Small Group Guide: Week of 1/25
To view this guide as a PDF, click here.
We Will Be Sustained
Matthew 6:9-13, 25-34 (NRSVUE)
9 Pray, then, in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be revered as holy.
10 May your kingdom come.
May your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one.
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your span of life? 28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For it is the gentiles who seek all these things, and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
34 “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Opening Discussion
This is the second small group gathering of the semester and the year. Be mindful of new folks in your group and help them feel welcome by recognizing them and orienting them to the group and one another. In light of the weekend’s violence in Minneapolis, use discernment in making space for care, processing, and prayer as needed.
Introductions & check-in
Introductions: Share your name (and pronouns if you’d like) and if you’re new or a returning member.
Icebreaker suggestion: What’s your favorite snow-related activity?
High/Low exercise
Give each member a chance to share their highest points and lowest points of the past week/month.
Additionally or alternatively, you can invite the group to share a word, emotion, or phrase to describe how they’re coming into the group this week.
Digging Deeper
These discussion points are from last week — feel free to come back to any you started last week or use another one if you’d like.
Beginning of the Semester
Spend a few minutes orienting folks to the small group.
Share your vision/hopes, and identify discipleship as the purpose of the small group and the aim of keeping Christ at the center.
If helpful, this could include thoughts you’ve had about how the group is cultivating Worship, Community, and Mission.
It may be helpful for newer folks to hear about the history of the group.
Share your plan for the semester (following the sermon series, reading a book, etc.).
(Re)Introduce any shared leadership/hosting practices (snack signup, facilitation rotation/signup, etc).
Reflections
Take some time to reflect with your small group on what the semester might bring. Invite members to share as they are comfortable. Make space for the conversation points that you feel are most helpful for your group. Use some of the following prompts if helpful or facilitate your own. As you arrive at the beginning of a new year (and leave a tumultuous 2025 behind):
What is hopeful for as you look ahead?
What are you grieving as you look behind?
Can you see growth as you look back on 2025? What have you learned?
Where did God meet you this year?
Other questions to consider for sharing:
What are you hoping for this small group semester?
Where are you now, where do you hope to be in your spiritual journey at the end of the year?
How would you describe your current pace of life? When, or in what season of your life would you say you lived at a pace that felt life-giving? What did that pace look like?
SPIRES
Introduce your group to the SPIRES Plan, a tool to step into more intentionality and awareness of God. You could use group time to
chat about each person’s SPIRES,
discuss how it might be helpful for the year,
break into partners/groups,
or introduce it and come back to it at another point in the semester.
Community Care Practices
Take some time to remind the group of your community care practices (group norms, rules of engagement). If helpful, open the floor for a conversation around what the group might want to add or articulate around how to care well for one another during group discussions. You can find the full Community Care Practices document here; some things to consider with your group:
Your community care practices should include ways to address these foundational values:
Engagement: commitment to attending and participating in the group
Confidentiality: nothing is shared outside of the group without permission
Generosity: a posture of seeking to understand even in difference
Listening well: validating others’ experiences and avoiding a posture of “fixing” (ie. unsolicited advice)
Inclusion: recognizing and making space for everyone, especially folks who might
experience marginalization (this can include more specific practices or boundaries addressing topics like racism or LGBTQ inclusion)
Some other things to consider:
What to do with silence
Awareness of different conversational & processing styles (ie. introverts & extroverts)
Technology use
How practical care happens in the group
This doesn’t have to be a one-time conversation! Work together to name your group’s community care practices and name them consistently in your gatherings.
Sunday’s Sermon
If you decide to reflect on the sermon, here are some beginning questions and thoughts. Some of these questions may lend themselves to processing Minneapolis, but they also don’t have to. Again, use discernment in what the group needs this week.
Read this week’s text. As you reflect on this week’s sermon:
What resonated with you?
What comforted/challenged you?
Did you learn something new?
What might the Spirit be prompting you to remember and consider?
Reflect on the past season and what you might be carrying into this one.
Pastor Andrea named exhaustion, anxiety, and weariness alongside growth and endurance in reflecting on the year. As you think about the past year, where do you notice yourself feeling more tired? Where do you notice yourself feeling stronger or more grounded?
When life feels overwhelming, how do you typically try to sustain yourself? What stood out to you about Jesus inviting us to ask for “daily bread” instead?
Pastor Andrea challenged us that God’s promise is not ease or safety, but sustenance.
How does that promise land with you right now? Is it comforting, challenging, or something else?
Jesus names worry about food, clothing, and tomorrow as real concerns, not imaginary ones. What are the “daily bread” needs you’re most aware of in this season (emotionally, spiritually, or practically)?
The text connects seeking God’s kingdom with costly work: justice, mercy, generosity, love.
Where do you sense God inviting you into good work, building, or action right now? What makes that invitation feel heavy, and what might make it feel possible?
How might remembering God’s promise to sustain you change how you respond — give you courage, make the task feel lighter, or help you say yes?
The practice offered was simple: asking God each day, “Give us today the bread we need now.”
What would it look like for you to try this practice this week? What resistance or openness do you notice as you consider it?
Who comes to mind that you want to pray this prayer over?
Prayer
Praying for one another regularly is an essential part of small groups. You’re welcome to design your gathering however you’d like, but encourage you to include prayer time each week.
Prayer Requests
Give the group a chance to share prayer requests. If it’s helpful, utilize categories like praises/requests.
Spend time praying for one another and the requests made.
Depending on the group size, it can be helpful to break into smaller groups to share requests and pray for one another.
Some groups use prayer partners throughout a semester.
Community Updates
Center Down: A Day of Prayer, Practice, and Rest
Take a pause and enter a day of quiet, intentional reflection. This one-day retreat offers shared prayer, guided practices, and generous time for personal reflection, rest, or prayer. Come as you are, there’s no expectation to participate in any particular way.
The day will be held at a local retreat house in Brookland on Saturday, February 7 from 9a-5p and includes two shared meals and the option for spiritual direction. No prior experience is needed. We ask for a $25 donation to help cover costs, but full scholarships are available for any need, no questions asked. Register at go.christcitydc.org/retreat. *There is a max of 15 attendees for this retreat - once that is reached, a waitlist will be available.*
Miner PTO
In one of our longest standing partnerships, Christ City is continuing to work with Miner Elementary to provide childcare during their monthly Tuesday PTO meetings. This allows Miner parents to attend and be engaged at the school and in their child’s education.
We’re hoping small groups can mobilize to provide childcare from 5:45-7:30p. Christ City will provide craft materials and pizza! Once you choose a week with your group, sign up HERE.
