The Process of Love (Part 6): How Do I Begin To Love Them?
TO START
This week, we jumped into the final part of a series called The Process of Love, a series that invites us to come to terms with how to love those who are hard to love in our lives. We have unpacked 1st John in hopes of unveiling how we might receive and extend love to those who aren't always easy to love,
What is one way you have been loved in an unexpected way this week?
Read 1 John 5:13-17
How often when someone you love sins against you, do you pray for them? How often do you find yourself praying about someone instead of praying for them? Do you see a difference between the two?
In the sermon, Michael points us to the reality that a step in loving people who are hard to love is to pray for them. If we do this, God promises to help give life to that person. Furthermore, Michael mentions that it can seem wrong to us to pray for them for at least two reasons 1) they hurt you on a level that seemed unforgivable OR 2) you struggle with seeing how prayer actually does something.
Do you struggle to see how prayer changes things? Why or why not? Have you seen prayer change do something? (i.e. Have you seen prayer lead to God removing sin from someone’s life?)
To close, Michael reminded us that when we decide to take on this posture of praying for folks who sinned against us we can let postures of passive-aggressiveness or superiority take over…
How might acknowledging that we hurt others too and that sin often flows out of suffering help us to love people even when it’s hard?
TO CLOSE
This week, as we close this series, we want to invite your group to have practice in praying for someone or a group of someones that they struggle to love. Give your group members about 30 seconds to pray for them.
God, would you grant life to those we struggle to love.
Free them, and free us, from sin’s destructive and divisive grip.
Heal us our wounds, that we might love one another better.
We ask this in the name of your son who was wounded for us. Amen.