Jesus sets out at night and covers fifty kilometres to stop a funeral procession at dawn, in a village the Bible mentions only once. Behind the bier walks the widow of Nain, who has lost her husband and now her only son, left with no family, no livelihood and no answer to the question of what comes next. This sermon on life’s sharp bends (Luke 7) shows that no place and no person is too insignificant for God, and that He is nearest when we feel most forgotten. Listen if you are standing at such a bend and no longer know where to look for God.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- What three losses did the widow of Nain face, and according to the sermon, what did the death of her husband and only son mean for her in that culture?
- Jesus tells the widow "Don't cry" and then touches the bier, even though that made him ritually unclean. What do these words and this gesture tell you about His heart toward those who suffer?
- Jesus leaves Capernaum, where the crowds were, to go to a small, poor village off the beaten path. What does this say about how God sees people who feel forgotten or unimportant?
- The people of Nain cried out, "God has come to help His people." According to the sermon, in what ways does God stand beside us today at life's turning points, including through other people?
- The man in therapy didn't feel the Holy Spirit at work until he saw how his thinking about his wife, his children and God had changed. Looking back, where do you see God's presence in what once seemed like coincidence?
- What "what next?" question are you facing right now, and how could you tell someone this week about what God has already done for you?
