Week 1: Called to Abundant Life

Scripture Passage	John 10:7-11
Focus Statement	No one is perfect. We all live in a broken world and, like sheep, we have gone astray. Thankfully, the story doesn’t end there. We were made for something better - the abundant life made possible in Jesus. Jesus, the good shepherd who shows us the path to the abundant life we are called to live.
ME	How does sin, both individual and collective, rob us (as a thief would) of the image of God/abundance/humanity/life itself? So often in our lives, sin and temptation creep up on us just like a snake in a garden and distract us from the abundance in life that Christ has called us to and gifted us with. When have you gotten caught up in seeking something (maybe a pipe dream of some sort, or a car, technology, memorabilia, place to travel to) only to realize that it only took your eyes off the good things you already had, or the good that was already coming?
WE	We have all experienced these kinds of distractions or temptations in our lives. Throughout our faith journey, they will certainly come. Frankly, we will have moments when we give in to temptation. We let things take our focus off Christ. We allow things to cause our faith to waiver or weaken because we put them first. Invite your people to reflect on that too.
GOD	The shepherd metaphor points to God’s compassionate, loving relationship with God’s flock. The shepherd takes responsibility for each sheep, as in Luke 15:3-7/Matthew 18:12-14, where the Good Shepherd seeks after just one sheep. It points to the danger of living apart from the grace of God, as well as the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide our actions toward abundant life. Abundance isn’t pockets full of money, a garage full of cars, cabinets full of food and a clean bill of health with a life expectancy of 150 years. David Guzik says, “Abundant life isn’t an especially long life. It isn’t an easy, comfortable life. It is a life of satisfaction and contentment in Jesus.” Abundant life is a reaffirmation that no matter what happens, Jesus will be with us, see us through, provide for our needs and give us strength for the journey. It is a promise of Christ’s birth, when Isaiah calls him Emmanuel, meaning “God with us.” And it is a promise that Christ reaffirms, “And lo, I will be with you always, even until the end of the earth.” Even though life has tests and trials, Christ is with us. Even though we will make mistakes, fall short, give into temptation, sin, and get distracted, Christ promises to never leave us. Grace abounds and is always greater and stronger than our sin. God calls us to live in that assurance, to walk in that abundance, knowing we are never alone, to find strength and joy in knowing that the Lord will fight our battles. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
YOU	How will you receive the gift of God’s abundant grace and love today? How might you live into more of the reality of what Christ offers us?
WE	It’s good to reinforce the universality of living with sin. We all sin and fall short. We all need to be called back into the fold. What a blessing to know that even though we might stray, Christ, the Good Shepherd, finds us and beckons us to come home.