1. The scripture passage today, the first of the church calendar’s year, was Isaiah 2:1-5. Here’s the version Cole read from the NLT: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%202%3A1-5&version=NLT 

Re-read or review this passage as a group. What does it tend to evoke in you? Prior to Cole’s teaching today, what has this passage generally communicated to you (if it’s one with which you’re familiar)?

Cole talked about two common interpretations: one centered on the idea that a baby can save us all. The other generally conveys the idea that someday humans will step aside and God will fix everything. How close are these interpretations to what you have tended to think this passage is communicating? How did they differ? 

How do these interpretations strike you? In what ways do either or both of these interpretations appeal to you? In what ways might you feel resistance to them?

2. In his message, Cole said “God is not interested in preserving hope like an artifact in a museum.” He went on to say that Christianity is not that interested in preserving things in the way that they used to be. And that, instead, Christianity‘s radical message is that hope can die - and that a new hope can be resurrected again… And again… And again. 

Spend a few moments, considering these ideas about the nature of God and Christianity. What are your initial responses? What thoughts and feelings are surfacing for you as you consider? Are there things that feel reassuring about these ideas? Are there things that feel frightening?

Consider your responses, and reflect on the origins of your own sense of Christianity’s relationship to hope and/or how it functions. Does considering the places and ways in which you learned to understand these ideas shift anything for you? If so, how so?

3. Ultimately, the message Cole identified in both the passage from Isaiah and the movie, The Children of Men, that he used to explicate these ideas is that, “Like Christ, hope sometimes dies… but it comes back.”

He went on to say that if our [Christian/Biblical] stories are anything, they are a public record for the world that “hope does not stay dead. It doesn’t.”

How do you respond to these statements about the inevitability of resurrected hope? How congruent are they with your sense of what hope is and how it functions? 

Do you have stories in your own past that make it harder or easier to believe in these statements about the inevitability of hope’s resurrection?

Where in your life today is hope dead, dying, or threatening to flicker out? How do you feel about the idea of hope’s resurrection in  the context of those circumstances? How difficult does it seem to believe? Whether you feel doubtful or encouraged or something else entirely, why do you think you might be feeling that way?

1. In his message about St Francesca Cabrini, Tim shared about Francesca’s vow, made very early in her life, to give her life to the service of God.

Did you make any “vows” as a child or young person? Were they made to yourself or to someone else? What were they? If not, what kind of vows might you have made?  

For those who made some sort of vow or commitment: Did you keep them? For how long? To what extent was conscious choice involved?  

Considering things from this vantage point in your life, how do you feel about the vows you made or, if you didn’t, vows you might have made?

What vows might you make today in your life for the years ahead? What areas of your life feel most “vow-worthy?” Why?

2. Born as a preemie, and deeply affected (both physically & psychologically) by a near-drowning experience in her youth, a significant feature in mother Francesca Cabrini’s life was her lifelong physical vulnerability & infirmity. She was also a woman and, eventually, an Italian immigrant to America, at a time in which neither of those standings offered her any privilege.

While no two people share identical life or physical circumstances, we’re often tempted to compare ourselves (& others) to those who, like Cabrini, seem unfazed by significant hardship and difficulty. We can allow one’s person’s success or accomplishments to function as a judgment against or diminishment of ourselves and others whose stories & outcomes seem different.

Is this something you struggle with? How a big role does comparison play in your inner (or outer) life? What does that look like for you? Is there a difference between the ways in which you compare yourself to others and the way in which you compare other people to one another?

When you hear someone else praised, are there times when you feel inspired? Jealous? Chastised? Challenged? What factors seem to affect the way you respond? The context in which context praise is being delivered? Your similarity (or lack of) to the person being recognized? What else? Consider some of the variables in situations like these; what do you notice about your responses and actions? What surfaces as you reflect?

3. Despite a long list of impressive and large scale accomplishments, Mother Cabrini spent 4 to 6 hours in prayer each day. Setting aside the obvious question of “how!?,” what might you guess about the “why?”

Assuming 4-6 hours of prayer isn’t a usual part of your daily life, and acknowledging the pressure some of us may feel to try to “win” at prayer-life, take a moment to consider what your current prayer life (or lack of) looks like. Try to set aside judgment of yourself and, instead, focus on Mother Cabrini’s idea of standing in for the disciples who fell asleep on Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane.

If this principle were to guide your own life in prayer, what impacts would that make? What would change? What might the identifying features of your prayers become? How do you think it would affect you over time?

Mother Cabrini is praised for her fearless faith and fortitude, as well as her tireless work on behalf of immigrants and the marginalized. What links do you see between these aspects of her outer life and the realities of her prayer life as we know it?

What, in your own practice of prayer (either now or in the past), has impacted your life?

