Women in the Bible – Lesson 5: Mary the Mother of Jesus and Elizabeth

Practice Duration 60 minutes

Lesson developed byJill Olds and Victoria Crook

Materials Checklist

Bibles or copies of the focal scripture
Pens/Pencils
Paper
Whiteboard or large piece of paper
Load the video clip “Young Activists and Why They March” on a device to share with all

Activity 1: Top 10

Give youth paper and writing utensils.
Have them make a list of the top 10 people they look up to and a reason why they do.
Ask them, if they are comfortable, to share some of their list (or all if you have time). Write these on a larger paper/white board for everyone to see, or you can write down those who have written down the same people or similar (such as their Mom, Obama, Malala, their best friend etc.).
Discuss why they each look up to these people, or why they think others might.
What can you do to support those you look up to? How can you support those around you currently so that they might be their true selves?

Activity 2: Video

Read the focal scripture and discuss the following questions together:

What do you make of Mary’s “yes”? Did she have a choice?
It was likely that Mary was a teenager when she became pregnant with Jesus. Who are the other teenagers today, “chosen” to do hard things? (Talk about Malala, Greta Thunberg, Alex’s lemonade stand, etc.)
The exchange between Mary and Elizabeth is the longest between two women in all of the Scriptures. And it is one of only two instances in all of the Bible when named women talk about something other than men (the other is the women as they go to Jesus’ tomb). What strikes you about this story?
Who are your female mentors, to whom you can turn for insight? How can we grant them agency, and a safe space in which to tell their stories?

Close the meeting in prayer (either leader or a group member).