There are seven types of story that come up again and again across every time and culture. This term we’ll explore those stories, consider what they tell us about our humanity, and how they help us understand the true story of Jesus
Today, we’re thinking about Rags to Riches stories.
Ask for a volunteer to pray a short prayer that however much they’ve come to know Jesus, they’d know him better as a result of your time together.
Ideas for your first meetings
Welcome people to the group, and ask people to introduce themselves.
Share the vision for your group. Touch on the fact that as we grow as a community we want to be impacted by God’s word, and then think about how to impact the university for good in Jesus’ name.
There will likely be a mix of Christians and those who are exploring faith in your group. You might say something like: ‘All of us will be at different stages of our faith journey. Some of us will be following Jesus, some of us are just exploring things. Wherever you are at, you’re welcome here. Feel free to join in with discussions or just listen along.’
Ready for Impact (5 minutes)
Ask group members:
- What do you think are some of the most underrated things in life?
Impacted by the Word - Part One (10 minutes)
This video tells the Chinese fairytale of Ye Xian, the story of a girl whose life is transformed from rags to riches.
Download this video to watch offline or read the transcript here.
- Do you know any other rags to riches stories like the fairytale of Ye Xian?
Rags to riches stories are about characters whose true value and goodness are hidden and then dramatically revealed.
- Why do you think rags to riches stories are so attractive to us?
Impacted by the Word - Part Two (15 minutes)
Ask for a volunteer to read Luke 8:41-48.
This video will help your group explore Jesus’ encounter with a woman whose life is transformed from rags to riches.
Download this video to watch offline or read the transcript here.
The woman had an illness that made her ‘unclean’ in Jewish culture. Anyone who touched her would also become unclean.
- What do you imagine this woman’s life would have felt like?
- Why do you think she approaches Jesus in the way she does?
A touch from Jesus heals her, but Jesus won’t let her be healed in secret.
- Why do you think this woman is fearful rather than overjoyed in verse 47?
- Why do you think Jesus brings this woman in front of the entire crowd? What does he want her and the crowd to understand?
- What do Jesus’ words and actions reveal about what he is like?
As he dies a shameful death in our place, Jesus makes it so that, like the woman, we can know the honour of being part of God’s family.
- How does this passage help us understand what putting your ‘faith’ (verse 48) in Jesus looks like?
Leviticus is an Old Testament book, written to help God’s people live in his holy presence despite their sin. In Leviticus 9-15, ‘purity laws’ outline what made the people ritually ‘clean’ or ‘unclean’. Bodily emissions, infectious diseases, and eating certain foods were amongst the things that made someone unclean.
To be unclean meant you were unable to enter the temple to worship. Whilst you were unclean, anything or anyone you touched also became unclean.
This might sound primitive to us, but these laws had a teaching function. They taught Israel that God was holy, only full of life and wholeness and goodness, and that they were not. Anything that represents death or the loss of potential life (blood, reproductive fluids, menstruation), or anything that represented decay (infectious diseases) could not come into God’s holy presence.
This is why the woman’s bleeding made her ‘unclean’. She had not done anything wrong, she was not especially ‘dirty’ or sinful. Her constant menstrual bleeding represented a loss of potential life, rendering her permanently ‘unclean.’
The woman shows us what putting your faith in Jesus looks like. What matters most is not how she comes to Jesus, but the fact that she comes to him at all.
This woman comes to Jesus desperate, fearful, and uncertain. She also comes with mixed-motives. She seems mainly interested in what she can get from him and is content to escape without ever meeting him. But what matters most is that she comes to Jesus at all.
As she comes to Jesus, the woman finds one who is merciful and able to bring healing and restoration to her brokenness and mess. She also discovers that Jesus is not content for her to leave without having encountered him personally.
We can come to Jesus with all our shame, mess and need and he will welcome us. What matters is not how we come to him, but that we come to him at all. Put your faith in him.
Impacting Our Hearts (15 minutes)
Draw an outline of a person on a piece of paper.
- Within the outline, write forms of suffering or struggle that can make people feel ashamed.
- Why do you think our suffering and struggles can often cause us to want to hide like the woman?
The woman comes to Jesus compromised and in pain, yet Jesus sees her, loves her, and restores her to her community and to himself.
- If you knew you were seen and loved by Jesus, how would that shape how you view your suffering and struggles?
Spend some time praying in small groups that you’d not hide, but learn to come to Jesus in the midst of your suffering and struggles.
If you’re able to sing in your group time, why not consider some of the following songs: How Deep the Father’s Love, The Father’s House, Who you Say I Am
Impacting the University (10 minutes)
The fact that we keep telling Rags to Riches stories indicates that we all long to be seen and loved for who we are, whatever circumstances we were born into. A powerful way to experience being seen and loved by Jesus is to experience being seen and loved by a community of Christians.
Your Impact Group is a great space to welcome those exploring faith. So is a local church.
- How do you think people on your campus would feel about being invited to church?
A 2023 study in the UK showed that 74% of students who don’t regularly attend church would go if a friend invited them.
- How might someone exploring faith benefit from experiencing church?
- Are there people you’ve met in the early weeks of term that you could invite to church?
Spend some time praying for some people by name. Ask the Holy Spirit to point out people in the week ahead who would be open to coming along with you.
Wrap-up – TACOS 🌮
Thank You – Thank everyone for coming, and ask someone to thank God for your time together in prayer.
Ask – Ask those who are new to reading the Bible if they’d like to explore Uncover, a set of sessions in Mark’s Gospel, allowing them to investigate one of the earliest accounts of Jesus’ life alongside one of you.
Church and CU – What does the CU have planned ahead? And what help would group members value in finding a local church?
Others – Who else could you invite to join your CU Impact Group next week? These friends don’t need to be followers of Jesus and may really appreciate being invited.
See You Soon – Tell the group where and when you’ll meet next week, and arrange who will bring snacks. (You might like to alternate healthy and less healthy weeks!). See if anyone would be up for sharing a meal or just hanging out in the meantime!