GOING DEEPER
04.25.2021 | FILL IN THE BLANK | Wk 3: “God Is ___ & He ___ My Brokenness”
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Breaking Ground
What is the longest friendship that you have? Who is it? When & how did you meet?
The Dig
This week, reflect on how you think about your brokenness.
Read Matthew 9:1-8. As discussed on Sunday, this man’s condition likely carried some level of stigma. It was often believed that such extreme conditions had to do with sin either committed by the individual or their family line.
How do you think this person would have thought about themselves & their brokenness?
What internal narratives do you think they developed?
Notice that Jesus’ statement of forgiveness does not immediately heal the paralyzed man. In other words, his forgiveness & condition are not linked in Jesus’ mind.
In fact, Jesus’ statement could be better stated as, “Little boy, don’t be afraid, you are right with God.”
Why do you think Jesus says this before healing the man’s physical condition?
Why do you think Jesus seeks to heal so holistically? That is, he heals the whole person in this story (mind, heart, spirit, & body).
How do you think this experience would have impacted the paralyzed man?
Reflect on your own life.
What is an area of brokenness that you’ve struggled with for a long time?
What internal narratives do you hold about this part of your life? (For example, what do you tell yourself it says about you? How others see you? How God sees you?)
How might this story change those narratives?
Getting Out of the Hole
Reflect on the Mad Libs sentence we used in the message this week: “God is ____ & He ____ my brokenness.”
- What negative words have you used to fill in that first blank in the past?
- How did that impact the words you then filled in the second blank with?
- How would that sentence change if you placed kind or compassionate in the first blank? What positive words would you find yourself placing in the second blank?
Journal, reflect, & pray on how God might be speaking to you through this week’s sentence. Sit with each week’s message & how it speaks to our identity & relationship with God over the coming weeks. Share your experience with your growth group next week!
Additional Resources*
Divine Dance by Richard Rohr
The Wounded Healer by Henri Nouwen
The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning
TheBibleProject.com – website by Tim Mackie
Coming Up This Week:*
Sunday, May 2: Join us for week four of our series “Fill In The Blank” – where we will look at how Jesus invites us to change our understanding of power & service.
* Please see mye3.org for details.