Contributed by Aaron Matson, location Toronto, SD

Warm-up Questions

What do you know about sheep and shepherds? What images and thoughts come to mind when you hear those words?

Feeling a Little Sheepish

The images of God (and Jesus) as a good shepherd and God’s people as sheep are fairly common in the Bible. Because sheep and shepherds were so common in the ancient world, this imagery painted a vivid picture of God’s relationship with God’s people to the early audiences of the Bible.

Because sheep and shepherds aren’t a large part of our culture, we can have a hard time understanding what it means to say we are sheep and that Jesus is our good shepherd. Maybe the only image of sheep you have is of cute, fluffy creatures which you count when you can’t sleep. Maybe you think shepherding would be a nice, peaceful life, watching cute creatures do cute things.

The thing is, sheep are smelly, stubborn animals and shepherding is a dirty, hard job.  Sheep are herd animals, and unquestioningly follow the herd where it goes. They are easily influenced, and “led astray” by a dominant member of the herd. They hate being sheared, even though it’s necessary for their own health. Shepherding means shearing the sheep, even though they hate it.  If their wool gets too heavy, they fall over, can not get back up, and eventually die.  Left unguarded they are easy prey for predators.  Sheep require constant attention and care–or they wander off, get into food that is bad for them, and fall victim to wolves or coyotes.

Discussion Questions

• How do you feel about being called a sheep now?
• What does it mean to be called a sheep?
• What does it mean to call Jesus a shepherd?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, April 29, 2012 (Fourth Sunday of Easter)

 Acts 4:5-12

1 John 3:16-24

John 10:11-18

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings.)

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Gospel Reflection

After learning about sheep, we might not like being called sheep very much. But we can be like sheep sometimes, can’t we? We can be pretty stubborn. We can follow along with the rest of the “herd” without question, whether or not the herd is going the right way. We often resist doing the things that are good for us if they seem unpleasant. Without people who care for us, we may fall into doing things that are bad for us and fall victim to predators who take advantage of us. We are too much like sheep for comfort.

The good news is that we have a Good Shepherd in Jesus Christ to watch over us and protect us. Jesus loved us, his sheep, so much that he gave up his life for us on the cross, and then rose again to conquer death for us once and for all.  

And we, who have been made the Good Shepherd’s sheep, recognize our shepherd’s voice. There is a lot of static and noise in the world. There are a lot of distractions, worries, and troubles, and a lot of other voices which shout at us to gain our attention and loyalty. There are a lot of things in the world which try to be our shepherd. But we have the promise from Jesus that through all of the noise we will know his voice. Not because we are smart enough, pure enough, or good enough to tell which voice is his, but because Jesus is our shepherd.

In those times when you are lost (and I’m sorry to say, there will be times in your life, when no matter how much love and support you are surrounded by, you will be truly lost), remember that you are the sheep of a Good Shepherd. We are the sheep of a shepherd who loves us, no matter how stubborn or smelly we are, or how lost we are.   Our shepherd isl always  with us, calling to us, offering us peace, forgiveness, and new life. Nothing–not heights nor depths, not despair or heartbreak, not angels or demons, not even death itself—can separate you from the love of your Good Shepherd.

Discussion Questions

•  What are some of those voices that compete for our attention and want us to follow them instead of Jesus?
•  How can we help each other listen for our Shepherd’s voice?

Activity Suggestions

• See how many references you can find in the Bible to God or Jesus as a “shepherd” and the people as “sheep.”
• Look at your congregation’s hymnals and see how many hymns talk about us as “sheep” and God or Jesus as a “shepherd.” If possible, sing one of them.
• Invite someone who raises sheep to come and speak to your group about what it’s like to raise sheep. If a member of your group has experience raising sheep, have them talk about it. If you can’t find someone who raises sheep, it might also work to invite someone who raises other kinds of livestock to talk about how much time and effort it takes.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Good Shepherd. Continue to guide us so that we might not go astray, and watch over us and protect us from all harm and evil. Help us to show your love and care to others, that all may know you as their Good Shepherd. Amen.

