In Pursuit of Sexual Wholeness: Discussion for Week 1

 

Opening Prayer

Welcome to the discussion for the first week of our discipleship series “In Pursuit of Sexual Wholeness”. Take a moment to allow everyone in the group to introduce themselves if necessary and then begin by praying in the following way:

1. Ask everyone to close their eyes and sit comfortably in a moment of silence.
2. After a few seconds encourage everyone to simple become aware of their breathing and to relax.
3. After a few more seconds ask everyone to consider anything from the day or recent past that is making them anxious. Make a point of letting it go, since you cannot affect it right now, and silently ask Jesus to take it from you (1 minute)
4. Ask everyone to consider anything about tomorrow or the future that is making them anxious. Make a point of letting it go, since you cannot affect it right now, and silently ask Jesus to take it from you (1 minute)
5. Ask everyone to consider any anxieties they have about this discussion. Encourage everyone to breathe deeply. On the in breath, breathe in God’s love for us. On the out-breath let go of fear (1 minute)
6. Close by praying the following prayer:

 

Lord Jesus. Thank you for your great love for us. Thank you that you as a fellow human-being understand our complexities: all our fears, our hopes, our sadness, our joys and all aspects of our humanity. We open ourselves to you now, that you might lead us into wholeness. Amen.

 

 

Scripture Reading

Ask someone to read the following scripture or have several people read a portion each.

 

Mark 5:21-43 (New International Version)

21When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet 23and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live." 24So Jesus went with him.

   A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." 29Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

 30At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"

 31"You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?' "

 32But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

 35While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said. "Why bother the teacher any more?"

 36Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe."

 37He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39He went in and said to them, "Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep." 40But they laughed at him.

      After he put them all out, he took the child's father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!" ). 42Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

 

 

Discussion

The following questions would be suitable to discuss with the whole group. Share thoughts and feelings together about each one:

1. Why do you think the woman in this story (with the hemorrhage) “trembled with fear”?
2. What similarities of feelings and perceptions might there be between the woman in the story and someone struggling with a sexual issue?
3. What are your thoughts and feelings about going into this series? Excitement, hope, fear, embarrassment, other…?
4. How healthy (or “whole”) do you think our culture is in relation to sexuality and why?
5. How healthy (or “whole”) do you think Church is in relation to sexuality and why?
6. In what ways would you say that your followership of Jesus affects how you personally think and act sexually?
7. Is there anyone you talk to openly about your sexuality?

 

The following questions might be more suitable for discussion in a smaller setting. Feel free to allow the group to break off into smaller discussions or save these questions for discussion with a close friend.

1. When you think about your own personal life is from a sexual point of view, how “healthy” and “whole” do you feel?
   1. Do you feel at peace?
   2. Do you have any fear or anxiety?
   3. Do you experience any shame about anything (form the past or currently)
   4. Are there any areas of your sexual life that feel out of control or that even control you?
2. What aspects of your sexual life do you think need to change and how?

 

 

Reflection

Sit comfortably in silence as a group with eyes closed. Leader leads the group in the following way:

1. Invite everyone to reflect on the discussion and allow any issues or challenges to surface within. What has been most stirred up in you? (1 minute)
2. After a few moments ask everyone to pick one of these issues and silently reflect more deeply. What is really going on? What is at the root of this issue? (1 minute)
3. Leader prays: “Come Holy Spirit; come and fill our hearts as we open our lives to you. Touch us and help us with our struggles and pains” and then invites everyone to silently open themselves to God in relation to the issues that have surfaced (2 minutes)
4. Encourage everyone to consider what is happening. How is the Holy Spirit working within you at this moment? What is God doing? (1 minute)
5. Spend more time in silence with each person inviting God to deepen the work of the Holy Spirit within them (2 minutes).
6. Leader closes this reflection time by praying: “Thank you Jesus for your presence with us. Make us whole, we pray. Amen”

 

Spend another couple of minutes for each person to consider what might be appropriate personal next steps. Do you need any kind of help? Do you need to talk more deeply with someone? Group leader can share the various resources available as part of this series and encourage everyone to take advantage of them.

 

Closing Prayer

Leader or someone else closes the discussion with a prayer

In Pursuit of Sexual Wholeness: Discussion for Week 2

 

Opening Prayer

Begin your meeting together by taking some time to rest and relax into the present moment, releasing all the cares of the day, and centering on the presence of God. 

