Life of Jesus, week 3
Last night our small groups studied the 3rd lesson in a 4-week series of the Life of Jesus. This week was a little different for us for a few reasons:
1. Apparently, we were not supposed to meet in small groups. We were supposed to be at the church for an event with all of the other small groups – I just didn’t realize that until it was too late. However, considering how great the large group time of ministry went, I think this worked out better than if we had joined in with the other small groups
2. One of our students surprised us tonight by her attendance. She is recovering from brain surgery after having a large mass of calcium removed. Very few people knew she was going to be there (I was not one of the few). Her mom came with her and stayed for a few minutes. She also brought a lot of very large cookies. What a great mom!
3. The night was extra special because we had gathered in a circle holding hands and praying for this student for the past two weeks since we found out about the tumor. Last night it was extra special to be able to join hands in prayer again with her there thanking God for how great her surgery went and asking for continued recovery. This has been a great ministry and bonding experience in the 3 small groups that meet in our location
4. We played a game called Big Fat Liar! This is a free download by Mental Floss Magazine available for the iPhone
The small group lesson this week was about the importance of Jesus rising from the dead. If that event is only fiction, then our faith is a sham. It was an interesting discussion. However, I didn’t feel that it was more than information. The lesson wasn’t written in a way to encourage life transformation or with next steps in mind based on the topic of the lesson. My goal is to end each week with action steps so the lesson isn’t lost when they walk out the door.
I was, however, very proud of my guys. I heavily leaned on them last night to carry the discussion. I was impressed with their responses to my question, “How do you know for sure that Jesus rose from the dead?” This lesson is a good example of the need for volunteers to own the curriculum by adding content and removing what doesn’t fit within your ministry context.
If I graded the night, here’s what I would give it:
Ministry impact of the opening large group time: A+
Game Big Fat Liar (boys against girls): B+
Small group curriculum: C
Small group experience: B+
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Filed under: Ministry Lessons
