Week 3: Showing the Glory of Christ in Us

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

Gathering Time (5-10 minutes). In pairs or groups of three, have participants share a time of suffering or painful endurance.

Group Dialogue (Approximately 30 minutes)

Read: John 17:1-11

As a group, work to define the word “glory.” [You might think about how a parent glories in or takes pleasure in an accomplishment of a child or pridefully delights in a child’s abilities.]
Looking at your definition of glory, what might Jesus be asking for when he prays, “Glorify your son . . .” (v. 1)? How will Jesus glorify God the Father (v. 1)? [Jesus glorifies or exults the Father by willfully being obedient to the Father through his ministry, life, death, and resurrection. The Father receives glory as Jesus’ ministry and actions reveal the heart of a loving God.]
As a group, work to define the phrase, “eternal life” (v. 2). [A more literal translation might be life everlasting. More than merely a destination, John’s Gospel reveals eternal life is a quality of life that begins the moment we believe (that Jesus is sent by the Father) and are in relationship with God that carries on past death.]
What does verse 3 contribute to our understanding of eternal life? [That it is about relationship with God more than merely being about a destination.]
What might it look like for Jesus’ prayer, “that they might be one as we are one,” to become reality? How has Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection provided a model for what it might require of us to be in unity with Christ and the church?

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

Sending Forth (2 minutes). End by praying the following or a similar prayer:

God of glory, empower us to take delight in doing your will. Transform our hearts and minds, as your chosen and precious people, that others would see Jesus in us. May your Holy Spirit so live within us that eternal life would come flooding up out of our words and deeds. Amen.