hope in a world of hurt - leader's guide

8/8/2019 Hope in a World of Hurt - Leader's Guide

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Leaders notes

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hope in a world of hurt


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Mater ia l sPens, Bibles, white board, sel -stick notes, markers, computer with Internet access, candles or eachparticipant.

onl ine resources rom www.womeno vision.org/heart» “God’s Heart or the Poor Gallery Walk” handout» “Precious In His Sight” video» “Prayer at 14,000 Feet in the Andes” handout» “A Response to Homelessness” handout» “Five Days o Hunger” video» “History o World Vision” handout» “History o Woem o Vision” handout

prepare for d i s cuss ionConsider having a group conversation a ter the opening prayer. It may be help ul to establish guid-elines or your time together. Some participants may have a lot o biblical or cross-cultural know-ledge, while others have very little. Be sure to note that this is quite all right and that all are welcome.

Ask the group to discuss guidelines that will help create a supportive, learning atmosphere. Recordtheir suggestions on the white board. A ter all the group’s ideas are recorded, end the discussion,noting that you will make copies o these guidelines and distribute them at the next meeting.

scr ip ture re f lec t ionThe ollowing commentary will help you prepare to lead the discussion during the ScriptureRe ection portion o the lesson.

J 13:34 » c mm As you probably already know rom Scripture, this really wasn’t a new commandment. In Leviticus19:18, the command to love one another was among those that God gave Moses to share with thepeople o Israel.

What is di erent, even radical, about this “news” is that we are to love others as Jesus does. Rememberthat this passage comes just as Jesus and the disciples are about to sit down to share the Passover Feast.Jesus takes o His outer garments, wraps a towel around Himsel , and begins to wash the eet o His

called to iMitate Jesus

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twelve disciples—even Judas, who Jesus knows will, in a ew hours, betray Him. That’sthe kind o love that Jesus wants us to have.

l 4:18 » c mmThe context here is Jesus’ rst public sermon. He has just returned rom the desertwhere He has been tempted by Satan and is back in His hometown o Nazareth. InHis very rst sermon in the synagogue, He reads the text rom Isaiah 61.

It ocuses on the poor, the prisoner, the blind, the oppressed. In His rst publicannouncement, where He e ectively proclaims why He is here, Jesus ocuses

on those in society who are the most in need among us. He sets orth a sort o mission statement or His ministry, with the poor at the center. And outrageously,He proclaims, “Today, this scripture is ul lled in your hearing” (Luke 4:20). Heannounces that He Himsel is the Messiah and that He has come to bring a new

beginning to everyone, including those considered the least.

l 10: 30–37 » c mmYou might want to start with Luke 10:25-29 to set up the story. It recounts a conversation between a man and Jesus about what the man must do to inherit eternal li e.

O course, the man answers with the conventional Old Testament re erence: “You shall love theLord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with allyour mind. And love your neighbor as yoursel .”

“Do this,” Jesus says, “and you will live.”

This was one o those times when, or his own sake, the man should have le t well enough alone. Buthe was so certain he could get the best o Jesus that he persisted. “And who is my neighbor?”

Again, rather than answer the question directly, Jesus tells the amiliar story o a man beaten byrobbers and le t bleeding on the side o the road.

Did you ever wonder about that man? The story doesn’t tell who he was, where he came rom, or whathad caused this terrible situation to be all him. Interestingly, when Jesus told the story, He didn’tthink that in ormation was relevant. He wasn’t interested in who was to blame or this man’s attack.Rather, He seems more interested in the response o those who passed by—the priest and the Levite.

The priest and the Levite represent the religious and legal establishment. They see the man lying ingreat distress, but instead o coming to his rescue, they cross over to the other side o the road. Theydon’t want anything to do with this stranger. It’s not until a Samaritan happens upon the injured

leadersnotes for

lessonone

“You shall love the Lord your God with

all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength,

and with all your mind. And love your

neighbor as yoursel .”



traveler that someone nally comes to his aid, bandaging his wounds, and transporting him to thenearest inn.

Why do you think it’s signi cant that it was a Samaritan who had compassion on the wounded man?He was an outcast, the one hated by the others, the one least expected to help.

