MEN’s DISCUSSION STARTERS
- Who are you tempted to keep at a distance?
“In the sermon, Abraham runs towards people who might be enemies.
In your life right now, who are you tempted to keep at a distance (at church, work, family, neighbourhood)?
What would one small, realistic step towards that person look like this week (a message, a smile, an offer of help)?”
- Hospitality in the ‘heat of the day’
“Sarah is asked to bake in the hottest part of the day – when it’s most inconvenient.
When life is busy and you’re tired, how do you react when a need for hospitality appears (a guest, a call, someone needing time)?
What is one simple, manageable way you could show kindness or welcome this week, even if the timing isn’t ideal?”
- Giving from your best, not your scraps
“Abraham gives the best he has, not the leftovers.
When you give your time, energy, or resources, is it usually from what’s left over, or from your best?
What might ‘your best’ realistically look like in this season of your life—5 minutes of full attention, a meal, a bed for a night, a listening ear?”
- Hospitality without expecting payback
“Abraham and the people in Abyei showed hospitality without expecting anything in return.
How much does the hope of being thanked, noticed, or repaid affect who you open your home or heart to?
Can you name one person you could quietly bless this week (a visit, food, childcare, a call) who probably can’t repay you?”
- God’s welcome shaping your welcome
“The sermon reminded us that God welcomed us when we were still His enemies.
When you think about how God has welcomed you (forgiven you, pursued you, provided for you), what part of that is hardest to believe—or easiest to forget?
How could remembering God’s welcome to you change the way you respond to one difficult person in your life right now?”
WOMEN’S DISCUSSION STARTERS
- Who are you tempted to keep at a distance?
“In the sermon, Abraham runs towards people who might be enemies.
In your life right now, who are you tempted to keep at a distance (at church, work, family, neighbourhood)?
What would one small, realistic step towards that person look like this week (a message, a smile, an offer of help)?”
- Hospitality in the ‘heat of the day’
“Sarah is asked to bake in the hottest part of the day – when it’s most inconvenient.
When life is busy and you’re tired, how do you react when a need for hospitality appears (a guest, a call, someone needing time)?
What is one simple, manageable way you could show kindness or welcome this week, even if the timing isn’t ideal?”
- Giving from your best, not your scraps
“Abraham gives the best he has, not the leftovers.
When you give your time, energy, or resources, is it usually from what’s left over, or from your best?
What might ‘your best’ realistically look like in this season of your life—5 minutes of full attention, a meal, a bed for a night, a listening ear?”
- Hospitality without expecting payback
“Abraham and the people in Abyei showed hospitality without expecting anything in return.
How much does the hope of being thanked, noticed, or repaid affect who you open your home or heart to?
Can you name one person you could quietly bless this week (a visit, food, childcare, a call) who probably can’t repay you?”
- God’s welcome shaping your welcome
“The sermon reminded us that God welcomed us when we were still His enemies.
When you think about how God has welcomed you (forgiven you, pursued you, provided for you), what part of that is hardest to believe—or easiest to forget?
How could remembering God’s welcome to you change the way you respond to one difficult person in your life right now?”
FAMILY DISCUSSION STARTERS
- Abraham ran towards three unknown men who might have been enemies, and insisted on blessing them. If you’re honest, who are the people you instinctively keep at arm’s length (certain neighbours, relatives, people from other cultures, those with different lifestyles or politics)? What might “running towards them” look like in your real life this month?
- Abraham’s hospitality was costly and inconvenient (heat of the day, fresh bread, the best calf). In your current season, what does “costly, inconvenient hospitality” look like? Is it time, emotional energy, money, opening your home, changing your routine? Where do you feel God nudging you to move from “what I can spare” to “the best I can offer”?
- God showed hospitality to us “while we were still his enemies”. How does that challenge the way you view people who have hurt you or disappointed you (family, church, workplace, old friends)? Can you think of one relationship where a small act of unexpected kindness might open a door for healing?
- The Ngoc Dinka welcomed people linked to those who had attacked them, and it began to change relationships and even the wider situation. Can you think of a time when simple hospitality (a meal, a visit, a listening ear) significantly changed a relationship or atmosphere? What did you learn about God – and about yourself – through that?
- The building in Brazil was designed to bless far beyond the size of the church (community events, health clinics, retreats, sharing power and water). If you thought of your home, skills, or resources as “a little church building” for God’s hospitality, how might that change:
- how you see your kitchen table or sofa?
- how you use your time during the week?
- who you invite into your life?
What is one practical step you could try before the end of this month?
YOUTH DISCUSSION STARTERS
- Enemies → Friends?
- In the sermon, Abraham risks showing kindness to people who might be his enemies.
- Starter: Think of a group of people that “your crowd” doesn’t usually like or trust (could be a school group, a type of person, a neighbour, etc.).
- Questions:
- What would it actually look like to show them kindness in a small, real way?
- What honestly stops you from doing that?
- Minimum… or Best?
- Abraham doesn’t give leftovers; he gives the best food he has.
- Starter: Imagine you invite someone to your house or your group.
- Questions:
- What’s the “bare minimum” welcome you could give them?
- What would “extravagant” welcome look like for someone your age at school, in your youth group, or online?
- Which one do you usually choose, if you’re honest?
- Risky Hospitality
- The Ngoc Dinka welcomed people from groups that had attacked them before. That’s dangerous and costly.
- Starter: Not all risk is physical—sometimes it’s social (what people think of you).
- Questions:
- When have you not helped or welcomed someone because you were scared of what others might say or think?
- If you believed God really sees and values every act of hospitality, how might that change one small choice you make this week?
- God’s Welcome vs. Our Welcome
- The sermon says God welcomed us when we were his enemies, through Jesus.
- Starter: Think of a time you felt properly included and welcomed by someone.
- Questions:
- What did that person do that made you feel welcome?
- If that’s how you felt, what might it mean that God welcomes you like that (or even more)?
- How could you copy one of those “welcome habits” with someone else?
- Proactive, Not Passive
- Abraham runs out to the visitors; he doesn’t wait for them to ask.
- Starter: Picture a normal day at school or college: corridors, classrooms, lunch, bus stop.
- Questions:
- Where do you most often see people who are on their own or look out of place?
- What is one specific thing you could start doing without being asked (sit with them, say hi, invite them to join in, send a message)?
- If you did that regularly, how might it slowly change you—and your school?
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