9.1.24 - To Be One Kingdom (Matt Murphy)

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 22:37-40 & Luke 10:29-37

REFLECTION/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Matt’s first point this morning is that loving neighbors is easier… when your neighbors are a lot like you. Does that resonate with your situation? What are some of the “easier” ways you have cared well (or can care well) for your neighbors?

2. Can you think of a time when you found it hard to love someone who was different from you? How did you handle that situation?

3. What stops you from… well, “stopping” more often to help those in need?

4. How does the story of the Good Samaritan challenge our understanding of who our neighbors are?

5. One of the big challenges of this parable is how it disrupts our understanding of who our “enemies” are. The wounded man is the Samaritan’s “enemy”... but the Samaritan helps anyway. Who are your “enemies”? How can you learn to see them more empathetically?

6. It’s also worth remembering that the Samaritan is the wounded man’s enemy, too! If he’d had his way, he probably would have preferred help from someone else! Are you open to accepting help… even when it comes from someone you don’t like? 

7. What realistic ways can you engage with this parable and sermon this week?