In the Presence

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

Gathering Time (5-10 minutes). In groups of two or three, have participants respond to the following, “Name a time you were chosen (for a task, team, project, or something else).”

Group Dialogue (Approximately 30 minutes). Read Psalm 23, 1 Samuel 16:1-13, John 9:1-41.

• What might Samuel have felt after the seven older sons of Jesse were not chosen by God to be anointed? Frustrated? Surprised? Embarrassed that he thought wrongly?
• What do we learn about God from this passage? [1 Samuel 16:7]
• What is ironic about the story of the Pharisees arguing about the healing of a blind man? [Those who should see are revealed to be blind to what matters most.]
• What similar themes from the 1 Samuel passage emerge in the John passage? [God not choosing the likely candidates.]
• How do these passages offer hope about how God chooses us?
• How do these passages invite us into a new way of seeing? What might it mean to see “with the eyes of faith”?

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

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

Shepherd of our Souls, we confess that we fail to see where you are at work around us or even within us. Empower us to see with the eyes of faith. May we see abundance where others see lack, see the joy in the midst of sorrow, see peace instead of chaos, and hope instead of despair. May we see the hurts and pains of others and where your healing grace desires to bring new life.