Contributed by David Dodson, Fort Walton Beach, FL

Warm-up Question

Have you ever been one of the first to purchase a brand new product;  have you watched a TV show or movie before it was officially released?  What excited you?

Shiny and New!

photo by Katherine Welles / Shutterstock.com

There is just something about Apple products, isn’t there?  Whenever a new iPhone or iPad is announced, millions of people all over the world begin anticipating its arrival.  The more recent version of the iPhone – the 4S model – is no exception.  During the three days following its launch, over 4 million iPhones were sold.  That’s over twice as many as were sold for the launch of the original iPhone 4.  In the weeks that followed, many stores had to use a reservation system, requiring customers to reserve their phones a day or more in advance.  There weren’t enough to go around!

Discussion Questions

• What do you think made the iPhone 4S such a high-demand item?
• Would you be willing to travel and wait in line to get a new, state-of-the-art phone, video game, or other tech toy?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, March 25, 2012 (Fifth Sunday in Lent)

 Jeremiah 31:31-34

Hebrews 5:5-10

John 12:20-33

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings.)

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Gospel Reflection

John’s story of Jesus’ ministry reaches a climactic point in today’s gospel reading.  This passage tells the story of the pivotal moment when Jesus’ message of the love of God becomes a message to the entire world.  To fully understand the meaning of this moment, we ought to break it down and consider each part in turn.

“We wish to see Jesus”

For Jesus (and for Paul after him), an important part of God’s love was that it is open to all people, everywhere.  In this passage, we see that Jesus’ ministry has awed so many people, that news of his preaching and healing has reached partway around the Mediterranean to Greece.  These Greeks have traveled hundreds of miles to the Temple in Jerusalem, and the most important thing to them is to meet this miraculous, loving Jesus.

“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”

The visit by these Greeks is certainly an amazing thing for the disciples to see.  How amazing that people from so far away are traveling to see one man!  For Jesus, however, this is a sign of something more.  The arrival of these Greeks shows that the time of his ministry is complete.  Jesus has spread the word of God and has told the people what they must do to show their devotion to God.  He has told the people that God calls his people to care for “the least of these” – those whom society has all but forgotten.  And he has showed the people what it is to be truly holy – forgiving, loving, and healing, even when others thought it impossible.

Now, however, the second part of Jesus’ mission begins.  It is time for Jesus to show the world the true glory of God by not only giving himself over to die for the sins of the world, but by defeating death, rising again and guiding his people to eternal life in God.

“Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for an eternal life.”

As Jesus prepares to make this sacrifice, he calls God’s people to make their own kind of sacrifice.  If we are attached to our own “lives” – our wants, our desires, our comfort – then we are doomed to lose them.  Instead, we are called to view these things as secondary to something much more important: our commission from God.  We are called to lay our own selfish desires aside and act as Jesus taught us, looking after the poor, the weak, and the oppressed, and bringing the message of God’s love to the world.

“Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also.”

Jesus’ call for us to lay our own desires aside is hard, but it comes will the best news we could ever here: If we follow Jesus, he will be right there beside us.  As we go into the world, we stand at the right hand of the one who taught us to love, Jesus of Nazareth.  This is good news indeed!

Discussion Questions

• What do you think it was about Jesus and his message that led the Greeks to travel so far to see him?
• Why does Jesus say that we have to make personal sacrifices in order to carry out God’s mission to us?
• How can Jesus’ words in this passage offer us strength?

Activity Suggestions

Create movie-style posters that show the people of God doing the work that Jesus called us to do.  Put NOW PLAYING or COMING SOON at the bottom, and explain your poster to the group.  Display these posters prominently in your church!

Closing Prayer

God our Father, we thank you for the many gifts you have given us; especially do we thank you  for sending your son to invite us into your kingdom.  Watch over and guide us this week.  Most of all, Father, prepare us at all times to represent your love and grace to those around us.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Contributed by Lindean Barnett Christenson, Bozeman, MT

Warm-up Questions

Has a parent, teacher or coach ever expected too much, or too little, from you? What was that experience like?  Have you ever expected too much, or too little, from a parent, teacher or coach? What was that like?

