Desired Takeaway
Participants will grasp that the resurrection is not the immediate removal of suffering, but the beginning of God’s new creation—and will be invited to live as people of that new reality now, even in a broken world.

Icebreaker Options

• “Already / Not Yet”
 - What’s something in life that has started but isn’t finished yet (a project, goal, or personal change)?
• “Reality Check - ”
When you look at the world today, what feels most broken or unresolved to you?

Lean In Question

• When you hear that “everything is being made new,” what emotions or reactions come up for you—hope, skepticism, confusion, something else?

Look Down Question (Scripture Focus)
Read 1 Corinthians 15:17-20 and Romans 8:22–23.


• What imagery stands out (firstfruits, groaning, labor pains), and what do these images suggest about the timing of God’s restoration?
• How do these images reshape your expectations of what following Jesus should feel like right now? (For example: should we expect ease, struggle, tension, something else?)
• What do these passages reveal about what God is doing right now versus what He has promised to complete in the future?

Look Out Question

• Where do you see this tension of “new life has begun, but things aren’t fully restored” playing out in the world around you?

Look In Question

• Which of these responses to the resurrection do you most need right now—and why?
  • Grieving honestly
  • Resisting evil with courage
  • Facing death with hope
  • Living resurrection life today

Live It Out Question

• What would our community look like if we truly lived as a “preview” of God’s new creation—right here and now?

Optional Exercises for the Week

1. Practice Honest Grief
 - Take 10–15 minutes this week to name something broken (in your life or the world). Talk to God about it honestly—without trying to fix or spiritualize it.
2. One Act of Resurrection Life - 
Choose one intentional act that reflects God’s new creation (forgiveness, generosity, inclusion, compassion). Do it quietly and intentionally.
3. Resist One Pattern of Brokenness
 - Notice one area where you tend to go along with the “way things are” (resentment, selfishness, indifference). Ask the Spirit to help you respond differently.

Prayer Prompt
Invite God to deepen your hope in the resurrection—not as denial of reality, but as confidence that the story isn’t finished. Ask for courage to live as someone shaped by that future today.

Suggested Resource for Further Study

• Book: Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright

Practices to Explore:

• Lament (Psalms of lament)
• Sabbath (resting in God’s ongoing work)
• Generosity and hospitality