Sunday, February 28th, 2021
We enjoyed an afternoon of worship while celebrating 3 young women and their baptisms! What a joyous day!
Hidden Idols
As people who have chosen to follow Jesus and are inviting others to do the same, we must pay attention to the tides that are rolling in. They are deforming. In the language of spiritual formation, we must pay attention to our cultural captivities- the places where we are held captive more to the kingdom of the world than to the kingdom of God. Our cultural captivities keep us from full freedom. Or, using the language of the Bible, we must pay attention to our idols. Idols matter. Idols deceive. Idols linger. And as evidenced in the story of our lives, idols kill love. For January and February this year, we are going to talk about racism, nationalism, hyper-individualism, materialism and the kingdom of God. We want whole life alignment with God and His redemptive plan. And for that to happen, idols need to be named, resisted and replaced with white-hot worship of the Triune God.
Sunday, February 21, 2021
Discussion Questions:
1. When you hear a call to speak for the silent and to bring justice to those being crushed, what area or issue first comes to mind?
2. Which system (Family, Government, Church) stands out to you as an area where you have seen injustice? Which one is least likely to be on your radar?
3. What is one thing that you heard today that challenges your thinking or assumptions about systemic injustice?
4. What might be true about our church that would make it hard for people of color to feel safe, supported and welcomed?
5. Where might God be calling you or us to take a step toward making our voices heard?
Spend some time praying for the people, issues and challenges that you have discussed today.
Sunday, February 14, 2021
Wi-fi and technical difficulties caused a loss of streaming activity. This sermon was repeated on Feb. 21st.
Discussion Questions:
1. When you hear a call to speak for the silent and to bring justice to those being crushed, what area or issue first comes to mind?
2. Which system (Family, Government, Church) stands out to you as an area where you have seen injustice? Which one is least likely to be on your radar?
3. What is one thing that you heard today that challenges your thinking or assumptions about systemic injustice?
4. What might be true about our church that would make it hard for people of color to feel safe, supported and welcomed?
5. Where might God be calling you or us to take a step toward making our voices heard?
Spend some time praying for the people, issues and challenges that you have discussed today.
Sunday, February 7, 2021
Discussion Questions:
1. How has hatred, fear or assumptions gotten in the way of you engaging with others who are ethnically/culturally different than you?
2. Which of the “Assumption” questions strikes you as challenging:
Is there a particular people, ethnicity or race you don’t trust? Why?
Is there a particular ethnicity or race that you cannot marry? Your kids/grandkids? Why?
What types of people cause you to cross the street if you are walking alone? Why?
Who makes you nervous on an airplane?
What happens inside you when you see interracial couples? Why?
When is the last time you visited the residence of a different culture or race?
What type of person would you must trust to invest your money? Why?
Do you assume that reconciliation means color blindness?
Do you believe that Christianity is a white religion?
3. How have you tried to listen and learn instead of lecturing? What resources have you found helpful?
4. What are the challenges you face in seeing and showing the face of God to someone who looks different from you?
Sunday, January 31, 2021
Sunday, January 24, 2021
Discussion Questions:
1. What was most impactful, challenging or important to you from today’s sermon?
2. How have you defined justice? Which is side of justice do you tend to view the world from: punishing those who do wrong or giving people what they are due (whether punishment, protection or care)?
3. How has your personal experience and story contributed to your concept of justice?
4. Where have you experienced people “missing each other” when talking about justice? In your family? In our church? In our city?
5. What issues of justice lie closest to your heart and why? Try to be as specific as possible: poverty, criminal justice, immigration, abortion, sex trafficking, education, etc. How have you tried to take action on this?
6. Spend some time praying for each other, our church and the world today.
Sunday, January 17, 2021
Discussion Questions:
1. What was most impactful, challenging or important to you from today’s sermon?
2. How have you defined racism? Which is more natural of a diagnostic for you: individualism or structuralism? An emphasis on personal responsibility or social structures/systems?
3. What factors contribute to you thinking that way?
4. How have you experienced missing others about the topic of racism? In your family? In our church? In our city?
5. What do you think changes about engaging the sin of racism if we understand sin as affecting the soul, the system and the spiritual realm? The flesh, the world and the devil?
6. Spend some time praying for each other, our church and the world today.
Sunday, January 10, 2021
Discussion Questions:
1. How familiar are you with the ideas of Christian Nationalism? What questions do you have about it- about its distinction from patriotism? How have you seen it or experienced it in your background?
2. How have you been processing the events of the past week in our country? What emotions, questions, issues does it evoke?
3. How might the presence of Christian Nationalism be deforming our own church? Our own Thurston County community? Our families?
4. What was one thing that you learned this week that was new to you?
5. What is the good news of the gospel that you need to hear this week about this issue?
6. What other questions or issues does this conversation raise? Spend time talking about praying for each other before closing.
Sunday, January 3, 2021
Discussion Questions:
1. Using some of the definitions given today, what are some of the heart idols you wrestle with?
2. What have been the main deforming forces at work against you in 2020? Against your family? Against our church? Do you feel like you have been able to name them?
3. What hopes do you have for this upcoming series in the life of our church? What fears do you have about it?
Spend some time praying for all that is mentioned together.