Not What Anyone Expected

Jeremy Lin is becoming a household name for basketball fans and for anyone who pays attention to sports media.  Now playing for the New York Knicks, Lin was captain of his high school basketball team his senior year. That team (Palo Alto High School) finished the 2005-2006 season with a 32-1 record, upsetting a nationally ranked school for the California Interscholastic Federation Division II state title.

Lin was named first-team All-State and Northern California Division II Player of the Year.  Yet at 6 feet, 3 inches tall, and with a high school GPA of 4.2, Lin was offered no college basketball scholarships. He chose to attend Harvard University and had a great college basketball career there.

No one selected him in the NBA draft and before becoming a star for the Knicks, Lin was cut by two other NBA teams. Now “Lin-sanity” has swept across, not just New York, but the sports world and regular news media as well. Why? Opinions vary. Lin is the first NBA player to put up the kind of numbers he did in his first five starts – at least 20 points and seven assists per game. He is also the only NBA player who is an American of Chinese or Taiwanese descent.

Jeremy Lin has defied expectations and stereotypes and many do not know what to do when someone defies expectations in such a grand manner. From ESPN (which fired one reporter after he used a racist word in a headline) to Saturday Night Live, Lin’s skill on the court and the media’s reaction to it are ongoing topics of conversation.

Discussion Questions

•  How would you account for all the media hype about Jeremy Lin?
• Which is the bigger story – Lin’s basketball skills and recent performance or the media’s reaction to it? Why?
• What is the difference between a stereotype and an expectation?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, March 4, 2012 (Second Sunday in Lent

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16

Romans 4:13-25

Mark 8:31-38

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings.)

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Gospel Reflection

Jesus’ response to Peter was more than Peter expected.  In our reading from the eighth chapter of Mark, Jesus predicts for the first time his impending betrayal, trial, execution, and resurrection. That prediction proves more than Peter can handle, so Peter pulls Jesus aside to try to set him straight, “No way! That’s not how things are supposed to go!”

But it is, and Jesus sugar-coats nothing in telling Peter how it must be. Jesus’ passion prediction was not what Peter expected of a Messiah, of a Savior, even after so much time spent learning from and watching Jesus. And certainly it’s not what Peter was hoping would happen to his friend. Even all these years later, when we stop to think about it, death on a criminal’s cross seems an unlikely ending for the Son of God. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised when the life of faith turns out not to be easy all the time–when we are faced with difficult choices or put in uncomfortable situations because we strive to follow Jesus.

Our Lord hits us point blank, just as he did with his disciples and the crowd: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.” As Deitrich Bonhoeffer put it, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

If this was all we knew of the story it might make us wonder why anyone would ever want to become a follower of Jesus in the first place. Jesus doesn’t just say we should deny ourselves something, like giving up chocolate for Lent. He says we should deny, or disown, our selves, meaning that his followers don’t belong to themselves anymore.  We belong to him.

Jesus knows something about us, that on our own we will strive to gain the world and lose our souls in the process. We will set our minds on human things, not divine things. We prefer strength and comfort and security, over weakness, suffering, and trust.

Life with Jesus is not always what we expect it will be, unless we expect our sinful selves to be surprised, over and over again, by grace, forgiveness, and the presence of God in the most unlikely places.

Discussion Questions

•  If someone were to ask you what it’s like to follow Jesus, what would you say?
• On a day to day basis, what do you expect God to do?
• When/how have you experienced God at work in situations of weakness, loss or suffering?

Activity Suggestions

• If appropriate in your context, watch the opening sketch from Saturday Night Live on February 18^th together. Keep track of all the stereotypes named. Ask: which stereotypes are offensive? Are there any that are not? What makes the difference? How do stereotypes get handled at school? In your congregation?
• Invite an experienced saint from your congregation to join your conversation, and ask about times they have been  surprised in following Jesus.

