Hope: Week 21 (Mar 13-19)
Hope Practice: Week 21| Week of (Mar 13-19)
Communities @ Grace
Overview of the Night:
15 Minutes Before Start Time : Arrive + Set Out Food
45 Minutes: Welcome, Pray, Eat, + Mingle
15 Minutes: Review Last Week’s Practice
45 Minutes: Introduction of Practice + Discussion
5 Minutes: Practice Together
5 Minutes: Ways to Practice This Week
10 Minutes: Pray for One Another + Close
Goal for Week: Review what biblical hope is in difficult situations
Lesson Sequence: Lesson 3 of 3 on Hope
15 Minutes Before Start Time: Arrive + Set Out Food
45 Minutes: Welcome, Pray, Eat, + Mingle
When you were a teenager, what did you like to do for fun and what made it fun?
How has fun changed as an adult, and if so how?
15 Minutes: Review of last week’s practice experience
Pick one of these to practice this week:
List 2-3 things you are hoping for (expecting) from God? Take time to reflect on and pray whether these are in line with God’s character.
Read some of these passages to expand your view of hope, write them down and pray over how you can follow them.
Romans 12:12
Colossians 1:27
Romans 8:24-25
1 Corinthians 15:17-20
Find your own passages on hope, pray over how you apply hope in your life and write about what God shows you.
The practices are meant to transform our lives. If members are not doing the practices, consider using these questions.
What is hindering you from practicing during the week?
How can we support each other?
45 Minutes: Introduction of Practice + Discussion
Today we look at how hope impacted Paul, David, and Jesus.
Read 2 Corinthians 7:5-7:
Discuss what the issue was for Paul and how God provided for him. (Paul was overwhelmed and Titus visiting him encouraged him).
Read Psalm 42:
Discuss what this lament focuses on. (How David sees hope in the difficult situation that is overwhelming him.)
Read Luke 22: 39-45 (about the trauma Jesus was facing)
How did Jesus and the Father respond to the circumstance?
Ask:
Are there times when you hoped for something but the answer didn’t come as you expected? How did you see God at work in the answer?
What do you do when a situation seems hopeless and God doesn’t seem to be providing an answer?
Let’s talk about recent situations where you prayed hoping God would intervene and how he did?
5 Minutes: Practice Together
Group activity: Discuss how you could ask God to use you to bring hope to someone and what that might look like?
5 Minutes: Ways to Practice this week
Review the Ways to Practice options on the last page
Leader Note: For each practice topic, such as hope, we will be keeping the Ways to Practice options the same. This will allow people to try more options as well as make the personal practice a part of their lives.
10 Minutes: Pray for One Another + Close
Consider praying as a whole group or in triads for personal prayer requests.
End on time.
Ways to Practice Hope This Week
Pick one of these to practice this week:
Consider how you could ask God to use you to bring hope to someone and do it this week?
List 2-3 things you are hoping for (expecting) from God? Take time to reflect on and pray whether these are in line with God’s character.
Read some of these passages to expand your view of hope, write them down and pray over how you can follow them.
Romans 12:12
Colossians 1:27
Romans 8:24-25
1 Corinthians 15:17-20
Find your own passages on hope, pray over how you apply hope in your life and write about what God shows you.