Scripture: Exodus 3:1-4

1. In general, are you the type of person who feels a lot of certainty on things or the type who can never make up your mind? 
2. Can you think of a time where you met a person, read a book, took a class, or traveled to a new place that revealed to you the limits of your own knowledge?  
3. Will says, "I’d suggest instead that the real goal of knowing God is loving intimacy. The reason God created us is so we could receive God’s love and we could offer love to God in return. Of course, in a relationship where loving intimacy is the goal, knowledge does play a role, but it’s NOT about gaining certainty." What do you think this means? What is it about if not certainty?
4. Read the scripture for today, what stands out to you? What invitation is there in it for you?
5. Moses responds to God’s strange act of self-revelation with neither a posture of absolute certainty or relative indifference; instead, he responds with curiosity! What are ways you could respond to God with more curiosity than certainty?
6. Will asks the question, "How do we at once honor God’s infinite mystery and our finite limitations, while also honoring all the ways God has chosen to share God’s self with us?" one way he answers that is the following, "we need to put God’s self-revelation in Jesus, as witnessed to in the Scriptures, at the center of our quest to know God, but we also recognize that I’m also interpreting Scriptures from a finite, limited perspective." What do you think about this? What are some of the ways your persepctve on God may be limited or clouded in a way that causes you to refuse to see other aspects of God or other understandnings of God in different contexts?
7. Where are you? Do you tend toward certainty about what you know? Or have you given up the possibility of knowing anything? What's a step you might take toward cultivating and practicing curiosity in your life, in your relationship to God and to God’s people?

Scripture: Luke 19:1-10​

1. What are times or situations where you felt out of place/unwelcome?
2. Church is supposed to be a place "where we can be free to be ourselves–where even in times of great vulnerability and self-hatred – we can feel safe and embraced wholly" yet so often it feels like the opposite--whether we just feel like we need to be on our absolute best behavior, or there is something about our identity itself that doesn't feel welcomed. Are there times where you have had this experience with church? If you are comfortable please share.
3. Take a minute to read the scripture for today. What stands out to you? What can you learn from Jesus' example? What about Zacchaeus' example?
4. Phyllis did an excercise during the sermon, which we invite you to do again right now: "Stop for a moment and close your eyes. Imagine that Jesus is calling out your name. Jesus sees you. Everything about you-- there is nothing hidden from Jesus. And despite whatever the people around you might be saying--maybe they are grumbling like those in our passage today and they are saying, “He has gone to be the guest of the one who is a sinner,”-- Jesus is still calling out your name. Loudly and boldly, Jesus is calling your name. You can open your eyes now." How did that feel? Did anythign come up for you? What does it mean that Jesus dees and makes space for you exactly as you are?
5. This space isn't meant to just be kept for ourselves, yet often we aren't great at inclusion for others. Phyllis says, "We want people to feel at home in Christ, but when we make it all about people coming to us, then anyone who has ever felt excluded is going to feel the pressure to fit in. The work is all on the person who may feel excluded to work hard at trying to be included. The story of Jesus and Zacchaeus transforms how we think about that! Jesus did not wait for Zacchaeus to meet him at the synagogue or on his terms, but like the father who ran to his prodigal son, Jesus went to Zacchaeus." What do you think of this? Is there a challenge in it for you? What are the ways you expect others to come to you rather than going to them?
6. What are ways the church is not inclusive and who are the people who come to mind for you that often end up excluded? 
7. There are often barriers we experience in trying to make the church a more inclusive space/be more inclusive people. What ones come to mind for you--whether they are walls you yourself have built for a sense of comfort, or ones that are outside of you and have existed for a long time? 
8. Take a moment to consider the ways Jesus has included you. What images of Jesus come to mind that make you feel that sense of belonging and inclusion? What stories of Jesus have highlighted that for you? Now think of ways that you could offer inclusion and a sense of home for someone in your life who may feel excluded. Who is that person that you can be home to? What can you do to make that person feel included?

