SMALL GROUP discussion guide
Dear friends,
In the beginning of Genesis, we read that God created the sun and the moon, the seas and the land, the plants and the animals. Again and again, God said, “It is good... It is good... It is good.” Do you remember the first time God said something was not good?
“It is not good that man should be alone.”
This is not only a statement about marriage, but about relationships. It is not good that any of us should be alone. We were created to be in relationships with others. These relationships can be blessed; they can be sacred.
Lent is a season of intentional preparation, so this year we are inviting you to prepare for the celebration of Easter by cultivating your relationships with family, friends, and neighbors. Kate and I will be presenting a sermon series titled Sacred Relationships with that goal in mind.
We invite you to join us over the next five weeks as we look at different dimensions of our Sacred Relationships and seek the wisdom that our faith offers. You are invited to use this booklet as a tool on your journey. It offers a place for sermon notes and provides a brief liturgy and questions for small group or family discussion.
God bless you during this holy season of Lent, as we grow in our relationships together and as we look forward to the joyous celebration of Christ’s resurrection.
In Christ,
The Rev. Mark S. Anderson+
SMALL GROUP LITURGY from
the Iona Community
Begin in silence.
Facilitator From where we are to where you need us,
All Jesus now lead on.
Facilitator From the security of what we know to the adventure of what you will reveal,
All Jesus now lead on.
Facilitator To refashion the fabric of this world until it resembles the shape of your kingdom,
All Jesus now lead on.
Facilitator Because good things have been prepared for those who love God,
All Jesus now lead on.
Opening Prayer (read by all)
Loving God, in this Lenten season, we lend our spirits, our minds, our hearts to the journey toward Easter. Bless our time together and our words of reflection as we consider our sacred relationships. Make us grateful for this adventure in faith and understanding. Amen.
Discuss questions assigned for the week.
At the close of each gathering, pray the Lord’s Prayer together.
LENT I practicing vulnerability
For our sacred relationships to thrive, we must practice vulnerability.
We were meant to be vulnerable. In the story of the fall, the visible sign of our brokenness was Adam and Eve’s need to cover up – their unwillingness to practice vulnerability.
Readings
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
Matthew 4:1-11
Sermon Notes
Questions for Group Discussion:
When and how do you feel vulnerable, like you need to “cover up”?
How do you react to the vulnerability of others, especially ones you love? How did Adam and Eve react?
Do you make yourself vulnerable to God? If so how?
Questions for Family Discussion:
When do you feel like you need special care or protection and where do you turn?
For our sacred relationships to thrive, we must practice trusting others.
Trust runs deep in the story of Abram and Lot. Abram had the benefit of hearing God’s call. Lot had to trust Abram’s interpretation of God’s call. Nicodemus also struggled with trust as he met by Jesus by night.
Readings
Genesis 12:1-4a
John 3:1-17
Sermon Notes
LENT II trust
Questions for Group Discussion:
Do you struggle with trust? Of yourself or of others?
What do you make of Abram’s trust? What do you make of Lot’s trust in Abram?
Have you ever lost your trust and regained it?
Questions for Family Discussion:
What does it mean to be trustworthy? Are you trustworthy?
Who is the most trustworthy person you know?
LENT III compassion
For our sacred relationships to thrive, we must foster compassion.
Jesus had such compassion for the Samaritan woman, and it was that compassion that converted her! Also, in a different way, Moses showed compassion (with the addition of a bit of self-preservation) when he provided water for the thirsty Israelites.
Readings
Exodus 17:1-7
John 4:5-42
Sermon Notes
Questions for Discussion:
When or where have you called on the Lord when you were “thirsty” and heard an answer?
What has been living water for you when liquid water did not quench your thirst?
What fills you up significantly more than food?
Question for Family Discussion:
The word compassion means with feeling. Who do you think of when you hear the word compassion?
LENT IV equipping
For our sacred relationships to thrive, we must practice equipping those we love with an understanding of their gifts.
We want to equip those we love and sometimes that involves brutal honesty. Samuel certainly equipped David when he anointed him, and when Jesus cured the blind man he equipped him for a new ministry.
Readings
I Samuel 16:1-13
John 9:1-41
Sermon Notes
Questions for Discussion:
What ministry do you think you are called to? Has anyone ever affirmed that call?
Do you know people who have great gifts but don’t use them?
When have your gifts been affirmed and your eyes opened?
Question for Family Discussion:
Everyone in the family name a gift you think you have. How can you use it to make the world a better place?
LENT V the third one
For our sacred relationships to thrive, we must allow the presence of the Third One of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, to be active in breath, connection and the spontaneity of relationships truly centered on God.
The reading in Ezekiel acknowledges the action of the Spirit in the renewal of life, as we read about the transformation in the valley of dry bones. The Gospel reading underscores this promise of new life through the power of the Spirit.
Readings
Ezekiel 37:1-14
John 11:1-45
Sermon Notes
Questions for Discussion:
When has God “put you back together” and made you whole again?
Where was the Holy Spirit in that rebuilding?
How do you set your mind on the Spirit? Where are you aware of the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is sometimes called the Sustainer. What does that mean to you?
Question for Family Discussion:
Do thoughts about God ever come to you and you don’t know where they are from? Give an example.
PALM SUNDAY our relationship with ourself
For our sacred relationships to thrive, we must be true to our deepest integrity.
We are often not true to ourselves. How many people who celebrated Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem were secretly troubled when they found themselves swept up in the cries to crucify him, realizing they were not true to their deepest integrity? Why did they abandon themselves in this way and then, subsequently, abandon Jesus?
Readings
Philippians 2:5-11
Matthew 27:11-54
Sermon Notes
Questions for Discussion:
What would Jesus do/WWJD? was a popular question years ago. How does Jesus’ example teach us coherency between values and actions?
What vows have you made in church and how have you been true to them?
Have you ever not been true to your deepest integrity and then realized what you had done?
Question for Family Discussion:
Do you ever feel bad about something you did? What do you do about it?
