Community Group Guide
> Why We Gather
At The Springs Church, we desire for community groups to be a place where we BEHOLD JESUS, BECOME LIKE JESUS, and BELONG IN COMMUNITY. This means that our primary goal for groups is to gather around the transforming presence of Christ. As we gather around the transforming presence of Jesus, we believe by faith that we will be incrementally transformed into His image and likeness. With that in mind, let's begin in prayer by asking the Holy Spirit to lead our time together, move on our hearts, and help us behold Jesus, become Like Jesus, and experince the gift of belonging in community. Let's pray.
> Announcements
- Life at The Springs Ever wonder how you can get more involved at The Springs? Whether you're new to The Springs or have called The Springs home for years, Life at the Springs is your one-stop shop for just those answers! Join us on Sunday, September 21st, from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM as we share the vision, mission, rythms, and ministries that make up The Springs, along with ways to get connected. Dinner and childcare will be provided. Please RSVP so we can get an accurate headcount for food. Anyone interested in becoming a member of The Springs is also encouraged to attend Life at The Springs.
Click here to register or learn more.
> Give Thanks
Take a few moments to briefly share about anything that you are thankful unto the Lord for? Perhaps you've witnessed God answer a prayer or experienced a moment that strengthened your faith. Feel free to share any recent occurrences that have encouraged you or instances where you've felt God's presence at work in your life.
> Scripture Reading
Have someone read Mark 16:1-8. Does anything stand out to from the text or Sunday's sermon?
> Discussion Questions
The ending of Mark is complex in a few ways. First, many Bibles include verses 9-20 in chapter 16, but indicate that the earliest copies of the story do not have these verses. Based on this evidence, many scholars believe that verses 9-20 were not written by Mark but later added to fill in what Mark chose to leave out. The second complexity is why Mark ended the original version the way he did. Mark includes the angels announcing that Jesus resurrected, but he does not include Jesus appearing or any disciples receiving this message with faith. We will consider three different reasons why Mark might have done this. Each invites us to decide how we will respond to the story.
Reason 1: Mark makes us ask: how will the characters in the story respond? In chapter 10, Mark shared the story of a rich young man who questioned Jesus about how to be saved. At the end of the story, the man walks away sad because Jesus commanded him to give away his wealth (Mark 10:21-22). We never learn more about what the young man chose. In chapter 15, Mark shared the story of Barrabas who is set free from being punished for murder and rebellion. He is set free because Jesus takes his place of punishment. Mark does not tell us what happened to Barabbas. Both of these men had potentially life-changing encounters with Jesus, but we do not learn how they responded. The ending in Mark 16 may follow this pattern. Mark chooses not to tell us how the women respond. This makes the story like our lives. We do not know what will happen. Mark is asking us: how will you respond to Jesus’ story? Can you trust God amidst the uncertainty?
Reflection Question: Why might Mark want his readers to feel the tension of not knowing “what happened next”?
Reflection Question: How does this passage challenge you to think about what it means to trust God in situations where you don’t know the outcome?
Reason 2: Mark makes us ask: do we trust Jesus’ promises?
Mark does not share the stories of Jesus appearing, though his other biographers share many such stories. This raises the question: did the women believe the angel’s testimony about Jesus rising again? Jesus predicted it multiple times (Mark 9:31, Mark 14:27-28). Mark is asking us too: do you believe Jesus was resurrected? One reason this is important is because he gave other promises that have not yet been fulfilled, such as his second coming (Mark 13:24-27). Many of Jesus’ parables commanded us to wait for his return with faithfulness and anticipation.
Reflection Question: How do you think waiting faithfully for Jesus’ return can shape the way we live each day?
Reflection Question: How does Jesus’ resurrection give us confidence that his other promises, like his return, can also be trusted?
Reason 3: Mark makes us ask: who will tell the rest of the story?
Another reason Mark might have left out some parts of the ending is to make the reader long for that story to be told. In Mark 13:9-10, Jesus commanded his disciples to share the good news before political leaders and to all nations. The angel similarly commands the women to go tell
the disciples that Jesus rose again. Mark invites the reader to wonder: do the women go tell the story? He wants us to ask the same thing: who will tell the story so that people know the good news?
Reflection Question: How does Mark’s unfinished ending encourage you to see yourself as part of continuing the story?
Reflection Question: Do you know of any opportunities you have to tell the story of Jesus this week? How can we pray for chances to tell this good news?
> Confession and Prayer
Reflect and Pray: As we sit with this passage, ask God to bring to mind anything you need to confess or need prayer for. Take a moment to share and pray for one another. Feel free to split up into pairs depending on the group size.