Week 2

Lent – Thin Places

-Start your meeting together by sharing your highs and lows from the last week.

-Then dive in to the discussion starters for this week.

-Included again is a Bible reading & some questions if you'd like to go that route.

Remember to pray together & be ready to worship at 7:00!

• Imagine, you have an unlimited budget to take a trip. Where do you go & what do you do?

• Do you like to spend time outside? Why/Why not? What do you do/What do you do instead?

• Share about a memorable experience you had outdoors…

• Compare & contrast being outside to being inside. What’s the same? Different? What’s unique to each? What are the benefits & drawbacks?

• Describe your favorite place/location…What is special about that spot?

• If God is somewhere, in a certain place, where do you think that place is?

• We are promised that we have the Holy Spirit in each of us (1 Corinthians 6:19, 2 Timothy 1:14), so God is always with us. But if you had to pick a place to go & be with God, where would it be? Do you actually do this?

• Share about a place, other than your house, that you feel “at home” or at peace, when you’re there…

• How about a time or place that you were out of your comfort zone…Where was that/what did you have to do? What was the result? How do you feel about it now?

• Where do you go, or who do you go to when you’re in some sort of trouble or hard time? How does being in that place or talking to that person help?

• How do you feel or sense that God is present? Or, how have you heard others describe it?

• Did you know that “wilderness” is used 284 times in the bible (NRSV), and “mountains” 363 times? That’s kind of a lot. Do a search of wilderness & mountains in the bible & see what kinds of things happen in those places. (www.biblegateway.com)

  

Bible reading & Discussion

Find Luke 4:1-13. Read it out loud together.

• It says the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. Do you think this was the same Spirit that appeared during Jesus’ baptism? Why would the Spirit lead Jesus into temptation?

• The devil offers Jesus a loaf of bread. When was a time you remember being really hungry? How did it affect you?

• Jesus quotes Psalm 91, where God promises to send angels to protect people. What would you do if an angel appeared before you?!

• Temptation is everywhere. What do you do when you’re tempted? What tempts you to stray from your faith in God?

Prayer time – Pray for each other’s highs & lows.

          

Dear God, thank you for (highs). Please be with us as we deal with (lows).

          In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.