Theme: The Father Heart of God
Week 9 – Discussion Questions
The Jesus Series
Theme: The Father Heart of God Text: Luke 15:11-32
Note to Leader: There’s quite a few questions for this week. Try to breeze through the first 11 questions fairly quickly and spend most of your time on the Reflection Questions, 12-18. Read Luke 15:11-24 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
What stages does the younger son go through on his pilgrimage? What brings him to his senses? What does he realize then? With what sort of attitude does he approach his father? From your understanding of the father, what do you think he was doing while his son was away? How does he receive the son?
Read Luke 15:25-32 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
How does the older brother feel about his younger brother’s return? How does the father answer the older brother’s objection? What is Jesus’ point in this parable? What does this story teach us about sin, repentance and God’s love? The context of this parable is that Jesus is addressing the objections of the Pharisees in verses 1 and 2. Read Luke 15:1-2 and answer the following: a. How does this parable answer the objection of the Pharisees? b. What does Jesus want to teach the Pharisees? c. Why does Jesus leave the story open-ended as to how the older brother responded to his father’s plea?
Reflection Questions 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
Comparing yourself to the two brothers in this story, who are you most like? Why? Whom would you have identified with ten years ago, or in your youth? How have you experienced God as this father? The younger son did not feel worthy to still be the son of the father. Do you feel worthy? Why or why not? The older brother was angry because he had worked hard all those years and had never been given anything close to the kind of party the father gave the younger brother. He may have felt his father was stingy. Do you feel this about God? Do you feel God is stingy? 17. When have you been like the older brother, quietly resentful of God’s lavishness to “less deserving” people? Why? Action Item 18. What do you think Jesus wants you to do differently this week as a result of this passage?
(Note: Some discussion questions for this week were taken from the Serendipity Bible for Study Groups)
Week 9 – Lenten Challenge
The Jesus Series
Spiritual Discipline: Confession – Less Guilt / More Grace What is Confession? At the heart of God is the desire to give and forgive. We are able to love others because God first loved us (1 John 4:19). And yet, human beings are such that “life together” always involves them hurting one another in some way. Forgiveness is essential in a community of hurt and hurtful persons, and confession is the means by which forgiveness is made possible. Because sin thrives in darkness, confession draws us into the light of Christ. Because sin seeks to drive us away from others, confession is the entryway into fellowship and community. Confession is an admission of one’s wrongdoing. Because we can be guilty of sins of “commission” and “omission,” confession requires transparency and deep self-examination. For Christians, confession of sin is practiced in three ways: (1) corporately, in public worship; (2) privately before God alone in prayer; and (3) privately before God to a brother or sister in Christ. In each case, the aim is to be reconciled with God, with neighbor, and with self. What Confession is Not In practicing confession, it’s important to know what it’s not:
It’s not an excuse for having committed a wrong (“I’m sorry, but…”) It’s not an attempt to simply move on (“Let’s forgive and forget…”) It’s not an attempt to make things like they were (“Let’s go back…”) It’s not an antidote to pain (“If it’ll make you feel better, then I’m sorry”)
Genuine confession acknowledges our powerlessness to make things better, and calls on the power of God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves or for the person we have hurt. In this way, confession becomes a supreme act of faith. Reflection for the Week
Daily Scriptures Readings:
“For a good confession, three things are necessary: an examination of conscience, sorrow, and a determination to avoid sin.”
The Need for Confession The Promise of Forgiveness The Assurance of Forgiveness Jesus Christ, our Advocate A Parable of Confession Authority and Forgiveness Christian Fellowship
~ St. Alphonsus Luguori Questions for the Week
Isaiah 59:1-9 Jeremiah 31:34 1 John 5-10 2 Corinthians 6:21 Luke 15:11-24 Matthew 16:19; 18:18 James 5:13-16
What are your greatest fears when it comes to confession? What is most difficult about confessing your faults? How do you distinguish between false guilt and genuine guilt? What does it mean to you to forgive someone? To be forgiven? Spend fifteen minutes in silence this week, asking God to reveal anything within you that needs to be confessed. NOTE: This resource was developed based on a blog post by San Dieguito United Methodist Church in Encinitas, CA
The Jesus Series
Theme: The Father Heart of God Text: Luke 15:11-32
Note to Leader: There’s quite a few questions for this week. Try to breeze through the first 11 questions fairly quickly and spend most of your time on the Reflection Questions, 12-18. Read Luke 15:11-24 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
What stages does the younger son go through on his pilgrimage? What brings him to his senses? What does he realize then? With what sort of attitude does he approach his father? From your understanding of the father, what do you think he was doing while his son was away? How does he receive the son?