Finally, Jesus asks the question, “Which o these three do you think was neighbor to the man whoell among thieves?” Was it the priest, the spiritual leader o the community? Was it the Levite, the

legal expert? Or was it the Samaritan, hated by Jews and reviled as unclean, who acted in compas-sion toward his ellow traveler?

The young man, not able even to bring himsel to say the word “Samaritan,” answers, “He whoshowed mercy on him.”

Jesus then looks this man in the eye and concludes what is perhaps the most power-ul moral teaching in all o history. Just our words declare Christ’s expectations o

every Christian; our words echo His command in John 13:34: “Go and do likewise.”

That’s what it means to love one another as Jesus loves. Not just loving the lovely orthose who love us, but loving the stranger, the outcast, and the man le t bleeding onthe side o the road. It means loving our neighbor, no matter who or where they are.

And when we do, Jesus says, the amazing thing is that others will know that weare His disciples. That is to be our identi ying mark—people will know that we areChrist’s disciples i we love like Jesus loves. Those who know Jesus Christ as Lordand Savior must be compelled by His love or the world to show mercy to our neigh-bors, to love them with the love o Christ.

cons ider our wor ld todayp “G ’ h p G w .” Create our viewing stations by posting the photos provided in the handout (or online at www.womeno vision.org/heart ).

Divide the participants into pairs or small groups. Invite the pairs to spend a ew moments viewing the photos, reading the Scripture at each station, and sharing their impressions with one another.

leadersnotes for

lessonone

Jesus then looks thisman in the eye and concludes what is perhaps the most

power ul moralteaching in all o

history. “Go and dolikewise.”



choos inG a personal responseParticipants share responses to these questions:

» What is your reaction to the poverty acts presented earlier?» What are some alternate responses or actions to apathy or paralysis?» How might coming alongside those in poverty also be trans ormational or the less-poor?» What tugs at your heart? What issues do you eel passionate about?» What does it mean that you might be the answer to someone’s prayer?» What might God be calling you to do?

Provide participants with sel -stick notes and markers. Ask them to write their answers on thenotes and post them on a ip chart. A ter compiling the list, invite the group to review it and notesimilarities as well as unique ideas.

c los inG prayer

s : M 5:14-16 M 25:34-40Choose a reader ahead o time. Form a circle around the reader and provide each participant witha candle. Turn o the lights. The darker the room, the more e ective this will be. Light the reader’scandle and ask the reader to share the Scripture texts aloud.

The reader then lights another person’s candle, and participants continue sharing the ame. Whenall the candles are lit, ask each participant to share where they would like to shed light and hope inthe world. Once everyone has shared, end by saying, “For all o this, we pray. Amen.” Close by extin-guishing the candles.

leadersnotes for

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I s o u g h t t h e L O R D , a n d h e a n s w e r e d m e ;

h e d e l i v e r e d m e f r o m a l l m y f e a r s .

T h o s e w h o l o o k t o h i m a r e r a d i a n t ;

t h e i r f a c e s a r e n e v e r c o v e r e d w i t h s h a m e .

T h i s p o o r m a n c a l l e d , a n d t h e L O R D h e a r d h i m ;

h e s a v e d h i m o u t o f a l l h i s t r o u b l e s .

T h e a n g e l o f t h e L O R D e n c a m p s a r o u n d t h o s e

w h o f e a r h i m ,

a n d h e d e l i v e r s t h e m .

— p s a l M

3 4 : 4 - 7


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h e n J e s u s s a i d t o h i s h o s t , “ W h e n y o u g i v e a l u n c h e o n

o r d i n n e r , d o n o t i n v i t e y o u r f r i e n d s , y o u r b r o t h e r s o r r e -

l a t i v e s , o r y o u r r i c h n e i g h b o r s ; i f y o u d o , t h e y m a y i n v i t e

y o u b a c k a n d s o y o u w i l l b e r e p a i d . B u t w h e n y o u g i v e a

b a n q u e t , i n v i t e t h e p o o r , t h e c r i p p l e d , t h e l a m e , t h e b l i n d ,

a n d y o u w i l l b e b l e s s e d . A l t h o u g h t h e y c a n n o t r e p a y y o u ,

y o u w i l l b e r e p a i d a t t h e r e s u r r e c t i o n o f t h e r i g h t e o u s . ”

