This small group discussion guide draws directly from the sermon “Showcase - 9AM Worship Service” so you can keep engaging with the message all week. Read, reflect, and share it with your small group or friends.
GRATEFUL FOR THE CROSS
Small Group Discussion Guide
Week 1: "The Invitation to His Table"
Based on Luke 22:14–20 | Series: Grateful
A Note to Your Facilitator Welcome! This guide is designed to help your group have a meaningful conversation rooted in Sunday's message. You don't need to be a biblical scholar to lead well — your job is simply to create space for honest conversation, keep things moving, and point people back to Scripture. Feel free to skip questions that don't fit your group or spend extra time where the Spirit is moving. Estimated times are guidelines, not rules.
OVERVIEW
(For the Facilitator — Read Before Your Meeting)
In this opening message of the Grateful series, Pastor Chip introduced the Lord's Supper through Luke 22 and asked a simple but profound question: What does the table reveal about Jesus? Drawing from the Passover meal Jesus shared with his disciples on the night before the crucifixion, the sermon explored three things the table reveals — the posture of Jesus (his willingness to be present with imperfect people), the passion of Jesus (his deep desire to be with us even knowing the suffering ahead), and the provision of Jesus (his body given and blood poured out for our redemption). The big idea of the message was this: We are grateful because Jesus gave himself to make a place for us at his table. Gratitude, the sermon reminded us, doesn't begin at Thanksgiving dinner — it begins at the cross.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
A Few Reminders for Facilitators
- Your goal is conversation, not a lecture. Ask questions, then listen. Resist the urge to fill every silence.
- All questions are optional. Choose the ones that best fit your group's size, maturity, and time.
- Create a safe space. Remind the group that honest sharing is welcome and that what's shared in the group stays in the group.
- Pray before your group meets. Ask God to open hearts and guide the conversation.
SECTION 1: ICEBREAKER
Getting Started Together
⏱️ Suggested Time: 5–10 minutes
Opening Question:
Think about a meal that meant something to you — a holiday dinner, a birthday celebration, a meal shared during a hard season, or even just a regular Tuesday night around the table with people you love. What made that meal memorable — and what was it about the people around the table that made it special?
[Leader Tip] This question is designed to be light and accessible — everyone has a meal memory. Let a few people share briefly before transitioning. You can connect their answers to the sermon by saying something like: "It's interesting how often the most meaningful moments in life happen around a table. Today we're going to look at one of the most significant meals in history — the last supper Jesus shared with his disciples."
SECTION 2: SCRIPTURE READING
Grounding Ourselves in God's Word
⏱️ Suggested Time: 5 minutes
Ask someone in the group to read the passage aloud. Encourage the group to listen for something that stands out — a word, a phrase, or a question the text raises for them.
Luke 22:14–20 (ESV)
"And when the hour came, he reclined at the table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, 'I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.' And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, 'Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.' And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, 'This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.'"
A Brief Note on Context: The Passover was Israel's most sacred annual celebration — a meal where God's people remembered how he rescued their ancestors from slavery in Egypt. Every detail of the meal pointed to God's faithfulness and deliverance. When Jesus gathered with his disciples to share this meal, he was doing something remarkable: he was reframing the entire Passover story around himself. The bread and the cup were no longer just symbols of the past — they were now pointing to what Jesus was about to accomplish at the cross. This was the night before his crucifixion.
Related Passages for Reference:
- Romans 5:8 (referenced in the sermon)
- 1 Corinthians 11:23–26 (Paul's account of the Lord's Supper)
- Exodus 12:1–14 (the original Passover — helpful background)
- Luke 5:29–32 (Jesus eating with sinners)
SECTION 3: DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Going Deeper Together
⏱️ Suggested Time: 30–45 minutes
Work through as many questions as time allows. Questions are organized from lighter and observational to deeper and more personal. You don't need to cover every question — choose what fits your group best.
THEME 1: The Posture of Jesus — He Showed Up for Imperfect People
1. What stood out to you most from Sunday's message — a phrase, an image, a moment in the sermon that stayed with you? Why do you think it stuck with you?
[Leader Tip] This is a great opening question because it invites everyone to share from their own experience of the sermon without requiring any prior knowledge. There are no wrong answers. If someone wasn't at the service, encourage them to share what stood out from the passage you just read.
