Session Extras

Year 1

Created: Session 5
Created with a New Purpose

Digging Deeper:

• Read a sermon called “Present Your Bodies as a Living Sacrifice to God” based on Romans 12:1-2 by John Piper, pastor for preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

• Lois Tverberg’s article “The Universal Language of Sacrifice” points out the ancient practice of sacrifice and how Christ’s living sacrifice is the model for our lives.

• Read the article “Living Sacrifice (Hebrews 10:11-18)” by T.V. Philip.

• The article “Thomas Merton: The Pursuit of Marginality” by Lawrence S. Cunningham, professor of religion at Florida State University, Tallahassee, discusses Merton’s turn to monasticism as a way to be transformed and live as a sacrifice.

For Leaders:

• To grab your group’s attention, show these fun attention-getters from the Transformers movie: Extended Transformer Trailer.

• This article about U.S. Foreign Policy leads us to ask questions about our role as living sacrifices through our government.

• Can we find meaning in the brutal sacrifices of Virginia Tech students? Hak Joon Lee, associate professor of ethics and community at New Brunswick Theological Seminary, address this topic in a thought-provoking article called “Am I My Brother's Keeper?”

• Listen to the song “Yahweh” from the album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb by U2.

  • Lyrics are available from this site.

  • View a performance of “Yahweh” on YouTube.

  • Show the performance from the Vertigo DVD U2—Vertigo 2005—Live from Chicago.

Does this song reflect our new life in Christ? In the chorus, the line “Always pain before a child is born” could refer to new life in Christ. Do you agree?

Submit your ideas!

Do you have suggestions for this particular session? Something that was especially meaningful for you or your group? Extra reading you’d like to suggest? Help others get the most out of this session. Send your ideas to editors@FaithAliveResources.org and we’ll consider adding them here!