Greetings and Opening Prayer
First: Play music in the background and ask everyone to sit quietly, in a relaxed position. The spiritist teacher should read the text called God in Nature.
Second: (expose the lesson’s theme) Ask the adolescents if they believe in the existence of God. If their answer is yes, ask them why.
Third: The spiritist teacher will place three glasses of water on the table – one with sugar, a glass with salty water and a glass with pure water. Distributed randomly a little bit of water for all adolescents (some will receive pure water; others salty while some will get the sugary one). Ask each of them to try the water they received. The spiritist teacher should then ask what it tastes like and how they reached this conclusion (sweet, salty).
We can’t see salt or sugar, but we can taste it. We too can’t see God but we can feel it. We can feel God’s presence in our lives: through his works and his perfect laws. Quote the Law of Cause and Effect, concluding that the whole Universe is God's work (men couldn’t have created the Universe; there is a Higher Being that created all things who arranged the perfect laws that govern the universe).
Fourth - group dynamics: meeting the challenges with faith.
This group dynamic is intended to awaken trust in God to face and overcome the problems in the adolescents; showing that our faith in God is the strength that keeps us going forward. It’s only with faith we can overcome the obstacles that hinder our mission (we reincarnate to evolve; to learn to love, to do good).
For this technique we need: a small ball and ten transparent disposable bottles with lids; gouache (different colours) and eleven adhesive labels.
First, the spiritist teacher must fill the bottles with water and mix a bit of gouache in the water to make sure each of the bottles have a different colour (depending on how much time you have for this class, you might want to take bring the bottles ready from home or get it ready before this class starts).
With the adolescents’ help, write on the labels (and stick to the bottles) ten obstacles that make the adolescents’ mission harder - some examples would be: selfishness, jealousy, hatred, laziness, etc. Remind them we reincarnate to evolve; to learn to love, to do good.
A big label with the word FAITH should be attached to the ball.
The game is to get everyone to aim at the obstacles and try to throw the ball to knock them down. The winner will be the one who can bring know down all obstacles. (Technique taken from the site CVDEE).
After everyone has thrown the ball at least once, conclude that the game wanted to show that faith in God is the tool that enables us to overcome life obstacles. Thus, we can confidently carry out our mission in this incarnation with the certainty of God’s existence and that He is wise as well as just.
Click here to see text/resources for the spiritist teacher.
Fifth: a song can be used to close or play while the adolescents play.
Closing Prayer
Suggested Class suitable for: Youth I (13 to 14 years old).
Spiritist Teacher: Adriana Cardoso - Spiritist Group ‘Amigos de Chico’.
Translation: Carolina von Scharten, London, linked to BUSS - The British Union of Spiritist Societies.
