Welcome
Invite various persons to bring a designated item and use this liturgy to begin your time of learning together.
One: Come, let us gather around and see how the Spirit will nurture our faith today.
All: Who is with us?
One: Christ, the light of the world.
(Place a candle on a table in your gathering place and light it.)
All: Who is with us?
One: The Love of God, who came to meet us in the world.
(Place a cross on a table in your gathering place.)
All: Who is with us?
One: The Wisdom of God, who speaks through the Scriptures.
(Place an open Bible on a table in your gathering place.)
All: Who is with us?
One: The Grace of God, who proclaims we are children of God.
(Place a symbol of baptism – a bowl of water, a seashell – on a table in your gathering space.)
All: Who is with us?
One: Our risen Lord, who meets us at the table.
(Place a symbol of communion – a plate and cup, a loaf of bread, grapes – on a table in your gathering space.)
One: We are here, Holy Spirit, ready for your leading.
God sightings and prayer offerings
Invite each person to share where they saw or experienced God this week. Invite each person to share something — a person, community, experience, event, etc. – for which they want to offer prayer.
Good and gracious God, we thank you for all the ways you were and are present in our lives and in the world. [Invite each person to say aloud the sighting they named earlier.] We bring our prayers to you, prayers for… [invite each person to say aloud the prayer need they named earlier]. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.
Connecting with Scripture: John 14:1-14
Read the Scripture aloud the first time using the New Revised Standard Version or the Common English Bible.
Ask those gathered to close their eyes and imagine what you would say to Jesus if you were one of the disciples with him as he spoke. After the Scripture is read, invite those who are comfortable to share.
Connecting through story
Watch this episode of CBS Evening News: On the Road with Steve Hartman.
- In what ways was this man willing to give/help?
- Why was the man helping others?
- What do you think is his reason for being so selfless?
Connecting with our lives
Engage in dialogue:
- Why couldn’t the disciples go with Jesus?
- Why did Jesus tell his disciples to continue his work?
- Jesus said, in verse 12, “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do.” What do you think that means for us today?
- How do the works we do in Jesus’ name show God’s continuing presence and work in the world?
- When was a time you saw someone doing Jesus’ ministry? What did it make you think?
- When have you been the hands and feet of Christ today?
Teaching points that can be incorporated into your discussion:
- This conversation happens in John’s Gospel just after Jesus washes the disciples’ feet and shares in the Passover Meal, but before he is arrested.
- This section is considered Jesus’ farewell to his closest disciples. He’s giving them instructions on how to live and how to continue his ministry once he’s returned to God.
- The disciples wanted to go with Jesus, but he needed them to stay and continue to make God’s presence known in the world. Jesus told the disciples they would do the work that he had done and would do even greater works in his name.
- Jesus insisted that when we live out our faith, live the way he did and do the things he did, others would see God was still active in the world.
- Jesus’ instructions were not just for the first disciples, they are for us too. When we are living like Christ and doing the things that Christ did, we are seeing God, we are continuing Christ’s ministry and we are enabling others to see God. We are the hands and feet of Jesus in the world now.
Have each person create a “The Hands and Feet of Christ To-Do List” for when the pandemic is over. Turn it into a poster and decorate it. Share what’s on each person’s list and then hang the posters up in a place where they will serve as a reminder.
Prayer
Close your time together by praying for one another, your neighbor, community and the world.
REBECCA DAVIS is the associate professor of Christian education at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. A teaching elder and certified educator, she served congregations for over 20 years before moving into academic teaching. In addition to teaching and mentoring students, her passion is child advocacy and ministry.
