Warm Up
- What songs can you think of which has the word “heart” in the title?
- What would you put on the second line of the classic t-shirt … I ❤️ ???
Introduction – Ancient Isreal’s understanding of the Heart
Video Notes:
- The biblical authors talk about the heart in many ways that might seem strange to modern readers. That is because these Israelites had no concept of the brain, or any word for it. They imagined that all of a human’s intellectual activity takes place in the heart.
- In the Bible, the heart is where you feel emotions. You feel pain in your heart… In fact, the phrase “a broken heart” comes from ancient biblical Hebrew. In Hebrew, to be happy is to be “good of heart” or to have a “heart of joy”.
- So then, in the Bible, the heart is the centre of all parts of human existence, as in the well-known proverb, “Guard your heart because from it flows your whole life.”
- Every day, God’s people are called to devote to God their whole body and mind, their feelings and their desires, their future and their failures. This is what it means to love the Lord your God will all of your heart.
Getting to know your group / Reflection Question:
Go around the group and introduce yourself. If you would like, you can also give your insight on one of the two following questions:
- What are some things that bring joy to your heart? What are some things that burden it?
- In Ezekiel 36:26 God says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh”. How would you describe the current state of your heart in your spiritual journey?
#1a. Lost and Found
Read Luke 15:1-10
Around the table … what is your reflection on this passage?
Or ponder together the following questions:
- What type of people were naturally drawn to Jesus and why?
- Jesus told the grumbling Pharisees a parable about a lost sheep and another about a lost coin. What is God concerned about? What do we learn about His heart for people?
- What does this story suggest about how God/Jesus would feel if you were to repent?
- Phil in his sermon suggested that the re-establishment of community is just as important as finding the lost. What do you think of the idea that the shepherd searched for the sheep not only to find the lost but to make the community whole again?
#1b. A Change of Heart
Read Luke 15:11-31
Around the table … what is your reflection on this passage?
Or ponder together the following questions:
- What motivated the younger son to demand his inheritance from his father and what type of pain did the father likely experience?
- Explore the theme of repentance in the parable. What does true repentance look like? Verse 17 says, “when he came to his senses” … is this repentance, or is it regret or remorse? What is the difference?
- Discuss the role of celebration in the parable. Why is it significant that the father throws a feast upon the younger son’s return?
- How does the elder son’s reaction to his brother’s return challenge our understanding of grace and reconciliation?
2. Understanding God’s Grace and Mercy
Watch Video
- How would you define or describe grace? How is this similar or different to mercy?
- How is grace or mercy shown through the parables of the Lost sheep, coin and son? How is it shown through the Easter narrative?
- What must people do to receive God’s grace or mercy?
3. Rich Man and Lazarus
Read Luke 16:19-31
Around the table … what is your reflection on this passage?
Or ponder together the following questions:
- Luke 16:15 tells us that God know our hearts. What can we surmise about the hearts of the two men in this parable based on their descriptions?
- Do you think that the rich man was tormented for being rich, or was Lazarus rewarded for being poor. If not, what do you think Jesus was trying to say in this parable?
- From this story, what is the determining factor for entry into heaven / Abraham’s side? How does this sit with your understanding of the afterlife or judgement after death?
- In verse 24, the rich man cries out for mercy. He doesn’t claim he deserves help but calls upon the grace of Abraham with a rather modest request “a finger dip of water”. Why do you think that he was not shown mercy? Does this match our understanding of grace and mercy from question #2? Why or why not? Is there a timeframe for receiving God’s mercy? If so, where does God draw the line?
- What do we learn about a heart of unbelief or unrepentance from this story? What do we learn about a heart of faith? How do we apply these learning to our own lives as we journey closer to Easter and the cross?
Prayer
Spend a moment in silence – Reflecting where you might be in your relationship with God and asking God to transform and soften our hearts.
Have one person finish by praying the prayer:
God, we ask that You soften our hearts, bringing healing, understanding, and a renewed connection in our relationship with you. For those who feel distant, help us to find our way back to your love. For those who are lost, we call on your mercy and ask for you to guide us home.
May we reflect your love and mercy in the way we treat each other. Open our eyes to see those around us who need our help and blessing. May our hearts always be attuned to your guidance and prompting.
As we approach Easter, renew our hearts and lives, we pray. Amen.