2. Pastor Chip pointed out that when Jesus reclined at the table, he was surrounded by imperfect men — one who would deny him, one who would betray him, others who would abandon him. He knew all of this, yet he was fully present with them. What does that tell us about the kind of Savior Jesus is?
Follow-up if needed: How does it change the way you think about your own relationship with Jesus, knowing that he chose to be present with people who had not yet "figured it all out"?
3. In Luke 5:32, Jesus said, "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." The sermon reminded us that Jesus wasn't looking for perfect people — he came for the last, the least, and the lost. How does that truth challenge some of the ways we might think about who "belongs" at church or who is "worthy" of God's grace?
THEME 2: The Passion of Jesus — He Deeply Desired to Be With Us
4. Jesus said, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you" — even knowing the cross was just hours away. The Message translation puts it this way: "You have no idea how much I have looked forward to eating this Passover meal with you." What does it mean to you personally that Jesus wanted to be with his disciples — and that he wants to be with us?
[Leader Tip] This question can open up something tender for people who have felt unwanted, overlooked, or like they don't belong. Give space for honest responses. You might gently invite quieter group members by saying, "Does anyone else want to share?"
Follow-up if needed: Can you think of a time in your life when you felt genuinely wanted and welcomed by someone? How did that feel — and how might that experience give you a glimpse of how Jesus feels about you?
5. The sermon noted that Jesus was preparing his disciples to understand why he would suffer — not just that he would suffer. Why do you think it mattered to Jesus that his disciples understood the meaning behind the cross, not just the event itself? How does understanding the "why" behind the cross shape the way we live?
THEME 3: The Provision of Jesus — He Gave Himself
6. Pastor Chip said, "The greatest gift at this table isn't what Jesus placed in their hands — it's what Jesus was preparing to give on the cross, and that's himself." When you hold the bread and the cup during communion, what is going through your mind? What do you think should be going through our minds?
7. The sermon issued a challenge that's worth sitting with: "Never become so comfortable with your place at the table that you forget the price Jesus paid to bring you there." What are some ways we can drift into taking the cross for granted — in our church routines, our prayer lives, or our everyday thinking? What helps bring you back to genuine gratitude?
[Leader Tip] This question invites honest self-reflection, not self-condemnation. If the group gets quiet, it may be because people are genuinely thinking — that's okay. You can normalize it by sharing something from your own experience first.
THEME 4: Our Response — Remember and Remain Grateful
8. The sermon offered a simple but powerful idea from Dr. Sheila Bailey: "Every time I think, I thank." In other words, thinking about God's goodness leads naturally to thanking him for it. What are two or three things in your life right now — even small things — that you could "think about" in order to "thank God" for?
9. Pastor Chip reminded us that there are tables in this world we'll never be invited to — because of our background, our resources, our status, or simply because we weren't remembered. But he said the table of Jesus is different: the invitation is open to anyone who comes to him by faith. How does that truth about God's grace change the way you see yourself? How might it change the way you treat others — especially people who feel like they don't belong?
Follow-up if needed: Who in your life might need to hear that there's a seat for them at Jesus' table? What would it look like to extend that invitation to them?
10. The sermon was preached in the context of a new chapter for Franklin Avenue — a transition in leadership and a sense of expectation about what God is doing next. How does gratitude for what God has already done prepare us for what he's calling us to do next — as a church and as individuals?
SECTION 4: PERSONAL APPLICATION
Taking It Home
⏱️ Suggested Time: 10–15 minutes
These questions are for personal reflection. You can invite people to share, or simply give them a moment to think quietly before moving to prayer. Encourage honesty over performance.
1. The sermon challenged us that remembering the cross shouldn't only happen on communion Sundays — it should shape how we start our mornings, how we process our struggles, and how we treat other people. What would it look like for you, practically, to remember the cross more intentionally this week?
2. Is there an area of your life right now where you've been more focused on complaining than on gratitude? What would it look like to shift your posture — not by pretending everything is fine, but by choosing to anchor yourself in what Jesus has done, even in the middle of a hard season?
3. The sermon said Jesus sat with people who didn't have everything together — and he still showed up for them fully. Is there a relationship in your life where you've been waiting for someone to "get it together" before you fully show up for them? How might Jesus' posture at the table challenge you in that relationship?
✏️ THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE
Choose one (or more) that fits where you are right now:
Remember Daily: Each morning this week, before you check your phone, take 60 seconds to remember one thing Jesus did for you — and thank him for it out loud.
