Journey to Joy: Week Four

Peace

This week, while you meet with your Faith Formation Group you may want to reflect on our Scripture passage by reading John 14:27-28 & Romans 9:30-33 (printed below) and discuss the questions from the Scripture and Sermon as a way to begin a conversation. 

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am. (John 14:27-28)

What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place. But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded. Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in him. They stumbled over the great rock in their path. God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said,

“I am placing a stone in Jerusalem that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. But anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” (Romans 9:30-33)

Questions for Consideration:

1. You may ask why we would have scripture from the ends of Jesus’ ministry to bring in the last days of Christmas but this time of Advent is a time to both remember as well as to look ahead. What do you think Christ means when he is telling his followers that he has a gift for them?
2. What is the “peace of heart and mind” that comes through Christ life and then through the gift of the Holy Spirit?
3. Why do these two passages also give speak to the fact that we need the incarnation to have peace?

As you meet this week, we encourage you to also take time to open yourselves up as a group and dialog on the following question: What have been the highlights of my past year and how do I see God challenging me to grow in 2019?

Journey to Joy: Week Two

Love

This week, while you meet with your Faith Formation Group you may want to reflect on our Scripture passage by reading John 1:14, John 3:16-17 & Romans 5:18-21(printed below) and discuss the questions from the Scripture and Sermon as a way to begin a conversation. 

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. (John 1:14)

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17)

Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. ¹⁹ Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.

God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. ²¹ So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:18-21)

Questions for Consideration:

1. Think about your life and how you have experienced love? Share a story with your group or write a journal entry about an experience when you felt unconditional love? 
2. In John 1:14 we get the first sign of God’s love for humanity when it says, “the Word became flesh and made his home among us.” What do you think is significant about being among us in expressing love?
3. How has God expressed love for us through His Son Jesus?
4. What problems does our sin cause in experiencing the fullness of God’s love?

As you meet this week, we encourage you to also take time to open yourselves up as a group and dialog on the following Wesley Challenge question: Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I am? In other words, am I a hypocrite? (Pages 99-103 in The Wesley Challenge)

We are just two weeks away from our grand opening weekend! I hope you have friends that you are inviting to come join us for worship Sunday and/or Christmas Eve Monday! 

Journey to Joy: Week One

Hope

This week, while you meet with your Faith Formation Group you may want to reflect on our Scripture passage by reading Isaiah 7:14 (printed below) and discuss the questions from the Scripture and Sermon as a way to begin a conversation. 

All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). Isaiah 7:14

Questions for Consideration:

1. Take time to examine your past year, where have you struggled and where have you found victory?
2. Think about a best friend other than your spouse (for most of us our spouse is our best friend). Share with the group something that is special about this friend and what it feels like when you are hanging out with this friend? 
3. Isaiah in his great prophetic message of hope is telling the people that God is coming to “hang out with them.” What are the implications of having God walking with you at your side?

As you meet this week, we encourage you to also take time to open yourselves up as a group and dialog on the following Wesley Challenge question: Am I enjoying prayer? (Pages 23-27 in The Wesley Challenge)

Walking With God: Past - Present - Future Week Five

Crossing The River

This week, while you meet with your Faith Formation Group you may want to reflect on our Scripture passage by reading Joshua 1:1-9 (printed below) and discuss the questions from the Scripture and Sermon as a way to begin a conversation. 

Josh. 1:1    After the death of Moses the LORD’s servant, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, ² “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. ³ I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— ⁴ from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ ⁵ No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. 

Josh. 1:6    “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. ⁷ Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. ⁸ Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. ⁹ This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Questions for Consideration:

1. As you read this passage of God preparing Israel to enter into the promised land, what sticks out as important and what causes you to have a question? 
2. What is key to the success of Israel when they inhabit the new land? How can that translate into our day?
3. Look at the very last line of the passage, God’s promise to be with the people of Israel and then turn in your bibles to Matthew 28:18-20. What hope does this give you as you follow God’s new covenant to love one another?

As you meet this week, we encourage you to also take time to open yourselves up as a group and dialog on the following Wesley Challenge question: Am I defeated in any part of my life? (Pages 63-66 in The Wesley Challenge)

Walking With God: Past - Present - Future Week Four

Bridging the Gap, Week Two

This week, while you meet with your Faith Formation Group you may want to reflect on our Scripture passage by reading Acts 2:42-47(printed below) and discuss the questions from the Scripture and Sermon as a way to begin a conversation. 

