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SYNOPSIS

The debut album from Brit Award’s critic’s choice winners contains hints at something deeper to be explored.

THE SESSION

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Begin the session by exploring the idea that we ascribe value to different people or things. You could do this by providing strips of paper with some of the different things that your young people may value: this group, school friends, God, family etc and ask your group to order the strips from most to least valuable. Explain that during this session, we are going to be thinking about the things we give value to in our own lives.

TRACK 5: WORSHIP

Play the track, providing copies of the lyrics, along with a selection of coloured pens. Explain that this song was not written to be used in worship of God. Some of the lyrics feel particularly uncomfortable when we think about worshipping God but there are some things which may resonate with those experiences. As they listen, invite your young people to highlight anything which they would be happy to sing or say within the context of their relationship with God and to cross out the things that make them feel uncomfortable.

Explain that worship is the giving of worth or value to someone or something: it is not a specific phenomenon saved for God alone. As human beings, we find ourselves worshipping other things all the time and when we look at the lyrics to this song as well as other love songs, we often find ‘worshiping’ lyrics. Ask:

• Why do you think we are more at home with love songs which express ‘worship’ towards another human being than we are with some of the songs we may sing to God?

• Is it wrong to feel this way about something or someone other than God?

• What unique place does God hold in our lives?

Remind your group that these issues have always plagued human beings. We were designed by God to be a worshipping people, when he first created us to live in community with him. The Bible is full of accounts of people who chose to put something other than God first. When God gave his people the ten commandments, he made it clear that no person or thing should take a place higher than him in our lives. Ask:

• How does this commandment relate to the things we discussed earlier?

• How do we maintain and protect God’s unique position in our lives?

Explain that our relationships with other people are of great value, and that’s how God intended it to be, but he should hold the first and foremost position in our lives; taking the number one spot.