With A Little Help from My Friends: Friends Are Compassionate

by Rev. Grant Armstrong
Sunday, October 18, 2020
Job 2:11-13
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SERMON NOTES

I. Friends remind us that we are not alone.

II. God’s kind of friendship journeys with others through joy and pain.

III. When we short-circuit compassion, we compound the hurt.

 

FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION

- Tell about a time when a friend showed up just when you needed. How did that make you feel?

- How does our culture connect with the practice of sitting with those who grieve? How is our culture disconnected from that time of comforting presence with those who mourn?

- Emotional vulnerability is a key component to compassion. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being very reserved and 10 being an open book, where would you place yourself?

- Why do you think Job's friends moved into "justify and blame" mode? What tempts us to do the same in the face of sorrow and tragedy?

- What hurt in your life would benefit from having someone sit with you to offer nonjudgmental comfort? What keeps you from seeking that?

- What is God saying to you through today's scripture?