Series Resources

sermon-based study guide

This guide is designed to guide a group discussion around the weekend sermon. You can also use this as an individual, but we highly recommend finding a friend and inviting them to discuss with you. Menlo Church has Life Groups meeting in-person and online using these guides. We’d love to help you find a group.

What you will find in this guide: A discussion guide for groups and individuals. If you are using this as an individual be sure to engage with each question in a journal or simply in your mind as you prayerfully consider what you heard in the sermon and seek to discover what God is inviting you to know and do.

Sermon Study Guide | Weird Church | The Weirdness of Communion -Body and Blood

Sermon Study Guide | Series: Weird Church | Sermon: The Weirdness of Communion - "Body & Blood"
Title: 1 Corinthians 11:23–26 and John 6:53–58
Date: May 4, 2025

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CONNECT - “A Personal Reflection”

This section is designed to help you relate personally to the theme of the sermon. It encourages you to reflect on your own life experiences and how they connect to the message.

Have you ever been invited into someone’s home and, despite your embarrassment or brokenness, felt truly welcomed just as you are? That’s the kind of radical hospitality Jesus extends to us through communion. In a world where branding is about strength, perfection, and image, Jesus chose bread and wine—symbols of humility, brokenness, and sacrifice. This week, reflect on how you typically “come to the table”—guarded, distracted, hungry, or open? What might Jesus be inviting you to bring?

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ENGAGE - “Exploring the Scripture”

This section invites you to dive into the biblical passage, discuss its meaning, and apply it to your life through thoughtful questions.

Read 1 Corinthians 11:23–26 and John 6:53–58 together and discuss:

How have you wrestled with the concept of being spiritually hungry or empty? What have you turned to in an effort to fill that void?

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When you hear Jesus say, “This is my body broken for you,” what emotion does that stir in you? Gratitude? Guilt? Relief? Something else? Why?

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How does the idea that “everyone worships something” shape your view of communion as a re-centering of your worship around Jesus?

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“Why would Jesus choose His broken body and spilled blood as His brand?”What do you think this reveals about the kind of kingdom Jesus came to establish?

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APPLY - “Putting the Scriptures into Action”

This section challenges us to take what we’ve learned and implement it in practical ways in our daily lives.

Come with your hunger: Take time this week to identify what you’ve been consuming that leaves you unsatisfied—anxiety, achievement, comparison, even religious performance. Lay those before God and ask Him to fill you with true bread.

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Practice presence at the table: As you approach communion this week—at church or on your own—pause. Don’t rush. Be still. Ask God to meet you in that sacred moment. Let it be a meal of remembrance, yes—but also renewal.

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Open your wounds to Jesus: Communion is not just about polished faith—it’s about honest fellowship. Bring your scars, doubts, exhaustion, and hope to Jesus. Let His brokenness speak healing into yours.

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Extend the invitation: Communion is not just a solo moment—it’s a shared meal. Consider who in your life might need to hear the good news that there’s a seat at God’s table for them too. Pray for them. Reach out.

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PRAY - “Seeking God’s Guidance”

This section offers a short prayer to help us center our hearts and invite God to work in our lives through his scripture.

“Jesus, You are the Bread of Life. Thank You for not just offering a message, but offering Yourself. Thank You that You don’t push us away at the table, but welcome us with open arms—even in our mess, our wounds, our hunger. Help us not just to remember what You’ve done, but to receive what You’re doing today. Fill us with Your life, heal us with Your love, and make us bold enough to come just as we are. Amen”

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GOING DEEPER - “Further Study & Reflection”

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[STEP ONE: A Table Set for You – Read Luke 22:14–20]

As Jesus prepares for the cross, He doesn’t deliver a speech—He prepares a meal. Why do you think He chose bread and wine as symbols of His love and sacrifice? How does this change the way you approach the table?

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[STEP TWO: The Bread of Anxious Toil – Reflect on Psalm 127:1–2]

Are you eating “the bread of anxious toil”? Where are you striving to earn what God freely gives? Write out this verse and post it somewhere visible this week as a reminder to rest in God’s provision, not your performance.

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[STEP THREE: Receive, Don’t Just Remember – Reflect on Isaiah 55:1–3]

Sit with God’s invitation: “Come… eat what is good… give ear and come to me, listen, that you may live.” What do you sense the Holy Spirit inviting you to lay down and receive in exchange? Journal your response.