Lock-In: Bread of Life

on November 16, 2011

Objectives

To provide opportunities for participants to grow in their relationship with and appreciation for Jesus, the Bread of Life.
To grow in commitment to and awareness of the servant role to which Christ calls His people.
To provide a meaningful devotional experience for members of the Christian community who are unable to attend worship services.

Introduction

It is an amazing fact from Scripture that God regularly uses the ordinary to accomplish the spectacular. When creating humans, He used dust and wind (breath). When the children of Israel needed food, He sent not caviar but bread (manna). When humanity needed a Savior, He came as a baby. When humanity needed salvation, He gave it through water and the Word. When the Christian needs strengthening for ministry, He brings it in bread and wine.

This lock-in/servant event is intended to focus on the ordinary substance of bread with the prayer that God will use that also to accomplish the spectacular.

In this event participants will bake loaves of bread to be shared with the congregation and community shut-ins. When delivering these “love loaves” they will also share a brief devotion focusing on Jesus, the Bread of Life. During the course of the event, the participants should also focus on their relationship with Jesus, the Bread of Life, and His call to be servants.

Suggested Guidelines for Planning the Event:

Involve key youth in the planning process.
Try to plan a Saturday evening through Sunday noon lock-in so that you can incorporate a “Blessing of the Loaves” into the Sunday morning worship service.
Publicize well in advance.
Locate a good, but simple, bread recipe or invite a baker, parent or grandparent to assist with the bread baking.
Encourage or require youth to attend the entire event. A lock-in of this nature loses its effectiveness when participants attend only part of the activities.
Make arrangements with your pastor for the “Blessing of the Loaves” in the Sunday morning worship.
Ask your pastor for names of shut-ins who would appreciate a visit from the youth.
You may want to consider baking one or two loaves of bread for use in a Sunday morning Communion service.