Breaking Ground
What got you in the most amount of trouble when you were a kid? Why did you do what you did? What was your punishment?
The Dig
This Sunday, we continued our series Why, where we’re diving into your submitted questions. This week, a panel of E3ers explored: “How do we balance justice with grace when people make mistakes? How do we navigate the complicated emotions that arise when influential people in our lives harm others? In the case of leaders or artists, can we continue to consume the work, ideas, or art of someone who has been found to have morally failed?”
Begin by reading Luke 15:11-32; then read Luke 11:42, Jeremiah 22:3, Micah 6:8, & Proverbs 24:24-25. These are just a few of many verses that, paradoxically, exemplify the Christian call to embrace principles of both justice & grace simultaneously.
Do you tend to understand justice & grace as being mutually exclusive or compatible together? How is it possible to pursue both justice & grace at the same time?
How might the recognition of our own need for grace impact our pursuit of justice in the world? How should this change the means by which we seek to enact justice?
Close by reflecting on your own life alongside this week’s questions.
Have you ever experienced the fall of someone who influenced you personally in major ways? Think of a leader, pastor, theologian, influencer, author, artist, etc.
What complicated emotions arose from that experience? How did you respond? In hindsight, do you wish you’d responded differently?
Based upon your conversation, what would it have looked like to balance justice with grace in that situation?
From your perspective, how should you interact with that person’s legacy & work after the fact? Do you personally believe that you could separate their legacy or work from what they’ve done?
Coming Out of the Hole
Take time to reflect on the Sunday sermon & how this week’s teaching might speak into your daily life.
- Read Luke 15:11-32; then read Luke 11:42, Jeremiah 22:3, Micah 6:8, & Proverbs 24:24-25.
- Where in your life are you struggling to balance grace & justice? Why do you think that is?
- Where do you need to offer grace in a relationship where you’re withholding it? Where do you need to impose boundaries in a relationship that’s become harmful or unjust? What boundaries do you need to set in place to maintain a healthy balance of both?
Journal, reflect, & pray on how God might be speaking to you through each week’s teaching. Share your experience with your growth group next week!
Additional Resources*
New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton
Difficult Conversations by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen
Falling Upward by Richard Rohr
TheBibleProject.com
Coming Up This Week:*
Sunday, February 4th: Join us next Sunday for week 4 of our series Why, where we’ll be answering YOUR questions on faith & spirituality!
* Please see mye3.org for details.