Nothing missing

01 · GATHER ROUND

Start with a question.

“If you were packing for a week-long camping trip, what would you bring?”

Let the lists get long and silly. Today’s story is about someone who packed way too much.

03 · OPEN THE BIBLE

The overstuffed backpack.

Priya’s family was going camping, and her mom had packed everything: tents, sleeping bags, food, flashlights, even marshmallows. But Priya wasn’t sure. What if they forgot something? So she secretly stuffed her own backpack with extras—three flashlights, a frying pan, six cans of beans, and a bowling ball. (Don’t ask.) By the end of the first hike her shoulders ached, and she found out her mom had already packed everything they needed.

Sometimes we treat Jesus the way Priya treated her mom’s packing. We trust him, but just in case, we try to add our own extras: being extra good, doing enough nice things, never missing church. We think, “Maybe Jesus plus my good behavior will be enough.”

Paul writes that a person is not justified—declared right with God—by works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. He says it three different ways in one verse, because he really wants us to get it. Our good works can’t add anything to what Jesus has done. Paul had tried hard to be good his whole life, and he learned that it could never be enough.

Jesus has already packed everything we need to be saved. Forgiveness? In Jesus. A perfect record? In Jesus. A place in God’s family? In Jesus. Life forever? In Jesus. Nothing is missing. You don’t need a backup plan.

That doesn’t mean good works don’t matter. They do—and we’ll talk about why next week. But they aren’t a backpack full of extras to make sure we get saved. They’re what grows in a life that already belongs to Jesus.

So if you ever feel the need to prove yourself to God, set the bowling ball down. Jesus has carried everything. You can walk lighter, trusting him alone.

04 · WONDER TOGETHER

Let’s talk about it.

1. What are some “extras” people add to try to make sure God accepts them?
2. What would you say to a friend who thinks they have to be good enough for God to accept them?
3. How might it feel to walk through life knowing Jesus has already carried everything?

Try answering one yourself first. “I don’t know yet” is a fine place to start a conversation.

06 · TALK TO GOD

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, thank you that everything we need is found in you. Forgive us for trying to add our own extras, as if what you did weren’t enough. Help us trust you alone. Let our good works grow out of thankfulness, not fear. Thank you that we can walk lighter because you carried everything for us. Amen.

Then invite everyone to add one thing they want to tell God.

07 · MAKE IT STICK

A little truth to learn by heart.

Play Nothing Missing. Say the answer together once. Then one person says it again but secretly leaves out a word. Whoever spots it shouts “Missing!” and takes the next turn. Keep going until nothing is ever missing.