Discussion Guide: You Have a Part to Play – Homelessness

Published October 1, 2024

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Discussion Guide: You Have a Part to Play – Homelessness

PRAYER

As we gather, let’s focus on building relationships and learning how to walk together in what God has called us to be and do. Let’s begin with prayer.

Does anyone have prayer requests or testimonies of how God has been moving in your life that we can celebrate together?

YOU HAVE A PART TO PLAY TOPICS

THIS WEEK

In this week’s message on Homelessness, we talked about homelessness in a way that didn’t dehumanize people as topics or problems to be solved and more focused on why those in vulnerable positions are people to be loved.  Consider the guiding thought of Sunday’s message:

Homeless people aren’t just homeless, they are people to be loved.

Homeless people aren’t just homeless, they are people, with lives and stories that are both heartbreaking and beautiful. 

But where does homelessness come from? How does it impact our community, city, nation, and world? What can we do, and how might doing something change us?

In today’s discussion, let’s open and center our hearts in God’s love as we orient our hearts to discuss homelessness and the part God is calling us to play regarding it.

Reflecting on these thoughts, what has been your experience and relationship with homelessness and homeless people?

OPENING THOUGHT

Ask one person to read this aloud:

“In Isaiah 58, God reminds Israel—and us today—that even when we participate in spiritual practices like prayer, fasting, and worship, if our hearts are not rightly connected to Him, we are spiritually homeless. Just as those who sleep on the streets or in shelters lack a physical home, we lack a spiritual home when our practices are driven by self-interest rather than a genuine pursuit of God. This spiritual homelessness leaves us feeling unseen, unvalued, and disconnected from God’s heart, which is our true home. When our relationship with God and others is broken, we risk placing ourselves in God’s position, misusing others, and seeking our own gain at their expense.”

What stands out to you most about this thought, and why?

SCRIPTURE

Read James 2:15-17 aloud and reflect on how it highlights our role in addressing homelessness as difference makers:

"Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. " —James 2:15-17

In complete transparency, and without any shame or guilt, what is the first thought that comes to mind when you see a homeless person standing on a street corner holding a sign? Why?

Do you consider the reasons behind their situation to be physical, spiritual, or both?

How might knowing their story change your perception of homelessness, or would it?

How does the passage in James challenge you to address both the spiritual and physical needs when loving homeless people as ourselves?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Reflect on these questions as we continue exploring physical and spiritual aspects of homelessness and our call to be difference makers—the repairers of the breach, the restorers of streets to dwell in (Isaiah 58:12):

Reflect on Mother Teresa’s quote: “We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.” 

How does this challenge your view of homelessness, especially as a spiritual issue, not just a physical one?

Have you ever experienced spiritual homelessness, going through religious motions while feeling far from God? What was your journey back to being spiritually “homed”?

In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus shares the parable of the Sheep and Goats, where he reveals that how we treat the poor reflects how we treat Him.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” —Matthew 25:31-46

Based on this passage, what do you believe is a Gospel-centered response to homelessness?

How does Jesus’s call to address both physical and spiritual needs make you feel?

How might recognizing your own spiritual need for Jesus influence your view of homelessness?

CLOSING THOUGHT

Christianity uniquely reveals how deeply God identifies with the poor and oppressed. Jesus lived humbly—born into poverty, homeless during His ministry, and buried in a borrowed tomb. He became poor and died on the cross, not to condemn but to bear judgment for us. Through His sacrifice, we are offered the relationship with God that makes us whole.

God fully embraced us, and now we can embrace Him. The cross calls us to love the vulnerable as we experience His love that brings us home. Homelessness is physical and spiritual, and we are called to address both by serving those in need, empowered by the Holy Spirit.

As difference makers, we are called to give, pray, and fast with hearts aligned to God. When we align our hearts to God, we become repairers and restorers for those in need, guiding everyone back to God’s love as He intended.

What part is God calling you to play in loving the homeless community through giving, praying, and fasting where you live, work, and play?

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