Acts 2:42    All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.

Acts 2:43    A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. ⁴⁴ And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. ⁴⁵ They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. ⁴⁶ They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— ⁴⁷ all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

Questions for Consideration:

1. What sticks out to you about the community of believers as is shared in Acts 2? 
2. What could we do to live into such a community today with the differences of our culture and time period?
3. How would it be hard to live into this type of community today?

As you meet this week, we encourage you to also take time to open yourselves up as a group and dialog on the following Wesley Challenge question: Am I honest in all my actions and words, or do I exaggerate? (Pages 113-116 in The Wesley Challenge)

Walking With God: Past - Present - Future Week Three

Bridging the Gap

This week, while you meet with your Faith Formation Group you may want to reflect on our Scripture passage by reading Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Leviticus 19:18, and Mark 12:29-31 (printed below) and discuss the questions from the Scripture and Sermon as a way to begin a conversation. 

Deut. 6:4    “Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. ⁵ And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. ⁶ And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. ⁷ Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. ⁸ Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. ⁹ Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Lev. 19:18    “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

Mark 12:29    Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD. ³⁰ And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ ³¹ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

Questions for Consideration:

1. Why do you think God is so intent on his people loving him with our whole heart, soul and mind?
2. How does our love for God effect our love for others? How does our love for others effect our love of God?
3. How did Jesus reflect his love? What does that mean for us?

As you meet this week, we encourage you to also take time to open yourselves up as a group and dialog on the following Wesley Challenge question: Is Jesus real to me? (Pages 19-22 in The Wesley Challenge)

Walking With God: Past - Present - Future Week Two

A Day To Remember

This week, while you meet with your Faith Formation Group you may want to reflect on our Scripture passage by reading Exodus 12:14 (printed below) and discuss the questions from the Scripture and Sermon as a way to begin a conversation. 

Exodus 12:14

“This day will be a day of remembering for you. You will observe it as a festival to the LORD. You will observe it in every generation as a regulation for all time.

Questions for Consideration:

1. Exodus 12:14 comes in the middle of the story of the passover––the night that God would pass over the homes of those who had the blood of the lamb brushed over the top and the sides of their doorframe––the night when God would liberate the nation of Israel. Can you remember a time when God came and did a miraculous work in your life or family? Take time to share this story with your group.
2. Why do you think it is important to remember our stories? What does your story tell you about yourself today?
3. The Jewish calendar revolves around special holidays where their story is told over and over again. Why do you think it is important to hear over and over the story of God’s work within His people? Can you tell the story of God’s work in your life? Take time to share some highlights with your group.

As you meet this week, we encourage you to also take time to open yourselves up as a group and dialog on the following Wesley Challenge question: Do I give time for the Bible to speak to me every day? (Pages 49-52 in The Wesley Challenge)

Walking With God: Past, Present, Future

This week, while you meet with your Faith Formation Group you may want to reflect on our Scripture passage by reading Deuteronomy 1:6-8 (printed below) and discuss the questions from the Scripture and Sermon as a way to begin a conversation. 

Deut. 1:6    “When we were at Mount Sinai, the LORD our God said to us, ‘You have stayed at this mountain long enough. ⁷ It is time to break camp and move on. Go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all the neighboring regions—the Jordan Valley, the hill country, the western foothills, the Negev, and the coastal plain. Go to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, and all the way to the great Euphrates River. ⁸ Look, I am giving all this land to you! Go in and occupy it, for it is the land the LORD swore to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to all their descendants.’”

Questions for Consideration:

1. We have been blessed to be in the Eisenhower Recreation Center for the past four years. Name something that has blessed you during our time together in that place?
2. This Scripture implies that there are times to stay put and then times to move to the next place. This applies to both our physical locations as well as our spiritual and personal being. Describe a time when God has kept you still for a period and how then God directed you that it was time to move on?
3. As you look at your past what are the foundational things God has done in your life to prepare you for the moment you are now living in?
   

As you meet this week, we encourage you to also take time to open yourselves up as a group and dialog on the following Wesley Challenge question: How do I spend my spare time? (Pages 79-84 in The Wesley Challenge)

Made for Shalom: A Heart at War

This week, while you meet with your Faith Formation Group you may want to reflect on our Scripture passage by reading Psalm 34:14 and Luke 18:9-14 (printed below) and discuss the questions from the Scripture and Sermon as a way to begin a conversation. 