Closing Prayer

O God, it is not always easy to follow Jesus. Give us strong hearts and bold spirits to lose our lives in his life and death, that we may find our lives in his death and life. Bless us during this season of Lent, with faith to trust and follow your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

Contributed by Sylvia Alloway, Granada Hills, CA

Warm-up Question

Imagine that you have an enemy – one who taunts you, puts you down, who may even be plotting to kill you. Then you get a phone call. This person is in terrible, life-threatening trouble and you are the only one who can help. Would you go to the rescue?

Rescue the Perishing

That scenario is close to what really happened in the waters of the Persian Gulf off the coast of Iran. A group of Iranian fishermen had been taken hostage by Somali pirates. The kidnappers were using the fishermen’s boat as a floating headquarters for their illegal activities. After forty days, the Iranian captain managed to get to the pirates’ radio. He pleaded for help in Urdu, a Pakistani language his captors did not know.

The call was picked up by an American Navy destroyer, the USS Kidd, which had recently been reprimanded for its presence in Iranian waters. In spite of the language barrier they figured out that someone needed help and they didn’t stop to ask who. In an action worthy of an old war movie, a helicopter launched from the Navy ship rescued the 13 Iranians and took 15 pirates into custody.

U.S Naval officers on board fed the former hostages, made sure they were in good health and released them – wearing USS Kidd baseball caps.

It is doubtful that this heroic act will do much to improve U.S./Iran relations. While one Iranian spokesperson expressed gratitude for the “humanitarian gesture,” another dismissed it as a “publicity stunt.”

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think the crew of the USS Kidd was willing to help members of a group that is technically “the enemy”?
• What would you have done if you were the captain of the ship when the distress call came in?
• Should Christians always help anyone in need, no matter what? Why or why not?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, January 22, 2012 (Third Sunday after Epiphany)

Jonah 3:1-5, 10

1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Mark 1:14-20
(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings.)
For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Gospel Reflection

So there were Peter, Andrew, and the Zebedee brothers, on the job mending their fishing nets, as usual. Along comes a stranger. They have probably seen him before. Other encounters are recorded in other gospels. But this time is different. He does not say hello or ask how they are doing.

He says, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.”

What? We’re supposed to leave behind our father’s prosperous business (notice they have hired workers), and follow this – whoever-he-is to wherever it is he’s going?

Well, yes.

It was not unusual in that day for a Jewish person to follow a rabbi. It was a little like going to college. You “sat at the feet” of a wise teacher (often literally) and learned the wisdom of the Scriptures. That is, you did if you were the son of a Pharisee or a priest, the upper class of the day. But ordinary fishermen follow a rabbi? Why? How would that help them to catch more fish? It would be like Jesus walking into a car repair shop and telling the mechanics, “Follow me and I will make you fix people.” The first question would be “Why?” and then “Why me?” And then maybe “What’s in it for me?”

But Jesus is saying, “I have a job for you, one much more important than the one you have now. I want you to come and learn from me and prepare. Now you will work for MY Father. Follow me.”

And they did. These were men of action. They jumped up, left behind the nets and the boats and their coworkers and off they went with Jesus. He called them and they answered. How odd this sounds to us!

We have to look at the verses that come before this passage to find out why. In verse 15 Jesus says, “The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God has come near.” The reason is simply that it’s time. Jesus’ mission has begun. You are to share in it. Come.

When the crew of the USS Kidd was called, they came. There was an important job to do.  Because they did it, lives were saved.

Jesus has a job for us to do as well. We are to share in his mission, spread his Gospel, let others know that he is The One who saves us from sin and death. If we do, lives will be saved. It’s time. Come.

Discussion Questions

• Have you ever had to drop what you were doing to help or rescue someone? What happened? How did you feel about it?
• Have you ever seen a person you knew God wanted you to help or a job he wanted you to do and not done it? (Don’t worry, everyone has.) How did you feel about it?
• Jesus calls all of us to spread his Gospel, whether it’s convenient or not. How can the young people in your class answer that call as a group? Individually? What might you have to give up in order to do this? Remember that you show Christ to the world – your world – in both actions and words.

