The following is an interactive group activity exploring the river theme in Scripture.
Overview
In this activity, participants will split into sub-groups and discuss various river passages in Scripture, summarizing their findings on sheets of blue poster paper, one per passage. These sheets will then be arranged to form a “river” flowing across the room. The activity ends with participants “walking the river” to see the work of other groups and praying individually or with others at whatever bend in the river they feel drawn to.
Preparation
- Survey the space and decide how you want to handle the logistics of the river: What path will it take? How large should the sheets of paper be?
- Consider the size of the group and how you want to split up the passages. Adjust the participant sheets accordingly. (By default they are set up for four sub-groups.)
- Gather the materials you will need:
- 25 sheets of water-blue poster paper
- 1 black marker per group
- 1 dark blue marker per group (dark enough to be easily read against the poster paper)
- printed participant sheets (one per person)
Activity
Opening: Read John 7:37-38 and explain that today we will studying river passages from across Scripture.
Groups: Divide the group into subgroups and explain the activity. One possible grouping of the passages is as follows.
|
GROUP 1 Blessing & Provision |
GROUP 2 Renewal & Refreshment |
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Psalm 36:5-9 (read all of Psalm 36) Psalm 46:4-5 (read all of Psalm 46) Isaiah 66:12-13 (read vv. 5-16) Isaiah 41:17-18 |
Isaiah 43:19-21; 44:3-4 (read 43:14–44:5) Isaiah 49:10 (read vv. 8-13) Isaiah 55:1-2 (read vv. 1-13) Jeremiah 31:9, 12 (read vv. 7-14) |
|
GROUP 3 Christ |
GROUP 4 River from the Temple |
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Isaiah 12:1-3 Jeremiah 2:13 John 4:10-14 John 7:37-39 |
Ezekiel 47:1-12 Joel 3:18 (read vv. 16-21) Revelation 21:6; 22:1-5, 17 Isaiah 35:6-7 (read all of Isaiah 35) |
Group Instructions:
- Read each assigned passage together and spend a few minutes (not too long) discussing its symbolism. Identify what the water represents in the context of the passage and what its significance is for the people of God.
- For each passage, write the following on one of the blue pieces of paper you have been given (each passage should have a separate paper). Write large enough that it can be easily read by someone standing beside the paper, with the paper on the ground.
Write in black: 1) what the water represents and 2) the passage reference
Write in blue: key words or phrases from the passage (or closely tied to the wording of the passage) about the water that relate to its significance for the people of God
After you have finished the posters, discuss the following:
- What were the common themes among the passages you looked at?
- In what ways do these passages build on one another?
- What does it mean to “come and drink” from the water that God offers in these passages?
The River:
- Take some time to walk the river and read what others have written, considering its significance. When you have read them all, choose one you feel particularly drawn to and go sit near it. Forming new groups of 2-4 people with those sitting nearby.
- Read the passage, share with one another about its significance for you and why you are drawn to it. The pray together as the Spirit leads, coming before the Lord to “drink” from the water of life He is offering you. You will need to discern together what that means for your group.
Closing: Ask a few people to share what was meaningful for them from this activity.
Participant Sheet
Feel free to download a pre-made participant sheet below and modify it to fit your needs.