The Father Saw

• If you found out you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would do to celebrate?

• You get one wish — but your wish has to be done in secret, and it has to benefit someone else instead of you. What would you wish?

• What’s a good deed you saw in the past few weeks?

Ask eGroup members to share their favorite points from the sermon, what spoke to them, a phrase or moment from the sermon they related to the most, or questions they have. If members have a hard time recalling the sermon, talk through your notes and share your favorite points.

• Share something you were celebrated for recently. What’s something you wish you would have been celebrated for?

• Read Matthew 6:1-4. We should celebrate people when they do righteous things. Give some examples of acts of righteousness. (e.g., volunteering, picking up trash on the roadside, cooking for someone who’s sick, etc.) How are those acts different than what culture tells us to celebrate?

• People celebrate what they see. How have you experienced that in your life? Talk about how that’s affected your goals and desires. (Challenge your group to think about how it’s also affected what makes them feel celebrated.)

Pastor Steven shared the story of the Prodigal Son — this younger brother demanded his inheritance from his father then spent it all. Yet, when he came back home because he was broke, his father immediately forgave him and celebrated his return with a feast. Read the following passages in Luke 15 and talk about how we can relate to and learn from them.

• Luke 15:16. The younger brother wasn’t getting what he needed from people. On a scale of 1-10, how unseen/uncelebrated do you feel in this season? (1 is very, 10 is not at all) What’s something you feel isn’t getting celebrated by others? 

• Luke 15:20. God sees us. Celebrating our own blessings helps us get our validation from Him. How good are you at celebrating yourself? What are some ways it’s difficult?

• Luke 15:29. How do you identify with the older brother? What are some things you can celebrate to feel more validated? (For example, we can get validation from living according to our values. What would it look like to celebrate that?)

• Luke 15:31. We already have validation with God, and He sees everything. How would you experience this week differently if you lived it knowing God sees your unseen?

God sees what we do in secret. This week, do a good deed in secret — don’t tell anyone about it. Get your validation from knowing you did a good thing. You could also speak into someone who might feel unseen and uncelebrated, and encourage them by letting them know you appreciate them. Focus on becoming good at celebrating the unseen.

Ask eGroup members to share any prayer requests they have. Record any notes or prayer requests to pray for members during the week.

Father, thank You for seeing everything — for seeing us even when we feel uncelebrated. Teach us how to celebrate who we are in You and how You’ve blessed us so we can choose to do right things for the right reasons instead of chasing the approval of others. In Jesus’ name, amen.