Is this conversation causing you to reflect on the nature of prayer in your life today? If so, how so?

1. Walter Brueggemann often used the term “totalism” to mean “any system of power that claims to be absolute & self-sufficient.” It’s essentially synonymous with empire. Inherent is totalism is the idea that nothing good or necessary comes from outside of the system. 

For Brueggemann, the exodus was about God leading God’s people out of totalism. The place God leads them, as Tim taught, is “the wilderness…where they thought they were going to die.” But instead they were given manna and quail; they were given what they needed every day. The wilderness is, in reality, a paradigm for liberation. 

What experiences in your life come to mind when you think of the crumbling of or exodus from some form of totalism? 

Have you seen the liberation that can come from leaving totalism for the wilderness? Are you mid-process with an exodus in your own life? Share about the totalism you have left, are leaving, or are hoping to leave. 

What’s your sense, today, of the wildnerness in the context of the example you shared? Does it feel (right now) more like a place you might die or a place you might find liberation? 

What is the story/narrative you’re most likely to encounter internally when you are doubting that the wildernesses of your life leads to liberation? What narratives are prominent when you find it easier to believe in the liberation to be found in the wilderness? 

2. Tim summed up Brueggemann’s Prophetic Imagination & the 19 Theses like this:

Relinquish the failed script - thru lament (critique)

Articulate an alternative script - with the people of God 

Energize the new neighborhood - toward hope.

Think of a specific space/context in which this process seems to be underway - for you personally or for a community of which you’re a part.  

What does that process look like in this moment? What do you see coming next? What needs to come next? 

What might be your part in helping yourself or your neighbors to move through these steps? What resistance do you encounter? What motivates you to move forward? 

3. Brueggemann taught that “lament is the breaking of numbness by the admission of pain & loss,” and the importance of staying close to our pain (so that we can stay close to our neighbor’s pain). He also  underscored the importance of moving through that pain and lament into an alternative vision for the future. He said that “the difference between a whiner and the prophet is the prophet has an alternative vision for the future.” 

He taught that the children of Israel got stuck in lament. He said that, “when pain is brought to speech, it turns to energy. If it is not brought to speech, it turns to despair.” 

How much does despair feel like a part of your life these days? Do you have places in which you feel stuck in lament? In which you’re struggling to move into that space of energy? 

To what extent have you been able to bring your pain to speech? Who could you turn to & how could you ask for help coming up with a new imagination in a place where you’re struggling to find one? What’s stopping you from doing that? 

Tim taught that a big part of the church’s mission is to cultivate spaces in which we can be together and not be defined by the totalism of the world. What’s been your experience of this as a person in need of that exodus from totalism? What’s been your experience of this as someone who helps create that type of space by being a part of Redemption Church? 

1. Mandy gave us important context for the story of Saint Martin of Tours as she talked about the nature of the Roman army within its historical and cultural space. The Roman army was a scary, elite, and powerful arm of Imperial Rome. She went on teach about the  themes of the gospel of Mark that develop around the inherent conflict between the gospel of Jesus and the gospel of Caesar. 

The gospel of Caesar had, at its core a message that “domination proves divinity.” In response, Mark’s gospel seems to say, “you occupants of the realm of Caesar, you’ve heard Caesar’s gospel; you’ve experienced Caesar’s domination. Now, meet a different non-dominating king who is actually God’s son.” Mark’s thesis, Mandy taught, is essential that Jesus is the anti-Caesar. 

Where in our culture today can you identify the same threads of the message that domination proves divinity or, perhaps, superiority? Are there things that we, as a culture (or you as a human), cannot seem to avoid, and have, at least in some ways, chosen, instead, to worship? What do you think about any places you can identify in which that is or has been true? 

2. In Mark 12:13-17, Mandy paraphrased the question that the Herodians & Pharisees ask of Jesus like this: “will you cower before the commanding empire, acquiescing to their perpetual demands? Will you standby while your people are unjustly policed and subjugated by soldiers on the streets? Or will you rebel, and risk the crackdown?” 

But, Mandy taught, Jesus doesn’t answer the question because they are putting the question in the framework of Caesars kingdom. They are asking, “who dominates who?”

Mandy paraphrased Jesus’ response like this: “you mean the narcissist who puts his face on everything he can brand? Put Caesar back in his place. He may rule you, dominate you, tax you, steal your money through tariffs and whimsical promises; he may crucify you, but he is no god. He’s just another tin-pot tyrant.”

Where can you see yourself in the Herodian and the Pharisees and the question they ask? What does Jesus‘s response speak to you? What is it? You can learn from examining this exchange in context?

