Liturgy for Life - WK 3 : GROUP GUIDE

INTRODUCTION
The following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with, or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.

LITURGIES: Confession & Forgiveness, Process and Patience, Bold Forgiveness, Forgiveness and Resurrection

OPENING QUESTION(S)
What…

HEAD & HEART

1. Read Matthew 6:9-14, 1 John 1:5-10 together and share any wisdom, insights, or thoughts that come to you from the reading? What stands out?
2. CONFESSION & FORGIVENESS - What tense is the line about us forgiving others in the Lord’s prayer? Do you think God’s forgiveness is dependent on our ability to forgive others? If so, explain. If not, then what do you think Jesus was getting at with this part of the prayer?
3. CONFESSION & FORGIVENESS - We often think of confession as a very private matter, but there are times when we are to confess to one another (James 5:16). How could public confession be a good thing? And who is the faithful one in verse 9 of I John 1?  Why might remember his faithfulness in our unfaithfulness be important?
4. Read Psalm 32:1-5 together and share any wisdom, insights, or thoughts that come to you from the reading? What stands out?
5. PROCESS & PATIENCE - It has been said that our secrets keep us sick. How would this line apply to confession and what is the joy the psalmist speaks to once confession has happened? How might confession be good for the body, whereas secrets hurt it?
6. Read Hebrews 4:14-16 together and share any wisdom, insights, or thoughts that come to you from the reading? What stands out?
7. BOLD FORGIVENESS - When you have sinned, hurt you or someone else or your walk with God, do you come to Him boldly or as if you’re on eggshells? If eggshells, what do you think that means about how you picture God? Is He for you or against you?
8. Read 2 Timothy 2:8-11 together and share any wisdom, insights, or thoughts that come to you from the reading? What stands out?
9. FORGIVENESS & RESURRECTION - Consider for a moment how forgiveness and new life is connected not just in the future when Jesus comes, but right here and now?  Jesus said He came to give us life to the full, both in the kingdom to come as well as the kingdom that is here now.  How might the promise of forgiveness free you from sin controlling your life, but also give you hope?

HANDS
Each week in this series, we will challenge you to spend time actually practicing the liturgies discussed in the week.  So for this week, take some time to write out your sins, your struggles, those things that you may feel are keeping you from walking with Jesus, or those things weighing you down and holding you back from living the full life.  Once you’re done writing, pray and release them over to Jesus in some tangible way - rip the paper up, burn it, bury it, whatever you need to do.  Then just spend time resting in the beauty of being forgiven.

LIVING WORDS FOR YOUR WEEK
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”
Hebrews 8:10-12, ESV