Week 3

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!

• Would you rather…be a yo-yo or a roller-coaster car? Why? What are the advantages/disadvantages of each? Has your life ever felt like one or the other?

• Share about a time you received something you really really wanted, or had been waiting a long time for…What was it? How did you feel? How did that affect you?

• Has there been a time when you didn’t receive something you had been really really been hoping for? What was it? How did you feel? How has that affected you?

• What’s something you’re really hoping for even right now?

• Why do you think we can’t always get what we want? Or even what we need?

• How does God factor in to your desires? Do you ask for stuff/things to happen? Do you ask what you should be desiring? (Check out Psalms 37:1-5).

• (finish the sentence) When things don’t turn out the way I had hoped, I…

• What does hopelessness look like? Feel like?

• How can we find hope in life? How could we give hope?

• How do you overcome obstacles in life?

• Life includes sorrow, hurt, disappointment, injustice, loss, pain & grief. How do you live with these as part of your life? How do you support & help others in their hard times?
• But life also includes fulfillment, happiness, gain, joy & fulfillment…How have these kinds of times been a part of your life? When have you celebrated with others?

• What are the things, or who are the people, that you put the most trust/faith in? What does it mean to trust in God? What does that look like?

Bible reading & Discussion

Open your Bibles to Luke 13:31-35. Read it out loud together.

• Some Pharisees told Jesus about Herod’s death threat. What do you think they were trying to achieve in warning Jesus about Herod?

• Have you ever felt like you were in danger? What did that look like? How would you respond if you knew someone was looking to harm you?

• What do you know about Jerusalem, both past & present? Look online to discover some important things that have happened in this city.

• Jesus talks about gathering Jerusalem together, “as a hen gathers her brood.” What do you think Jesus meant by that? Is there another metaphor you would choose?

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.