— l u k e 1 4 : 1 2 - 1 4


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“ ‘ F o r I w a s h u n g r y a n d y o u g a v e m e s o m e t h i n g t o e a t , I w a s t h

i r s t y a n d

y o u g a v e m e s o m e t h i n g t o d r i n k , I w a s a s t r a n g e r a n d y o u i n v i t e d m e i n ,

I n e e d e d c l o t h e s a n d y o u c l o t h e d m e , I w a s s i c k a n d y o u l o o k e d a f t e r m e ,

I w a s i n p r i s o n a n d y o u c a m e t o v i s i t m e . ’

“ T h e n t h e r i g h t e o u s w i l l a n s w e r h i m , ‘ L o r d , w h e n d i d w e s e e y

o u h u n g r y

a n d f e e d y o u , o r t h i r s t y a n d g i v e y o u s o m e t h i n g t o d r i n k ? W h e n d i d w e

s e e y o u a s t r a n g e r a n d i n v i t e y o u i n , o r n e e d i n g c l o t h e s a n d c l o t h e y o u ?

W h e n d i d w e s e e y o u s i c k o r i n p r i s o n a n d g o t o v i s i t y o u ? ’

“ T h e K i n g w i l l r e p l y , ‘ I t e l l y o u t h e t r u t h , w h a t e v e r y o u d i d f o r o n e o f t h e

l e a s t o f t h e s e b r o t h e r s o f m i n e , y o u d i d f o r m e . ’


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Mater ia l sPen, Bible, candle (optional)

scr ip ture re f lec t ionThe ollowing commentary will help you prepare to lead the discussion during the ScriptureRe ection portion o the lesson.

G 1:27 p m 139 » c mmThe ollowing Scriptures might also be use ul when discussing these passages.

» We are to delight in ellowship with Him (Ps 84:2).» We are to respect human li e (Gen 9:6).» We are stewards o creation (Gen 1:26. Ps 8:3-8).» We can imitate God’s love and justice (Deut 10:17-19, Micah 6:8).» We have been dis gured through the Fall (Rom 3:23).

As the allen . . .» We are in con ict with Creation (Gen 3:17-19).

As the redeemed . . .» Jesus is the per ect image o God (Phil 2:6, Col. 1:15).» Jesus is the aultless human being (2 Cor 5:21, Heb 1:3).» God’s image is renewed in those united with Jesus by aith (Rom 8:29).» Christian li e is the process o trans ormation into His likeness (2 Cor 3:18).

l 12:7 M 25:34-40 » c mmThe opening scene o this passage depicts the heavenly throne, upon which is seated the King o Kings. And all the people o the world are gathered around Him, awaiting His judgment. The timehas come or the King to divide His obedient servants rom the rebellious ones, like a shepherdwould divide the sheep rom the goats.

It’s interesting to note that each group is surprised by the King’s standard o judgment. Neithergroup expects judgment to be in terms o how they’ve treated others. They, perhaps like many o us,think o judgment exclusively in terms o their relationship to God through Jesus Christ. But Jesuspaints a di erent picture. He divides these two groups based on their treatment o the “least o these,” the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and those in prison.

the curtain that veils poverty

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lessontwo

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I the discussion requires direction, guide participants to seeing how the “least o these” are asvaluable as Jesus Christ.

You might want to use the ollowing story rom Reneé Stearns, wi e o World Vision U.S. PresidentRichard Stearns, as an illustration:

This reminds me o a woman I met a couple o years ago in India. We werethere to visit World Vision projects, and we spent one a ternoon in a villageo people rom the lowest caste in Indian society, the dalits. Because o theircaste, they were orced to live alone in a remote location, isolated rom the

rest o the world. I was sitting in the dirt, working with a group o women,when one o them asked me, “How do you eel being here? What do you seewhen you look at us?”

O course to us, these people looked like any o the many others we hadseen during our travels—poor but hardworking men and women, eager toprovide or themselves and their amilies. Yet when their neighbors lookedat them, they could see them only through the ltered eyes o Indian cultureand custom. To those around them, they were “untouchables.”

