SCRIPTURE: Luke 12:22-48 & John 20:19-23

“Perhaps we experience this tension, between what we’ve been called to do and what we can do, specifically because our limitations help us to actually accept what God is trying to give us. Don’t turn away from God’s grace, either because you’re ashamed of the ways you’ve missed the mark… or because you are still trying to earn it. Instead, consider: what if God really does love you? What if He really does want to serve you? What if you really are being invited to join Him in the good work He has promised to do?”

REFLECTION/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Let’s talk about workplace culture! How does the pressure of “supervision” affect the kind of work you do? How does it affect the way you do it? Do you ever feel a pressure to “perform”?

2. Now, connect that to your expectations for God: have you ever felt pressure to “be a good Christian”? Did that pressure come from God, or from another source? 

3. What would it look like to steadily pursue your relationship with God? How is this different from performing that relationship?

4. What would it look like to steadily pursue your neighbors? How is this different from performing compassion and service?

5. Do you feel the tension between Luke 12:35-46 and Luke 12:22-31? How might you resolve that tension?

6. Look at Jesus’s grace towards his disciples in Mark 14:32-42 and John 20:19-23. How is this different from the behavior of the Master in the parable? What can we learn from this difference?

7. How might the gift of grace help us resolve the tension between the command to be ever watchful and the command to rest, as the birds and flowers rest, in the love and provision of God?

8. What challenges can you take away from this message this week? 

SCRIPTURE: 1 Samuel 28:1-23

“Be brave enough to feel and see where you are. What small truths support your weight? What larger truths might these be stepstones towards? Are you open to a God who doesn’t want your greatness… but your presence, just as you are?”

REFLECTION/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What have you learned through this series about listening? Why is it important? How can we follow God’s example in listening well?

2. Let’s get it out there: this is a strange story! What do you make of it? Why do you think the scribes of Israel, who transferred this story from Israel’s oral tradition to a written text at least 400 years after the events it describes occurred, chose to keep this episode? 

3. What might God be revealing–about Himself, about us, about how we are meant to live in the world–through it? 

4. Are you ever tempted to connect God’s silence with God’s absence? Share your story. Is it possible to imagine what God’s presence might have been like in that moment? 

5. The Witch of Endor is a fascinating character! Kenny noted that she is compassionate towards Saul… even though Saul is a clear threat to her. What can we learn from this person? What does her compassion reveal?

6. Let’s connect this series, which has been about listening, to our 2022 theme of “(Un)Certainty”: how can prioritizing listening help us when we feel frightened or uncertain? What gets in the way?

7. Our hope for this year is that we learn to prioritize confidence, which is relational, over certainty, which is mostly about control. Does listening “speak” to this hope? How?

SCRIPTURE: 1 Samuel 24

REFLECTION/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What are you learning so far in this series? How would you summarize the “big idea”? 

2. Have you ever struggled with the idea that David was “a man after God’s own heart”? 

3. Kenny emphasized three big differences between David and King Saul, each of which is highlighted by the story in 1 Samuel 24. The first is that David is willing to push back against his men. What makes that so risky for David? Have you ever ignored God when you sensed what He was saying was different from what you wanted? 

4. The second is that David is willing to trust God’s timing. What must David believe about God, and about himself, in order to do this? Do you sometimes struggle to believe you already are who God says you are? 

5. The third is that David is willing to trust God’s judgment. What does it tell us about David that he repents of cutting off the corner of Saul’s robe? Have you ever been afraid of God’s “verdict” against you? 

6. Kenny’s proposal was that David is a man who truly wants to better know God–and this is what it means for him to be “after God’s heart.” How can you be encouraged or challenged by that this week?

7. Read Psalm 46:10–how can you make more space to “Be still” in your life? How can you be intentional about “knowing” God better?

8. Think of those 4 essential human relationships: with Ourselves, with God, with Creation, with Others. Which are easiest? Which need more investment? 

