SESSION 2: GETTING TO KNOW JESUS
(Meditations for February 26-March 4)

Before the Session
Read through the scripture, meditations, and prayers from The Upper Room, February 26-March 4. Write on large sheets of paper the scripture references and questions listed in "Reflection on The Upper Room" in the pages at the back of the March-April issue of the magazine. Display these on the wall or on tables in your meeting space.

Opening Prayers and an Introduction to the Study (5 minutes)

An Introduction to the Theme for the Session (5 minutes)

Invite the group to join you in saying responsively,

LEADER: Jesus says, "Follow me."
PEOPLE: Where you lead, we will follow.
LEADER: Jesus says, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35)
PEOPLE: As you have loved us, we will love one another.
LEADER: Loving God, give us grace to follow where Christ leads.
ALL: Amen.

Introduce the session by saying,

Jesus calls us to be his disciples, to follow him, and to learn from him how to be obedient to God. If we intend to follow Jesus, to live faithfully and boldly following Jesus Christ, we must first get to know Jesus.

Reflection on The Upper Room (25 minutes)
Invite discussion of the meditations for February 26-March 4. What does each meditation tell you about who Jesus is? What do the meditations say about following Jesus? Which are most meaningful to you? Which come closest to your understanding and experience? Which offers you a new understanding of who Jesus is?

After they have discussed the daily meditations from The Upper Room, invite each of the participants to walk around the room, to choose one of the following scripture passages, and either to reflect on or to discuss the questions listed below:

February 26 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Is love, as it is described in the scripture, an attainable virtue?
In what ways did Jesus love?
How do you experience the love of God in Jesus Christ?
Why are believers encouraged to love?

February 27 Psalm 46:1-7
In what situations do you take refuge in God?
When and how did Jesus turn to God for strength?
In what ways do you experience the presence of God in Jesus Christ?

February 28 Ezekiel 16:9-14, Ephesians 3:14-21
Count your blessings. What are you thankful for?
How is the love of God in Jesus Christ different from material blessings?
How does being filled with the love of God change the way you live?

March 1 Luke 9:51-62
Jesus says, "Follow me." Why do few follow?
What excuses do the three people in the story give?
How does Jesus respond to each of them?
What excuses do people give for not following Jesus today?
What does it mean for you to follow Christ?

March 2 Romans 1:8-17
Read aloud Romans 1:16 (CEV): "I am proud of the good news! It is God's powerful way of saving all people who have faith."
What is good about the good news?
Why is the story of Jesus good news?
In what ways does encouraging one another in faith reflect the good news of Jesus Christ?

March 3 1 John 2:1-6
Obedience is the outcome of our love for God. We belong to God as we love God and follow God's will of compassion, peace, and justice.
In his ministry, how did Jesus show God's love?
How can we live a life of compassion?

March 4 Luke 5:17-20
What is the relationship between forgiveness and healing?
What does the scripture say about who Jesus is?
What does it say about faith?
In what ways can we be involved in Jesus' ministry?

Getting to Know Jesus (20 minutes)

Say, "The Bible professes and affirms who Jesus is."

Write on a large sheet of paper or marker board: "Jesus...."

Ask the participants to complete the sentence with descriptions, titles, roles, and functions of Jesus as they are found in the scripture reading. Record their sentences.

Then invite the participants to complete the sentence with a few words that describe the Jesus they know. Record their responses. (Possible sentences might include, for example, "Jesus is Lord." "Jesus is my savior." "Jesus loves me." "Jesus tells us to love our neighbors.")

Distribute copies of this description of how one person came to know Jesus. Read aloud:

As a child, I first learned of Jesus as an infant asleep in a manger. When I was a little older, I came to know Jesus as a friend and helper and then as a man with authority, who performed miracles. As a youth, I accepted Jesus as my Savior and Lord. Until my senior year in high school, I kept a small picture of Jesus in my wallet. Then I replaced the picture with a stainless cross, inscribed with the words Jesus is Lord. This was the earliest Christian confession, and I too confessed that Jesus is Lord. Now, in my senior years, my beliefs in Jesus are revealed not so much in symbols and images but in personal expressions of faith as I live my daily life.

Distribute paper and pens. Ask each person to draw a line that represents the course of his or her life and to identify significant events or periods of time. Then ask each person to write sentences describing his or her faith at those times.

Invite people to work with partners or in small groups of three. Encourage discussion:

How have you come to know Jesus?
How has your changed over time?

Suggested Activities for Multigenerational Groups

• After making a list of sentences that describe Jesus, ask the participants to choose a partner who is either older or younger. Give each pair a large sheet of paper. Provide paints and paintbrushes, markers, or crayons. Invite each pair to choose a sentence describing Jesus and to draw a picture illustrating the sentence. Display the pictures. Invite the group members to walk around, look at the pictures, and talk about how they have come to know Jesus in their lives.
• After making a list of sentences that describe Jesus, ask the participants to choose a partner who is either older or younger. Invite the partners to choose a sentence describing Jesus and to act it out. Invite the rest of the group to guess which sentence they are acting out.

Closing Prayers (10 minutes)
Bring the group together. Invite volunteers to tell about how they have known Jesus. After each person speaks, ask the group to respond, saying, "Thank you, God, for coming to us in Christ Jesus."

Say a prayer, inviting people to add their prayers about their faith or in gratitude for Jesus, either aloud or in silence:

God, you come to us through Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

(Allow a few minutes of silence, in which people may add brief statements of faith or thanksgiving for Jesus)

Our hearts are filled with joy and thanksgiving because you have brought us together to learn from your word and to draw closer to your son, our savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Invite the group to sing together, "I Have decided to Follow Jesus" (TFWS 2129)

This Week at Home
(facilitators: make copies of the following brief suggestion and distribute to people as they leave)

Prepare for the next lesson by reading each day the scripture, meditation, and prayers from The Upper Room.

Include in your daily devotions a breath prayer: Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. As you inhale, pray, "Come into my heart, Lord Jesus." As you exhale, say this prayer, "Teach me to follow where you lead."