1. Invite everyone to sit in a comfortable position, close eyes, and breathe deeply in and out, focusing on the sound and feel of the breath with each one.
2. Continue deep breathing, and with each inhale imagine taking in air charged with the very life and power of Christ, filling and cleansing the mind and body. 
3. Continue slow deep breathing and notice anything negative or tense as it comes up.  As you exhale, let go of pain, fear, self-judgment, worry, discomfort, etc, imagining it sinking down through your body and releasing it away from you onto the floor.
4. Continue deep breathing this way for a few minutes until there is a sense of calm and peace, embracing and welcoming God with each breath in, and letting go of all that is not God with each breath out.
5. Now intentionally submit this time to God, simply offering yourself, and open your heart and mind to further ignite the Divine Spark of the Holy Spirit in you.    
6. Close your time together with a prayer aloud.  You can pray the one below or use your own words:

 

Jesus, you are more substantial and real than any created thing. You give life to all and sustain everything by your life-giving breath, yet we so often have a hard time sensing, seeing, hearing and feeling you.  Help us to be aware of you and what is true and life-giving, so that we may take you in.  Use our time together now to awaken us that we may grow more and more alive in you.  Amen.

Discussion

As you engage with the following you will see suggestions for the group settings which might be best appropriate for responding to the questions.   Feel free to consider as a  group or even individually how to adapt and which ones you feel comfortable talking about with the whole group, which ones might be best discussed in a smaller setting with one or two others, and if there are any that would be best to reflect on personally during the week.  Some group questions:

 

1. What are your feelings about this series at this time?  
2. What was the most important thing you took away from the first week, or something significant for you from this series so far?

 

One person read the following Scripture slowly aloud.  Close your eyes and try to picture the scene in your mind and imagine yourself there.  Be open to Jesus teaching you something personally relevant to you now as you hear the story recounted.

 

Scripture Reading

 Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

  “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery.  The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

  “No, Lord,” she said.

 

  And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

John 8:1-11 (New Living Translation)

Group Discussion questions:

1. Discuss the cultural context of this story.  What impact did tradition, religion, gender roles, etc. have on the people in the crowd?  The woman?  Jesus?
2. What messages/narratives were expressed about gender and sexuality around you as you grew up?  From family?  Ethnic and national culture?  Media? Religious tradition?
   1. What were messages about being male? 
   2. What were messages about being female?
3. Describe the level of comfort, ease and openness with which sex would be discussed (or not) in your family growing up?
4. During this series we have talked about how strongly family, culture and church can influence our sexuality.  What would you say have been the major sources of influence in your life regarding sexuality: family, media, church, friends, etc.?

 

The following questions may be suitable for a smaller setting or personal reflection:

1. What are some contexts in the past where you have talked about sex and your own sexuality? How did this go? Was it a positive or negative experience?
2. What are your impressions of sex in the context of spirituality?  How compatible is your view of sex and God?
3. Find one person to discuss an area you desire to grow in health regarding sexuality.  If you desire healing from past sexual brokenness, shame, grief or judgment because of sexuality, ask for prayer from someone you can trust, and offer it back.

 

Group Reflection

Sit comfortably in silence as a group with eyes closed. Leader leads the group in the following way:

1. Invite everyone to reflect on the discussion and allow any issues or challenges to surface within. What has been most stirred up in you? After a few moments ask everyone to pick one of these issues and silently reflect more deeply. What is really going on? What is at the root of this issue?
2. Leader prays: “Come Holy Spirit; come and fill our hearts as we open our lives to you. Touch us and help us with our struggles and pains.  We acknowledge that we are broken and in need of you.”  Leader then invites everyone to silently open themselves to God in relation to the issues that have surfaced.
3. Encourage everyone to consider what is happening. How is the Holy Spirit working within you at this moment? What is God doing?
4. Spend more time in silence, as each person invites God to deepen the work of the Holy Spirit within them.
5. Leader closes this reflection time by praying: “Thank you Jesus for your presence with us.  Help us to embrace your vibrant and radiant love, and make us whole, we pray. Amen.”

Spend another couple of minutes for each person to consider what might be appropriate personal next steps. Do you need any kind of help? Do you need to talk more deeply with someone? Group leader can share the various resources available as part of this series and encourage everyone to take advantage of them.

 

Closing Prayer

Leader or someone else closes the discussion with a prayer.

