Lent Small Groups
Sharing here our lent small group content from this week that led to some great conversation. Enjoy!
Tonight we’ll be talking about Lent. First, What is Lent?
Lent marks the forty days leading up to Easter, mirroring the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness. It is a practice that began as a way to prepare Christians for Easter. It is traditionally a time when we’re invited to pay more attention to three spiritual practices: 1) Prayer 2) Fasting 3) Giving. Lent is also a time meant for personal reflection. It is a time we are encouraged to embrace honesty in our relationships and in our faith. Before discussing Lent, let’s first look at how Jesus invites us to be truly authentic.
Read Together Matthew 6:1-6 (The Message)
1 “Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding.
2-4 “When you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to yourself. You’ve seen them in action, I’m sure—‘playactors’ I call them—treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that’s all they get. When you help someone out, don’t think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.
5 “And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for fifteen minutes of fame! Do you think God sits in a box seat?
6 “Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.
What stuck out to you in this passage?
The good, bad, confusing, etc.
Lent marks a time of honesty. Where in your life are you craving more honesty and authenticity right now?
Lent marks a time of honestly uncovering the junk in our life. Are there any safe spaces or people that you feel comfortable sharing what feels like junk in your life? What are those spaces or people?
Lent marks a time of fasting or choosing to take a break from something. When is a time (that wasn’t lent) when you took a break from something that was weighing you down? What did it feel like?
Lent marks a time of waiting for Easter. What is something you feel like you are waiting for in your life?
Lent ends with a time of renewal culminating with Easter. What are some big or small changes happening in your life right now? Where are you hoping to find renewal with God?