the_merciful_neighbor.mp4

PRAY:

Have someone read Deuteronomy 6:4-9 aloud (or divide it between your group). After you read it, spend a minute or two silently reflecting on the passage. Then spend some time praying as a group for anything that this passage draws to your mind or stirs up in your heart.

ONE ANOTHERING:

Try to think of some practical needs you can share to give others the opportunity to step up and love you. It's okay if it takes some time to get comfortable with this. It takes time and practice to be vulnerable with one another... but amazing things happen when we are. Remember that the Benevolence Ministry is a resource for our comGroups.

  • How can we love or serve one another this week?

FOLLOW UP:

  • Did you have an opportunity to meet or learn a neighbor's name this week?
  • How was that experience?

READ:

Luke 10:25-37


SHARE:

  • Does anything new strike you as we read through this passage again?
  • What tangible actions of mercy do you see in this story?
  • How would you define mercy? Is there a definition you have heard that has stuck with you?

“The essence of neighboring is showing loving-kindness (mercy)”


  • What do you think of this definition of mercy (showing loving-kindness)?
  • How does this definition challenge or expand your understanding of mercy?
  • How is mercy essential to the practice of neighboring?

Sympathy - Acknowledges the other’s suffering (understanding)

Empathy - Feels the other’s suffering (emotion)

Compassion - Suffers with and desires to help (emotion + will)

Mercy - Meets suffering with loving-kindness (action)


  • Do these distinctions help you to grasp the meaning of mercy more deeply?
  • Are there any of these that you struggle to feel or practice? Are there any that come naturally to you?
  • How do the four of these work together?
  • How does this definition of mercy (showing loving-kindness) affect the way you think about God's mercy for us?
  • Is there a neighbor who comes to mind that we could pray for now?
  • What makes it difficult for us to be attentive to others in our life? How can we practice being more attentive to those around us?
  • What are some examples of small mercies? How have you been affected by someone showing you a small or simple act of mercy?

PRACTICE:

Commit to reaching out to one neighbor this week to show a tangible act of mercy (big or small). Come back next week and share about your experience

Remember, this is not about feeling guilty or pressured to reach out. This is a way for us to be intentional in our pursuit of the Jesus life, and to help, encourage, and celebrate with one another as we follow the way of Jesus.

PRAY:

End your time by having someone read Matthew 22:37-39 aloud. Spend some time silently reflecting on this passage before you close in prayer.