3. Below are several important quotes from the end of Mandy’s sermon. For this final question, please review each of them one-by-one, and then discuss them. You can ask these equations about each: 

What do these words bring up for you? How do they make you feel? Where do you find resistance within yourself? Where do you find hope? What else is there to find underneath the layers? What questions are you left with?

“Jesus‘s point is that yes, we are all hopelessly enmeshed in the kingdoms of this world. We will be taxed, commodified, conscripted, and colonized. Cesar may have his cross, his whip, his sword, and his taxation, Cesar has no claim on me. The me that is God‘s image does not cower before these implements of war and weapons of desecration. They may hurt my flesh, but they chip and shatter on the indestructible image of God within me.” 

“Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do when we have no political power is to live by a set of values and principles that exposes the lie of the empire.” 

“There is no more countercultural value system than love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.” 

1. In his closing prayer, Tim harkened back to the beginning themes of his sermon when he prayed about the “sense of failure and meaninglessness that we’re all dealing with.” Considering the framing for these ideas (and reviewing the slides below as needed), how much do you identify with this idea? What does it look like for you to be wrestling with a sense of failure & meaninglessness? What about that fits for your sense of yourself and your life right now? What doesn’t? 

Tim also taught that the underpinning of Jesus’ message was that the problem isn’t that we haven’t moved from “is” to “ought.” The problem is that we think we need to in order to find wholeness. 

What are the details of your version of “ought?” What do you think (either consciously or beneath the layers) that you have to get to/achieve/become/rectify/change in order for life to become “what it’s supposed to be?”

2. Tim taught that one key part of Jesus’ guidance for the world boiled down to this idea: “Stop trying to change the realities of reality. Instead, just accept & embrace grace… and the wholeness you’re seeking will start showing up in the midst of your life in ways you’d never imagine.” 

Where inside yourself do you encounter resistance to this idea? What evokes hesitation or skepticism in you? What do you make of those places of resistance? Are there things that you are afraid would happen if you were to fully embrace this message? If so, what are they?

Tim articulated the other key part of Jesus’ message two different ways:

First, Tim said, “Grace isn’t ‘you’re fine the way you are, and you’re accepted!’ Instead, Grace is ‘you’re not fine the way you are… and you’re accepted.” 

Another way he said it was this: “It’s not, ‘You’re fine. You’re good.’ It’s ’You’re not fine. You’re good.” 

3. In his closing prayer, Tim prayed for us all to be able to take the leap of faith that is giving up on the system & the programs. It’s accepting unfettered grace now. He prayed that we could all “learn to lose.” 

Where are you on this journey [of giving up on the programs and accepting that the system can never work]? 

What l, in your own story so far, has moved you closer to this vision of accepting wholeness? What has moved you further from it? What direction (toward or away) feels the most dominant in your life right now?

Based on this understanding of the message of Christ, what are the next steps for you? What are some truths and ideas you may need to intentionally come back to & remember in order to anchor yourself in the process?

1. Tim covered a lot of ground when talking about our culture of ideology. What stood out to you the most? What resonated? Which ideas and topics prompted you to think or helped you make a connection? What areas left you with questions?

2. Tim gave us a definition for ideology that describes it as a tool that masks our alienation from ourselves. He said that ideology offers fantasies of wholeness and fullness that masquerade as reality. Ideology, he said, is a comprehensive system that structures reality for us, so seamless and consistently that it seems self-evident.

Spend a little time considering and discussing this definition. What does it make you think about? How much does it click for you? Do you see places in your own life where ideology has functioned this way? or might be currently?

He also described the way in which, within ideological frameworks, our internal isolation from self is treated like a problem to be solved. Ideologies, he said, position themselves as a solution for our internal alienation from self. Yet, this divided paradigm of our existence is one that Genesis describes as being instituted by God at the point of creation.

What do you make of this contradiction? Why do you think we are drawn to ideologies that promise to deliver us from this created state? What do you think we miss out on because of that?

Tim taught that ideologies promise that a conversion from A to B (or what you have from to what you don’t have) will solve your problem of self-alienation. But they always fail to deliver on this promise.

Where in your own life, have you seen that type of promise or messaging? What contexts have you been a part of (or witnessed) in which there exists a promise that a conversion from one state to another will resolve the split places inside of you, delivering you to wholeness? How has that worked out in the end? Where do you see the failures of that promise? What, if anything, have those failures been catalysts for in your life? What has been their impact?

3. Tim talked about capitalism as a dominant ideology within American culture. He so said, “when we think others are self-deceived, but we are not, that is a clear signal that we’re in ideology.” Does this statement resonate for you in regards to capitalism? What about in regards to something else? How do you feel having this paradigm called out as a hallmark of being in ideology? If you can identify places in which you do sometimes think that others are self deceived, but that you are not, are you able to see or accept that space as ideology? How do you feel about it?

