Faces of Denial

Last night at youth group we did too many things. actually more specifically I planned two great experiences together that should have been separated. First we gathered, broke the ice with a game called group machines and then spent about 20-25 minutes in the sanctuary filming a lip dub. Then we had a very intense discussion based on Peter's denial as I presented 4 faces of denial that we might wear. Those two events should have been separated - in fact, probably should have been their own night.

Group machines was great. We had smaller numbers probably because of the beautiful weather, but that meant our machines were quick and funny. Here's the list of machines that we had our groups act out:
Train
Helicopter
Submarine
Carousel
Roller Coaster
Excavator
Blender
Newton Ball Machine
Gumball Machine
Ferris Wheel
Coffee Machine
Automatic Doors
Castle Drawbridge
Monster Truck
Garbage Truck
The goal of the game was simply to get our kids moving, brainstorming, and active so that when we went upstairs to dance for the video we would be excited... and it worked. the kids were energized by our game and the video shoot too much longer than I expected.

Now about this lip dub. I watched a video clip of an acolyte training video and thought we could do it too. so I rewrote words to the song That's What Makes You Beautiful and a few weeks ago I sat down with a student and recorded it. Last Wednesday we invited confirmation students to dance in the video, and then we invited high school kids on Sunday. Today I'll be editing, can't say how it will turn out, but it was a lot of fun dancing in acolyte robes!

The faces of Denial was based on John 13:31-38 and John 18 25-27. After our video shoot we went back to the youth room and I spoke about Peter's denial and my own denials. in particular I mentioned 4 faces of denial that I wear: the scarecrow, the clown, the chameleon, and the thief. I remember these faces from when I was a kid, there was a skit about them. While I couldn't find the skit or rewrite it, I did present each of these faces and then kids broke into small groups to discuss them. Great discussions in most groups about different ways that we deny Christ and they also added a few faces to our list.

1. A Scarecrow. I puff myself up and pretend that I know who God is and what’s really going on in my life. I may look like I know what I’m doing, thinking or saying but I’m full of it. Full of straw with a face and smile that claims I’m doing and saying things that I think are right. There are doubts and fears that I don’t want others to know about because then I might not seem as strong. I might look weak. They might take advantage of me or not respect me, or not like me. And when it comes to my relationship with God, I do the same thing. I pretend like the answers make sense. I appear like I know what I’m doing or thinking. I act like I’m a strong Christian. I look like I know how to pray and be close to God. But, in reality, I’m just posing. That’s what a scarecrow does – poses.

2. A Clown. A clown makes his living by being a distraction. A clown makes jokes about things that are serious. A clown craves attention and smiles and laughter from others, and never seems to let serious things enter the conversation. I am a master of deflection. I know how to dance. I know how to avoid the serious tones of others and make light of the situation. I know how to do enough tricks that no one really sees me, the pain that I have, or the scars in my life. They don’t know who I am or what I think. They just see my act. In this way I deny Christ. I don’t let God be in control of my life, because I’m in control. I don’t let God be a serious influence in my life, because I’m not serious. If I’m not serious maybe the bad stuff won’t seem so bad. I’ll just take my mind off of it. After all, a clown is good at distractions.

3. A Chameleon. I blend. I change my appearance. I know how to look the right way and say the right thing so that no one really even sees me. I am in tune with my surroundings and who I surround myself, because I am a master of camouflage. My subtle head nods and my mouth moves: Yes, I think so too. I agree. But I have no idea. I don’t want to stand out. I jump from group to group, friend to friend, stranger to stranger imitating what I see. I don’t want attention, or arguments, or piercing questions. That is too dangerous. Best to blend in. And in this way I deny Christ. I don’t want to ruffle the feathers of others, or sound stupid, or look like I don’t belong. It is best to keep my questions to myself, to live with the choices of my group. I’ll just change groups if I need to anyway. I’m good at that. Because I’m a chameleon, a master of camouflage.

4. A Thief. Because I know that the most important thing in this world is me. Ultimately the choices I make are made for myself. Even when it appears that my intentions are pure, and my actions are right. I know better. I’m stealing. I’m stealing because I’m getting more than I give. I won’t offer my feelings, thoughts, and my ideas. I take them, I keep them all to myself. I’m greedy and selfish. And I do the same to God. I only take. I’m don’t like the hard parts, so I skip them. I like the parts that are all about me, so I use them. I use God for my own benefit. I’m not going out of my way to help someone else, because I am more important. That’s what makes me a thief. 

Kids added the 'D' Student - who only does the bare minimum, the Hypocondriac who always has a list of excuses why they aren't involved, the Insurance Agent who is only involved in case something bad happens, and the Judge who criticizes instead of loves.

This morning I posted a question to our facebook page about denying Christ and posted all 8 faces from last night... the conversations were cut a little short by time, but I think it's deep enough that we can revisit them again.