You Y’all will be my witnesses.
It’s a story too big to tell alone.
WELCOME & INVITATION
Our witness for Jesus is often stronger when it’s spoken and lived out as a family— the body of Christ.
This series highlights 4 key practices.
Each practice is deeply rooted in the life and ministry of Jesus.
These practices move the gospel deeper into our communal life. They also provide a magnetic, life-changing witness to the world around us.
We will help you share your faith— together as a community.
▼LET’S FIRST DEFINE A KEY TERM
BODY LIFE WITNESS
Whenever someone who is not a Christian encounters the gospel as it is spoken and lived out in the communal life of a group of Christians.
OVERVIEW
Watch - Madison and Chandler (Welcome) 4 min
Discuss - Sawubona 5-7min
Explore - The Bible’s Welcome and Invitation Stories 2 min
Pray and Connect - Imaginative Prayer Experience, Luke 7: 37-50 15 min
Watch - Tyler’s Story, 5 min
Workshop - Sharpening your welcoming skills, 7-10 min
Today’s Practice
Welcome & Invitation
▼ Watch together
Madison and Chandler
Madison and Chandler are college students in Boston with roots in Texas, Arkansas, and Germany. They will get us started at the beginning of each practice we are learning together.
translation: “I see you!”
More than words of politeness, sawubona carries the importance of recognizing the worth and dignity of each person. It says, “I see the whole of you—your experiences, your passions, your pain, your strengths, your weaknesses, and your future. You are valuable to me.”
Sawubona!
— a Zulu Greeting
▼ Read
Think about your own life. Share an experience where you felt seen and welcomed by another person or group of people. How did that feel?
▼ Take 5-7min and discuss as a group
▼ Read this section aloud.
The Bible is full of welcome and invitation stories.
There once was a father who ran towards his son, the one who squandered the family inheritance. . .
The Prodigal Son
Luke 15:11-32
High up in the sycamore tree sat a short and greedy man. He had no idea who would come into his home that day. . .
Jesus and Zacchaeus
Luke 19:1-10
There he was— the one called Lamb of God. John the Baptiser said he wasn’t even worthy to untie the strap of his sandal. But people gathered around him with curiosity and questions. Jesus, the Lamb of God, responded with an invitation. “Come and you will see.”
“Come and see” soon echoed off the lips of those first followers.
Jesus and the first disciples
John 1:25-51
There once was a dinner party. In came a sinful woman who cried on the feet of Jesus. She used her hair to wipe up the tears. She could not stop kissing his feet.
A sinful woman forgiven
Luke 7:36-50
▼ Stop here and read.
Let’s now do a deeper dive into one of these stories of invitation.
▼ Read and take 15 mins on this section
An Imaginative Prayer Experience
Imaginative prayer is a method of prayer in which you imagine yourself as present in a Gospel scene, stepping into the story and encountering Jesus there.
Instead of trying to dissect and take apart the word of God, we are going to simply read it slowly and ask God to take us apart.
▼Directions
On your own, you will read the story found in Luke 7:36-50 three separate times.
Each time, you will be directed to imagine being in the story as a different character in the scene.
After three readings, you’ll talk about the experience as a group.
Jesus eats at the home of Simon the Pharisee
Luke 7:36-50
▼Begin the imaginative prayer experience on your own.
First Reading
Imagine yourself as the woman washing Jesus’ feet.
Take in the sights, the smells, the sounds, and the atmosphere around you.
What do you observe? What are you feeling?
What are you noticing about Jesus?
-
Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman
36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Second Reading
Imagine yourself as Simon the Pharisee in this story. Take in the sights, the smells, the sounds, the atmosphere around you.
What do you observe?
What are you feeling?
What are you noticing about Jesus?
-
Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman
36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Third Reading
Imagine yourself as a guest witnessing the woman washing Jesus’ feet.
What do you observe?
What are you feeling?
What are you noticing about Jesus?
-
Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman
36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Discuss together
▼After the imaginative prayer experience, discuss these final questions as a group.
Describe your experience with locating yourself in this story.
How does the woman demonstrate “welcome” to Jesus?
How does Simon demonstrate “welcome” to Jesus?
Share what, if anything, God is impressing on you from this passage?
What does this story teach us about the connection between welcome and forgiveness?
▼ Watch this 5 min film together.
Pay attention to themes of welcome and invitation.
The power of welcome & invitation
Faith in God was all but lost after 20 surgeries. But then Tyler got an invitation from his friend Chris.
Workshop
▼ Read and spend a final 7-10 mins on this section.
SHARPENING YOUR OWN SKILLS
Hold onto today’s stories of welcome and invitation as you answer the questions below.
You will work alone for a few minutes and then share as a group.
What are the components of an invitation that would make you want to say “yes”?
Write down 2-3 people in your life who need to experience this kind of welcome and invitation.
Brainstorm 1-2 ways you can demonstrate the welcome and invitation of Jesus to these people.
Need help? Check out: How to Make Meaningful Invitations.