Scripture: John 3: 1-8

1. What is a "spiritual concept" you picked up sometime in life thinking they were truths, that you later had to rethink and replace when you realized some of the flaws in it?
2. When you hear the term "born again" what associations come to mind?
3. There are many uses to the term "born again" but often it has been thought of or described as being rooted in a one-time, dramatic conversion experience where everything changed. Many would say you can’t see the kingdom of God, heaven is not your home, God is not in the business of redeeming your life, the door to eternity is closed unless you are born again." What are some potential problems you think might arise with thinking about conversion and being "born again" in this way? These could be problems you personally have experienced or seen others experience, or just ones you can imagine coming up for people!
4. Pastor Will gave the following two reasons for why the topic of being "born again" always stressed him out when he was younger-- "One, I couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment of my spiritual rebirth. Two, even if I did start to think, maybe it was that time I said that prayer or had that special spiritual experience, they just didn’t seem dramatic enough, or profound enough, and whatever “change” I felt didn’t seem lasting enough." Essentially, he developed a massive case of imposter syndrome. What do you think of this? Have you ever felt similarly? What might need to change in this line of thinking/what advice would you give a young Will?
5. The "born again" idea often comes with a massive amount of shame for people, when it isn't true to their experience or the "life-changing" effects of their conversion experience don't seem to last. The scripture though is more complicated than what it is often reduced to. Take a minute to read it, what context or details do you see that give a more nuanced way to look at this passage? Pastor Will also says, "In Greek, the word “anothen” has a double meaning - it can mean “again” or it can mean “from above.” So the passage could be translated “born again” or “born from above."" How might this translation, in addition to the other details you notice, offer a different approach to this passage than one that leads to feelings of shame and imposter syndrome?
6. Jesus’ focus is not on the precise when of the second birth described, but the who of this second birth! Your other mother - the Holy Spirit, who can't be put in a box or prescribed but works in many different ways in each person but rather blows where it pleases. Essentially, "God knows the right ways and right times to work in YOUR LIFE - and it probably won’t be the exact same as what I’ve experienced, or what your parents experienced, or what your friends experienced." Our journey with God is just that--a journey with ups and downs and differences from one person to another. How does this way of thinking about the Spirit and transformation change things for you? How does it make you feel? What further questions does it bring up?

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17-20

1. In Sunday School growing up, Becky was taught a specific atonement theory about how God's anger needed to be satisfied or appeased through a propitiation. Have you ever been taught something similar? What was the primary metaphor for atonement that you were taught?
2. "Insecure attachment is what happens when parents or caregivers either don't respond to their child's needs, or only respond sporadically." What about the atonement theology Becky grew up with contributed to a sense of insecure attachment with God? Reflect on your own spiritual and theological journey with God. Have you ever experienced spiritual insecure attachment? 
3. Becky shared the story of Swedish Covenant theologian P.P. Waldenstrom who re-examined scriptures like 2 Corinthians 5:17-20. Read over this scripture together. What are all the things this passage says about 'atonement' or 'reconciliation'?
4. Read this quote by Waldenstrom:  "it was not God who through this offering was to be appeased; it was man who through the same was to be made righteous--an action which was necessary if he were to be saved. For it was on man's side (in his sin) where the obstacle lay. It was man alone, and not God, who fell from goodness on the day of the Fall. It was man who became God's enemy and turned away from God, and not God who became man's enemy and turned away from man. No, when man went away as God's enemy, then God loved him so much that he in Christ went after him to remove, not God's wrath, but man's sin. When God, therefore, gave his only begotten Son, he did it not in order to find a person on whom he might satisfy his wrath so that he might be able to love the world, but in order to find a person through whom he might save man, the fallen child, whom he unchangeably loved, because he is love." How would you summarize Waldenstrom's point? What resonates in this quote with you?
5. Reading Waldenstrom invited Pastor Becky to think about the sacrifice of Jesus in terms of cleansing or expiation. What did Becky mean by this? What scripture verses or passages come to your mind about these themes?
6. The early church often described the atonement in terms of sickness and healing. Becky used the metaphor of sin as a cancer and Christ's sacrificial self-offering as a kind of chemotherapy that injects healing and new life into our lives. What resonated with you about this metaphor?
7. Understanding the atonement in a way where God's love is consistent and constant has helped Becky grow in secure attachment to God. What has helped foster security in your relationship with God's love? What are some things, maybe spiritual practices or theological adjustments, that you need to implement in order to grow in your security that God's love for you in unchanging?

