John 7:25-39 (NIV)

²⁵ At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? ²⁶ Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Messiah? ²⁷ But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.”

²⁸ Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, ²⁹ but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”

³⁰ At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. ³¹ Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?”

³² The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.

³³ Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me. ³⁴ You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.”

³⁵ The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? ³⁶ What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”

³⁷ On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” ³⁹ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER 

(Spend 15-20 minutes sharing about Community Serve Day. You may break up in smaller groups to share, as needed.)

• Where did you serve on Sunday?
• How has CSD connected you more deeply to the gospel of John and our series “Come and See”?

CONNECT WITH GOD (Use the below practice or choose one from a previous week.)

• Read: “A Liturgy for When There’s No End In Sight” by Ruth Chou Simons. Enter into an extended time of prayer and stillness. Use this prayer to ground you and posture you towards the Savior, who is your Living Water in desert places.

O Lord, you made us to thirst for you alone,

and yet, in the desert places of our lives,

we’re prone to believe that something less than

Living Water will do.

No wonder you chose to take your people through,

instead of around, the desert.

How else would we discover that you are enough

when we experience

desolation,

desperation, and desertion?

May I not wander aimlessly in my desert, O Lord.

Give me sustenance from the manna of your Word.

Let me rehearse it, savor it, and return to it

like one who does not forget a satisfying meal.

Use the harshness of my current location, vocation,

or relationships to extricate me from

false gods of comfort, ease, and abundance.

Woo my heart to greater dependency on

the oasis of your care for me.

Amen.

CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER 

Together: Read John 7:25-39

• Before digging into the scripture and message more, pray together. Ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate and enlighten, and to speak to each one of you through the passage. 
• Alone: Briefly spend time alone, considering John 7:37-39 specifically. Reflect, using one of the below prompts. 
• How have you experienced Jesus as Living Water?
• What curiosity or questions come up for you? 
• As a whole group: Around the circle, share your personal reflections and questions about the passage. Encourage one another to engage curiosity, confusion, or bigger questions.

CONNECT WITH SCRIPTURE 

If needed, read the passage again. Then select the best questions or customize the questions for your group.  

• What invitation and promise does Jesus offer to people in verses 37-38?
• Are there any other passages in the Old or New Testament that help you to connect more intimately with John 7:25-39?
• In what ways has the Jesus you’ve encountered so far in the Gospel of John challenged the way you understand God, yourself, and the world?
• What parallels, similarities, and differences do you see between the context of the passage and our context today?
• What are you still wrestling with?

ENGAGE AND EXPLORE 

Together: explore the quote below in connection with John 7 and your experiences from Community Serve Day as people on mission with God.

“Instead of continually seeking God’s will for our lives and communities, we hold the Holy Spirit captive to our desires–our selfish, materialistic desires…{but} the church is called to be the prophetic voice in response to society; that’s what we see in the model Jesus provided. I believe God interrupts us with his love… from the very beginning of God’s movement in the world, God has been interrupting people with his love–disturbing our false peace in order to make real peace possible. Jesus drives a wedge in the status quo to create space for something new. If we have ears to hear, the invitation is open for each of us: come and be a part of the beloved community that God made possible in Jesus Christ.”

-John Perkins, A Just Passion

PRAYER 

Pray for the sites, ministries, and people that you served on Community Serve Day. Ask God to use CSD to transform your own heart and make room for the new thing God is doing.