Activity Suggestions

Go back to the last question. Write “This week I will show Christ to my world by___” on the board or chart paper. Write down students’ suggestions. Have each person take a slip of paper and write down one of the suggestions or one of his/her own. Have a time of silent prayer for the courage and power to take the action listed. Close with a spoken prayer. Remind the class to pray for each other during the week.

Suggested songs: “Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus,” ” Be Thou My Vision,”  “Rescue the Perishing”

Closing Prayer

God of our salvation, Prepare our hearts, minds and spirits for the time of action. Inspire us to do the work you have for us with courage and love. May we follow you willingly, loyally, and eternally. In Our Savior’s Holy Name,  we pray.  Amen.

Contributed by Scott Mims, Virginia, Beach, VA

Warm-up Question

• What is your favorite holiday or season in the church (liturgical) year?  What about this season or event is most special to you?
• We are just starting the season of Epiphany. Epiphany means “revelation,” or “to make someone/something known.”  Going back to your answers from above, what are some of the things that are revealed or made known about God in your favorite celebrations?

Revelations

When Kim Jong Il, then Supreme Leader of North Korea, died unexpectedly on December 17, 2011, his death not only made headlines but raised anxiety on the part of many across the globe. Fearful of problems associated with a power struggle in the North, or even of the nation’s collapse, forces in South Korea were placed on high alert, while other nations sought to reach out through diplomatic channels.

Adding to the uncertainty was the revelation that Kim Jong Il’s youngest son, Kim Jong Un, was his chosen successor.  Little is known outside North Korea of Kim Jong Un who, in his late 20’s, has been hailed by officials and the state media in North Korea with titles such as, “Great Successor, Supreme Leader and Great Leader.”  Most recently, he was officially recognized as the Supreme Commander of North Korea’s armed forces.  While North Korea has called for its people to rally behind Kim Jong Un and to protect him as “human shields,” many around the world continue to deal with the uncertainty of what his age and inexperience may mean for international relations in the years to come.

Discussion Questions

•  As we begin a new year, how optimistic are you about the way things are going in the world?  How optimistic are you about the future? (You might have your group rate their response on a scale of 1 (very worried/pessimistic) to 10 (very optimistic). )
• If you are optimistic, what gives you the greatest hope?  If you are not optimistic, what are some of your greatest worries?
• How much difference do events that happen in other parts of the world make in your own life?  Do you believe that you can make a difference in the world?
• Note some of the titles given to Kim Jong Un (Great Successor, Supreme Leader, Great Leader, Supreme Commander), what do these say about who or what people hope he will be?

Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, January 15, 2012 (Second Sunday after Epiphany)

1 Samuel 3:1-10 [11-20]

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

John 1:43-51

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at Lectionary Readings.)

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Gospel Reflection

The way in which we read or hear something can make all of the difference.  One way to read these verses is simply as John’s account of how Jesus called his first disciples.  Yet, as a writer, John is a master at drawing in his audience through double meanings and a “deeper”, more personal sense of the story.  Such is the case in this passage as Jesus addresses not just around him, but us as well, with an invitation to life.

In any case, the first three words of this passage, “The next day,” clue us in to the fact that we need to go back a bit to understand what’s going on. As it turns out, this is actually the third “next day” section in the opening chapter of John’s gospel.  In the first section, verses 29 – 34, “the next day” after John the Baptist explains his role to those sent from Jerusalem, he bears witness to Jesus as both the Lamb of God and Son of God.  The “next day” after this                 (verses 35 – 43), his further testimony about Jesus leads two of his own disciples to follow after Jesus.  Jesus, seeing them, asks, “What are you looking for?” When they stammer out, “Rabbi, where are you staying,” Jesus invites them to “Come and see.”  His invitation initiates an ever-widening circle of discipleship as one of the two, Andrew, goes to his own brother, Simon Peter, with the news, “We have found the Messiah.”

