Main Character Moment – Week Three

  -   June 22, 2023
Encourage members to share a story of their father or someone who has acted as a father to them. If someone has not had that experience, make space for that story and mourn with them.

Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, was invited into God’s work and immediately endured spiritual and social trials as a result. Joseph’s self-sacrifice was the reason that he was able to suffer for the good of others. In a world that values self-indulgence and personal pleasure, followers of Jesus should be marked by the same characteristics as Joseph.

We can lead others to Jesus through our witness and our example. We can seek discernment for changing seasons. We can build healthy growth cultures where others are free to move toward maturity and mission. We can do these things by remembering that we are not the main event; instead, Jesus is.

Discussion Questions

  1. Were these things modeled by your earthly father or does that comparison complicate your understanding of God?
  2. Who needs you to invest in their lives by following the example of Joseph?

Practice

Be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading in your group. If people have been hurt by their fathers, perhaps this is a place for intercessory prayers and prayers for healing. If members are burdened for people in their lives, pray for them and discuss how you can invest in their future. Take some time and encourage

the fathers in your group to follow Joseph’s example and value their responsibilities over their pleasures.

Practice for the week

Take a few moments and reach out to people who have fathered you. Thank them for their investment. Send a text, write a card, make a phone call. Honor them for what they have meant to you.

Closing

Pray a specific blessings over the fathers in your group if there are any and then commission each person to live a life like Joseph’s.