Oaks Parish

Scripture Text: Luke 10:38-42

Quotes for Reflection

F. Scott Spencer, Luke
[Jesus'] double “Martha, Martha” reflects sensitivity, not hostility (she and sister Mary are the only women Luke’s Jesus calls by name). He then conveys his loving concern by exposing the emotional roots of her ministerial angst. He never rebukes her [ministerial] action (how could he, since service constitutes the core of his own work?), but instead gently chides her attitude of excessive worry or anxiety and “inner turmoil” over getting everything done (Luke 10:41).

Earlier, Jesus warned about the potential of anxious cares that choke the divine word (Luke 8:14). Martha, who takes Jesus’s word quite seriously, runs the risk of stifling that word through her frustration over a worthy goal of hospitality. Simply put, it is hard to hear the Lord’s word clearly and respond to it faithfully when consumed with worry.

N.T. Wright, Luke for Everyone
We would be wrong, then, to see Martha and Mary, as they have so often been seen, as models of the 'active' and the 'contemplative' styles of spirituality. Action and contemplation are of course both important. Without the first, you wouldn't eat; without the second, you wouldn't worship. And no doubt some people are called to one kind of balance between them, and others to another. But we cannot escape the challenge of this passage by turning it into a comment about different types of Christian lifestyle. It is about the boundary-breaking call of Jesus. As he goes up to Jerusalem, he leaves behind him towns, villages, households, and individuals who have glimpsed a new vision of the kingdom, and for whom life will never be the same again. God grant that as we read his story, the same will be true of us.

Application Questions

1. What might Jesus be inviting you to receive from Him, and what might He be inviting you to do in response? What fear, anxiety, or obstacle might be keeping you from taking either step?

2. Who comes to mind when you consider neighbors, coworkers, or friends in your circle of influence? How could they benefit from your peaceful hospitality in a distracted world?

Special Guest Andy Jeffrey

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Scripture Text: Jeremiah 29:1-14

Quotes for Reflection

Péter Nádas, A Careful Definition of Place
Ever since I have lived near this gigantic wild pear tree, I have not needed to go yonder when I want to look into the distance or back in time…On warm summer nights, quiet singing can be heard from under the wild pear. The villagers san quietly. The probably did not want to behave inappropriately and disturb the night.

Simone Weil, The Need for Roots
To be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of the human soul. It is one of the hardest to define. A human being has roots by virtue of his real, active, and natural participation in the life of a community which preserves in living shape certain particular treasures of the past and certain particular expectations for the future. This participation is a natural one, in the sense that it is automatically brought about by place, conditions of birth, profession, and social surroundings. Every human being needs to have multiple roots. It is necessary for him to draw well-nigh the whole of his moral, intellectual, and spiritual life by way of the environment of which he forms a natural part.

John Calvin, Commentary on Jeremiah and Lamentations
God commanded the captives to build houses in Chaldea, to plant vineyards, and also to marry wives, and to beget children, as though they were at home. It was not, indeed, God's purpose that they should set their hearts on Chaldea, on the contrary, they were ever to think of their return: but until the end of the seventy years, it was God's will that they should continue quiet, and not attempt this or that, but carry on the business of life as though they were in their own country. As to their hope, then, it was God's will that their minds should be in a state of suspense until the time of deliverance.

Application Questions

1. Why do we often discount place in the Western church?

2. How are our circumstances both different from and similar to Israel’s exile in Babylon? Of God’s five “stay” commands, which resonates most with you right now?

3. How does living in what Calvin calls “suspense” shape a gospel-centered posture toward place? How would you describe the “parish” God has called you to in this season, and how can others pray for your faithful presence there?

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Scripture Text: 1 Samuel 18:1–4; 20:35–42

Quotes for Reflection

Angela Duckworth, “I Study Successful People. They Have One Habit in Common”. The New York Times 08.28.26
You might think I’d love the image of the solo striver triumphing over every challenge. After all, I’m a psychologist who wrote a book called “Grit” about the necessity of passion and perseverance for achieving long-term goals. The truth is, I hate it. Without exception, every high performer I’ve studied credits a host of supporters for success. Research has found that a willingness to ask for help is crucial to achievement.

Richard Phillips, 1 Samuel
When we consider the bond of friendship that grew between Jonathan and David, there was not much of a natural basis for their close relationship. They were not close in age, background, or experiences. What was their common bond? They were bound together by their faith in the Lord. Jonathan’s heart was knit to David because David embodied the things most precious to his heart.

William Blaikie, Expository Lectures on the Book of 1 Samuel
In the case of Jesus Christ, we have all the noble qualities of Jonathan in far higher excellence than his, and we have this further consideration, that for us He has laid down His life, and that none who receive His friendship can ever be separated from His love.

C.S. Lewis, Four Loves
In reality, a few years’ difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one university instead of another, posting to different regiments, the accident of a topic being raised or not raised at a first meeting—any of these chances might have kept us apart. But, for a Christian, there are, strictly speaking, no chances. A secret Master of the Ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples, ‘Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,’ can truly say to every group of Christian friends, ‘You have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another.’ The Friendship is not a reward for our discrimination and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each the beauties of all the others. They are no greater than the beauties of a thousand other men; by Friendship God opens our eyes to them. They are, like all beauties, derived from Him, and then, in a good Friendship, increased by Him through the Friendship itself, so that it is His instrument for creating as well as for revealing. At this feast it is He who has spread the board and it is He who has chosen the guests. It is He, we may dare to hope, who sometimes does, and always should, preside.

Application Questions

1. Consider someone you would call a good friend. What makes them a good friend?

2. As we grow older, friendship can become more challenging, even in the church. Why do you think that is? How have you sought to overcome those challenges?

