John10:27-30
Lead in: In John 10, Jesus identifies himself as the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd knows his sheep and will do whatever it takes to assure them that not one of them will perish. Such is God’s tender love for us. With Jesus as our good shepherd who walks with us, we need not take on life alone.
Prompt: As you look over the storyline of your life with its ups and downs, what experiences tell you that God really is the good shepherd described in John 10:27-30?
Prompt: Was there any point in your life where you found yourself feeling abandoned and questioning if God really is the good shepherd who cares for his flock? Talk to God and a trusted friend about that.
Lead in: “The Father and I are one.” John 10:30 To the 1st century Jew, Jesus’ assertion was difficult to accept, even for those who were wondering if Jesus might be the Messiah.
Prompt: What are the stumbling blocks that most challenge your faith? How do you deal with them?
Lead in: None of the readings during the Easter season come from the Old Testament (Hebrew scriptures). In their place, we hear from the Book of Acts. It’s an account of how the Easter proclamation of the Risen Christ led to the birth of the early church. In Acts 13, Paul and Barnabus find themselves preaching in what is now Turkey. They are eventually driven out of that region for preaching that salvation is for the Gentiles as well the Jews. Seeing the hardness of their hearts, Paul and Barnabas “shake the dust from their feet” and go to another town to preach the Good News.
Prompt: In thinking about your life, has there been a time when you had to shake the dust from your feet and move on?
Lead in: Contrary to what many believe, the Book of Revelation is not intended to be used as a predicter of future events. The Book of Revelation focuses not on the future but on the present. Revelation 7 comes from the perspective of a prisoner who offers hope to the persecuted of his day. The underlying belief is that God can take the ugly and sometimes frightening messes of life and turn them into something beautiful.
Prompt: What are the messes in life that you have seen turned into something beautiful?
Prompt: If you contributed to the mess, what did God do to bring you through the mess into something far better than what you knew before?
