06.04.08

Small Group Plan - June 1, 2008

Posted in Small Group Plans at 8:00 am by Bob

“Wait: Looking for Growth”
Windows on the Soul
Small Group Plan
June 1, 2008

Dear Small Group Leader,

Prayer is not a way
of being busy with God
instead of people …

[It’s] standing in front of him
without anything to show, to prove,
or to argue,
and … allowing him to enter

– Henri Nouwen

Be not afraid of growing slowly,
be afraid only of standing still.

– Anonymous

What grows makes no noise.

– Anonymous

OPEN IT / INTRODUCE IT …
· Who in your family (current or growing up) could grow anything? Why?
· Who killed everything?  What made the difference?

LOOK AT IT / STUDY IT …

    QUIET GROWTH

Mark 4:26-29
²⁶ He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground.  ²⁷ Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.  ²⁸ All by itself the soil produces grain — first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.  ²⁹ As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.

· Spiritual growth is sometimes hidden and sometimes visible.  Where do you see these two aspects at work in spiritual growth today?
· This story is filled with the theme of patience.
· Why is patience difficult for some, but natural for others?
· Why do so many want “quick” results?
· The farmer anticipates the harvest but is not impatient.   How can a person be eager and expectant, but not impatient?
· What does “the harvest” mean?

    AMAZING GROWTH

Mark 4:30-32
³⁰ Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?  ³¹ It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground.  ³² Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.

· Why did Jesus choose the mustard seed to represent the kingdom?
· Why is it powerful for greatness to come from smallness or weakness?
· What hope does this story give you when you feel that your life, your family or your church is insignificant?

USE IT / APPLY IT …
· Does knowing that the power to grow is ultimately in God’s hands cause you to rest more or work more?  Explain.
· At what stage of growth are you:  A seed?  Sprouting?  Growing?  Producing?  Drying up? 
· Where do you want to be?
· When did you see something small grow into something big?  How did it happen?
· Which of the three lesson applications is the most difficult for you:
                     - Waiting for God?
                     - Stilling the noise?
                     - Yielding control?

Close with a time of quiet, personal prayer.

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05.28.08

Small Group Plan - May 25, 2008

Posted in Small Group Plans at 8:00 am by Bob

“Mission: Looking for People to Trust”
Windows on the Soul
Small Group Plan
May 25, 2008

Dear Small Group Leader,

Iron rusts from disuse;
stagnant water loses its purity,
and in cold weather becomes frozen:
even so does inaction sap the vigor’s of the mind.

– Leonardo da Vinci

Do what you can,
with what you have,
where you are.

– Theodore Roosevelt

OPEN IT / INTRODUCE IT …
· Are you more of a saver or a spender?  Explain.
· Are you are risk taker?  Why or why not?

LOOK AT IT / STUDY IT …
    ABILITY

Matthew 25:14-15
¹⁴ “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them.  ¹⁵ To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.

· The story begins with “again.”  What themes or messages are being carried into this story from prior stories?
· He “entrusted” his property to his servants.  What was their relationship like? How did he feel about them?  What did he expect from them?
· If you had been the third servant, would you have felt slighted or grateful for the smaller responsibility?  Explain.

    RELIABILITY

Matthew 25:16-18
¹⁶ The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more.  ¹⁷ So also, the one with the two talents gained two more.  ¹⁸ But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

· Explain the basic difference between how the three servants approached their mission?
· Why did the third servant hide what his master had entrusted to him?
· What does this say about his view of his master?
· What does this say about his view of himself?

    ACCOUNTABILITY

Matthew 25:19-30
¹⁹ “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.  ²⁰ The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ ²¹ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ ²² “The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’ ²³ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ ²⁴ “Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  ²⁵ So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ ²⁶ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?  ²⁷ Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. ²⁸ “‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.  ²⁹ For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.  ³⁰ And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

· Why was the third servant afraid to risk, while the first servants were not?
· Was the master too harsh or justified in his response?
· Was the master happiest with the use or the increase of the talents? Explain.
· Speculate: What would the master have thought if the servant had taken the risk and made an investment, but then lost the money?

USE IT / APPLY IT …
· As a group think of all the resources available to all.  What would be the least risky way to handle each?  How would God feel about such an approach?
· What does this parable teach about the value of taking risks?
· As an individual, what is risky about living faithfully for God?
· As a congregation, how could we take risks for God?
· When you consider how you are “investing” your life, do you feel satisfied, do you need to make some changes, do you feel that your life is on hold, or are you unsure about how to proceed?
· How can the group pray for how you use the resources God gives you?

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05.20.08

Small Group Plan - May 18, 2008

Posted in Small Group Plans at 8:00 am by collodi

“Grace: Looking for Fairness”
Windows on the Soul
Small Group Plan
May 18, 2008

Dear Small Group Leader,

Bob Schwartz was the owner of a trucking firm in Chicago.   He made the decision to sell the company to a large national corporation while he was still ahead of the game.

Each Christmas Bob gave his employees and drivers a bonus based on company profit and time on the job.  The final year of operation was an especially good year and so Bob decided to give everyone an especially generous bonus. Everyone would receive more than they had during the previous years and everyone would receive the same amount.  If you were on the payroll December 20th when the checks were written, you got the bonus!

When the envelopes were first opened there was joy all around, even laughter and cheers.  But then, people began to compare checks.   “Hey Bill, what did you get?” — Matthew 20 all over again!

