Morning Star Las Cruces

2026 Discussion Questions

August 23, 2026

Series: Muscle Memory: Re-Calling Why Church Even Matters Today

Title: How to Stay When It Would Be Easier to Leave

Primary Text: Mark 14:3-9

1. What's something you've stuck with over the years: a hobby, a TV show, a friendship, a restaurant, or even a favorite pair of shoes? What keeps you coming back?

2. Is it generally easier for you to stay with something (or someone) that's difficult, or to move on? What do you think influences that?

3. What image, story, or idea from the message, "Muscle Memory: How to Stay When It Would Be Easier to Leave," has stayed with you during the week?

4. Read Mark 14:3-9. What details stand out to you about the woman, the people around her, and Jesus' response? What surprises you in the story?

5. Why do you think some people criticized the woman's actions while Jesus praised them? What do you think each group valued?

6. What do you think Jesus wanted the people in the room to understand that they had missed? What might we need to notice or unlearn in order to truly walk alongside others without judgment?

7. Read Luke 13:10-17. How does Jesus respond to the needs of the woman in the story? What is the perspective of the other religious leaders? When have you experienced, or witnessed, someone choosing compassion over convenience or expectations?

8. Read Romans 12:15. What response is Paul encouraging? Why do you think sharing in one another's joys and sorrows is such an important part of a healthy community?

9. Where do you sense God inviting you to stay present this week, with a person, a conversation, or a situation that would be easier to avoid?

10. How can we pray for one another as we seek to faithfully walk alongside others this week?