A Second Time

DOWNLOAD 'Becoming the People of God' Small Group Resources (PDF)

Fellowship – Snacks or a Meal (10 minutes with snacks; longer, obviously, if there is a meal).

Gathering Time (5-10 minutes). Have participants answer: “Have you ever experienced God’s call to a specific ministry or mission?”

Group Dialogue (Approximately 30 minutes). Read Jonah 3:1-5,10 and Mark 1:14-20.

• Why did God send Jonah to warn the people of Nineveh?
• Why is it essential for those in power to listen to and respond to God’s message? [They can, as the king of Nineveh, call for a communal answer to God’s message.]
• What are God’s prophets and prophetesses telling us at this time? What is the collective response these times call for? [For example, God calls us to repent from the many ways we keep destroying God’s creation and to take communal measures to stop the destruction.]
• The Preaching Notes say, “The real call of the book of Jonah is to be more like the God who sent him; the one who believes in second chances; the one who doesn’t give up issuing the invitation, even when the response isn’t what was hoped.” What does it mean for people of faith who are in the business of making disciples who make disciples?
• Simon and Andrew immediately left their nets and followed Jesus (Mark 1:18). Have you ever left something behind to follow Jesus? Is there anything you need to leave behind to respond to Jesus’ invitation to follow him now?

Prayer (10 minutes). Share prayer requests and respond appropriately.

Sending Forth (2 minutes). End with the following prayer, a similar prayer, or the Lord’s Prayer:

Dear God, thank you for not giving up on us and repeatedly extending your grace and mercy toward us. Please help us share the grace we have freely received from you. Amen.

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Rev. Dr. Alma Tinoco Ruiz is an Assistant Professor of the Practice of Homiletics and Evangelism and Director of the Hispanic House of Studies at Duke University Divinity School. She is a practical theologian whose work centers on the intersection of homiletics, pastoral care, and evangelism.