Focus 3 (of 5)-"I Am the Weakling"-Jesus

Consider this ice breaker as you gather for the Spotlight.
How would you describe your job to a 5 year old?

See what this Spotlight—and series—is focused on.
Tap on the words "Focus 3" in the image below to read this Spotlight's summary.

Listen to this audio clip when you’re ready to begin today’s Spotlight.
(And welcome, by the way! It’s great that you’re here!)

Let's start with a little quiz.
Among the various jobs Jesus does, he sorts sheep from goats. He says so in Matthew 25:


“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Since a big part of this Spotlight is helping you see yourself in comparison to Jesus, it seemed good to start out with a little test: How do you do separating sheep and goats? Use the quiz below to find out.


(And enjoy yourself—have some fun. 🤪)

Welcome Perspective

        

Watch this video and walk through Hebrews 4:14–5:10.
Feel free to take notes of your own, too, as we work our way through Hebrews 4:14–5:10.

Let’s do an activity with an egg, a Ziplock bag, and something heavy.
(If that headline didn’t excite you, we hope you’re at least feeling curious.)


For this activity, you’ll need a few things. As the headline stated, here’s your supply list to grab before we get started:

• 1 Egg
• 1 Ziplock Bag
• Several Books (or other heavy things)

There are versions of God/humanity story that talk of God as an invincible, omnipotent hero who saves the day, but that isn’t a great depiction of the story of Jesus.


Let’s tell his story, together.

1. Put the egg in the bag, and seal it up tight. (Hint: this egg is going to break.)
2. Set the bagged egg on a hard surface. 
3. Grab a book. This is the book of the times you did things you didn’t even realize were wrong or didn’t do things because you didn’t know they were the right thing to do. It should be bigger than it is, but it will do for now. (Set the book on the egg—if possible, holding it so it is balancing on the egg and no part of the book is touching anything else.)
4. (If you’re in a multi-person household, add a book per household member as we progress.) 
5. Grab a second book. This is the book of the times you’ve done things you knew full-well weren’t right. Again, it should be bigger. (Set this book on the other book, still atop the egg.)
6. Grab a third book. This book is for the times you haven’t believed God. It is for every promise he has made that you have pretended wasn’t real, and for every time you’ve tried to make your own way instead of accepting what he’s offered. This book is for every time you’ve decided you know better than God. (But wait, don’t simply set this one on the other books. Slam it down. If the egg isn’t crushed yet, in the words of Mortal Kombat, “finish it.”)
7. Remove the books, and examine the egg in the bag.
   
   

This smashed egg is how Jesus works. “…he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) This is what your failures have done, but it is also what God’s love has done—and it is exactly what you need.

Download and share this social media graphic on Hebrews 5:7–9.
Some ideas for your post’s copy can be found below the image.


+ DOWNLOAD GRAPHIC


Post Caption Idea No. 1
May you know and be known by a God who chooses love over glory. #IllumeChurch

Post Caption Idea No. 2
The king of my universe becomes a servant for me. Does yours? #IllumeChurch

Post Caption Idea No. 3
Jesus would rather fear his own future than have you be afraid of yours. #IllumeChurch

Experience this interactive discussion guide on Jesus’ weakness.
Click the arrow in the frame below to begin navigating through the experience.

Continue your interactive experience about journeying into weakness.
The Apostle Peter had a unique perspective on weakness due to a series of significant events in his life. Let’s get into part three of his journey. (We went through parts one and two in the previous two Spotlights, respectively.)


Click the arrow in the frame below to begin navigating through the experience.

Discover how the sheep and the goats have to do with serving others.


(Psst… is that Michael Phelps in the back left corner?)


Remember the sheep and the goats? That section of Jesus’ teaching is actually perfect for you to consider as you apply this Spotlight’s concepts to serving others. Here’s the whole section to read through Matthew 25:31–46: 

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Commit to serving the least of these.

1. When you hear the phrase “the least of these,” who do you think of? (There’s not a wrong answer here. We’re just trying to identify which of the many “leasts” that exist on earth have your heart’s attention.) 
2. One of the most valuable commodities any person has is their attention. You can give of your attention to those who are weakest. By the end of 2021, how much of your attention do you want to have given to the version of the “least of these” you mentioned in the previous question? 
3. What else would you like to have done for that group by the end of 2021?

Put reminders or calendar events in your phone throughout the year to remind yourself to follow through on these. (Or come up with your own method to help you remember and follow through.) But the point is that you do it.

Feel free to submit a prayer request by filling out the below form.
(If you choose to make your request public, you'll see it display in the Current at the end of the Spotlight along with anyone else who did the same.)

Pray through your requests—together—as a group.
After submitting your requests in the above form, take some time to share with your group whatever requests the group might have for this week.

Praise the Lamb who was slain.
Throughout this Spotlight, you’ve repeatedly seen how Jesus becomes the weakest of all to save all. This is good—it’s good for you and everyone you love. At the end of time, though, Jesus the Lamb of God will be praised for his weakness—and for the ways that he alone was able to save.


This video takes you to the throne room of heaven to that moment when the Lamb is praised. As you watch and listen, there will be a few times that the people in the throne room speak. As they do, you’re encouraged to speak their words with them.

Sing along with (or listen to) this song to close out this Spotlight.
Feel free to sing along or simply listen. Do what makes you comfortable—but do whatever helps you focus on the song's meaning best.

Let's wrap things up by taking a look at what's Current at Illume.

Tap on the buttons in the frame below to see what’s currently happening at Illume—information on everything from current and upcoming online content to live events and opportunities to serve in the community can all be found here.