10.27.24 - What's In A Name? (Kenny Camacho)
SCRIPTURE: John 1:19-51, Genesis 28:11-19
YOU CAN ALSO READ KENNY’S MANUSCRIPT FOR THIS MESSAGE HERE!
REFLECTION/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
What do you think is the significance of Jesus being called both the “Lamb of God” and the “Chosen One” by John the Baptist?
What about “Rabbi” and “Son of God”? What do these names illuminate about Jesus?
How can understanding the different roles that Jesus fulfills impact the way you view your own faith and relationship with God?
Consider Jesus’s encouragement (which is echoed by Nathanael) to “come and see.” What does this reveal to us about who Jesus is and how he is working? Why is it notable that Nathanael says this, too?
The name Jesus gives to himself in John 1 is a reference to a dream given to the Jewish patriarch, Jacob (Genesis 28:11-19). Read that passage… what does it teach us about who Jesus is? What does it teach us about his work and purpose?
As “Christians,” we’ve all been given a new name, too! What do you think this name really means? What responsibility does it carry?
We’ve probably all had experiences with “Christians” who weren’t great representatives of that name. Take a moment to reflect on these experiences without personal judgment: what was really the source of the hurt? What can we learn about how we might carry this name ourselves?
Christian faith is not intended to be practiced alone. How can we support one another as “witnesses” to the name we’ve been given? How can a community like our church work together to carry this name well?