It got me thinking about the lter God uses when He looks at us. When Helooks at the world He created, what is it He sees? When the Father looksat us, He sees His children, dearly loved and valuable beyond measure, sovaluable, in act, that He sent His one and only Son. And when we, through

aith, become part o God’s amily, as He looks at us, He sees Jesus. No mat-ter what our circumstances here on earth, when He sees us, He sees Hisprecious Son. The “least o these” are important enough that He sacri cedHis one and only child.

cons ider our wor ld today Assign each group member one o the roles ound in step 2:

» Thobias, the local Brahmin leader» Lu, the local money lender» Nirmala, the widowed mother o our and an Untouchable» Amita, Nirmala’s sister

Invite the group to read their assigned role and character description. Then invite the participantsto imagine what each situation would be like and act it out. Another option would be to ask the

leadersnotes for

lessontwo

It got me thinkingabout the flter God

uses when He looks at us. When He looks at the world He created,

what is it He sees?


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participants to take a ew minutes to re ect on the role and then to share what they think it wouldbe like to be this person.

c los inG prayer I you have access to peace ul, meditative music, or someone in your group is musical, you might setthe mood or prayer by playing or singing a song and sitting in silence be ore or a ter the closing prayer.

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Mater ia l s» Pens, Bibles

Materials or activity:» a hand ul o rice placed on a plate

» a plate brimming with American ood accompanied by a drink and dessert on separate plate» a photo o well-dressed leaders busily discussing something » a ew coins» a checkbook» a bag with our or sugar that weights 2 or 3 pounds» a bag o our or sugar that weights about 7 pounds» two buckets o water

onl ine resource rom www.womeno vision.org/heart“Through the Eyes o the Poor Gallery Walk” resource

cause and effec t

i m b : Water is one o the world’s most important natural resources. However, 80 countries experienceserious water shortages. Children’s tiny bodies are dependent on clean water and susceptible towaterborne disease and parasites. When clean water is scarce, all aspects o li e are impacted.

Without sa e water, crops, and livestock die and healthy meals cannot be prepared.Poor health rom unclean water means the productivity o the community su ers and amily

income diminishes.

Where water is scarce, there is unlikely to be a school, and teachers are reluctant to move intothe community. Because children spend so much time etching water, they cannot attend schoolanyway.

the Multiple causes of poverty

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c :» Thirteen percent o the world’s population consumes drinking water rom unsa e sources. » Women shoulder the largest burden in collecting water and are more than twice as likely as

men to etch drinking water. Women (64 percent); men (25 percent); girls (7 percent); boys (4percent).

» Unsa e drinking water, lack o sanitation, and poor hygiene together contribute to about 88percent o the under-5 deaths occurring each year due to diarrheal diseases. This means thatmore than 1.45 million children below the age o 5 are lost annually—nearly 4,000 die each day.

» Every 22 seconds, a child under the age o 5 dies rom illnesses attributed to poor hygienepractices, unsa e drinking-water supplies, and inadequate access to sanitation.

(Sources: WHO/UNICEF JMP Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation , 2008; UNICEF State of the World’s Chil-dren , 2008; UNICEF State of the World’s Children , 2009)

a c pI the participants are struggling to come up with additional poverty causes (lesson 3, page 3),consider sharing the ollowing:

» Physical causes: lack o ood, water, money, clothing, or natural resources (like clean air).

» Social causes: pressure to marry early; expectation to work instead o attend school; emale’sinability to travel without a male chaperone.

» Mental causes: lack o education; ability hindered by disease or substance abuse; poor sel -image.

» Spiritual causes: ear; eeling abandoned or punished by God; allowing the power ul to dominate.

scr ip ture re f lec t ionThe ollowing in ormation will help you prepare to lead the discussion during the Scripture

Re ection (John 10:10) portion o the lesson.

A Christian understanding o poverty includes:» Poverty o being—the poor are people whose identity has been marred. They don’t see

themselves as God sees them, as valuable and dearly loved by their creator.

» Poverty o relationships—the poor are those whose relationships do not work, rst with Godand then with others.



» Poverty o purpose—the poor are those without hope.

