The Third Day - Leader Guide - Print

The Third Day - Leader Guide
Living the Resurrection

By Tom Berlin; Mark A. Miller

[1 only in stock at this reduced price 1 July 2026.
We will not be re-ordering this book when this copy has sold.]

A practical six-week leader guide that helps groups explore the hope, surprise and transforming power of Christ’s resurrection.

This book will help you:

• Lead a six-week group study with confidence and clarity.
• Guide meaningful discussion around the resurrection and its impact on real lives.
• Explore the experiences of Peter, Mary Magdalene, Thomas, Paul and the disciples on the road to Emmaus.
• Connect the Easter story with themes of redemption, hope, renewal and new life.
• Support small groups, Sunday school classes, home groups or church-wide Lenten studies.
• Use structured session plans, activities and discussion questions to encourage participation.
• Help participants move beyond loss and despair toward the joy and promise of resurrection.

Features

• Comprehensive leader guide for The Third Day: Living the Resurrection.
• Includes six-week study plans for group use.
• Provides session plans, activities, discussion questions and multiple format options.
• Designed to accompany the book and optional video teaching sessions featuring Tom Berlin.
• Suitable for Lenten programs, Easter studies, small groups and church-wide study.

Soft cover 64pp
0.9 cm H x 21.5 cm L x 13.9 cm W (0.068 kg)
ISBN 9781791024161
Abingdon Press (2023)

Description

The resurrection is at the heart of Christian faith, but its meaning is far more than a statement in a creed or a celebration on Easter Sunday.

This leader guide helps groups enter the resurrection story through the lives of people who encountered Jesus in the shadow of the cross and the light of the empty tomb. Designed for a six-week study, it gives leaders the tools they need to guide thoughtful, engaging and hope-filled conversations about what it means to live in the reality of resurrection.

The study follows several figures connected with Jesus’ final days and resurrection appearances, including Peter, Mary Magdalene, Thomas, Paul and the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Through their stories, participants are invited to recognise the movement from grief to joy, fear to courage, doubt to faith, and despair to new life. Rather than treating the resurrection as a distant event, the study explores how it transforms human lives—then and now.

This guide is especially useful for pastors, small-group leaders, Sunday school teachers and church study facilitators who want a structured resource that is easy to use. It includes session plans, activities, discussion questions and flexible format options, making it suitable for a range of settings and group sizes. It can be used as part of a Lenten study, an Easter season series, a home group resource or a wider church program.

With its emphasis on storytelling, Scripture and practical group engagement, this leader guide supports a study that is both accessible and spiritually rich. It helps participants consider how resurrection hope meets them in places of uncertainty, regret, grief and longing, and how the risen Christ continues to call people into lives marked by redemption, courage and renewed purpose.

Click here for a video introduction featuring the author:
https://youtu.be/4yGe8b46s2A

About the Authors

Tom Berlin is a bishop of The United Methodist Church and an experienced pastor, speaker and author. Before becoming bishop of the Florida Episcopal Area, he served for more than twenty-five years as senior pastor of Floris United Methodist Church in Herndon, Virginia. His writing and teaching often focus on Christian discipleship, stewardship, leadership and helping people connect Scripture with everyday life.

Mark A. Miller is a church musician, composer, worship leader and educator. He serves as Professor of Church Music, Director of Chapel and Composer-in-Residence at Drew University, and has also taught sacred music at Yale University’s Institute of Sacred Music and Divinity School. His work is widely used in church settings and often connects worship, justice, community and congregational song.

Contents

Introduction to leading The Third Day: Living the Resurrection
Guidance for a six-week group study
Session plans for each week
Opening activities and group exercises
Discussion questions based on the study material
Options for different group formats
Leader helps for guiding conversation and reflection
Study material connected with Peter
Study material connected with Mary Magdalene
Study material connected with Thomas
Study material connected with Paul
Study material connected with the disciples on the road to Emmaus
Resources for Lenten, Easter and church-wide use