The Practice of Service | December 3-9, 2023

Lesson:

Conversation Starter:

      “Who, in your life has served you and how?”  

Previous Week Review:

Share experiences from last week’s practice. Don’t skip this step even if people are reluctant to respond. If people did not try the practice, talk about the obstacles.

Group Readings and Discussion:

Read the following definition of The Practice of Service. “The practice of humbling yourself to be present with others and responsive to their needs.” Read the following passages one at a time and discuss the following questions:

How does the passage represent the definition we read above?
What does the passage teach us about serving and following Jesus?

Matthew 20:25-28
Matthew 25:31-46
1 John 3:16-18

Questions:

How does today’s Scripture reading change your understanding of service? How have you seen service modeled in healthy ways? How have you seen is misused or distorted?  

Practice together:

Talk as a community about how you can serve one another. Encourage your community group members to be honest and vulnerable to share about needs they have. Preface the conversation with the reality that your group may not be able to meet all the needs, but we can pray for God to meet needs.   

 Pray together for the needs that were shared.

Handout:

Ideas for practice this week:

·      Read Matthew 25:31-46. Ask God to show you who “the least of these” are in your life and how you can serve them in the name of Jesus.   

·      If you are not currently serving regularly within the church, pray about how you can serve and then join a serving team.  

·      Reach out to a friend, neighbor or co-worker who has a need.   

·      Think about a time you have served or been served and journal about the blessing the experience was in your life.  

Preparation for next week

Come to the community next week ready to share something from your practice this week.