Psalm 34:14

Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

Luke 18:9-14

Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: ¹⁰ “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer^a: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! ¹² I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Questions for Consideration:

1. When have you found yourself stuck in a box?
2. Which box(es) do you struggle with most?
3. How does the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (scripture above) teach about getting out of the box and begin to live with a heart of peace? 

As you meet this week, we encourage you to also take time to open yourselves up as a group and dialog on the following Wesley Challenge question: Am I Proud? (Pages 57-62 in The Wesley Challenge)

EBlast for Sunday, September 30, 2018

Made for Shalom!

This week, while you meet with your Faith Formation Group you may want to reflect on our Scripture passage by reading Romans 12:18 (printed below) and discuss the questions as a way to begin a conversation. 

If possible, to the best or your ability, live at peace with all people. (Romans 12:18 CEB)

Questions for Consideration:

1. What does Paul say in Romans 12:18 about making peace with everyone else?
2. What does it look like to you to live in peace with all people?
3. How do you think God views the idea of living in peace? (read Isaiah 2:1-5; Matthew 5:9; Hebrews 12:14; Romans 12:1-17 for ideas)
4. How does your view of living in peace connect with God’s view?

As you meet this week, we encourage you to also take time to open yourselves up as a group and dialog on the following Wesley Challenge question:  When did I last speak to someone about my faith? (Pages 123-126 in The Wesley Challenge)

EBlast for Sunday, September 23, 2018

Paul: His Final Years

This week, while you meet with your Faith Formation Group you may want to reflect on our Scripture passage by reading Acts 28:30,31; Galatians 2:20 and 2 Timothy 4:6-13 (printed below) and discuss the questions as a way to begin a conversation. 

Acts 28:30,31

For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him, boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.

Galatians 2:20

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 

2 Timothy 4:6-13    

I’m already being poured out like a sacrifice to God, and the time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith. At last the champion’s wreath that is awarded for righteousness is waiting for me. The Lord, who is the righteous judge, is going to give it to me on that day. He’s giving it not only to me but also to all those who have set their heart on waiting for his appearance. 

Do your best to come to me quickly. Demas has fallen in love with the present world and has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus has gone to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark, and bring him with you. He has been a big help to me in the ministry. I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring along the coat I left with Carpus in Troas. Also bring the scrolls and especially the parchments.

Questions for Consideration:

1. Luke ends the book of Acts rather abruptly. Why do you think he ended it without sharing what ultimately happens to Paul?
2. After reading through the book of Acts and listening to this sermon series, what do you think about Paul? Does he deserve his reputation as the first missionary of the Christian church? Was he effective in his ministry? Did he live his life with integrity?
3. What do you think Paul’s view was on death? Was death something that he feared? What do you think he wanted Timothy to know about death?
4. How are you prepared for death? Are you at a place in your life where you think you would step in to do something that might save others at the cost to your own life? How do we get to the place where we welcome transitioning from this world to being with Christ in eternity?

As you meet this week, we encourage you to also take time to open yourselves up as a group and dialog on the following Wesley Challenge question:  Do I go to bed on time and get up on time? (Pages 67-70 in The Wesley Challenge)

EBlast for Sunday, September 16, 2018

Paul’s Third Missionary Journey

Acts 19:1   While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples.  ² He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They replied, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”  ³ Then he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They answered, “Into John’s baptism.”  ⁴ Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.”  ⁵ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.  ⁶ When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied—  ⁷ altogether there were about twelve of them. (Acts 19:1-7. NLT)

Usually, You come here to watch a video each week in preparation for Sundays Sermon. Today I thought I would go Old School, so here goes…

I love this passage from Paul’s third missionary journey. Paul had come into the city of Ephesus, one of the major seaports of the Roman Empire, and he found a group of people who are professed disciples of Christ yet have a very limited understanding of what that means. From reading the story we can see that at the heart of their lack of knowledge is the fact that they do not know who the Holy Spirit is, nor have they received the filling of the Holy Spirit. 

