We live surrounded by brokenness. There are many broken things in our lives, especially broken appliances, vehicles and tech devices. In many cases, manufacturers practice planned obsolescence, which drives consumers to buy newer versions of products rather than dealing with expensive or nearly impossible repairs. Increasingly, humans are seen as flawed and replaceable, as robots move into factories, vehicles and even baseball stadiums.
Less visible is the brokenness in our human condition. We’ll notice the cast on a broken arm, but we can't see the broken spirit or broken dreams that hinder or haunt so many people. Relationships, too, can be hard to mend once broken. We can "unfriend" a person with a quick click or tap. Just as easily, we can step away from a relationship rather than stepping up to fix it.
Look for and listen to the expectations for perfection in your students' lives. Are they using photo filters on social media that alter reality? Do they overuse words such as "perfect," "amazing" and "awesome" to create a false sense of perfection? Are they measuring themselves by unrealistic human standards, which deny brokenness, or by God's standard of unconditional love for people, whatever their condition?
Take an analog clock (perhaps there is one on your classroom wall) and secretly pop out its battery right before you begin this discussion.
Begin by asking: "What time is it? Do you trust the time on this clock?" (Notice whether students are checking their phones or watches for the correct time.)
Then say: "This clock is broken. Yet it's showing the correct time. I want a few people to guess why this clock isn't working and how to fix it, but if you're going to guess, I first need you to tell us something you’d like to fix about yourself." (Provide an example, such as "I'm a procrastinator, and I think the clock is rusty inside. We need to throw it away and buy a new one.")
Take a few responses, waiting until at least one student guesses that the battery is dead or missing. Then say: "It's said that even a broken clock is right twice a day. Our clock won't be right again for nearly 12 hours, but a broken person is (or "some broken people are") correct right now. The clock is missing its battery. We need to replace the battery." (Re-install the battery)
Begin by saying: "The problem with our clock was far simpler than the disrepair we experience in our lives." Then ask:
How could we tell that the clock wasn't working?
How can we tell when a person or a relationship is broken, or not functioning well?
Does it take perfect people to fix an imperfect situation?
Conclude by saying: "Most problems in life are much harder to fix than a clock with a missing battery. But whether it's a conflict among our closest friends or a complex global problem, God is able to use imperfect, broken people to discover solutions. Keep this in mind when the brokenness in your own life, or around the world, seems overwhelming. In this season of Advent, discover hope in the gifts of imperfect people, like all of us!"
God of hope,
be with us in this season of Advent.
Bless us with hope in the darkness
and awareness that our gifts are gifts from you.
Remind us that everything you created is good.
Good, though not necessarily perfect.
Still, plenty good enough to bring hope and healing to a broken world.
Amen.
Approximate reading time for this article: 4.5 minutes
Please give us your feedback! Fill out a quick survey about this lesson and how we can serve you better. Remember that its title is "Amid brokenness and darkness, God is working"
Tell us what you think about this resource, or give us ideas for other resources you'd like to see, by contacting us at education@globalsistersreport.org