The Passion & The Pain

TO START

Ask these two questions:

• What was one thing that brought you joy this week?

• When you think of suffering or pain, what are the first things that come to mind?

TO DISCUSS

This week, we are taking a quick hiatus from Zane’s sermon series, In the Moment. We will jump back in next week. Instead, this week, Michael led us to reflect on the event of Christ’s death on the cross…Start with this set of questions below:

• Have you ever thought much about the way that Jesus died? In particular, have you thought about how much he suffered on the cross?

  • If not, why do you think you haven’t thought much of it? If you have reflected on it, how does it make you feel?

Read John 3:11-15 (re-read 3:14-15 after finishing). This week, Michael named how difficult it is for us to understand God’s choice of allowing Jesus to die on the cross for our salvation rather than finding another way. Ask the following questions.

• Why do you believe that God provided eternal life to humanity through the suffering and death of his son? Why did he not provide another way?

Furthermore, Michael argued that “Jesus had to suffer so greatly because we suffer so greatly”. In essence, God came into flesh and experienced all that we would suffer, the totality of pain and evil in the world so that He could sympathize with us so that he would be in solidarity with us. God wants us to realize that God gets what we are feeling and God wants to join us in it.

• Does that make sense to you? Does that seem true to you?

• Does the idea that “Jesus had to suffer so greatly because we suffer so greatly” give you comfort?

• Have you seen God in moments of suffering in your life (moments like the one Michael alluded to)?

TO CLOSE

We want y’all to close group by praying for what’s on the hearts and minds of those in your group and then end this time with the following prayer adapted from a quote by Charles Siburt

Thank you, God that In Christ, the worst things are never the last things.

Amen.