NOTES:
1] You may like to review vv.1-8 (last Sunday's Gospel) as they hang together with today's like branches on the vine; also JN 13: 34 2] 'Servant' in v.15 is the same as 'slave'. Most servants then were slaves.

WARMING UP: What makes someone a close friend rather than just a friend? What tells us whom to love, whom not to?

TREASURES OLD & NEW: Identify God at work in anything this week?

ENTERING INTO THE STORY:

9            How much, if anything, did love have to do with why we joined a church in the first place? Whose love for whom?  At the human level, or just the divine? Has love had anything to do with why we 'hang in there' despite other factors maybe telling us to get out? Has 'stickability' been much of an issue for us in personal life, career, denomination, congregation, home group, etc.? How much are we conscious of God loving us through, sticking with us, in general, & in particular situations?

10          What do commandments have to do with love? Aren't they rather a contradiction in terms, a bit old hat today? Have we ever experienced love, on our part, or someone else's, as a specific keeping of God's commandment(s)?

11          Does joy play much of a part in our discipleship? As big a role as we might expect given what Jesus says here? Have we had any / much experience of  'joyless' versions of Christianity? What about those that seem to run on joy (& little else as critics might say)? What's the difference between joy & happiness or 'happy-clappiness'?

12-14     Do we see Jesus' new commandment as an 'eleventh', a replacement for the traditional Ten, or simply a summary? How exactly does Jesus' new commandment 'fit in' with them? How far has Jesus really loved us? Is it within our power to love that much? How is such love possible? Does 'laying down one's life for one's friends' necessarily mean dying for them? How far does it mean going? Where do those who aren't friends, ours or Jesus', come into this? Or don't they?
             Why might Jesus insist on tying friendship with him to 'doing what I command you"? Is that any basis for friendship? Do we think of ourself as a 'friend of Jesus' or more as a 'parishioner', 'church member', 'disciple', etc.? Might thinking of   ourselves primarily as 'friends of Jesus' offer us a new & positive slant on our relationship with him & with each other?

15-17     Do we feel more relieved or alarmed that Jesus refers to his followers as friends rather than slaves? Do we ever think of ourself as the latter (slave of God, that is?) What's in a name, anyway? Can we be specific about what it is that Jesus has 'heard from my Father' that he makes known to us? Do we do enough, personally, as a group, or a church, to do what- ever it is Jesus makes known to us? Could we do better? How?
               How conscious are we of God taking the initiative in our life? Wouldn't we rather take all the initiative ourself? How much does our 'fruitfulness' depend on who it is taking the initiative? How do we know when it really is God taking some initiative in our life?