Summary: One of my mentors used to say, “Most of us live as if there are three kinds of people in the world. Some people are scenery people—we barely notice them. Some people are machine people—our encounters with them are short and transactional, like the way most of us relate to a cashier or a server in a restaurant. And then, there are people people—the people to whom we are truly present and kind.”<br><br> Then, he’d say, “For Jesus, there are only people people.”<br> Is it possible that this truth is the most important thing demanding our attention?<br> Jesus seemed to say it was so, and the wise scribe in Mark 12:28-34 agreed.<br> Perhaps we should pay attention as well.<br> <br> <br> DOWNLOADS<br> SEE IT // BE IT<br> (WEEKLY COMMUNITY GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE)<br> Title: Pay Attention, part 2: Neighbor // Scripture: Mark 12:28-34<br> ARRIVAL / SOCIAL TIME 15-20 minutes Spend the first 15 minutes or so of your time together catching up and socializing with one another. Also find time to catch up together on how the assignments from last week turned out.<br> SERMON REVIEW 5-10 minutes<br> What are you paying attention to? What captures your mind or captivates your imagination? What kinds of things command your time, energy, or resources? These are the questions our two-week series from Mark 12:28-34 are all about. Living today in an “attention economy” where just about everyone and everything is trying to get your attention, it’s easy to pay attention to all the wrong things. That’s why we have started this year hearing Jesus call us to what is really important and what really matters. Here in Mark 12, Jesus reminds us the most important thing to give our attention to is God. We are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. In this week’s sermon Jon provoked our hearts by showing us just how much our love for God is tied to loving our neighbor. He challenged us with our understanding of love. He guided us to a new appreciation for our neighbors. And he gently urged us to picture what it might look like to have the same concern for others that we have for ourselves. This is a message of ultimate importance- it’s the thing that grabs our attention that ultimately gains our affection. So, let’s start this year by learning from Jesus to pay attention to God and our neighbor in a way that changes our affection but also affects the very world we find ourselves in.<br> THE MAIN THOUGHT keep this in mind as you facilitate discussion.<br><br> We don’t love our neighbors to convert them. We love our neighbors because we are converted.<br> SEE IT – Questions 10-15 minutes<br> Picture (What is the story saying?): What kinds of things do people give their attention to? What is the “attention economy”? Why do you think so many people and things are trying to capture our attention today? (attention→affection→action) What does it mean to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength? What does is mean to love your neighbor as yourself? How would you define love? How does Leviticus 19 give us a picture of what love looks like? (margin, value, not exploiting, rebuking) Who is our neighbor? (those who are near us) How does Luke 10 challenge our picture of who our neighbor is? In light of Leviticus 19 and Luke 10, how would you summarize what loving our neighbor looks like?<br> Mirror (Where am I in the story?): What keeps you from loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength? What is the biggest barrier in your life to loving your neighbor as yourself? Why? How did Jon’s message this week challenge you to live differently with God and your neighbors? What is one new way you could love your neighbor as yourself?<br> Window (How does the story change how I see those around me?): This week Jon illustrated the way our neighborhood is changing—racially, economically, and socially? What ramifications do you think this change should...
