Has Come Near

DOWNLOAD 'Depths of Love' 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). In pairs or groups of three, have participants talk about a time they’ve been in the “wilderness.” Perhaps it was a walk in the woods, a state or national forest. Was it a desert, forest, mountains, or swampland? Did you see wild animals? If so, what kind? How did you feel about being in the wilderness? Relaxed, excited, stressed, happy, frightened, awestruck?

Group Dialogue (Approximately 30 minutes). Read Mark 1:9-15.

• According to Mark 1:10, as Jesus was being baptized by John, “he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove.” How do you imagine the Spirit of God? If you were going to draw or paint the Spirit of God, what would it look like?
• As Jesus is being baptized, a voice from heaven says, “You are my son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11). What reminds you that you are God’s “beloved”?
• Mark 1:12 says the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness. Have you ever felt driven (or nudged) by God to go somewhere or do something you wouldn’t normally do? How did this work out for you?
• Mark 1:13 says Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness. Can you think of other places in the Bible where the number forty is significant?
• Genesis 7: In the story of Noah and the flood, it rains for forty days and nights.
• Exodus 24: When Moses received the Ten Commandments, he stayed on the ‘mountain of God’ for forty days and nights.
• I Samuel 17: Goliath taunts Israel for forty days.
• Acts 1: There are forty days between the crucifixion of Jesus and his ascension.
• Mark 1:13 says angels waited on Jesus while he was in the wilderness. What do you imagine those angels looked like? What might they have done for Jesus?
• Mark 1:14 says that after John the Baptist was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. What good news does our world need to hear today? What good news does our community need to hear today? What good news do the most vulnerable in our community need to hear today?
• For personal reflection and prayer: Of what do you need to repent? What good news from Jesus do you long to hear?

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:

O God, some of us feel like we are in the wilderness. May we feel your angels taking care of us, even in the wilderness of our lives. Convict us when we need to repent. Open our spirits to know we are beloved in your sight. Guide us in ways to share the good news of your love and care to those who most need to hear it. Amen

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Rev. Alecia Curtis Glaize is a United Methodist minister specializing in Christian education. She was educated at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama, and Claremont School of Theology in Claremont, California. She currently serves as Interim Director of Field Education at Claremont School of Theology and is a volunteer adult Bible study teacher at her church.