3. How is God speaking to you about your friendships in the church? What is one action you could take that might make a significant difference?

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Scripture Text: Psalm 1

Quotes for Reflection

Byung-Chul Han, The Disappearance of Rituals
Rituals stabilize life. To paraphrase Antoine Saint Exupéry, we may say: rituals are in life what things are in space…They ‘have the function of stabilizing human life.’ Their ‘objectivity lies in the fact that…men, their ever-changing nature notwithstanding, can retrieve their sameness, that is, their identity, by being related to the same chair the same table.’ In life, serve as stabilizing resting points. Rituals serve the same purpose. Through their self-sameness, their repetitiveness, they stabilize life. They make life last.

Søren Kierkegaard, Repetition and Philosophical Crumbs
Repetition’s love is in truth the only happy love…Hope is new attire, stiff and starched and splendid. Still, since it has not yet been tried on, one does not know whether it will suit one, or whether it will fit. Recollection is discarded clothing which, however lovely it might be, no longer suits one because one has outgrown it. Repetition is clothing that never becomes worn, that fits snugly and comfortably, that neither pulls nor hangs too loosely….repetition is the daily bread that satisfies through blessing.

Péter Nádas, A Careful Definition of the Locale: Walking Around and Around a Solitary Wild Pear Tree
Ever since I have lived near this gigantic wild pear tree, I have not needed to go yonder when I want to look into the distance or back in time.

Willem A. VanGemeren, Psalms
In the Wisdom literature, the way of torah signifies adherence to God’s will in everyday life and enjoying this application of his will. The delight of the godly in doing God’s will on earth is the result of a special relationship with the Lord.

Application Questions

1. Consider two examples from your life. First, consider the joy of possessing something new. Second, consider the joy of possessing the same thing over many years. What do you notice about the difference between those two joys?

2. Of all the metaphors the psalmist could have chosen in Psalm 1 to represent life with God, he chose a tree. Why a tree, and what stands out to you about this image?

3. What sort of impact has the sameness of the liturgy had on your life during the week?

Scripture Text: Psalm 129

Quotes for Reflection

George Herbert, The Sacrifice
With clubs and staves they seek me, as a thief,
Who am the Way and Truth, the true relief;
Most true to those, who are my greatest grief:
Was ever grief like mine?

Steven Lawson, The Holman Old Testament Commentary
In the face of defeat, God gave them the victory. In fact, such God-given victory marked the entire history of his people, Israel. God's people sinned, and God saved them; Israel disobeyed, and God delivered them; Israel rebelled, and God rescued them. This is the undeserved grace of God poured out upon his people. Failure is never final as long as there is the grace of God.

Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction
The reason my childhood was one enthusiasm after another was that I hadn’t yet found an organizing center for my life and a goal that would demand my all and my best. The Christian faith is the discovery of that center in the God who sticks with us, the righteous God. Christian discipleship is a decision to walk in his ways, steadily and firmly, and then finding that the way integrates all our interests, passions and gifts, our human needs and our eternal aspirations. It is the way of life we were created for. There are endless challenges in it to keep us on the growing edge of faith; there is always the God who sticks with us to make it possible for us to persevere.

Application Questions

1. Psalm 129 describes God as the one who rescues us from oppression. What does it say about God that he even rescues us from ourselves?

2. The prayer of the psalmist in verse five is one of anger. How is God speaking to you through your anger in this season?

3. The story of Scripture tells of a God who always sticks with us. How have you experienced this in your own story and how can this give you a sense of renewed hope for whatever you might facing now?

Scripture Text: Psalm 123

Quotes for Reflection

Paul Goodman, Little Prayers and Finite Experience
Patience is drawing on underlying forces; it is powerfully positive, though to a natural view it looks like just sitting it out. How would I persist against positive eroding forces if I were not drawing on invisible forces? And patience has a positive tonic effect on others; because of the presence of the patient person, they revive and go on, as if he were the gyroscope of the ship providing a stable ground. But the patient person himself does not enjoy it.

Steven Lawson, Psalms 76-150
Herein is found the encouragement every believer needs. In this psalm is the needed motivation to look beyond all one's present circumstances to the Lord himself. Every Christian needs to be peering beyond an overbearing boss, beyond a dying parent, beyond an unfaithful friend to the Lord himself. He must be looking beyond an unexpected expense, beyond a rebellious child, beyond a stagnant ministry, and beyond a passed-over promotion to the Lord himself. This is the upward vision of faith, a focusing on God for all our needs. The eyes of faith are always looking up to God for life, direction, protection, and provision. Such an upward gaze requires a lowly submission before God, a humble reliance upon him, and a ready obedience to keep his Word.

Tim & Kathy Keller, The Songs of Jesus
Believers feel the pain of the world’s contempt. How do we keep from either adopting its views or becoming resentful and withdrawn? We must lift our eyes to God. This is more than simply to “take a look.” It denotes a steady, reflective, adoring gaze filled with longing and desire. The psalmist focuses both his attention and the yearnings of his heart on God in prayer. He became like a domestic servant, trained to respond to every indication of his master’s will. In short, the psalmist overcomes all distractions and makes knowing God experientially and serving God obediently the main business of his life.

Application Questions

1. Why is it so tempting to use worldly tactics to deal with the pain points of life? How has this impacted the credibility of Christian faith in our time?

2. Why is gathered worship so central to seeing beyond the veil of circumstance?

3. How does the gospel naturally cultivate patience in all things? How does the gospel inspire hope in particular way for your life at the present moment?

Scripture Text: Luke 12:13-21