In Everything Give Thanks

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18
"Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

Materials

• Several pairs of scissors
• newspapers and magazines
• blank thank you notes
• pens or pencils

Preparation

• Set the scissors and the pile of newspapers and magazines in the center of the room / table.

What to Do

1. "Search through the newspapers and magazines and find one story about someone experiencing either good or bad circumstances. Cut out the story using the scissors for easy reference."
2. Once everyone has a story, collect them into a pile and shuffle them up. Walk around the room and ask each youth to take the story on the top of the pile.
3. Give each person a blank thank you note and a pen or pencil.
4. "Read through the story you've been given and write a thank you note to God. Express how you would be thankful in the circumstances your story describes."
5. When youth have finished writing their Thank You notes, have each youth, in turn, read his or her thank you note aloud. (You cab do this in pairs or small groups if you have many youth group members).
6. Then youth to respond to each circumstance: "In the circumstance you read about, how would being thankful affect your perspective?"

Take it to the Next Level
God wants us to be thankful in all circumstances -- in both good situations and bad ones. Being thankful changes our perspective. It helps us take our eyes off ourselves and the circumstances and look to God instead.

Closing
Finish the meeting by having a time of prayer where each youth can have an opportunity to express prayerful thanks to God for the events in their lives.