Scripture: Psalm 58

1. There are a lot of implicit and explicit messages in the church about what emotions are more acceptable to express and which are not. Have you ever received these messages about certain emotions? If so which ones and how? 
2. How do you usually feel when you see people getting worked-up or angry? 
3. Take a minute to read Psalm 58. Name honestly how it makes you feel and why, what questions does it bring-up for you? 
4. Walter Bruggeman classifies the Psalms into two general categories—Psalms of orientation and Psalms of disorientation. The Psalms of orientation are joyous and praise God, acknowledging and thanking God for all that is beautiful and right in this world. The Psalms of disorientation though, acknowledge all that is wrong and broken in this world. Honestly naming the ways in which our experiences aren’t just what is beautiful and whole, but also what is not right, not as things should be. The psalms of lament and the psalms of anger both do this. Both types of psalms, those of orientation and disorientation are ways to worship God. They are honest before God and show a deeper level of trust in God through being able to express all our emotions just as they are and still name God as our King. What do you think of this? How do you tend to think of worship? Is it hard to imagine worshipping God through anger and saddness? What might it look like to do so?
5. Mary says that "In a way, the speaker is choosing the least violent option with their anger in the face of the intense injustice they are experiencing--relinquishing control over what happens to God. They know God is loving and won't do anything they ask if it is wrong to do so. This psalm is an attempt, in the face of extreme helplessness, to suppress the human desire for violence, and instead surrender everything to God—a God whose word of judgment is universally just." Do you think you are honest about your anger before God? What are ways you could surrender more of your anger to God and name it all honestly?
6. In Ephesians 4:26 Paul says, “Be angry, but in your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun set upon your anger.” While it isn't wrong to be angry or inherently bad to express that anger, we are still responsible for our actions when we are angry. What are some healthy ways to express anger? What are some challenges in doing so?
7. Some unhealthy tendencies we have when expressing anger or either to "bottle-up" (never expressing our anger and instead build-up resentments or act passive aggressive) or "blowing-up" (exploding with all our anger at once in unkind/uncaring ways). Which do you tend to do? What next steps could you take in changing some of how you express your anger?
8. When we express our anger in honest ways, we can work through it rather than hold onto it. How might we make more spaces in the church and in our relationships for loving expressions of anger?

Scripture: Matthew 17: 1-9

1. As we mature as disciples of Jesus, learn together in the community of God’s people, and the Holy Spirit speaks to us through the Scriptures-- it is good practice to re-examine and reevaluate those things we’ve picked up and held onto and discover new truths that replace old ideas. This is an important thing to do so we don't limit ourselves and God. What are some practices or ideas you've needed to reevaluate over the years?
2. What is your current understanding of worship, or the one you grew up with? In what ways might they be limited?
3. Take a minute to read the scripture. What stands out to you? What understandings about worship could you take from this passage?
4. One of the modes of thinking Travis fell into while young was that worship was conditional based on one's surroundings-- "real worship" required more and a special environment with the best songs after a week of being a "good follower of Jesus." Have you fallen into this mode of thought before? What about chruch culture do you think reinforces this? 
5. One of the problems with this mode of thinking is that it leads you to be a worship critic rather than worshipper--analyzing how logistically good a worship service was rather than just focusing on God. Another problem is we stop using our own words and let the songs or the service do it all for us (not bad to some degree but damaging over time). Think about how you worship? Have you ever been there? What could you do about it?
6. In the scripture nothing is actually happening that would indicate that a sacred and supernatural event is about to occur… there’s just Jesus. But it is Jesus. As Travis says, "that’s the invitation for us today: to set aside what we think we know, to let go of our preferences, our preconceived notions of what should be, and to humbly, honestly and vulnerably allow Christ to reveal himself to us." When you engage in worship, who do you see? How can you worship in different ways, that help you just see Jesus?
7. "A real barrier to this can be our own fear of what will happen if we actually engage with and enter God’s presence because we’re terrified of what God will see in us--our doubts, failures, hidden darkness, rejection of God, rejection of others, and our rejection of ourselves." Which of these fears resonate with you? Read Matthew 17:7-8. What invitation is there for you in these words?