For several years I used to take a week-long prayer retreat to the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Georgia. This Catholic Monastery is Trappist, part of which means the monks remain in silence. Those of you who know me know that this was the hardest part of going to retreat there. Even though the monks are disciplined to strict silence, some of the monks break that silence to have times of ministry to people like me who come for retreat. On one of my visits I had signed up to have a session with one of the brothers and as we began our time he asked a question that messed with me for a while. He asked, “Are you a trinitarian?”  He knew I was a United Methodist Pastor and he was very knowledgeable about both Catholic and Protestant beliefs, so I was puzzled by his question. “Are not all orthodox Christians Trinitarian?” I asked. To which he explained that he had found over his years of counseling that most disciples, both Catholics, and Protestants, are only trinitarian in name. He said that most have no understanding of what it means to be triune because they have no understanding of the Holy Spirit.  

This weekend I hope to focus in on this little segment of Paul’s third missionary journey and share what it means to be trinitarian in our faith. Hope you can come and hear God’s word for us this Sunday!

This week, while you meet with your Faith Formation Group you may want to reflect on our Scripture passage by reading Acts 19:1-7 (printed above) and discuss the questions as a way to begin a conversation. 

Questions for Consideration:

1. As we consider this passage, ask: did these people understand what it meant to be a Disciple of Jesus? 
2. How deeply do you understand your faith? What do you understand about the Holy Spirit? 
3. What are ways to continue working to become truly triune in your faith?
4. Have you ever prayed to ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit? 

As you meet this week, we encourage you to also take time to open yourselves up as a group and dialog on the following Wesley Challenge question:  Did the Bible live in me today? (from pages 35 through 39 in The Wesley Challenge)

EBlast for Sunday, September 2, 2018

Paul…

The First Missionary Journey

This week, while you meet with your Faith Formation Group you may want to reflect on our Scripture passage by reading Acts 13:1-4 (printed below) and discuss the questions as a way to begin a conversation. 

    

Acts 13:1    Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria were Barnabas, Simeon (called “the black man”), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (the childhood companion of King Herod Antipas), and Saul. ² One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.” ³ So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.

Acts 13:4    So Barnabas and Saul were sent out by the Holy Spirit. They went down to the seaport of Seleucia and then sailed for the island of Cyprus.

Questions for Consideration:

1. Take time to identify the common theme underlining  God’s call of Barnabas and Saul (Paul) into the special work of becoming missionaries?
2. How does worship, prayer and fasting form a basis for hearing from God. How does worship, prayer and fasting play into your spiritual walk?
3. It is significant that this passage begins with a group of jewish leaders in prayer. In fact up until this point in the story of the early church almost all that was happening in the church was part of the inherited Jewish church. It is at this crucial point that God calls Paul and Barnabas into a mission to reach out to people outside of the inherited church. How is God calling you to be both part of the inherited church of our day and to reach out into the world around us?
4. What does this call to an outward movement of love to people outside of the church mean for us today?

As you meet this week, we encourage you to also take time to open yourselves up as a group and dialog on the following Wesley Challenge question:  Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold resentment toward, or disregard?

Video EBlast for Sunday, August 19, 2018

Paul…

Stuck in the Spotlight of Change

This week, while you meet with your Faith Formation Group you may want to reflect on our Scripture passage by reading Acts 9:1-9 (printed below) and discuss the questions as a way to begin a conversation. 

    

Acts 9:1-9

Acts 9:1    Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. ² He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.

Acts 9:3    As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”

Acts 9:5    “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. 

And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!

⁶ Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

Acts 9:7    The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone’s voice but saw no one! ⁸ Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus. ⁹ He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink.

Questions for Consideration:

1. In this account, Saul traveled 150 miles to Damascus in order to expand what started as a local persecution against believers in Jerusalem. What does this tell you about him?
2. Have you ever been convinced or totally committed to something only to find out that you were wrong? What did it take for Saul (Paul) to change his perceived truth and begin a new path?
3. God had to almost hit Saul over the head with a 2x4 to get his attention, how has God worked to get your attention in life?
4. Why do you think Saul was blind and did not eat for the next three days, after meeting with Christ on the road to Damascus? What do you think is happening in his life during these three days?
5. How do you retreat to process the call of God in your life? What has been the impact when you have left the noise of your busy life to spend time with God?

As you meet this week, we encourage you to also take time to open yourselves up as a group and dialog on the following Wesley Challenge question:  Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy, or distrustful? (Pages 109-112 in The Wesley Challenge)