THIS IS A REAL MESS

CLEANING OFF THE GRIME FROM GOD'S MASTERWORKS

In this opening session, we will explore the importance of seeing the mess in our lives and understanding God's promise of restoration. Choose the activities that best fit the time you have available and the needs of your group, but place a priority on the key activities, which are marked with a double asterisk.

**Opening Word Study: Restore (10 minutes)

Supplies: Dry-erase board or paper, marker, online dictionary

During this session and over the next several weeks you will examine the idea of restoration. Before you get going, take some time to consider what the word restore actually means. Discuss:

• What comes to mind when you hear the words restore or restoration?

• How would you define the word restore?

Either as a group or in teams of three or four, come up with a definition of restore that you think would be suitable for a dictionary. Write down your definition(s) either on a dry-erase board or on paper.

Then look up the word restore in an online dictionary, such as Dictionary.com. The dictionary you use likely will have multiple definitions. For each definition, discuss:

• How does this definition compare with your definition(s)?

• Do you think that this definition refers to the type of restoration we'll be looking at in this study? Why or why not?

When you've gone through all the dictionary definitions, discuss:

• How do you think these definitions will relate to what we will talk about today and in the weeks ahead?

Open with the following prayer, or one of your own:

God of the mess, bless our time together today and in the weeks ahead. Give us the strength and courage to be honest with ourselves and with one another. Give us wisdom and patience as we discuss personal topics. And, as we learn together, remind us of your promise of restoration and new life. Amen.

Paint the Ceiling (15 minutes)

Supplies: Bibles, paper, markers, portable hard surfaces for drawing (such as clipboards or books), tape

Humans have found ways to restore all sorts of things: electronics, ecosystems, and reputations, to name a few. One area where our restoration skills are especially apparent is in the world of fine art. Painstaking work has gone into ensuring that artistic masterworks appear pristine. The frescoes gracing Rome's Sistine Chapel — including those on the ceiling painted by Michelangelo — have been the subject of one of humankind's most significant artistic restorations. In honor of Michelangelo's work on the chapel ceiling, which we have worked so hard to restore and preserve, try a little ceiling painting of your own.

Divide your group into pairs. (If you have an odd number of participants, have an adult leader pair off with someone.) Each pair should choose or be assigned one of the Scriptures listed after these instructions. (Pairs might select a Scripture reference out of a hat or container; a leader might assign a Scripture to each pair; or pairs might even choose their own Scriptures.)

Give each pair a sheet of paper and something hard and flat that they can attach the paper to, such as a clipboard, an individual dry-erase board, or a large hardcover children's book. Each pair also will need markers (or colored pencils or crayons). If you use books, make sure the markers won't bleed through the paper and damage the covers.

Each pair should read their Scripture and discuss how they might represent their Scripture visually, in drawing. Once the pair have an idea, one person should play the role of the artist; the other should play the role of the ceiling. The artist should lie flat on the floor. The "ceiling" should hold the paper and writing surface upside down above the artist. The artist then should make her or his best effort to represent the pair's Scripture in drawing.

After a couple of minutes, partners should switch roles. After a couple of more minutes, participants should stop (even if they aren't finished). Each pair should present their work to the group, summarizing the assigned Scripture and explaining how the pair chose to represent the Scripture artistically. Then ask:

• How did creating a visual representation of your assigned verses help you better understand and appreciate the Scripture?

• How does drawing on a surface that is above you compare with drawing on a table or easel? What makes it more difficult?

Scriptures:

• Exodus 16:13-21 (God provides food for the Israelites in the desert)

• 2 Kings 2:1-11 (Elijah ascends into heaven)

• John 11:38-46 (Jesus raises Lazarus)

• Acts 2:1-12 (Pentecost)

**Make It Perfect Again (10 minutes)

Supplies: Old posters, tape, thumbtacks, markers or colored pencils

Beforehand gather some old posters. These could include store-bought posters or poster-sized work from a school art class. Choose posters with the knowledge that they probably won't survive this activity (at least not in their original state). Put strips of tape across the posters. You may use a variety of tapes: transparent tape, masking tape, duct tape, and so on. Also put some small holes in the posters using thumbtacks.

Divide participants into teams of three or four. Each team should take one of the posters and do as much as they can to restore it to its original state in five minutes. You will have to remove the tape. Regardless of how careful you are, some of the picture likely will come off with the tape. You will need to restore these spots using markers or colored pencils, re-creating the parts of the picture that have been torn away. You also will need to find a way to "fill in" any holes in the picture.

Discuss:

• What decisions did you have to make when you were restoring your posters?

• How, do you think, is the work that you did similar to and different from the work that professionals do when restoring classic works of art?

• What risks does one take when restoring a work of art?

Option: Show a video demonstrating how fine art is restored. Many such videos are available online, including some produced by art museums. Compare the crude techniques you used to restore your posters with the techniques used to restore the works of masters.

**Image of God (10 minutes)

Supplies: Bibles, camera phones

Read aloud Genesis 1:24-31, focusing on verse 27: "God created humanity in God's own image, in the divine image God created them." Discuss:

• What do you think it means to be created in God's image?

• There are billions of people on this planet, and we vary greatly in height, build, skin tone, hair color, and so forth. How is it possible that all of us are created in God's image?

• If being made in God's image is about something other than (or more than) physical appearance, what are some non-physical things that human beings have in common with God?

If time...