Think and Thank: Try the practice from the sermon: every time something stressful or frustrating comes up this week, pause and think of something God has done in your life, then thank him for it before you respond.
Extend the Invitation: Think of one person in your life who may feel like they don't belong anywhere — at church, in community, in family. Take one step this week to let them know they're seen, valued, and welcome.
Reflect on Communion: Before next Sunday, re-read Luke 22:14–20 on your own and ask yourself: What does this passage reveal about Jesus that I want to carry with me this week?
SECTION 5: PRAYER FOCUS
Closing in Prayer Together
⏱️ Suggested Time: 5–10 minutes
Close your time together in prayer. You can have one person lead, invite several people to pray briefly, or use the prompts below to guide a time of conversational group prayer.
Suggested Prayer Topics:
🙏 Gratitude — Thank God for the gift of Jesus and the sacrifice of the cross. Thank him for the invitation to belong to his family — an invitation none of us earned.
🙏 Remembrance — Ask God to help your group remember the cross not just on communion Sundays, but in the everyday rhythms of life — in the morning, in hard moments, in moments of blessing.
🙏 Humility — Pray for hearts that never become so comfortable with grace that they stop being amazed by it.
🙏 Those Who Need an Invitation — Pray by name (silently or aloud) for someone in your life who hasn't yet accepted the invitation to come to Jesus. Ask God to open a door for you to share his love with them.
🙏 Your Church Family — Pray for Franklin Avenue during this season of transition — for unity, for wisdom in leadership, and for a continued spirit of gratitude and expectation as the church moves forward together.
[Leader Tip] If your group isn't used to praying together out loud, you can invite people to share a one-word prayer of gratitude before you close — just one word that describes something they're thankful for. This lowers the barrier and still creates a meaningful moment of collective worship.
SECTION 6: OPTIONAL DEEP DIVE
For Groups Wanting to Go Further
Use these questions if your group has extra time or wants to dig deeper into the theology of the sermon.
Deep Dive 1: The Passover in the Old Testament (Exodus 12) was a meal of remembrance — God's people gathered to remember how he rescued them from slavery in Egypt. Jesus took that same meal and reframed it around himself and the cross. Read Exodus 12:12–14 alongside Luke 22:19–20. What connections do you see between the original Passover and what Jesus accomplished at the cross? What does it tell us about how God works — using history and tradition to point forward to something even greater?
Deep Dive 2: Romans 5:8 says, "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." The sermon emphasized that the invitation to God's table isn't based on our goodness, our accomplishments, our church attendance, or our family name — it's based entirely on grace. How does this truth push back against some of the ways our culture (or even our church culture) can subtly suggest that God's love needs to be earned? What are some practical ways we can guard against a "performance-based" faith?
Deep Dive 3: The sermon mentioned that Jesus told his disciples to "do this in remembrance of me." The Greek word for remembrance (anamnesis) is more than just a mental recollection — it carries the idea of actively bringing something from the past into the present so it shapes how you live now. In what ways is Christian gratitude more than just a feeling or a memory? How is it meant to actively shape the way we live, love, serve, and forgive in the present?
QUICK REFERENCE CARD
Key Scriptures from This Week's Message
| Passage | Theme |
|---|---|
| Luke 22:14–20 | The Last Supper — Jesus' posture, passion, and provision |
| Luke 5:29–32 | Jesus eating with sinners; "I came to call sinners" |
| Romans 5:8 | While we were still sinners, Christ died for us |
| 1 Corinthians 11:25 | "Do this in remembrance of me" |
| Psalm 122:1 | "I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord" |
Key Quotes to Remember
"Never become so comfortable with your place at the table that you forget the price Jesus paid to bring you there."
"Every time I think, I thank."
"We are grateful because Jesus gave himself to make a place for us at his table."
"If you miss Jesus, you miss everything."
Series Information
📖 Series: Grateful 📅 Week: 1 of 4 🗓️ Series Concludes: Thanksgiving Morning, 8:00 a.m. — Special Worship Service 📍 Next Week: Veterans Celebration Sunday — Franklin Avenue honors those who have served
This discussion guide was prepared for Franklin Avenue Baptist Church small groups. For questions about small group ministry or to connect with a group, visit www.franklinabc.com or call 504-488-8488.
"Exalt the Savior. Equip the Saints. Evangelize the Sinners." — Franklin Avenue Baptist Church