Upside Down- Week 3- November 20

Think back to your first day of school. When you showed up to your classes or finally made it to the lunchroom
that day. The first thing you probably thought was, Where am I going to sit? Maybe you moved towards the popular kid. Or maybe the smart kid. Or the funny one. Or maybe even the quietest kid in class. No matter where you ended up, you were choosing where to sit based on one thing: What the other person had to offer you. And if you think about it, that’s an approach we use in a lot of places in our lives. With our families, our friends, our small groups—we tend to move towards people who can make our lives better. And while there’s certainly nothing wrong with that, when we focus only on people who have something to offer us, we’re not only missing out on some incredible people, but also on some incredible things God has for us. Jesus had an upside-down way of engaging people who could offer Him little. And if we can put on His lens for seeing others and follow His lead in serving them—no matter who they are, where they come from, or what they can do for us—we’ll find that it’s not just the lives of others that will be changed, but our lives that will be changed as well.

Reconnect with each other, share a high and a low from the past week.
Talk about a time when someone did something for you, and you had nothing to offer them in return?
In your opinion, what’s the point of serving?
Why does serving take courage?

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Matthew 25:34-40 New International Version 
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

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In your opinion, what’s the point of serving?
Why does serving take courage?
How does serving change the way we see people? 
In what ways are serving others and loving God connected?
If you were encouraging someone else to serve, what would you say? 
As a small group, what’s one way we could serve others with no strings attached?

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​God of all Creation, we praise you for creating this world in all beauty, for redeeming the world through Christ, our Lord, and for sending us the gift of your Spirit to encourage, instruct and sustain us. We long for your Spirit to work among us now, to inspire us, to challenge us with your truth, and to equip us for service in the world. And together as your people we say, AMEN.

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​Mark the Cross of Christ on each others foreheads as a remembrance of your baptism and say these words...

"(Name) you are a beloved Child of God."

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