Seen (Part 2): Seeing Those In Mourning

TO START: We are excited for our groups who paused for the Summer to get back into gear this week & today, we jumped into the second week of our series, Seen, where we are relearning to see the world and people the way Jesus saw them during his time on earth. Each week, we are walking through one of Jesus' Beatitudes. 

This week, we unpacked Jesus' assurance to those who mourn, whether because of something that has happened to us, something that has happened through us, or something disheartening happening around us.

TO READ: Matthew 5:1-12 (focus on v. 4 this week) 

TO DISCUSS:

(1.) Can you think of a time when you didn’t read the instructions for something and ended up regretting it?

(2.) As you read through the Beatitudes, which one makes the most sense to you, and which one makes the least sense?

(3.) This week, we discussed Jesus’ words, “Blessed are those who mourn,” and explored three expressions of mourning: sadness over things happening to you, through you, or around you. Can you name a time in your life when you experienced mourning through one of these three expressions ?

(4.) When you think about people who have chosen to mourn rather than avoid or ignore their sadness, what unique gift of comfort have you seen the Lord produce in their lives?

TO PRAY:

To close this week, we invite you to spend time praying together by specifically asking the Lord: Who in your world is mourning and needs to be seen and honored this week?

One way to do this could be to sit in silence with this question before the Lord and ask for God to highlight a specific person. Then, either have folks turn to the group member closest to them to share who they’re praying for OR everyone can share with the whole group. Then, spend a few minutes praying for those people together. Finally, ask God to show you one way you can love and honor that person this week.