In Pursuit of Sexual Wholeness: Discussion for Week 3

 

Opening Prayer

Welcome to the discussion for the third week of our discipleship series “In Pursuit of Sexual Wholeness”. Begin by praying in the following way:

1. Ask everyone to close their eyes and sit comfortably in a moment of silence.
2. After a few seconds encourage everyone to simply become aware of their breathing and to relax.
3. After a few more seconds ask everyone to consider anything from the day or recent past that is making them anxious. Make a point of letting it go, since you cannot affect it right now, and silently ask Jesus to take it from you (1 minute)
4. Ask everyone to consider anything about tomorrow or the future that is making them anxious. Make a point of letting it go, since you cannot affect it right now, and silently ask Jesus to take it from you (1 minute)
5. Ask everyone to consider any anxieties they have about this discussion. Encourage everyone to breathe deeply. On the in breath, breathe in God’s love for us. On the out-breath let go of fear (1 minute)
6. Close by praying the following prayer:

 

Lord Jesus. Thank you for your great love for us. Thank you that you as a fellow human-being understand our complexities: all our fears, our hopes, our sadness, our joys and all aspects of our humanity. We open ourselves to you now, that you might lead us into wholeness. Amen.

 

Scripture Reading

Ask someone to read the following scripture or have several people read a portion each.

 

John 4:1-30; 39-42 (New International Version)

1The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, 2although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. 4Now he had to go through Samaria. 5So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" 8(His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) 10Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." 11"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?" 13Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." 15The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water." 16He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back."

 17"I have no husband," she replied. Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. 18The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true." 19"Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. 20Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem." 21Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." 25The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us." 26Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

 

27Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, "What do you want?" or "Why are you talking with her?"

 28Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29"Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ[b]?" 30They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

39Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." 40So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41And because of his words many more became believers.

 42They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."

 

 

Discussion

The following questions would be suitable to discuss with the whole group

1. In what ways do you identify with the woman in this story?
2. What does “a spring of living water” (v14) mean to you and how does that apply to your life?

 

The following questions might be more suitable for discussion in a smaller setting. Feel free to allow the group to break off into smaller discussions or save these questions for discussion with a close friend.

1. How helpful are you finding this series? In what way has it been relevant to you?
2. Describe or think about a time when you “acted out” sexually in a way that you regret in some way.
3. When you think about your own personal life from a sexual point of view, how “healthy” and “whole” do you feel?
4. Do you feel at peace?
5. Do you have any fear or anxiety?
6. Do you experience any shame about anything (form the past or currently)
7. Are there any areas of your sexual life that feel out of control or that even control you?
   1. When you think about aspects of your sexual life from the question above: what do you think lies below or behind those issues? What do you sense is causing you to behave that way?
   2. What are some steps you could take to address these “inner” issues? What help do you need to take those steps?

1.  
   1. What were the circumstances of this situation?
   2. Were you aware at the time that you might regret your action?
   3. Can you identify any “external pressures” causing your action?
   4. Can you identify any “internal pressures”?
   5. How would you describe these internal pressures?
   6. How do those internal pressures affect you now?

 

 

Reflection

Sit comfortably in silence as a group with eyes closed. Leader leads the group in the following way:

a)       Invite everyone to reflect on the discussion and allow any issues or challenges to surface within. What has been most stirred up in you? (1 minute)

b)      After a few moments ask everyone to pick one of these issues and silently reflect more deeply. What is really going on? What is at the root of this issue? (1 minute)

c)       Leader prays: “Come Holy Spirit; come and fill our hearts as we open our lives to you. Touch us and help us with our struggles and pains” and then invites everyone to silently open themselves to God in relation to the issues that have surfaced (2 minutes)

d)      Encourage everyone to consider what is happening. How is the Holy Spirit working within you at this moment? What is God doing? (1 minute)

e)       Spend more time in silence with each person inviting God to deepen the work of the Holy Spirit within them (2 minutes).

f)        Leader closes this reflection time by praying: “Thank you Jesus for your presence with us. Make us whole, we pray. Amen”

 

Spend another couple of minutes for each person to consider what might be appropriate personal next steps. Do you need any kind of help? Do you need to talk more deeply with someone? Group leader can share the various resources available as part of this series and encourage everyone to take advantage of them.

 

Closing Prayer

Leader or someone else closes the discussion with a prayer

 

In Pursuit of Sexual Wholeness: Discussion for Week 4

 

Opening Prayer

Begin your meeting together by taking some time to rest and relax into the present moment, releasing all the cares of the day, and centering on the presence of God. 