Read Luke 15:25-32 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
How does the older brother feel about his younger brother’s return? How does the father answer the older brother’s objection? What is Jesus’ point in this parable? What does this story teach us about sin, repentance and God’s love? The context of this parable is that Jesus is addressing the objections of the Pharisees in verses 1 and 2. Read Luke 15:1-2 and answer the following: a. How does this parable answer the objection of the Pharisees? b. What does Jesus want to teach the Pharisees? c. Why does Jesus leave the story open-ended as to how the older brother responded to his father’s plea?
Reflection Questions 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
Comparing yourself to the two brothers in this story, who are you most like? Why? Whom would you have identified with ten years ago, or in your youth? How have you experienced God as this father? The younger son did not feel worthy to still be the son of the father. Do you feel worthy? Why or why not? The older brother was angry because he had worked hard all those years and had never been given anything close to the kind of party the father gave the younger brother. He may have felt his father was stingy. Do you feel this about God? Do you feel God is stingy? 17. When have you been like the older brother, quietly resentful of God’s lavishness to “less deserving” people? Why? Action Item 18. What do you think Jesus wants you to do differently this week as a result of this passage?
(Note: Some discussion questions for this week were taken from the Serendipity Bible for Study Groups)
Week 9 – Lenten Challenge
The Jesus Series
Spiritual Discipline: Confession – Less Guilt / More Grace What is Confession? At the heart of God is the desire to give and forgive. We are able to love others because God first loved us (1 John 4:19). And yet, human beings are such that “life together” always involves them hurting one another in some way. Forgiveness is essential in a community of hurt and hurtful persons, and confession is the means by which forgiveness is made possible. Because sin thrives in darkness, confession draws us into the light of Christ. Because sin seeks to drive us away from others, confession is the entryway into fellowship and community. Confession is an admission of one’s wrongdoing. Because we can be guilty of sins of “commission” and “omission,” confession requires transparency and deep self-examination. For Christians, confession of sin is practiced in three ways: (1) corporately, in public worship; (2) privately before God alone in prayer; and (3) privately before God to a brother or sister in Christ. In each case, the aim is to be reconciled with God, with neighbor, and with self. What Confession is Not In practicing confession, it’s important to know what it’s not:
It’s not an excuse for having committed a wrong (“I’m sorry, but…”) It’s not an attempt to simply move on (“Let’s forgive and forget…”) It’s not an attempt to make things like they were (“Let’s go back…”) It’s not an antidote to pain (“If it’ll make you feel better, then I’m sorry”)
Genuine confession acknowledges our powerlessness to make things better, and calls on the power of God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves or for the person we have hurt. In this way, confession becomes a supreme act of faith. Reflection for the Week
Daily Scriptures Readings:
“For a good confession, three things are necessary: an examination of conscience, sorrow, and a determination to avoid sin.”
The Need for Confession The Promise of Forgiveness The Assurance of Forgiveness Jesus Christ, our Advocate A Parable of Confession Authority and Forgiveness Christian Fellowship
~ St. Alphonsus Luguori Questions for the Week
Isaiah 59:1-9 Jeremiah 31:34 1 John 5-10 2 Corinthians 6:21 Luke 15:11-24 Matthew 16:19; 18:18 James 5:13-16
What are your greatest fears when it comes to confession? What is most difficult about confessing your faults? How do you distinguish between false guilt and genuine guilt? What does it mean to you to forgive someone? To be forgiven? Spend fifteen minutes in silence this week, asking God to reveal anything within you that needs to be confessed. NOTE: This resource was developed based on a blog post by San Dieguito United Methodist Church in Encinitas, CA