4. Tim also talked about the way in which this split nature of self, or alienation from self, is the very essence of our humanity. It’s the thing that gives us the ability to self reflect and evaluate the way we are living our lives. He said that Christian conversion is not changing from A to B, but from A to “Not A,” and that the core confession is to acknowledge that we are not one with our ourselves. We can, he said, hold alienation as the truth about our lives without trying to “fix” it. This allows us to move through it, come out the other side, and move into something truly new.

Where have you seen this type of transformation in your own life? Or what do you think it would look like for you? Do you have experience with a process that looks and sounds like, but you’d consider something different? What has the experience been like? What have been its results?

1. In his sermon, Tim shared a slide of 3 concentric circles that represented our sphere’s of relationship in life:

- inner circle = Intimate (family/friends)
- middle ring = Social (village/neighborhood)
- outer ring = Public (tribe/affinity based)

He then shared that, though smart phones have helped people connect more with the inner & outer circles in their life, they’ve had a “decimating [impact on] our village relationships, eroding the competencies we need to hold our communities together.”

What do you see in the world around you that seems like evidence of this degradation of skills? What dying/lost skills & competencies do you feel most aware of? What kinds of situations have made you aware of that gap?

What do you see in yourself & your own personal interactions in the world that might be evidence of this skill erosion? What dynamics or situations in your life are impacted by skill gaps or weakened social muscles that you can identify in yourself?

In what ways might you grow or strengthen those skills? Does it seem worthwhile to try? Why or why not?

2. Tim talked about Nicholas Epley’s research and the ways in which it shows that we think we want to be alone, but that we actually feel better when we connect with other people.

How much do you think these findings describe you?

In your life (prior to today), what are some reasons you might choose to do something on your own over something social, when given the choice? What are some reasons you might choose something social? What impact might learning what you did in this sermon have on your choices in the future?

Tim also talked about the systemic changes and structures that have fueled and compounded these changes in our society. He talked about things like the decline in public & municipal investment into public spaces, and the impact of housing laws that make communal & community living less and less possible. What does reflecting on these realities prompt within you? What thoughts, feelings, questions, or desires rise to the surface?

3. While admitting that there’s no clear solution that could fix these larger systemic issues, Tim also reminded us of the community-oriented Christian practices that emulate the practices Jesus left his followers:

Sabbath keeping
Weekly worship
Community
Peacemaking
Solidarity with outcasts

Which of these practices feel like important parts of your own life’s rhythms? In what ways has practicing one or more of these things impacted you?

Are there any of these practices that you’d like to integrate more into your life? What barriers do you (or might you) encounter when trying to practice these things? In what ways might you creatively engage with those barriers in order to shift them?

4. Bonus Question!

Tim described a study in which the researcher (Epley?) had people sit with a stranger and answer four questions for each other. If you’re up for it, consider answering any or all of these questions with your whole group, an individual person in your group, or with someone else in your life. Pay attention to how you feel after doing so.

- If we’re gonna be friends, what would be important for me to know about you?

- What are you most anxious about in your life

- Do you have crystal ball to tell your future, what would you want to know?

- Can you tell me about the last time (or a time) that you cried in front of another person?

1. As Cole discussed the evolution of the ideas of individual personhood & the ways in which they became weaponized, Cole shared about how the Golden Age’s “titans of industry” became the patrons of the conversations & institutions that shaped America’s consciousness. 

In time, there was a shift away from “all people were created equal” toward “all people have equal opportunity.” Cole called out both the subtlety and immense significance of this shift. 

What do you think about the idea that all are created equal? How do you see that functioning or not functioning in society today?

Similarly, what do you think about the idea that all people have equal opportunity? How do you see that functioning or not functioning in society today? 

Are these two ideas mutually exclusive? mutually dependent? What, if any, is the relationship that exists between them? 

As a group, discuss the nature and impact of the shift Cole described. Where do you see the ripple effects of that shift? In today’s culture, how prevalent is the idea that all people are created equal? How prevalent is the idea that all people have equal opportunity? 

Are there shifts you see occurring right now in the discourse of America that have a similar potential to derail and distort a solid start? What & where?

2. Underscored throughout Cole’s sermon was the truth that we are made in the image of a triune God. He reminded us that we’re not made in the image of politicians, parties, readings of the Bible, influencers, celebrities, or anything or anyone else.

How does this idea speak to you? What does it mean to be made in the image of a triune God? What does the community-nature of God mean for us as we try to live as the humans we’re meant to be? What does it look like?

How often do you find that you are attempting to remake yourself in the image of other people, ideas, or concepts? What are the tell-tale signs that you’ve drifted in that direction? What does it look like for you? 

Conversely, what signals can you notice in yourself when you are, instead, living into your identity as a human created in the image of a triune God? What does that look like?