1. Invite everyone to sit in a comfortable position, close eyes, and breathe deeply in and out, focusing on the sound and feel of the breath with each one.
2. Continue deep breathing, and with each inhale imagine taking in air full of the very life and power of Christ, filling and cleansing the mind and body. 
3. Continue slow deep breathing and notice anything negative or tense as it comes up.  As you exhale, let go of pain, fear, self-judgment, worry, discomfort, etc, imagining it sinking down through your body and releasing it away from you onto the floor.
4. Continue deep breathing this way for a few minutes until there is a sense of calm and peace, embracing and welcoming God with each breath in, and letting go of all that is not God with each breath out.
5. Now intentionally submit this time to God, simply offering yourself, and open your heart and mind to further ignite the Divine Spark of the Holy Spirit in you.    
6. 6.       Close your time together with a prayer aloud.  You can pray the one below or use your own words: 

Jesus, you are more substantial and real than any created thing. You give life to all and sustain everything by your life-giving breath, yet we so often have a hard time sensing, seeing, hearing and feeling you.  Help us to be aware of you and what is true and life-giving, so that we may take you in.  Use our time together now to awaken us that we may grow more and more alive in you.  Amen.

Scripture Reading

One person read the following Scripture slowly aloud: 

 

Luke 7:36-50 (New International Version)

 ³⁶Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. ³⁷When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, ³⁸and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. ³⁹When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."

 ⁴⁰Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."
      "Tell me, teacher," he said.

 ⁴¹"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,^[a] and the other fifty. ⁴²Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"

⁴³Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."
      "You have judged correctly," Jesus said.

 ⁴⁴Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. ⁴⁷Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

 ⁴⁸Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

 ⁴⁹The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"

 ⁵⁰Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

 

Group Discussion questions:

1. Sexual sin is often elevated to a higher category as being worse than other kinds of sin, very often especially in the minds of the most religious people.  In what way is Simon the Pharisee in this story comparing and elevating sins? What is his conclusion?
2.  What comparison does Jesus make in this story?  What does he elevate?  What is one conclusion Jesus draws?
3. Christians and churches have experienced schisms and divisions since Jesus lived, including some recorded in Scripture and throughout the history of the church.  What issues are you aware of that have divided the church in different eras?  What resolution (or lack of resolution) are you aware came about as a result of the conflict over these issues?
4. Brainstorm together---how have arguments, divisions and conflicts over issues contributed to making the church more like Jesus?  Less like Jesus?

 

Questions for smaller setting

1. Think of your own journey following Jesus or just trying to live ethically.  Have you ever had arguments or disagreements with others over issues of morals or ethics at any point in your journey?  Think of specific times, people, places, etc.  Can you remember the issue(s)?
2. Have your opinions and perspectives on any issues changed over your journey?  What ways of living, practices, beliefs, etc seemed important to you early in your journey that no longer seem so now?  What ways of living, practices, beliefs, etc that once seemed unimportant now feel important to you at this stage in your journey?
3. The issue of homosexuality and its impact and how it is being addressed is dividing churches nationwide and worldwide in our day. 
4. At Cedar Ridge we are seeking to be a community that lives on acceptance, love and grace for all.  Yet each of us have issues that we tend to feel strongly about that may contribute to judging others harshly, criticism, gossip, commentary of what we approve of and what we don’t in others. 

•  
  • Why do you think homosexuality is such a divisive issue for Christians?
  • What are your thoughts on why arguments over homosexuality are so prevalent when many other issues are not given the same status? In your opinion can this be justified in light of the example and teaching of Jesus?  Explain

1.  
   • What are issues that seem of the greatest importance to you? How does your concern about that play out in living out your values passionately and in a Christ-like way?  How may it at times contribute to un-Christlike attitudes in you toward others?
   • How do the ways Christians and churches deal with and communicate differences of opinion, practice, belief impact our “witness” of Jesus to the world?  Is it important?

•  
  • What can we as Christians and churches do to reflect and embody Jesus better when faced with differences of opinion, practice, and belief?

 

Group Reflection

Sit comfortably in silence as a group with eyes closed. Leader leads the group in the following way:

1. Invite everyone to reflect on the discussion and allow any issues or challenges to surface within. What has been most stirred up in you? After a few moments ask everyone to pick one of these issues and silently reflect more deeply. What is really going on? What is at the root of this issue?
2. Leader prays: “Come Holy Spirit; come and fill our hearts as we open our lives to you. Touch us and help us with our struggles and pains.  We acknowledge that we are broken and in need of you.”  Leader then invites everyone to silently open themselves to God in relation to the issues that have surfaced.
3. Encourage everyone to consider what is happening. How is the Holy Spirit working within you at this moment? What is God doing?
4. Spend more time in silence, as each person invites God to deepen the work of the Holy Spirit within them.
5. Leader closes this reflection time by praying: “Thank you Jesus for your presence with us.  Help us to embrace your vibrant and radiant love, and make us whole, we pray. Amen.”

