The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis
Week 1: "The Weight of Glory"
Read Essay 1: "The Weight of Glory" in The Weight of Glory. Key Scripture: Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17; Matthew 25:21.
Free Week 1 sampleRead all of Week 1 free — no card.
When you’re ready, choose this complete guide once or get every guide for a year.
Lewis opens this famous sermon with a provocative claim about what we really want — and why we've been taught to be ashamed of wanting it. Come ready to have your assumptions about desire, unselfishness, and heaven gently but firmly overturned.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Lewis begins by challenging the popular idea that unselfishness — rather than love — is the highest virtue. Why does he think this distinction matters? Do you find his argument convincing?
2.Lewis argues that our deepest longings — the inconsolable desire awakened by a beautiful landscape, a piece of music, or a line of poetry — are not distractions from the spiritual life but are, in fact, a kind of spiritual homing signal. How does he develop this idea, and what do you make of it?
a.Can you identify an experience in your own life that fits what Lewis is describing — a moment of piercing longing that pointed beyond itself?
b.Lewis says that in such moments the books or music "are not the thing itself; they are only the scent of a flower we have not found." What does he mean, and how does this reframe the way you think about beauty?
3.Lewis identifies five meanings of "glory" that Scripture seems to promise the redeemed. The one that strikes him most forcefully is the idea of being recognized and approved by God — of hearing, essentially, "Well done." Why does he find this both deeply attractive and almost frightening to admit? What does it reveal about human nature?
Get the complete 10-week guide
All 71 questions across 10 weeks, with closing prayers, a PDF and printable weekly handouts for your group.
Where your receipt and sign-in link go. No password to remember.
Full Library
Every guide in the library, all year
The first-year discount is already applied — there’s no code to type. $59 is the first-year price for new customers, then it renews at $79/year.
- Every week of The Weight of Glory on the web, plus printable weekly handouts
- Every guide in the library (200+ and growing)
- 4 full-guide PDF downloads every 30 days, so you can print a whole study ahead
- If your group picks a book we don’t have yet, we write the guide — 3 included a year, $9 each after that
- A leader email each week of the study: that week’s questions and a short prep note
$59 today, then it renews at $79/year.
First-year price for eligible new customers. Everything unlocks right away. We email you 30 days before it renews — cancel or pause online anytime, no phone call.
This Guide Only
One study, no renewal
Nothing renews. 7-day money-back guarantee before downloading the PDF or handouts.
- Every week of The Weight of Glory (10 weeks, 71 questions)
- PDF for you, printable handouts for the group
- A link you can send to everyone in your group
- One purchase covers your whole group — no per-person fee
- No account to set up — we email you a sign-in link
Upgrade within 60 days and your $29 comes off the regular $79 year — you never pay for this guide twice.
Full Library, monthly — $25/month, renews monthly until you cancel. The same library, with 2 PDF downloads and 1 requested book a month. Worth knowing: four months of it costs more than a full year.
More than one leader at your church? Church Plan — 5 leader seats for $199/year, then $29 a year per extra seat. Renews yearly at that price plus any extra seats, unless canceled. Pay by card, or ask for an invoice your treasurer can pay. See the Church Plan
- 30-day money-back guarantee on the year (with 2 or fewer guides downloaded)
- A receipt you can hand your treasurer for reimbursement
- Every guide you download stays yours — even if you cancel
- Secure checkout by Stripe — we never see your card number