February 26, 2024 • Pete Greig • Matthew 5:3–5, Luke 18:9–14
Kicking off the course with an honest look at the four big questions we all ask when confronted with suffering. With special guest, author Bob Sorge.
Bible passages - Luke 18:9-14, Matthew 5:3-5
Key points:
–It’s a sign of faith, not doubt, to wrestle with unanswered prayer
–We need to talk about unanswered prayer for three reasons:
–Emotionally – most of us have pain we need to process
–Intellectually – we may also have questions we need answered
–Culturally – sadly the church can be less honest than the Bible
–‘Grace groweth best in winter’ (Samuel Rutherford) – Harsh winters are often the seasons in which we mature and become more fruitful
–“Faith says, ‘Even though I don’t understand you right now, God, I love you. I believe your heart for me is good.’” – Bob Sorge
Discussion questions
30 – 45 minutesQ. What did you find most helpful, inspiring or challenging in what Pete Greig, Gemma Hunt and Bob Sorge shared?
Q. Pete Greig said that we need to talk about unanswered prayer for three reasons: emotional, intellectual and cultural. Which feels most relevant to you at the present moment as you begin this series?
Q. The words of Jesus in the book of Matthew teach us to expect blessing in the midst of challenges – how does this encourage (or discourage!) you in your faith?
Q. Pete says that “there’s so much faking it” at church. If you could ask God one totally honest question about something you find difficult in your life, what would it be?
Closing prayer:
A prayer for trust in Jesus, by Ignatius of Loyola:
O Christ Jesus,
when all is darkness
and we feel our weakness and helplessness, give us the sense of Your presence,
Your love, and Your strength.
Help us to have perfect trust
in Your protecting love
and strengthening power,
so that nothing may frighten or worry us, for, living close to You,
we shall see Your hand,
Your purpose, Your will through all things.
– taken from God on Mute, chapter 4
2 | Maundy Thursday: How?
March 4, 2024 • Pete Greig • Mark 14:32–37, Psalm 23, Romans 5:3–4
In this session we address questions of the heart: seeking to find purpose in pain and strategies for dealing with disappointment. With special guest, TV presenter Simon Thomas.
Bible passages from the session: Mark 14:32-37, Psalm 23, Romans 5:3-4
Key points:
–We can learn 4 keys to coping with despair from Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane: Place, People, Prayer, Purpose
–Jesus isn’t just dying for us, He’s suffering with us
–Find a purpose in the pain when you can, and find a purpose in spite of the pain when you can’t
–“I don’t want to remain in this place of sorrow and anger… I want to choose life again, and I want to find life again.” – Simon Thomas
Discussion questions
Q. What did you find most helpful, inspiring or challenging in what Pete Greig, Gemma Hunt and Simon Thomas shared?
Q. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus shares with his friends that “[His] soul is overwhelmed to the point of death” – what are the barriers or obstacles you face when sharing honestly or openly with friends? Would anyone be willing to share about a time in which their soul felt ‘overwhelmed’?
Q. What happens to your prayer life when you are feeling overwhelmed or upset? What do you notice that you do differently?
Q. Pete Greig says, “God does not leave us to suffer alone” – is this something that you have experienced? Where has God met you in your suffering?
Q. Do you think that it’s possible for everyone to find a purpose in – or in spite of – their pain?
Q. Pete Greig talks about the holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl and the importance of finding some kind of purpose in spite of our pain.
Closing prayer:
Lord,
help me to stand today.
Temptations and trials abound.
When life hurts,
I get confused, dishonest, suspicious, and critical.
I put on the belt of truth.
When life hurts,
my relationships suffer—especially my relationship with You. I put on the breastplate of righteousness.
When life hurts,
I either get really lazy or I make myself really busy.
I put on the shoes of the gospel.
When life hurts,
I let down my guard and leave myself exposed.
I take up the shield of faith.
When life hurts,
my thinking gets negative and I question everything.
I put on the helmet of salvation.
When life hurts,
I’m a coward.
I take hold of the sword of the Word.
Lord, it doesn’t feel very “finished” down here.
I don’t feel very “finished’.
See me kneeling.
Help me stand.
– taken from God on Mute, by Pete Greig, chapter 10
3 | Good Friday: Why?
March 11, 2024 • Pete Greig • Mark 15:33–34, John 14:12, Genesis 17:17–22, Ephesians 6:10–17
In this session we wrestle with the some of the most difficult intellectual questions: why does an all-loving, all-knowing, all-powerful God allow suffering? With special guest, 24-7 Prayer leader Alain Emerson.
Bible passages from the session: Mark 15:33-34, John 14:12, Genesis 17:17-22, Ephesians 6:10-17
Key points:
–Our unanswered prayers can be attributed to God’s world, God’s will or God’s war
–Miracles have to be the exception rather than the rule because our world is infinitely complicated
–The will of God is often far darker and more painful than we imagine for reasons we can’t immediately understand
–Spiritual warfare is real. Sometimes we need to stop fighting against God, and start fighting with him against the enemy of our souls
–“There is hope, but that hope will not invalidate your pain…” – Alain Emerson
Discussion Questions:
Q. What did you find most helpful, inspiring or challenging in what Pete Greig, Gemma Hunt and Alain Emerson shared?
Q. If you could ask God one “Why?” question, what would it be?
Q. On the cross Jesus asks God “Why have you forsaken me?” Would anyone be willing to describe a time that you felt abandoned or deserted by God when you needed him most?
