Eastertide: Week 5

This week Co-pastor, Vanessa Coburn, leads us through the passage on John 21. Together we unpack facing our past with God, living in the present with God and following God into our future

It’s hard to stay connected during this time. Community Groups meet all through the week to discuss the teaching from Sunday, pray together + to stay connected. If you haven’t had a chance yet, we want to encourage you to join a Community Group ->Here

Community Group Discussion Guide:

STEP 1- Ice Breaker

Help people to loosen up and share. It will be helpful if someone is new to go around and do names and have each person share about a question and share a bit about themselves. CLICK HERE for ice breaker questions ideas.

(Group Leader Note: Use the Learning/Living Circle to guide your discussion and application of the content. Try your best to keep the “learning” and “living” focus balanced. You use this model moving clockwise around the circle. The goal is working towards practical and personal life application.)

Step 2- Learning- Observe, Reflect, Discuss

(Group Leader Note: Don’t feel the need to go through every scripture, point or question. Pick and choose what you feel will make the most impact for your group. If you are not sure where to start, just ask your group what stuck out to them about the message most and start with that.)

Read this scripture together:

John 21:15-22

¹⁵ When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

¹⁶ Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

¹⁷ The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. ¹⁸ Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹ Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

²⁰ Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) ²¹ When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”

²² Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”

Observation & Reflection Questions to Discuss:

• Anything that jumps out to you as important, helpful or interesting in these scriptures?
• Are there any questions or curiosities you have about these scriptures that you would like to look into more?
• Vs. 17 describes Peter as being “hurt”. Why do you think he felt that way?
• Is there any significance you see in this text as to why Jesus asked Peter 3 times “Do you love me”?

STEP 3- Living- Planning, Accountability, Action

• Vanessa talked about “Facing our past with God”. Although a challenging path for some, a worth while one. Can you share an experience where God has brought some healing from your past or is working on in you now? Or is there a past experience that is surfacing for you that you’d like to find some healing admits. Can you relate to feeling stuck?
• Secondly, she talked about “Living in the present with God”.  She said “we can either get stuck focused on our past or so fixated with our future that we miss living in the present”, is this something you can relate to? What present moments might we/you be more aware to in this season? Do you think God wants to meet you with grace, mercy and love?
• Third she talked about “Following God into our future”. Are you able to put to words a future hope for your life? Do believe God is speaking into that? When it comes to the “future” is that a space you tend to include God to speak into?
• Out of these three areas we discovered in this conversation between Peter and Jesus, is there one you’d like to be more actively aware of in your journey of discipleship/faith?

STEP 4- Prayer And/Or Meditation

Please don’t skip prayer!! Cut the discussion short if needed to pray for one another 🙂 Try one of these options, don’t be afraid to mix it up.

• Have people split into groups of 2-3 to share prayer needs and pray for each other.
• Share requests as a group and pray for one another. Assign requests to people that are comfortable with praying and go around the circle praying for each others needs.
• Help your group develop a vocabulary of prayer. Pray a wrote prayer together.  Prayerfully read a Psalm or something from the Book of Common Prayer .
• Meditation with silence and stillness- A word or phrase to focus your group. A time of silence and stillness, set a timer for 5 minutes if you want. Close the time with a prayer for your group.
• Develop someone in your group as the Prayer Coordinator. Have them write down prayer needs, ask them to pray for those needs during the week, have them send a list to the group to keep in prayer, go through the list regularly to celebrate answered prayers and check off or add on prayers.