A Place Just for Us

David C Cook COVID-19 Response

High School

Lesson 13
Winter 2023-24
By: RLD Editorial Team
February 25, 2024

Lesson Focus:

Heaven is greater than you can imagine.

Bible Basis:

Revelation 21:1-4; 22:1-5, 201-21

Materials Needed:

Step 1:

Internet access
A loud alarm from a cellphone

Step 4:

Index cards (1 per student)
Pens/pencils (1 per student)

Summary & Links:

Your teens will watch a relaxing video with a sudden stop to relate to how Eden—our heaven on earth—was ripped away due to sin as they explore God’s restorative plan for paradise.

Memory Verse:

“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
—John 14:2-3

Your teens will watch a relaxing video with a sudden stop to relate to how Eden—our heaven on earth—was ripped away due to sin as they explore God’s restorative plan for paradise.

Materials Needed:

Internet access
A loud alarm from a cellphone

Before class, queue up the video so you can access it immediately. Have the cellphone alarm easily accessible as well. (Note: this activity may not be suitable for students who struggle with sensory disorders or overwhelm.)

As students enter your classroom today, greet each of them individually, informing them that they are going to watch a relaxing video and that they should try to stay as quiet as possible. If your class is meeting in person, allow students to find a comfortable place on the floor, taking a moment to settle in and make themselves at home. Dim the lights to provide a quiet, restful setting.

Play the video for two or three minutes, long enough for your students to settle in and start feeling relaxed. Then, ABRUPTLY pause the video (without warning) and playing the loud cellphone alarm, not making it so loud to scare the class, but certainly enough to unexpectedly pull them out of their state of relaxation.

Play part of the following video [around 2 or 3 minutes] for your students:
5 minutes of calming nature sounds (forest)🌲🌿

How did it feel for me to ruin the calming experience with the loud alarm? (Allow students to share their response.)
Do you think you’d be able to easily reenter a state of relaxation in this space again? (Once a ‘safe space’ is tainted, it can be very difficult to change that perception.)
What other things are like this? Have you ever had a “happy place” that was ruined by a bad experience? (Maybe a once favorite restaurant spoiled by food poisoning or a quiet retreat now clouded by the memory of an ex.)

This sequence of events is very similar to what happened to the earth thousands of years ago when Adam and Eve first sinned. The once-perfect oasis of our planet was now irrevocably corrupted. Today, we’re going to look at God’s solution to our sin and see what lies in store for us beyond this earth.

Looking for Steps 2 & 3?

You can find Steps 2 and 3 in your teacher’s guide. To purchase a teacher’s guide, please visit: Bible-in-Life or Echoes.

Materials Needed:

Index cards (1 per student)
Pens/pencils (1 per student)

If your class is meeting online, invite your students to bring supplies with them to class.

So far, we’ve looked at what the Bible says about heaven. The radical imagery John uses is incredibly exciting; however, the images can be so out of this world that they can pull focus away from how we are to apply the reality of heaven to our daily lives.

In a way, we can think of it in the same way we view what comes before death. That is, what can we do to make the most of our time on earth? What things are on our spiritual bucket list?

Distribute supplies (or invite students to have them ready at home). Using the materials provided, instruct your students to create their own spiritual bucket lists. The length of the list will vary with each teen but encourage them to create at least a few items. If your teens are having trouble coming up with their spiritual bucket list, you offer the following suggestions: share your faith with a friend, pray consistently, serve in your church, give to the poor, care for the sick, etc.

After your class creates their lists, guide them to move through each item and assess which of them they are capable of accomplishing now. For example, while “raising a God-fearing family” may take a few decades, “finding your spiritual gift and putting it to use,” is something that can be explored right away! Challenge your teens to pick one of these “right away” items and make concrete steps toward completing it over the coming week.

Close in prayer, thanking God for creating a place just for us.

About

David C Cook is a nonprofit organization dedicated to publishing and distributing leadership and discipleship resources to help Christians all over the world grow in their faith and pass it on to the next generation. We call this “DiscipleShaping”.

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David C Cook COVID-19 Response

High School