For the next several weeks we are going to become better appreciators. An appreciator is simply one who understands the worth of things. Children may not be good at it. And those who don't pay attention may be worse. But awakened, mature people know how to properly ascribe value to people, places and things. It's part of what makes life enjoyable; seeing the value of everything within it.
As a group, you may want to practice the art of appreciation. The people in your group have a story. They are a story. One to be recognized as sacred in its own right. Think of creative ways to appreciate others, to come to appreciate something or someone outside of your group, and to share the stories of how you do so with us at church@crosspointe.org.
Thaw
- Taking no more than one minute, share with the group the story behind a piece of jewelry, clothing, a tattoo, etc. that you have on you right now.
- How much is the value of whatever you shared about affected by how much money it cost?
- On the count of three, name your favorite teach from grade school. (1,2,3).
- In one minute, describe why this teacher's memory is so valuable.
- Did the stories about favorite teachers have to do more with specific lessons that were taught, or something more personal? What does this tell us about how we really value people in our lives?
- What stayed with you the most from Sunday morning?
Read
(Have different members read the following passages aloud.)
- Mark 1:16-18
- John 1:43
- Matthew 9:9-13
- Thoughts?
- Why did Jesus think that these men would benefit from following him?
- Why do you think there is no place in the New Testament where Jesus, based upon the time he'd spent with these men, confronts their specific list of sins?
Leader note: This last question gets to the hard-to-accept reality that love, exemplified in humility and self-sacrifice, is contagious. They simply became like he whom they followed, rather than got straightened out because Jesus had earned the right to confront them after all those meals and kindness. All belief systems opportunistically earn the right to call others out into conformity with the the system. Jesus sometimes corrected his friends for specific errors in the moment. But he doesn't bring up the past or the weaknesses or the variance in opinions. Jesus seems to think that Love covers a multitude of sins, given time.
Discuss
- What is Christ teaching us to value by inviting us all, no matter what we are or aren't, to follow him?
- What would Christ be teaching us to value if he would have simply given us another set of rules to follow?
- What's the difference in significance between a rule system we're given to not break, and a life of pursuit of a person?
Read
- Ephesians 5:1-2
- Thoughts?
- Why do you think Paul said follow as dearly beloved children?
Leader note: It may very well be that Paul wanted to get across the picture of children following their parents around. Specifically, he wanted the image of parents wanting their children to do so. Children aren't invited to be close to their parents, to be loved by them or to find acceptance by them based on what they do. Down within the make-up of the genome - in their blood!- they are children and nothing can change that. What makes the children great people isn't rule following. It's the love given them by their parents and their learning that they have all they need, they must only trust in the wisdom and goodness of the parents. So, to mimic their parents lives and accept the love given them is the best chance they have at growing up to be the like the very best of the parents.
Discuss
- In what ways would we rather follow rules than mimic God in our lives?
- In what ways would religion prefer that we follow rules rather than be mimickers of the Christ?
Apply
- The last point of the message sunday was "The invitation to follow is about who, not what." How can this group better follow Christ and relax itself from trying to follow proper beliefs ABOUT Christ and Christianity?
- How can this group take upon itself the mimicry of Christ?
- What will be in our way as we allow ourselves to value others, to value Christ, and to be valued by Christ others and Christ?