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:6-10

1. Have you ever felt the pressure to be really "awesome" at one thing? How have you seen that pressure expressed in our culture or in the church?
2. Pastor Will shared how he avoided activities or quit classes that revealed his weaknesses. Can you think of times where you avoided your weaknesses?
3. Read over 2 Corinthians chapter 12, verses 1 through 10. Paul's authority in the church has been challenged by so-called "super apostles" who impressed everyone with their spiritual strengths. What stood out to you most about these verses?
4. Will suggested that a strengths-based spirituality can lead to two problems: (a) it can lead to self-reliance and (b) it can lead us to abdicating our responsibilities to love others. What did Will mean by these two things? Which of these two do you relate to more? Can you share an example?
5. Unlike those who boasted in their strengths, Paul says he will boast - even delight - in his weaknesses because it leads him to a greater dependence on God's grace and power. Can you think of a time where you felt weak and inadequate and it led you to a deeper encounter with Jesus?
6. "God delights in working through our weaknesses! The promise ISN’T that God will only call us to do things we’re strong at. The promise is that God’s grace is SUFFICIENT for the things God DOES call you to!" Where in your life right now do you need to cling to and apply that promise?
7. When Paul is settting up the theology of his letters to the Corinthians, he says, "the weakness of God is stronger than human strength" (1 Cor 1:25). What does that mean to you?
8. What's an area of weakness that you might stop avoiding and instead embrace this summer?

Scripture: John 15:9-14

1. Pastor Becky describes a pattern in her life, that is also encouraged by the church, to keep giving herself away until there's nothing left. What did she mean by this? Can you relate to this pattern, or do you have someone in your life who could be described by that pattern?
2. Becky compared how most traditional theology, written by men, naturally focuses on the sin of pride, selfishness, and an "over-inflated sense of self." She has found it helpful to also look at her life and scriptures from a female perspective where the primary struggle is with an "under-developed sense of self." She described it as "shame about everything I’m not, and a blind sort of compulsion to become somebody through giving to others." What do you think about this distinction? Which struggle resonates more with you and the story of your life?
3. John 10:17-18 helped Becky interpret Jesus' call to lay down your lives in John 15. Read over those verses in John 10. What do you think Jesus' point is?
4. Reflect on the gospels. Can you think of ways that Jesus laid his life freely as opposed to compulsively? 
5. Our series is about truths that transform. Here is how Becky describes the truth that transformed her: "the truth is, rather than blind self-sacrifice, rather than endless self-emptying, Jesus invites us to a witting and wise self-determination to love, to love everyone, myself included! To love myself as Christ loved me, and to love you because I choose to!" What resonates with you about this truth?
6. Jesus does not command us to "Love your neighbor and forget yourself," but to "love your neighbor as yourself." What does following this command mean for you? What are healthy ways that you can love yourself that fill you with life and give you a capacity to love others?
7. Becky suggests that one helpful criteria for discerning whether she is giving of herself freely versus a blind self-sacrifice is by identifying the joy involved in the act of self-giving. She lifts up Jesus' example in Hebrews 12:2. She shares the example of giving birth to her children. Can you think of times where your choice to sacrifice of yourself was guided by joy? Where's a place in your life where your serving and giving has become difficult or joyless - how might you need to adjust or approach things differently to recover a sense of freedom and joy? 

Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-14

1. What are your associations with the idea of predestination? How do you generally think of/define it? How do you feel about it?
2. Take a minute to read the scripture? What are your honest reactions to it? What stands out to you? 
3. One of the biggest problems with thinking of God as having "chose some but not others" is that it can all seem very arbitrary. Often we're presented with these kinds of images of God and told not to question it. Has the image of an arbitrary God cast its shadow over your faith journey?
4. When it comes to predestination, but also many other theological ideas, the image of God can seem confusing and Jesus is often thrown in as an afterthought. Theologian Karl Barth called out the problem in this by saying that he reason we’ve gone so off the tracks with our theology is that we start with some abstract concept of a God and then paste Jesus onto it later. Can you think of other examples of this? 
5. When we start our theology with Jesus--and not separating Jesus from God, we come to a different realization. Will says, "To say “God chose us in Christ,” is to say God chose, from the beginning of time, at the very depths of God’s own being to be wholly and completely for us! In fact, God is so for us, that far from choosing mercy for some over here and judgment for others over here -- in Jesus, God chooses personally take upon himself the consequences of all the world’s sin, even to the point to shedding his blood on the cross and descending into hell itself, so that humanity itself might be reconciled to God, raised to eternal glory with Jesus!" Reread and think about that for a minute. How does it make you feel? What does it give you to think about?
6. "The real mystery is not the nature of God’s will and choice; the gospel is that God is a God who is for us! The real mystery, the real drama of the story, is whether each one of us will wake up! The real mystery of the Bible is not on the side of God’s will; but on the side of our human will, and the ways we can stubbornly resist the direction God is bringing us even when the Spirit is working overtime to bring us along!" Can you think of how this has been true in your own life or in the lives of those around you?
7. Barth also says, while the church cannot promise a universal salvation with any kind certainty, we can have hope in the fact that God’s mercy and grace revealed in Jesus extend far beyond what we ask or imagine! Because we know who God is from the beginning of the story, we can always hold hope for the end of the story! What are some of your hopes for salvation, based on knowing who God is?

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18

1.  Will shared two portraits of hope and faith-- one where you are very spiritual and "heavenly-minded", pointing people towards focusing on heaven/one day leaving earth and one where you are focused on blessing others in tangible ways, as in doing "earthly good". Which resonates most with you? Do you ever feel a tension between the two? 
2. In one word, what is the ultimate hope that Christians profess? What is it that we really hope for?
3. What are some of the problems with thinking of just leaving Earth and being whisked away to heaven as the main goal/focus of Christianity? What are some problems with ignoring heaven entirely and focusing just on doing earthly good?
4. Will says, that "by-an-large, in the overall, overriding thrust of the entire story of God we find scripture is not about an evacuation, escape from, a leaving behind of earth to go up to heaven; but rather, the great hope is that heaven will come down and renew and remake and restore this earth I’m standing on right now, lending to it a previously-unheard-of beauty, glory, and goodness that is the fulfillment and fruition of all our deepest longings." What does this mean to you? Is it something you've heard before?
5. The root for the word salvation means "save, heal, make whole." Salvation is actually about healing and restoration to wholeness, rather than an evacuation of earth. How does this change how we think about God, heaven, and our relationship to the earth?
6. What signifigance does the understanding of bringing heaven to earth have for our actions and our call as Christians?
7. Will redefines heavenly-minded for us in light of what heaven really is, "it’s to fix our eyes upon Jesus and the hope he offers; but if it’s the hope of the risen, coming Jesus we find in the scriptures, then it’s a hope that will move you to roll up your sleeves, and get invested in this earth’s goodness… right here, right now." How should Christians look at and respond to current brokeness on earth (issues of justice, pain/hurt, environmental problems etc) in light of this defintion? What invitation is there for you and the church here?

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:20-26

1. While we might love to talk about Heaven, we often avoid or have a hard time thinking about and talking about death. Do you find it to be a tough topic to think about/discuss in your own life? When did you first become mortality salient, meaning when did you first become aware of your own mortality and the fact that you would one day die?
2. How was death talked about in your house growing up? Were you insulated from the reality of death, or did you have to face it? How do you think that effected your reaction/feelings about death today?
3. Has someboday you loved died? What was that like for you? Obviously these things may be hard to think or even talk about, share as you are comfortable, but also don't push yourself beyond what you feel you can talk about. 
4. Read the scripture for this week. What stands out to you? What do we learn about death, Jesus, and our own fate through this?
5. When you imagine life after death, what comes to mind?
6. Becky says, "The full power and hope of the gospel is that Jesus defeated death itself, so that instead of a mere ride on the clouds, we’ll one day experience all the fullness of life again, life in the flesh, life without death, life as it was meant to be! Living as whole persons - imperishable, incorruptible - free to live and love, work and learn, grow and discover and delight in all the goodness of God’s creation, forever, just as God intended it to be." How does this make you feel? What questions do you have about this? What other thoughts?
7. Even with the hope that Jesus gives us that death will not win/isn't the end of the story, it can still be such a sad and scary thing. In what ways does the fear of death have a hold on you? Is it keeping you from life?
8. Some things we can do when dealing with this issue/the fear of death are pray, share, and also meditate on the confident promise of death’s vanquishment, on the hope of new and forever life given to us in Jesus. One such way that has been done by Christians facing death for centuries is the proclamation of the Apostle's Creed. We invite you do so now with those around you and feel free to discuss how it made you feel/thoughts or questions after.