“I couldn’t believe it,” Bob said, “I tried to do something good for everybody and now I get angry phone calls at home from people who got larger bonus checks than they ever got before.  Are people that greedy?”

OPEN IT / INTRODUCE IT …
· In the story above, why was the initial joy followed by anger?
· How often do you hear someone say, “That’s not fair.”
· How early do children learn to compare how many cookies, rides and toys each has received?

LOOK AT IT / STUDY IT …

    Why We Say “It’s Not Fair” – Matthew 20:1-12
¹ “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard.  ² He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. ³ “About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.  ⁴ He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’  ⁵ So they went. “He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing.  ⁶ About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ ⁷ “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’ ⁸ “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ ⁹ “The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius.  ¹⁰ So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius.  ¹¹ When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner.  ¹² ‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

· If you had been one of the first workers hired, how would you have reacted to the landowner?  Explain.
· From a business standpoint, was the landowner too soft, unfair, or balanced in his compassion?  Explain.
· When pay time came at 6 pm how would you have felt if you were in the last group hired?  Why?
· The first group expected higher wages only after they heard what the last group was being paid.  If they had never known they would have been happy.  What changed inside their hearts?

    Why God Says “It’s Not Fair” – Matthew 20:13-16
¹³ “But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius?  ¹⁴ Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you.  ¹⁵ Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ ¹⁶ “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

· If the landowner represents God, what does His answer mean?
· Why is it dangerous for us to compare our situation to that of some someone else?
· If God was really “fair” and gave everyone what they deserved, how would you describe the outcome?
· Why did the Twelve need to hear this story?

USE IT / APPLY IT …
· Why honestly, if you had lived a moral life for a long time, would it bother you to think that those who didn’t were receiving the same benefits of God’s kingdom?  Explain.
· Should we conclude from this story that people should wait until just before they die to follow Jesus?  Why or why not?
· To some, God seems unfair.  To others, He seems generous.  How can He be thought of in both ways?

Justice is getting what you deserve.
Mercy is not getting what you deserve.
Grace is getting what you don’t deserve.

Close by thanking God for his mercy and grace.

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05.13.08

Small Group Plan - May 11, 2008

Posted in Small Group Plans at 8:00 am by Bob

“O Worship the King”
Small Group Plan
May 11, 2008

Dear Small Group Leader,

Everyone worships! God wired us with a craving, a built-in appetite to worship. And so the question is not “DO” we worship, but WHO or WHAT? It might be a person or a position. It could be a career or a car. It could be money or “stuff.” But if it’s not God, then it’s wasted. Because only God can meet the needs that worship uncovers.

OPEN IT / INTRODUCE IT …

· What activity or responsibility took the greatest amount of your time this past week?
· What is your favorite name for God?
· When have you felt closest to God? How did it happen?LOOK AT IT / STUDY IT …

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05.07.08

Small Group Plan - May 4, 2008

Posted in Small Group Plans at 8:00 am by Bob

“Compassion: Going the Distance”
Windows on the Soul
Small Group Plan
May 4, 2008

Dear Small Group Leader,

Who is my neighbor?

Eleanor Bradley was shopping on 5th avenue in Manhattan when she tripped and broke her leg.  Dazed and in shock she called for help for forty minutes. No one stopped. Shoppers, executives, students, everyone walked around her and stepped over her.  Finally, after hundreds of people had passed by, a cab driver pulled over, helped her into his cab, and took her to a hospital.

Who is my neighbor?

OPEN IT / INTRODUCE IT …

The opposite of love is not hate.
It is something much cooler, more pallid,
and really much more cruel
The opposite of love is indifference.

– William Hague

· Do you agree with William Hague? Why or why not?
· Who was your favorite neighbor when you were a child?  Did you have a neighbor that all the children in the neighborhood feared?
· Can you think of a time when a complete stranger acted like a neighbor to you?

LOOK AT IT / STUDY IT …

    The Story Before The Story – Luke 10:25-29
²⁵ On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” ²⁷ He answered: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” ²⁸ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” ²⁹ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

· Why did the lawyer want to justify himself?
· Why did Jesus tell this story as His answer to the lawyer?
· What is the connection between loving God and loving neighbors?
· Jesus said these two will bring life.  How?

    Avoiding Compassion – Luke 10:30-32
³⁰ “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³² So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

· What reasons, religious or not, could the priest and Levite invent that would stop them from offering help?
· What are the conflicts between their being official representatives of God and their choice to avoid compassion? 

    Embracing Compassion – Luke 10:33-35
³³ But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

· Identify the six action verbs describing the Samaritan in Vs. 34.
· How do these actions fill out or illustrate the meaning of compassion?
· Explain the risk that the Samaritan took in Vs. 35.

    The Story After The Story – Luke 10:36-37
³⁶ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”  ³⁷ The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

· Jesus asked the lawyer to pick a person from the story who was a “neighbor,” but the lawyer couldn’t bring himself to say “Samaritan.”  Why?
· Compare the lawyer’s question in Vs. 25 with Jesus’ question in Vs. 36.  How did they use the term “neighbor” in different ways, and how did Jesus change the whole question?

USE IT / APPLY IT …
· We don’t usually find victims along the road, so where is, or what is the roadside where we find people today?
· Is today’s “compassion” usually careful or risky?  Why?
· What kind of person would you least likely stop and help?  Who would you most likely stop and help?  Explain the difference.
· Who are some “Good Samaritans” that you personally know?  Why do you think of them as such?

Ask God to show you what compassion really means and to give you an opportunity this week be His Samaritan.

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