Winter Term: Week 3
About This Term
During this term we are inviting each small group to step into the practice of mission by serving alongside one of our partners or another local organization working for the good of the city. You can find a starting list of organizations on the JAM page of the Refuge website. For this reason, some weeks will not include a sermon discussion guide, but will instead give you space to plan together.
Entering Conversation
As you transition from your meal time to talking together more purposefully, take a minute to come to quiet. Ask for a volunteer to read Psalm 1 aloud. Allow for a brief moment of listening and then read it a second time, listening for what the Spirit might be bringing to your attention in the moment.
Take a moment to ask: what stood out to you? Allow space for those who’d like to answer. Secondly, more than just finding a thought interesting, what might it look like to respond to what you’ve heard?Recognize that some of your members might process slowly, internally and some more quickly, verbally. Feel no pressure to answer this second question out loud. Ask someone to end this part of your time in prayer, inviting the Spirit to continue the conversation.
Tonight’s Practice
Because of the initial work it will take to organize serving together, give priority to having the conversations you need to in order to continue moving toward that goal. If your group doesn’t need to work on planning/calendaring, etc., feel free to use any of the conversation prompts below.
In Sunday’s sermon, we continued listening to the instructions 1 Peter has for those who are in a season of suffering or, as chapter 1 states, might be facing a season of suffering or trial soon. In a couple places, the letter counsels followers of Jesus to not just endure these difficult times, but actually rejoice in them (1:6; 4:13). (Remember, too, the sermon from 1/26, in which those who are suffering are called “blessed”.)
We can rejoice in unjust suffering for the name of Jesus because it is a mark of our identity. We belong to Jesus and are following in His steps. What’s more, suffering in this way is also a mark of our freedom because we are choosing to be faithful to Jesus in spite of the consequences, showing that we are no longer slaves to the power of sin or fear or death.
Finally, Peter says to rejoice in this because we are sharing in the very sufferings of Jesus. The NT teaches that if we are “in Christ”, we are united to the whole of His life. If we share in His life and death, we will certainly share in his resurrection. If we share in his sufferings, know that we will also share in his glory. This is why we can rejoice, even if we experience pain and loss for the sake of wearing His name.
Questions for Discussion
Did anything stand out to you from Sunday’s sermon?
The idea of being “in Christ” can be difficult to grasp, particularly as we try to live in the implications of being joined to Him in His whole life. Was this a new thought to you? How have you understood it before? What difference does it make?
Practice for the Week
Psalm 1 teaches that “blessed” is the one who finds delight in meditating on the law of God “day and night”. That word “law” has a broad meaning, like “instruction.” If a particular idea from our conversation has struck you, write it down tonight. Make a plan to read it tomorrow morning and again before you go to bed tomorrow night. Revisit it in the same way throughout the week, asking God to keep teaching you.