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Description

Can you tell the difference between Bible verses written nearly 2,000 years ago, and the lyrics of one of the globe’s biggest pop stars?

Resources

What you'll need
‘Taylor Swift or Lamentations?’ PowerPoint
Projector/large TV

PowerPoint Link: https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fboys-brigade.org.uk%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2024%2F08%2FTaylor-Swift-or-Lamentations-Faith-Musc-Theme-Seniors-Autumn-2024.pptx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK

Leader Preparation
A leader will need to download the PowerPoint and display this using a projector or large TV.

Instructions

Did you know
- Almost all forms of religion feature music as an important part of worship, ritual or ceremony.
- There are many genres of Christian music today include Christian rap, pop, metal, hip hop and more.
- Paul encouraged the Church to “Speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:19)

Getting into the activity
1) Have you heard of the book of the Bible called ‘Lamentations’? It was thought to have been written by the prophet Jeremiah. His writings contain sorrowful reactions to the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in about 500BC. Much of the writing is therefore quite emotional and reflective.
2) What about Taylor Swift? Have you heard of her? Of course you have, she’s one of the world’s biggest pop stars, with her music reaching every corner of the globe. How many different songs of hers can you name?
3) Do you reckon you could tell the difference between some of Taylor Swift’s lyrics and the words of a prophet written nearly 2,000 years ago? Let’s find out!
4) On the PowerPoint, there will be a sentence or two on each slide. As a group, or individually, you need to decide if you believe the words come from a verse In Lamentations or from the lyrics of a Taylor Swift song. You could do this by voting, having a debate, moving to different sides of the room etc.
5) Once everyone has decided, reveal the answer. How many of you guessed correctly?
6) Continue the activity going through all 12 questions.
7) After completing the activity sit down and reflect. How many did you guess correctly? Did you find it difficult to tell the two apart? Why do you think this was?
8) Music, poetry, writing etc have always been a way of expressing your feelings. This is true for if you are heartbroken over the devastating destruction of a city and temple thousands of years ago… or heartbroken over the breakup of your latest boyfriend or girlfriend.
9) Regardless of the source of our feelings and emotions, we can learn an important lesson from both Jeremiah and Taylor here. Expressing your feelings is a healthy way of dealing with difficult situations. This could be by talking to friends or adults, writing them down in a journal or song, or sharing them with God in prayer.

Ideas to take this further
Spend some time looking through Lamentations and finding out more about what is written within its verses. This could be as a one-off activity or as a series over several weeks. Check out the Bible Project for resources to support you with this.

Tags

• Get Learning
• Lamentations
• music
• Taylor Swift

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