Opening Prayer

Begin your discussion by inviting God’s presence:

“Heavenly Father, God, we thank you that you meet us in this place…we ask that the word that you would give us today would come alive, that we hear it by the power of the Holy Spirit in a fresh way. It would transform not only how we see you, but how we live and how we love.”

1. Encountering Disappointment

• Andrew Kasberg shared: “Nobody’s life falls apart because they didn’t win the dinette set. But that feeling of walking out of that studio, walking out of a place, you know, with a dream that had been crushed...feeling empty handed, right?”

• Discuss:

  • Can you recall a time you faced disappointment, feeling “empty handed”?

  • How did you process that experience, and what did you learn about God in those moments?

2. Honest Questions About Faith

• Andrew Kasberg noted, “Every Easter…you will find something to the effect of, ‘Is the Resurrection real? Can I believe in this?’...that kind of question comes from people like you and I…”

• Discuss:

  • Why do you think even committed believers struggle with questions about the Resurrection and faith?

  • Is it okay to ask hard questions about God? Why or why not?

3. The Kingdom of God

• “The simplest way that I know to describe the kingdom of God...is the kingdom is not a place. It’s not a political entity. But it’s where God is ruling and reigning, where what God wants to have happen actually happens.”

• Discuss:

  • How would you describe God’s kingdom?

  • What does it mean for you personally to enter God’s kingdom—not through earning, but by “receiving it”?

4. The Road to Emmaus

• The story: two disciples, walking away from Jerusalem, hearts broken. “‘We had hoped that he was the one...’”

• Discuss:

  • Have you ever felt like the disciples, struggling with dashed hopes? What keeps hope alive in such moments?

  • Is there a situation in your life where you feel God has not answered as you expected? How do you move forward?

5. Jesus Walks With Us

• “Jesus walks alongside two grieving, confused people on this dusty road...offering a question...listens to their pain...enters into their story.”

• Discuss:

  • How does Jesus’ willingness to walk with us in our pain shape your understanding of God’s character?

  • Why do you think the disciples failed to recognize Jesus at first? How does God sometimes work in ways we don’t expect or immediately see?

6. The Invitation

• “Jesus never forces himself on anyone. Instead, he waits for the invite. He waits for us to invite him into our lives, into our challenges, into our questions.”

• Discuss:

  • What does it look like to invite Jesus into your story, your struggles, your day-to-day life?

  • Can you share a time when you sensed Christ waiting for your invitation?

7. The Resurrection’s Impact

• “Jesus does something that no king in history could ever do...no king in history had defeated death...had defeated sin...that’s exactly what Jesus the king does.”

• Discuss:

  • What does the Resurrection mean for your everyday life and hopes?

  • How does believing in Jesus change the direction in which you “walk”?

8. Hope Has a Name

• “We exist to be a place where tomorrow’s hope is found today…hope has a name. His name is Jesus.”

• Discuss:

  • Where do you need hope in your life right now?

  • How does the promise of Jesus—the light, friend, and Savior—speak to your current circumstances?

9. Response

• “Might today be the day that you stop walking around, return toward him and toward the future that he has for you?”

• Discuss:

  • Is God inviting you to take a step toward Him today? What would that look like?

  • How can the group support each other in seeking and following Jesus together?

Closing Prayer

Invite participants to pray or write their own invitation to Jesus, welcoming Him into their story. End with thanksgiving for the hope and new life found in Christ.

Theological Alignment

This guide emphasizes the presence of Christ, the transforming power of the Resurrection, the possibility and importance of honest questions, God's sovereign invitation, and the call to respond. It affirms core Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians convictions about Christ’s lordship, Scripture’s authority, God’s grace, and the necessity of personal faith.