So it is that we come to the “next day” of this week’s gospel. Deciding to go to Galilee, Jesus first calls Philip.  Philip, in turn, invites Nathanael saying, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.”  Here, “the law and the prophets” means the whole of the Scriptures for these Jewish believers.  Brushing aside Nathanael’s remark about the insignificance of Nazareth, Philip offers once again the invitation, “Come and see.”  Nathanael does, and his own encounter with Jesus, and Jesus’ ability to “know” and “see” him from afar, not only leads Nathanael to believe in Jesus, it also draws forth a confession of faith: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”  Jesus assures him that greater things are yet to come. ‘Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’

So, as the first chapter of his gospel ends, John leaves us with Jesus heading towards Galilee with a growing group of followers.  Yet, there is a deeper way to hear this passage.  Jesus’ very first words in John’s gospel, “What are you looking for?” are a question to us, as well.  When it comes to life…when it comes to faith, what are we looking for?  Deep down in our bones, what is it that we really need?  In these three “next days,” we hear Jesus being called many things.  John the Baptist calls him “the Lamb of God who takes away the world’s sin” and “Son of God.”  Andrew calls him, “Rabbi” and “Messiah.”  Philip says Jesus is the one, “about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote.”  Nathanael adds that Jesus is, “the King of Israel.”  Is Jesus what we are looking for?  Is he the one that we really need?  The invitation that John offers to us through the rest of his gospel account, and indeed through our own experience of living as followers of Jesus, is simply to “Come and see.”

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think this particular gospel reading was chosen for today?  In what ways is Jesus being revealed and by whom?
• When it comes to the titles and names given to Jesus in John 1:29-51, (Lamb of God, Messiah, Son of God, Rabbi, King of Israel, Son of Man) which one is most important or most meaningful to you?  Why?
• If you had been Philip and Jesus had just walked up to you and said, “Follow me,” would you have gone?  If so, why?  If not, then what further information would you have needed?  What else would you have wanted to know before making such a commitment?  Do you think we have this information now?
• What does it look like to you to follow Jesus?  Is following Jesus different from believing in him?  Why or why not?
• Nathanael came to Jesus because Philip invited him to “come and see.”  What do you think would be the best way to invite a friend of yours to “come and see” Jesus today?  What are some approaches that might not work so well with your friends or in your setting?

Activity Suggestions

• As an opening activity, you might try a Trust Walk experience.  One variation is to have a single leader and the rest of the group blind folded; another variation is to break the group up into partners who take turns being the guide/ blind folded.  Groups with a single leader might have everyone place their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them, or hold on with one hand to a large rope that connects the whole group.  The goal for the leader(s) is to guide those who follow safely along a route.  The goal for those who are blind folded is to experience what it is like to trust others as they follow.  Debrief:  What was the experience like for you?  Is it easy or difficult for you to trust someone else to guide you?  How is having “faith” like a “Trust Walk?”

• Going Deeper: For further discussion on the sheer grace of being called to follow Jesus, watch Rob Bell’s short video, Dust (Nooma series).  Though not specifically about this passage, he presents a great take on what being called to “Follow me,” by a rabbi meant in Jesus’ day, and how Jesus’ invitation to Andrew, Peter, James, John, Philip, Nathanael and the rest would have been most unusual.  Talk together about what it means that Jesus calls us to be his followers.  What does it mean to you that Jesus believes in you?  Does this change the way you see yourself as a disciple?

• Reaching Out: As a group, explore ways to invite your friends to “come and see” Jesus.  How would you go about it?  Would you hold an event of some sort?  Would you invite them to a service project? A retreat?  A play or music festival?  A coffeehouse?  A specially designed worship service?  What activities are you already doing that are, or could be, great places for friends to experience God’s love and grace? How might you use social media or other modern means to invite folks?  What “barriers” might need to be overcome? Brainstorm the possibilities – can you make a plan to try one or more of these possibilities out during this season of Epiphany?

Closing Prayer

Gracious and loving God, we live in uncertain and anxious times, and yet we also have much that gives us hope.  As your Spirit continues to reveal Jesus to us, so help us to respond to his invitation to “Come and see,” that, led and sustained by Jesus’ presence among us, we may live as vibrant and faithful witnesses to your love; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen!