Real Fishing Stories: The Net and the Fish
The theme of my sermon was that Jesus is telling us all that we need to cast the net of God's love and grace wide and to everyone. It doesn't matter who is caught up in the net, we are told by Jesus to love God and love our neighbors. The judging and sorting is left up to those more qualified. With you group explore and talk about this story and other stories in Matthew with this same theme...
Read Matthew 13:47-50 - The Parable of the Net
Read Matthew 13:24-30 and 13:36-43 The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds
Read Matthew 25:31-46 The Sheep and the Goats
As you discuss remember that we are not in the business of judging people. Find the radical love in the passages. After you have read and discussed the passages, answer the following questions.
- What are you doing to shine God's love into the world? How could you do more?
- Are there people who it is hard for you to love? Why?
- Why is it important to shine God's love towards ALL people?
- Is there anyone that we should exclude from an invitation into the love and grace of a relationship with God? Does anyone have a story to share of someone who they know who has been excluded from a faith community?
- Who is one person that you can commit to love this week and invite to church or a church activity?
In your devotion time this week or as you meet with your Faith Group, Pastor Jim and I encourage you to also take time to open yourself with the following Wesley Challenge question: Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better that I am? (pages 99-104 in The Wesley Challenge)
