Let Jesus Be Your Small Group in this Pandemic

Many of us have had our small group time put on hold during this pandemic. Whether it’s a recovery group, Bible study group, or a fun activity group — social distancing has thrown us into finding new ways to meet. Some have figured out how to have video meetings and some have not. They’re just waiting for life to return to how it was at the beginning of 2020.

We can grow lonely and feel disconnected as the weeks and months continue to pass without a solution in place. However, we can use this time to deepen our understanding of who Jesus is willing to be in each of our lives.

Jesus has been and always is willing to meet with us. Whether it’s one person alone or where two or more are gathered in His name. He cares for us. He wants to meet with us. And we don’t have to go to a special meeting place or figure out how to operate a video chat app to have time together.

How to get started with Group-Jesus:

Have a recurring weekly (or daily) meeting time.

• Just as we had a scheduled time to meet with our like-minded friends, if we set a day and time to meet, we are more likely to actually do it.

Protect the time from interruption.

• If we are distracted with TVs, smartphones, people, etc., we can’t get the most out of the Group-Jesus time. We can choose a time that is best for the environment to afford us quiet. Each home is different. We can mute our electronics and establish quiet times for children. Some of us may need to find a place in our home to go be by ourselves. It can even be a closet (Jesus doesn’t need his own chair).

Bring the Bible.

• Open the Group-Jesus time by reading from His favorite book. He loves to speak to our inner being through His Holy Word. We can start each meeting by reading (preferably out loud) a section that means something special to us. Psalm 23 is always a good place to start also. Out loud because that’s the same thing we’d do at a meeting with other people. So, why not?

Bring the course curriculum or recovery step material.

• Whatever we’ve been using in the small group we’ve been meeting in, bring it to our Group-Jesus meeting. We were getting something out of it when we were meeting before, so we can use it as a guide for this, too. Start where the group left off and pick it up from there or start over anew with our best friend, Jesus. If accountability is part of our spiritual growth, then we tell Jesus how we are doing with our personal goals. He knows. He likes to hear us say it, just like any accountability partner.

Keep a journal.

• This is a special time. Never before in our lifetimes have we needed to shut countries down and stay home to reduce the chances of spreading a dangerous virus. Group-Jesus will surely prove to bring great insight and peace to our lives. Keeping a record of what was brought up and what we feel Jesus revealed to us will always be a comfort to us as we carry on into the future. We need to be honest with Him, just as we would with others in our people group. Some of our regular Group-Jesus meetings may reveal nothing but others explode with insight and comfort. When we write in our journal of our journey, it will bring healing to our souls.

Copyright © May 2020 Beth Livingston, used with permission.