Small Group
Worship • Learn • Serve
the week of October 3, 2021
Last week’s Small Group can be found at this link.
welcome! Get started with this video.
Discuss:
Which of the rules for small groups in the diagram below is least surprising to be in the diagram? Which is most surprising?
(Keep this discussion to a few minutes at most.)
I. Worship
Pick a super-short-term leader so you can speak the following dialogue together.
Leader: Through the law
Group: I died to the law
L so that I might live
G for God.
L I have been crucified with Christ
G and I no longer live,
L but Christ lives in me.
G The life I now live in the body,
L I live by faith in the Son of God,
G who loved me
L and gave himself for me.
G I do not set aside the grace of God,
L for if righteousness could be gained through the law,
G Christ died for nothing!” (Galatians 2:17-21)
Here are the final two fill-in-the-blanks from this week’s message at church:
Grace removes us from the salvation formula
Grace removes superiority from the kingdom dynamic
Discuss:
For what reasons is it wonderful to be able to tell ourselves either “it’s good that you’re not in the salvation formula” or “it’s good that your supposed superiority isn’t in God’s kingdom dynamic”?
Worship as you listen to one of the following SOLA songs.
Your group can choose whichever one.
The first is acoustic for children and families. The second is indie rock. The third is rap.
II. learn
Discuss:
What do the section titles from 1 Samuel 17-31 on their own teach you about Saul and David?
We will be focusing on an example of grace from the life of David. In particular, we’ll see what grace looked like for a man named Mephibosheth (Muh ∙ fih ∙ boe ∙ sheth).
Look at the following two verses for context on Mephibosheth.
Eventually, David was able to defeat his enemies in the house of Saul and was installed in Jerusalem as the rightful king of the entire nation of Israel.
Pick someone in the group to read 2 Samuel 9:1-5.
1 David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
2 Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”
“At your service,” he replied.
3 The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?”
Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.”
4 “Where is he?” the king asked.
Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.”
5 So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel.
Discuss:
If you were Mephibosheth, what would you be thinking as you were brought before King David?
How would Mephibosheth’s disability have contributed to any dark thoughts and concerns he may have had in his mind?
Pick a different reader now for the rest of this episode, 2 Samuel 9:6-13.
6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor.
David said, “Mephibosheth!”
“At your service,” he replied.
7 “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.”
8 Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?”
9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s steward, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)
11 Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons.
12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mika, and all the members of Ziba’s household were servants of Mephibosheth.
13 And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table; he was lame in both feet.
Discuss:
What details in these verses show you that David was “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14)?
Pastor and writer Chuck Swindoll wrote in his book Grace Awakening that the beauty of what David did for Mephibosheth can be seen in this detail of the king’s table scene: the tablecloth covered Mephibosheth’s feet. How does Jesus cover your inabilities?
Wrap up your learning from the life of Mephibosheth as you listen to “Carried to the Table” by Leeland.
III. Serve
Sometimes our church’s Youth Group goes on field trips. But most of the time, our gatherings are 2-hour events on church property (Sundays 5-7pm). We’re always looking for more grown-ups to simply spend time with the group, just basically to be there. The weekly gatherings include
Bible study, led by Pastor Garrett
Informal fun time together
Food
(Garrett’s personal note: I sense that those who show up for youth group, both the teens and the adult volunteers, are growing in grace as people of various demographics and neighborhoods come together and sit at Jesus’ feet. This is exciting Christian ministry!)
Put yourself in the shoes of a Winona teen.
What would enhance your experience at youth group?
What would make you more likely to consistently show up?
What equipment or people or other considerations would be helpful?
Do you know how to answer these questions?
Whom can you ask to get the insights you need to bless this important part of GVT’s ministry?
How might our non-teenage mission partners grow in grace through this church program?
Speak out loud to one another what things in your life or in your community you are moved to pray about.
Then pray together.
(Keep this prayer session to 5 minutes max.)
Prepare your hearts for lives of service with the song “Luther’s Evening Prayer”, by Branches Band.
Reminders before you go…
Saturday, October 23rd
Family Fun Night 5:00p-7:00p — Ask how you can be a part— Invite friends and neighbors
Sundays
Service time 10:30am
Trinity Kids (kids church) during the service
Trinity Teens (youth group) 5:00p - 7:00p
Foundations Class (Bible basics) with Pastor Garrett is great for inviting guests and friends to, so they can learn more about Jesus.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all.
(2 Corinthians 13:14)