SCRIPTURE: 1 Samuel 28:1-23

“Be brave enough to feel and see where you are. What small truths support your weight? What larger truths might these be stepstones towards? Are you open to a God who doesn’t want your greatness… but your presence, just as you are?”

REFLECTION/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What have you learned through this series about listening? Why is it important? How can we follow God’s example in listening well?

2. Let’s get it out there: this is a strange story! What do you make of it? Why do you think the scribes of Israel, who transferred this story from Israel’s oral tradition to a written text at least 400 years after the events it describes occurred, chose to keep this episode? 

3. What might God be revealing–about Himself, about us, about how we are meant to live in the world–through it? 

4. Are you ever tempted to connect God’s silence with God’s absence? Share your story. Is it possible to imagine what God’s presence might have been like in that moment? 

5. The Witch of Endor is a fascinating character! Kenny noted that she is compassionate towards Saul… even though Saul is a clear threat to her. What can we learn from this person? What does her compassion reveal?

6. Let’s connect this series, which has been about listening, to our 2022 theme of “(Un)Certainty”: how can prioritizing listening help us when we feel frightened or uncertain? What gets in the way?

7. Our hope for this year is that we learn to prioritize confidence, which is relational, over certainty, which is mostly about control. Does listening “speak” to this hope? How?

SCRIPTURE: 1 Samuel 24

REFLECTION/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What are you learning so far in this series? How would you summarize the “big idea”? 

2. Have you ever struggled with the idea that David was “a man after God’s own heart”? 

3. Kenny emphasized three big differences between David and King Saul, each of which is highlighted by the story in 1 Samuel 24. The first is that David is willing to push back against his men. What makes that so risky for David? Have you ever ignored God when you sensed what He was saying was different from what you wanted? 

4. The second is that David is willing to trust God’s timing. What must David believe about God, and about himself, in order to do this? Do you sometimes struggle to believe you already are who God says you are? 

5. The third is that David is willing to trust God’s judgment. What does it tell us about David that he repents of cutting off the corner of Saul’s robe? Have you ever been afraid of God’s “verdict” against you? 

6. Kenny’s proposal was that David is a man who truly wants to better know God–and this is what it means for him to be “after God’s heart.” How can you be encouraged or challenged by that this week?

7. Read Psalm 46:10–how can you make more space to “Be still” in your life? How can you be intentional about “knowing” God better?

8. Think of those 4 essential human relationships: with Ourselves, with God, with Creation, with Others. Which are easiest? Which need more investment? 

SCRIPTURE: 1 Samuel 8:1-22

“Remembering mistakes takes seriously the legacy of those mistakes and the lives that will be impacted by them. It also helps those who come later to situate themselves in this bigger work, which is not about fresh starts, but about God’s patient, compassionate work to earn (and earn again!) our trust.”

REFLECTION/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What are some of the embarrassing moments Israel chooses to remember in the story this week? (1 Samuel 8:1-22)

2. Why would they choose to remember them? 

3. The ones who suffer for Israel’s decision in this week’s story are not the ones who made bad choices! Who suffers instead?

4. How can remembering the whole story–even the embarrassing parts–help the Isrealites? 

5. Where is God when the Israelites are suffering?

6. What can we learn from this story? Why is it important for us to remember the embarrassing parts of our stories?

7. What can we learn about God when we choose to do this? (Think of the ebenezer!)

SCRIPTURE:1 Samuel 7:3-16

“I think we need a telescope. We need to be able to see not just what’s happened lately, but what’s happened ever. We need a vantage point that’s bigger than ourselves…not because we’re small or insignificant, but because we’re a part of an enormous and amazing story.”

REFLECTION/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What blind spots are created by the Israelites’ tendency to have a “what have you done for me lately?” attitude towards God?

2. What are the roles of judges in Israelite culture? What are the roles of a priest? How does Samuel exercise both?

3. What is the ebenezer and what purpose does it serve? 

4. How might an ebenezer be helpful to you in your own life?

5. What can we learn from this story about who God is? 

6. What can we learn about who we are?

7. What can we learn about how to live in right relationships with Him, with ourselves, with others, or with Creation?