 

Spend another couple of minutes for each person to consider what might be appropriate personal next steps. Do you need any kind of help? Do you need to talk more deeply with someone? Group leader can share the various resources available as part of this series and encourage everyone to take advantage of them.

 

Closing Prayer

Leader or someone else closes the discussion with a prayer.

 

In Pursuit of Sexual Wholeness: Discussion for Week 5

 

 

Opening Prayer

Welcome to the discussion for the fifth week of our discipleship series “In Pursuit of Sexual Wholeness”. Begin by praying in the following way:

1. Ask everyone to close their eyes and sit comfortably in a moment of silence.
2. After a few seconds encourage everyone to simply become aware of their breathing and to relax.
3. After a few more seconds ask everyone to consider anything from the day or recent past that is making them anxious. Make a point of letting it go, since you cannot affect it right now, and silently ask Jesus to take it from you (1 minute)
4. Ask everyone to consider anything about tomorrow or the future that is making them anxious. Make a point of letting it go, since you cannot affect it right now, and silently ask Jesus to take it from you (1 minute)
5. Ask everyone to consider any anxieties they have about this discussion. Encourage everyone to breathe deeply. On the in breath, breathe in God’s love for us. On the out-breath let go of fear (1 minute)
6. Close by praying the following prayer:

 

Lord Jesus. Thank you for your great love for us. Thank you that you as a fellow human-being understand our complexities: all our fears, our hopes, our sadness, our joys and all aspects of our humanity. We open ourselves to you now, that you might lead us into wholeness. Amen.

 

 

Scripture Reading

Ask someone to read the following scripture or have several people read a portion each.

 

Luke 10: 25-37 (NIV)

25On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

26"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

27He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'[c]; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[d]"

 

28"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

 

 29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

 

 30In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two silver coins[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'

 

 36"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"

 

 37The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."

      Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

 

 

Discussion

 

The following questions would be suitable to discuss with the whole group

 

1. How does Jesus commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself” apply to us sexually?

• In how we view and treat others?
• In how we view and treat ourselves?

1. In what ways has fear been an influence on your sexual life and perspective?
2. What role do boundaries play in our sexuality?

• In what ways have boundaries helped us be more sexually whole?
• In what ways have boundaries created problems for us sexually?

1. If love is more important than sex…

• How would that affect how we behave sexually?
• In what ways could sex without love be healthy?

1. If love is more important than sex…

• How would that affect how we treat people with whom we disagree about sexual practice?
• What does “loving people with whom we disagree” look like?

1. Take a moment to share as a group how this series has affected each of you personally

 

The following question might be more suitable for discussion in a smaller setting. Feel free to allow the group to break off into smaller discussions or save the question for discussion with a close friend.

 

1. What is one area of your life you are going to work on changing as a result of this series?

 

 

Reflection

Sit comfortably in silence as a group with eyes closed. Leader leads the group in the following way:

1. Invite everyone to reflect on the discussion and allow any issues or challenges to surface within. What has been most stirred up in you? (1 minute)
2. After a few moments ask everyone to pick one of these issues and silently reflect more deeply. What is really going on? What is at the root of this issue? (1 minute)
3. Leader prays: “Come Holy Spirit; come and fill our hearts as we open our lives to you. Touch us and help us with our struggles and pains” and then invites everyone to silently open themselves to God in relation to the issues that have surfaced (2 minutes)
4. Encourage everyone to consider what is happening. How is the Holy Spirit working within you at this moment? What is God doing? (1 minute)
5. Spend more time in silence with each person inviting God to deepen the work of the Holy Spirit within them (2 minutes).
6. Leader closes this reflection time by praying: “Thank you Jesus for your presence with us. Make us whole, we pray. Amen”

 

Spend another couple of minutes for each person to consider what might be appropriate personal next steps. Do you need any kind of help? Do you need to talk more deeply with someone? Group leader can share the various resources available as part of this series and encourage everyone to take advantage of them.

 

Closing Prayer

Leader or someone else closes the discussion with a prayer