» Spiritual poverty includes not seeing ourselves as God sees us; nding ourselves in destructiverelationships, both with our creator and with others; and lacking hope or the uture.

cons ider your own v iewpoin tUsing handouts and materials you gathered, create ve “viewing stations” as noted below:

» s o : Place at this station two buckets o water. Also place page 1 rom the handout.

» s t : Place a plate o rice (label the plate “poor”) next to a plate brimming with American ood accompanied by a drink and dessert (label the plate “not-poor”). Also placepage 2 rom the handout.

» s t : Place a photo o well-dressed leaders busily discussing something. Also placepage 3 rom the handout.

» s f : Place a ew coins that equal less than a dollar (label the coins “poor”) next to a to

a checkbook with a healthy balance (label the checkbook “not-poor”). Another option would bea sign marked with some amount between $1 and $2 that says, “One-third o the people on theplanet live on this each day.” Next to it should be items with prices rom a U.S. store, such as blue jeans, school notebook, or a ast- ood bag to represent a meal. Also place page 4 rom the handout.

» s f : Place two to three pounds o sugar or our in one bag. Label it “underweightin ant born in developing world.” Also place a 7-pound bag o sugar or our at the station.Label it, “average baby born in the U.S.” Finally, place page 5 rom the handout.

Divide the participants into pairs. Explain that the goal o this activity is or them to experiencewhat it’s like to walk with someone who sees the world through di erent eyes because o theirresources and the challenges they ace. Ask each pair to choose a role—“poor” or “not poor.”

Invite the pairs to spend a ew moments experiencing each station. Tell them to eel ree to pickup the items. Advise them to look at the situation in each station as they think they would view itthrough the eyes o their assigned role, “poor” or “not poor.” Ask them to share with one anothertheir responses to the questions posted at the station be ore moving on to the next station.



A ter completing all o the stations, ask the participants to share with their partners responses tothe ollowing questions, which are also noted in the lesson:

» Which station most surprised you?

» How did being in the company o the other person make you eel?

» Did your discussion reveal any possible ways o lessening inequality?


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s o Walk around the room once carrying bothbuckets. I you eel daring, try carrying one o

the buckets on your head.

Share your responses to the ollowing questions:

How many buckets o water do you think you would needor your daily tasks?

How much more di cult would it be or you i no running water was available in your home?

How would this change your daily routine?

Lesson Three – Resource

throuGh the eyes of the poor Gallery walk


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s tSpend a ew moments comparing andcontrasting the two plates.


How does it make you eel to have this quantity o oodwhen your neighbor has a di erent amount?

What might it be like i the roles were reversed?





s tTake a moment to look at the photograph.The make a mental list o all o the governmental

and in uential people in your community, state,and nation.


How would you make your voice heard in this group o people?

What resources might you have to draw rom that wouldincrease your chance o succeeding?





s fTake a moment to view the items andin ormation at this station.


How would these resources hinder or help you in meeting your daily needs?

How do you eel about your resources compared to theperson next to you?





s fPick up each bag one at a time and cradle it or a moment or two. Think about the weight

diference you are holding.

Share your responses to the ollowing question:

What do you think each child’s prospect o a healthyuture might be?




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n g .

Mater ia l s Pens, Bible, computer with Internet access.

onl ine resourceDownload the video “Hoops o Hope” rom www.hoopsofope.org .

scr ip ture re f lec t ionTo work through these steps in a timely manner, consider dividing the participants into pairs orsmall groups and assign each o the readings listed in steps 2 through 8. Then ask the pairs to readthe assigned passage, discuss the question, and summarize or the entire group.

choose a personal response A ter the discussion or journaling, suggest that the participants cra t an action plan to help themtake the next step toward advocacy. Have them revisit the steps outlined in during the ScriptureRe ection portion o the lesson.

c los inG prayer Invite the participants to alternate praying aloud each portion o the Litany or the MilleniumDevelopment Goals, while everyone responds together: “Lord hear our prayer.”

GivinG voice to the voiceless

leadersnotes for

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Copyright © 2009 by World Vision, Inc., Mail Stop 321, P.O. Box 9716, Federal Way, WA 98063-9716, 253-815-3320,[email protected]. All rights reserved.

hope in a world of hurt - leader's guide

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