Closing prayer
Today we’ve tried to understand better the things we can, and to trust better when we can’t understand. Let’s finish now with a prayer of relinquishment written by George Macdonald. It’s not an easy prayer but you may like to open your hands as a sign of surrender.
Afresh I seek thee, lead me—once more I pray— Even should it be against my will, thy way.
Let me not feel thee foreign any hour,
Or shrink from thee as an estranged power.
Through doubt, through faith, through bliss, through stark dismay,
Through sunshine, wind, or snow, or fog, or shower, Draw me to thee who art my only day.
– by George Macdonald (2). Taken from God on Mute, by Pete Greig, chapter 9
4 | Holy Saturday: Where?
March 18, 2024 • Pete Greig • Psalm 22
Exploring the questions we ask when we find ourselves trapped between the pain of Good Friday and the miracles of Easter Sunday. With special guest Eritrean gospel singer Helen Berhane.
Please note that this session contains a story about torture in a concentration camp.
Bible passages from the session: Psalm 22
Key points:
–Most of us live our lives somewhere between the cross and the resurrection
–Have faith in the faith of others, even when you don’t have faith of your own
–The paradox of real life is hurt and hope together; praise in spite of the pain
–“… they tried to kill me; I don’t know how I survived. But I always say that the reason I survived is just to be a testimony for others.”- Helen Berhane
Discussion questions:
Q. What did you find most helpful, inspiring or challenging in what Pete Greig, Gemma Hunt and Helen Berhane shared?
Q. Where are you waiting for a breakthrough, a word from God, or an answer to your prayers? What unanswered questions are you carrying today?
Q. In God on Mute, Pete Greig talks about our tendency to “rush the resurrection”; to “leapfrog Holy Saturday”; to tidy up the mess too fast. What is it that makes waiting with unresolved questions such a hard thing to do?
Q. People often say that God’s timing is perfect. Do you agree with this? Why does he sometimes seem so slow?
Q. In God on Mute Pete Greig says that “God’s silence is not his absence but rather his presence in another form”. In what ways have you experienced God’s presence in the midst of silence in the past?
Q. In the midst of your pain and silence, have there been moments where you have been able to say, like Elie Wiesel, “There is God?”
Q. Pete Greig shares about the significance of developing spiritual muscle memory to carry us through the darker and more difficult times of life. What does this mean for you? What ‘holy habits’ have you cultivated – or would you like to cultivate – in your life?
Q. The Bible articulates the reality of life; the pain and hope coming together. Are there any particular Bible passages that have sustained you during times of trial or struggle?
Q. Helen Berhane’s story demonstrates the power of worshipping in the midst of pain and silence. What can we practically do as a group to help one another to fix our eyes on Jesus in the midst of challenges?
Closing prayer:
Holy Saturday calls for trust, patience and a certain defiant hope. We’re going to finish now with a prayer from Alan E. Lewis, one of the few theologians who made it his life’s work to study Holy Saturday:
Hear our prayer for a world still living an Easter Saturday existence, oppressed and lonely, guilty of godlessness and convinced of godforsakenness. Be still tomorrow the God you are today, and yesterday already were: God with us in the grave, but pulling thus the sting of death and promising in your final kingdom an even greater victory of abundant grace and life over the magnitude of sin and death. And for your blessed burial, into which we were baptized, may you be glorified for evermore. Amen.
— taken from God on Mute by Pete Greig, chapter 12
5 | Easter Sunday: When?
March 25, 2024 • Pete Greig • John 20:19–20, 2 Corinthians 1:3–5
Celebrating the hope we have in the resurrection of Jesus and anticipating the day when all our prayers will find their answer in his return. With special guests Sammy Greig and Ladan Nouri, imprisoned for her faith.
Please note that this session contains a story about sexual violence and rape.
Bible passages from the session: John 20:19-20, 2 Corinthians 1:3-5
Key points:
–There can be a beauty in our brokenness
–Our deepest suffering can become our greatest gift to the world.
–Our ultimate hope as Christians is eternal
–“Now, we see the harvest. We can reap this harvest because [the missionaries Mark and Gladys Bliss] planted the seeds in Iran with their tears and their sacrifice” – Ladan Nouri
Discussion questions:
Q. What did you find most helpful, inspiring or challenging in what Pete and Sammy Greig, Gemma Hunt and Ladan Nouri shared?
The Bible says that we ‘do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.’ (1 Thess. 4:13).
Q. Thinking about an area of long-term disappointment in your life, how might an eternal perspective reframe the way you relate to it?
Closing prayer:
As we finish this course, we’ll pray an ancient apostolic blessing over us from the book of Romans. It speaks about the power of the Holy Spirit as the one who renews us with hope, so you may like to open your hands now to receive afresh:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13
Q. What do you think the new heaven and the new earth will be like? How will it be different? How will it be the same?
Q. In the video Pete and Sammy Greig used a kintsugi bowl to illustrate the beauty that can come out of brokenness. Where can you see beauty coming out of brokenness in your life, or in the life of someone in this group?
Q. The story of Ladan and the missionaries Mark and Gladys Bliss demonstrates that it can sometimes take months, years or even decades for fruit to come out of our suffering.
Are there stories in our community’s history of how challenges and trials have now produced fruit? Or are there opportunities for us to turn our current challenges into long-term fruit?
Q. Eugene Peterson writes, “Faith develops out of the most difficult aspects of our existence, not the easiest.” How do the stories you’ve heard across this course reflect and inspire you to keep persevering in the midst of challenges?
