EXTRA! Ideas for Adults – All Signs Point to Jesus – Session 5

1 week ago 21

Date: March 30, 2025

The Sign of His Presence

The Point: In Jesus’s presence, we have no need to fear.

Get Into the Study

Share the following to introduce The Point:

Since 2023, the world has followed the romance of Taylor Swift and the NFL’s Travis Kelce. Last month when Kelce’s team, the Kansas City Chiefs, played in Super Bowl 59, speculation began to build that Kelce might be planning a surprise proposal. Each event in the couple’s lives, even down to missed concerts and skipped football games, has left fans wondering whether to anticipate a proposal or a break-up. Yet Super Bowl LIX passed with only the disappointment of a loss for Kelce’s team. Beyond the hoped-for engagement news, according to People magazine, “there is intensifying speculation that the Chiefs star could retire at the age of 35 after the loss… and is said to be genuinely considering his NFL future.”

While the world awaits news of the couple’s future plans, there is one fascinating detail about Kelce’s football record. Swift made it her practice to attend almost all “home” games, and according to USA Today, his stats are better when she is present. “Statistically – and in team success – Kelce has done better on average at home when Swift is watching him play.” Whatever their future, it seems that Taylor Swift’s presence brings out the best in Travis Kelce’s game.

Say: “When people cheer us on, we may react in different ways. Some people, like Kelce, may perform better. Others may feel increased pressure. Jesus’s nearness doesn’t need to bring up a sense of performance or perfection– instead, His presence can give confidence, and be a cloak of safety.”

Point the group to The Point: “In Jesus’ presence, we have no need to fear.”

Information for this post was gleaned from:

Get Into the Study (Option from Adult Leader Guide)

In advance, play a video clip of storms on the Sea of Galilee to help establish the context for this passage.

Study the Bible

Use the following information as you discuss John 6:21:

When Delta Flight 4819 descended, skidded along the runway in flames, flipped over, and lost both a wing and tail before coming to rest upside down on a Toronto runway, the video of the plane crash shocked the world. Passenger Pete Carlson noted the jolt of the “very forceful event,” recalling the sound of “concrete and metal.” When the plane came to a halt, everyone on board was suspended upside down in their seats, which one passenger described as hanging “like bats.”

Shocking videos show people exiting the plane into the white landscape and frigid temperatures, as first responders arrived. While eightyeen people were injured, there were no lives lost, and the “textbook response” of emergency crews ensured that the plane was cleared in relatively short order. Wind gusts swirled snow around dazed passengers in the aftermath.

PBS Newshour noted that air traffic controllers had “warned pilots of high winds” just before the plane attempted to land. Toronto Pearson President & CEO Deborah Flint identified the “extreme conditions at the airport from two separate storms” in the days prior, as a potential contributor to the crash. In addition to observations made at the time of the accident, investigators retrieved the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder (“black boxes”) and are still working to determine the cause.

Say: “In this situation, the passengers exercised courage, and the emergency crews used the skills they’d learned. When there are storms in our lives, we have lessons to learn and must find strength to draw on as well.”

Information for this post was gleaned from:

Study the Bible (Option from the Daily Discipleship Leader Guide)

After reading John 6:16-18 and considering how the disciples must have felt as the high winds rose and the sea churned, play a video of a storm on the ocean. Give the group an opportunity to recall storms they’ve experienced and how they felt at the time. As the video continues to play in the background, discuss ways Jesus calms the wind and waves in such situations.

Study the Bible (Option from Adult Leader Guide)

In advance, play a recording of “It Is Well with My Soul.” Also have a volunteer research the origin of this hymn by Horatio Spafford. Invite the volunteer to share the song’s back story. Ask the group to share how this song inspires faith in the presence of pain and fear.

Additional Questions

Ice Breaker

What kinds of situations frightened you when you were young?
As a child, what was the first thing you did when you were scared?
What was a childhood fear you had that you can laugh about now?
How does Jesus’s presence bring true peace?

John 6:16-18

What are some things people turn to for comfort when they hit a storm?
What are the dangers of not relying on the Lord when we face a challenge?
How does this scene depict the spiritual struggles we often face in life?
Where do you see storms brewing for Christians today?
Since life without Jesus is dangerous, why do so many people, even believers, still try to go it alone?

John 6:19-20

How does His presence ultimately calm your spirit, especially in tough times?
How have you experienced Jesus’s nearness in fears and storms?
Why is human strength simply insufficient to handle our situations?
What are ways people try to overcome their fears (OR gain peace) and how well do they work?
How have you experienced the truth that Jesus’s presence brings peace?

John 6:21

How can we encourage one another to turn to the Lord in crisis moments, without it sounding like trite advice?
When have you experienced Jesus’s presence in an especially meaningful way?
How can we experience the presence of Jesus in our storms?
What does His presence promise us?
How does the recognition of Jesus’s presence change everything?