach listeners powerful lessons.  Read and listen to some of these Psalms. What do you hear the author saying? What emotions do they bring out in you? What lessons may they be teaching you?

Psalm Selections (Fill in the Blank)

Leader Note: This list is long. Depending on the size of your group, you may pre-select some or you may split the youth into groups and let each group explore a few Psalms together and then share their ideas with the whole group.  You may need to prompt them with some possi-ble ‘categories’ of Psalms: “Is this a song of Thanksgiving? Praise? Sadness? Anger? Grief? Etc.

• Ps. 31:9-10  (Grief, Depression, distress...)

• Ps. 4:1  (Same as above...)

• Ps. 118:28-29 (Thanksgiving...)

• Ps. 119:34-35 (Seeking wisdom...)

• Ps. 130:1-3 (Brokenness, desperation, depression...)

• Ps. 6  (confusion, anger doubt...)

• Ps. 34:6 (Thanksgiving…)

• Ps. 73:23-26 (Witness, trust…)

• Ps. 117 (Praise...)

• Ps. 13 (Lament...)

• Ps. 77 (Lament...)

• Ps. 1 (Teaching/wisdom...)

• Ps. 19:14 (A prayer for wisdom…)

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• Ps. 8 (Psalm of creation...)

• Ps. 27:1-3  (encouragement/trust...)

• Ps. 32 (confession/absolution, forgiveness...)

• Ps. 139:13-16 (Praise for God knowing us in and out...)

• Ps. 136 (Encouragement...  Note how it behaves just like a responsive reading the students may be familiar with from worship.)

Leader Notes: It’s okay for the students to have differ-ent reactions to the same psalms. Because God is at work through these poetic writings, one youth may be encouraged by the same words that another student finds challenging or even upsetting.

PSALMS AND PRAYERS

“Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.”

You might recognize this prayer. It’s commonly said after meals and many other situations. Did you catch it above? This prayer is taken right out of Psalm 136. This is just one example. There are many other exam-ples of the Psalms serving as the foundation for the prayers of God’s people. That’s right; you can actually pray the Psalms.  And you’re not the first person to pray them.  David prayed them. The apostles prayed them. Believers throughout history have prayed them...Jesus himself prayed them.

Something cool happens when you pray the Psalms. Since the Psalms are the Word of God, it is God him-self who is giving us these words to pray!  This has amazing consequences for our life with God. In our prayers, we can have conversations with God that include all of the thoughts, emotions, and experiences we talked about earlier.

In your prayers, have you ever….

Praised God?  

Given thanks?  Expressed overwhelming joy?

Expressed sorrow or frustration? Complained to God?  Been angry with God?

Confessed that you messed up?

Asked for something?  Just asked questions?

Invite youth to give concrete examples of times when their prayers did these things.

Have you thought about your prayers as a conver-sation with God? How do you feel about that idea? (Short Answer)

Conversation implies that God is talking back to each of us.  He does this through his Word, of course. God speaks through the reading of the Scriptures, through faithful preaching, and through conversation with other believers who speak his Word. In the coming months other pre-Gath-ering studies will explore this concept more fully. If it comes up here, feel free to discuss. Remember that the primary way that God speaks to us is through Jesus, the Word of God made flesh.

To help the student understand this concept of God giving us the prayers to pray, this is very much like the disciples asking Jesus to teach them how to pray.  The disciples went to the very living Word made flesh to give them the actual words to pray. And Jesus delivered.

CAN THESE PSALMS REALLY BE MY PRAYERS?

Read Ephesians 2:13-22. As you read through this, you find that God is building a dwelling place, or household for himself made up of people from all over the world and from all different eras of history. The foundation is Jesus himself, and on top of that, Jesus brings us into the household. Jesus connects us to God’s people in all times and in all places.

Sometimes, it might feel difficult to see yourself con-nected to people from a long a time ago like David. But the reality is that in Jesus, you have been brought together with people like David and generations of believers who have prayed the Psalms before you.

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What does this mean about our prayers? About our reading and praying of the Psalms?  

Point the students to v. 13, 18-21 again.  “We have access to the Father…”

In high emotion moments, good or bad, it can be hard to find the right words to express ourselves.  At times it can also seem difficult to form a prayer to the God of creation, the God of our salvation. That’s okay!  

Have you ever wanted to pray but didn’t know what to say?

Have you ever been too intimidated to pray?  Have you ever thought, “I can’t actually say that to God?”

Give participants some time to reflect on these questions. Don’t rush through them, but rather encourage participants to be honest with themselves and the group.

The Psalms are given to us to show us the conversa-tion that has happened between the Lord and his be-lievers throughout all time. We can turn to the Psalms to give words to our prayers - those prayers we didn’t have words for, the ones we were too intimidated to pray, and even the ones we thought we couldn’t say.

Let the students discuss this.  The point is that, in addition to giving us the actual words to pray, the Psalms teach us that a wide range of thoughts, emotions, and experiences can be laid before the Lord as prayers.

CONCLUSION

As you prepare for the 2019 LCMS Youth Gathering, we want you to begin experiencing the value of the Psalms for your life because we’re going to explore the Psalms in even greater depth at the Gathering.

At times, it can feel like God’s Word is nothing more than words on a page. In reality, though, God’s Word is living and active. The Psalms show us just how alive and active God’s Word can be not just for people like David, but for you too.

Through Jesus, these Psalms become your songs and

prayers. They are ways to talk with your Real. Pres-ent. God.

CALL TO ACTION

Below are three levels of engagement for your youth and for you to consider taking on as follow-up activities for this introductory study.  Decide as a group or as individuals the level you are comfortable committing to in order to prepare your hearts for the Gathering. Feel free to allow for several weeks for the activities in Levels 2 or 3 to be completed.  Also feel free to insert your own ideas for the engagement of the students in these types of activities.

God’s Word is living and active. It comforts and in-spires, encourages and guides. When we study the Scriptures, therefore, we pay attention to the ways in which God calls us to action as His people. Discuss the following possible next steps as a group. Use them (or other ideas) to “put into practice” (Philippians 4:9) the things you learned in this study! Level 1: Start reading the Psalms. Read a different Psalm every time your group meets. Read them on your own as individual study or as prayer time. Will you always understand everything going on in the Psalm? Probably not. (And that’s okay!) But look for ways to make these prayers your prayers.

Level 2: Invite adult members from your congrega-tion to share about their favorite or most meaningful Psalm. As an idea, a different adult member could join you for the first couple minutes of your youth group time from now until the Gathering and explain what makes this Psalm particularly significant to them.  

Level 3: Read a Psalm a week AND find a hashtag or social media group (snapchat) for your group to use to share visual and/or social reflections of the Psalms your group is reading.