Grace Group Guide — When An Unexpected Invitation Changes Me
Luke 19:1-10 (CEB) · Fresh Start: When Life Takes an Unexpected Turn · Week 2 · April 19, 2026 (152nd Birthday Sunday)
Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector in Jericho — wealthy, powerful, and completely excluded from the community he profited from. When he heard Jesus was passing through, something in him couldn’t stay away. He ran ahead, climbed a sycamore tree despite his dignity, and positioned himself to see. Jesus didn’t just pass by. He looked up, called Zacchaeus by name, and invited himself to dinner.
New to Grace Groups? Grace Groups are small communities of 6-8 people who meet weekly to grow deeper in faith and support each other. They’re a place to be honest about your faith journey and watch over each other in love — not a Bible study, not a therapy group, not a place to fix each other’s problems. The format is simple, the conversation is real, and over time, these become the people who know your story. Every meeting follows the same five-part rhythm below.
1. Center
Open with prayer or a moment of silence. Take a breath. Let the week fall away.
“God, open our hearts to see where we’re hiding. Help us recognize your invitations in unexpected moments. Transform us through this time together, we pray. Amen.”
2. Soul Tending
Check in with where you are spiritually — not where you think you should be. These five areas can help you find your way into the conversation. Pick the one or two that feel most alive — or most stuck — right now.
Prayers — How is your prayer life? What are you reading or listening to?
Presence — How has worship or being with other Christians shaped your week?
Gifts — Where are you giving your time, money, or energy?
Service — Where are you serving? What does that look like right now?
Witness — Where have you shared your faith or lived it out loud?
This week’s scripture is about what happens when an unexpected invitation from Jesus transforms everything we thought we needed. As you check in, consider:
What comfort or protection are you currently holding onto tightly, and what would it feel like to release it?
When has someone’s genuine welcome changed how you saw yourself?
What invitation from God are you hesitating to accept, and what’s holding you back?
3. God Sightings
Share something from this week where you noticed God moving — in your life, in someone else’s, or in the world around you. Big or small, it counts.
Where have you experienced grace that arrived before you felt ready or worthy?
How has encountering God’s generosity transformed your relationship with your own resources?
Who in your circle models the kind of open-handed generosity the gospel invites?
4. Growing in Grace
Name something you’re carrying — a decision, a fear, a next step you’ve been avoiding. The group isn’t here to fix it. Just to hear it, sit with you in it, and pray.
What is one concrete act of generosity you could practice this week?
How does viewing yourself as a conduit rather than a container change your financial decisions?
What legacy do you want your generosity to create for the next generation?
5. Close
Pray for each other before you leave.
Each person shares one prayer need in a sentence. Then someone in the group prays for them out loud. Keep it simple: “God, I pray for [name]...” and one or two sentences is plenty.
Go in peace. This week, practice one concrete act of generosity — financial, presence, or skill. The point isn’t the size of the gift. It’s the loosened grip. Zacchaeus discovered that the joy was never in the holding. It was in the releasing.