Session 1

From Scripture to Script

Planning the Session

Session Goals

Through this session's discussion and activities, participants will be encouraged to:

• reflect on the role that story plays in the church;

• consider how stories point to truths beyond themselves;

• look at the ways they tell Jesus' story;

• identify the essential truths about Jesus that God calls us to communicate;

• examine how we fill in the spaces in Jesus' story, and how these filled-in spaces affect our understanding of Jesus;

• consider, referring to Mark 12:30, the different ways that Christians receive the gospel story: heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Preparation

• Read and reflect on the first chapter of Matt Rawle's Hollywood Jesus.

• Read through this Leader Guide session in its entirety to familiarize yourself with the material being covered.

• Read and reflect on the following Scriptures:

[] Philippians 2:5–11 [] Matthew 14:13–21 [] Matthew 21:12–17 [] Mark 1:16–20 [] Luke 10:38–42 [] John 12:1–11 [] John 20:24–29 [] Romans 14:14–23 [] Mark 12:30 [] Matthew 4:1–11 [] Matthew 8:5–13 [] Matthew 8:23–27 [] Matthew 21:12–17 [] John 4:4–30 [] John 11:1–46

• Make sure that you have a markerboard or large sheet of paper on which you can record group members' ideas.

• Have a Bible for every participant.

• Have a sheet of paper and a pen or pencil for each participant. Other art supplies are optional for the closing activity.

Opening Activity and Prayer (10–15 minutes)

The title of a popular 1965 film called the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus The Greatest Story Ever Told. While Christians largely consider Jesus' story singularly great, all of us have encountered other great stories, whether on film or in print.

To open your time together, ask each participant to name a story he or she would consider "great." These stories can be from movies, novels, short stories, television, comic books, or oral. They can be fictional stories or true stories, but they should be stories that have some special meaning to the participant who chooses them.

After everyone has had time to respond, list these on a markerboard or large sheet of paper. Once you've made your list, ask:

• What stories were you surprised made our list? Why?

• What are some common themes you notice in these stories?

• Why do you think people are drawn to these stories?

• Introduce the topic of this study: portrayals of the gospel through film. Then ask:

• Which of the stories on our list bear similarities to Jesus' story?

• What makes Jesus' life, death, and resurrection so compelling as a story?

Lord, thank you for bringing us together to examine the ways we hear and tell your story, particularly through film. Watch over us these next few weeks as we explore Jesus' life and ministry from different perspectives. Thank you for the different gifts, experiences, and points of view each person brings to this group. May we take what we learn during our time together and use it more effectively to tell Jesus' story to those who are eager to hear it or who need to hear it in new ways. Amen.

Watch DVD Segment (10 minutes)

Study and Discussion (30–35 MINUTES)

Note: Discussion helps and questions that correspond to Chapter One: "From Scripture to Script" are provided below. If you have more time in your session, or want to include additional discussion and activities to your time, see "Additional Options for Bible Study and Discussion" at the end of this section, listed after the Closing Activity and Prayer.

How to Tell a Great Story

(See Hollywood Jesus,pages 23–27)

Revisit the list of great stories that participants compiled for the opening activity. Rawle writes that great art "points beyond itself." In other words, great stories make a point or have some significance beyond the events of the story itself.

Ask each participant to select one story from the list you compiled earlier and to say how it points beyond itself. For example, if the Harry Potter saga was on your list, a participant might say that it teaches lessons about courage, sacrifice, love, and humility. If Animal Farm is on the list, a participant might mention that this story is an allegory of Soviet Communism under Stalin. (You might also refer to Rawle's example of "The Three Little Pigs" on pages 23–24.)

Then read what Rawle writes on pages 24–25 about how the story of the gospel points beyond itself.

For discussion:

• How does the gospel point to something beyond itself?

• How is the gospel more than just another great story?

• What do you think Rawle means when he says that the gospel cannot "be contained within a category on Netflix"?

The Space Between

(See Hollywood Jesus,pages 31–36)

Read aloud Rawle's assessment of the classic miniseries Jesus of Nazareth on pages 31–32, focusing on how the creators of the series filled in spaces where Scripture itself was silent. To get a feel for the challenges the filmmakers faced, divide participants into teams of three or four and assign each team one of the following Scriptures:

• Matthew 14:13–21

• Matthew 21:12–17

• Mark 1:16–20

• Luke 10:38–42

• John 12:1–11

• John 20:24–29

Each team should read its assigned Scripture with an eye on the "spaces in between." Teams should think of ways to fill in these spaces. For example, John 12:1–11 gives the impression that Jesus' disciples are present. But, except in the case of Judas, the text doesn't say anything about how his disciples responded to Mary pouring out ointment on Jesus' feet. This is a space that we are left to fill in.

After teams have had plenty of time to read, discuss, and fill in the spaces of their Scriptures, invite each team to summarize its passage, name the spaces identified, and say how these spaces might be filled. Following each team's presentation, ask participants what surprised them about how that team filled in the spaces of its Scripture.

Read aloud or summarize for the group:

Even when Christians are not piecing together the parts of the narrative on the margins of the stories in Scripture, we're filling in spaces in the Bible. As Rawle points out, the Bible doesn't give us specific instructions for responding to any situation imaginable. We have spaces to fill in. For that we must rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

For discussion:

• How do you experience the Holy Spirit's presence and guidance?

• How do you seek counsel from the Holy Spirit when making a decision, particularly a decision you must make quickly?

As...