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Bottom Line: Trust God to be the perfect and faithful Heavenly Father that scripture
says He is, even if you’ve been hurt by others in the past.
SUPPLIES
• Five cones
• Whistle
• Prizes/candy for winners
For the following items, you will need one per group:
GAME PREP
Before students arrive, use a cone to mark each of the five “obstacles.”
If you don’t have enough students for five groups of five, just eliminate one or more
of the five obstacles below so that each team has the same amount of student and
the same number of obstacles to complete.
Say: In honor of Father’s Day, we’re going to play a Dad-based obstacle course.
It’s a little cheesy, but the truth is, some of our dads are too!
When the whistle blows, Teammate #1 will run to the first obstacle and put on the
old man pants and secure the suspenders.
Then, they must run to the first obstacle, remove the pants and suspenders and help
Teammate #2 put them on (he/she will be waiting at the first obstacle).
Teammate #2 (already dressed as a dad) will then grab a spatula (place it halfway
between the first and second obstacle) and run to the next obstacle where you’ll
have them take off the dad clothes, hand off the spatula to Teammate #3, and help
him/her dress in the dad clothes.
Teammate #3 will then pick up a tool (place it halfway between the third and fourth
obstacle) and run to the fourth obstacle where he/she has to get out of the dad
clothes, hand off the spatula and the wrench, and help Teammate #4 dress up in the
dad clothes.
Teammate #4 will then have to run to the next obstacle, picking up a necktie along
the way.
Teammate #4 will not put on the necktie but instead will put the necktie on
Teammate #5 (tell your youth group that this is the hardest part, so they should
choose who will be Teammate #4 and #5 wisely – one of them should have some
good tie-tying skills).
Then, Teammate #5 needs to take the dad clothes, put them on, grab the spatula
and tool, and run over to a table with plates of Cheese Whiz on them.
Without putting anything down, and without using hands, Teammate #5 has to eat
all the Cheese Whiz off of the plate.
The team that finishes every obstacle the fastest – wins the game!!!
TEACH
We grill burgers, give our dads tools or ties or wallets, and we take a moment to
celebrate what they mean to us.
Whether one’s father has passed away, or whether he has left a family disappointed
or neglected, some people feel the sting of Father’s Day instead of the celebration.
So today, in honor of Father’s Day, we’re going to have an honest discussion about
this important family role.
The title of “father” is so important because it can help or hinder our understanding
of God.
Of course, since God is our Heavenly Father, we can look to Him for the definition of
what perfect fatherhood looks like.
God is referred to with the title of “father” in both the Old and New Testament.
That’s because it’s reserved for a certain role, a certain set of characteristics, and a
certain unique familiarity that we have with a select person in our lives.
God the Father is one person of the Trinity (the 3-person God), and He is Father for
many reasons.
But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are
all the work of your hand.
God created the world and everything in it; therefore, he “fathered” us.
God “knit us together” in our mothers’ wombs, and He created our purpose in life.
He molds us and shapes us into something new and unique (if we let Him).
But don’t confuse that with similar to human beings (remember: God is holy and set
apart from us).
In other words, when we call him “familiar,” that means we can “get to know” Him.
There is no end to the depth that our relationships with God the Father can have.
He not only loves, shows compassion and patience, and sees our purpose and
potential, but He also disciplines us through the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have
received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
What a miracle!
We get to call God “Abba! Father” which means “Daddy,” an intimate term that
children call the man that they trust the most.
Life is an endless list of do’s and don’ts in order to gain salvation, and even if you’re
the best you can be, it isn’t good enough.
In contrast, our God, the only true God, let’s us call Him “Daddy.”
And no matter what has happened with our dads in the past, good or bad, we can
always remember that our Heavenly Father is true, trustworthy, and faithful.
For those of you who have experienced pain from your earthly father, know this:
God simply cannot be compared to a human father – he never sins, he never lies, he
never will leave or forsake his children, and he always knows what’s best.
Remember that all human beings are born into sin, including our earthly fathers.
And if our earthly father has disappointed us, we may unfairly project anger and
resentment onto God.
However, instead of blaming God or associating God with that pain, give that pain to
Him.
And lastly, we can’t end this lesson without discussing the only way to have that
relationship with God that every human being so desperately needs.
There is only one way to get to God, and that is through His Son, Jesus Christ, who
tore the veil that separated you and I from God the Father.
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who
dwells in me does his works.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account
of the works themselves.
Trust in Jesus today, and go deeper in your relationship with your Heavenly Father.
He already showed you how much He loves you by giving what matters most to Him.
Close in prayer.
1. Is it hard for you to separate your idea of an earthly father from a heavenly one?
4. Think of a father that you know who should be celebrated for his dedication to his
family and his godly leadership. Describe him to the group.
5. How has God shown you fatherly love and devotion in your own walk with Him?
6. Does our culture value the role of father? How so or why not?
If you don’t have a relationship with your father, think of someone who has stepped
into that role for you and tell the group about that person.
9. Think of a biblical account where God acted as a Father toward his people
(whether in love and compassion or in discipline). Discuss it with the group.
10. How do you know that you can trust God as your Heavenly Father?