• I believe in God, the Father almighty,

  creator of heaven and earth.

  I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

  He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit

  and born of the Virgin Mary.

  He suffered under Pontius Pilate,

  was crucified, died, and was buried.

  He descended to the dead.

  On the third day he rose again.

  He ascended into heaven,

  and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

  He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:9-15

1. Have you worked on something that felt like a waste in the end?
2. What do you think makes your WORK matter? Whether in your professional work, homework, or whatever kind of hard work and labor fills your days: what gives it value?
3. Take some time and read through 1 Corinthians 3:9-15 twice. What stands out to you? What questions do you have? What do you think it means for you and others? 
4. When we think of the world being made new, it can make our current work feel meaningless and impermanent. Will says it will actually look like the following though, "When Jesus returns, it’s for a house cleansing, a house renewal. God will move through earth like a consuming fire -- to both eliminate the stinky garbage, but also celebrate, affirm, reward, and bring to completion the stuff that resonates with him! Some of it he will say, ‘I can see my image in that! I’m going to keep that - let me polish it some more so that it shines like never before!’ How does this idea of a refining fire change how we can think about what we do and Jesus' return?
5. Our labor on earth now has the potential to matter for eternity. What work and labor of ours, provides lasting fruit, and what leads to rotten fruit that will get thrown out at the end? Feel free to answer both generally and for your own life and works.
6. We are Jesus' "co-workers" in the work we do to show love on this Earth and promote God's will. What does it feel like to picture yourself as God's co-worker? What does it call you to do differently? Are there any invitations God is giving you specifically? 
7. in the words of N.T Wright, "What we do in Christ and by the Spirit in the present is not wasted. It will last all the way into God’s new world. In fact, it will be enhanced there." Go forth with that reminder as an encouragement for the many things you are doing now which are good and right!

Scripture: Revelation 21:1-4; 22-26

1. When we are children, the world easily feels full of wonder, as we get older though, that often begins to change. When in your life did the world first feel less bright, maybe even kind of dark?
2. What are some things about this world/life/other people/etc. that you find yourself feeling quite cynical about?
3. Take a minute to read through the scripture for today. There is a lot going on in it, so maybe read it twice! What stands out to you? what questions do you have? How does it make you feel?
4. In Rev. 21:22-23, it says there will be no temple-- signifying there will be no need as God's goodness and light will be everywhere. As Becky says, "that in the heavenly reality, there won’t be need for a sun or moon or lights of any kind, there will never be darkness, there will never even be night, why? Because the very person of God will be our light! The radiance of God’s glorious presence will light our way!" How does this make you feel? It can be hard to picture, but what do you imagine this looking like?
5. Philippians 4:8 says, “Brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely...think about such things!” We are to think about, to wonder at all that the noble and right, all the pure and lovely, because these are hints of heaven, reminders that heaven is coming to us, and that heaven can and will stand up to the darkness and ugliness, vanquishing it forever, as God has already done for us in Christ Jesus, once and for all trading the ugly for beautiful, the darkness for light. So take some time to think about foretastes of heaven in your life...What are some things in nature that leave you in awe? Other things about the world? What about people or which specific people bring you joy and light?
6. Think of all your listed in the question above, what would it look like to focus more on Heaven through focusing more on these things? Doing so is actually a form of worship. Becky says, "the point of a worship service is to serve God with the gift of our worship! It's about beholding and proclaiming, marveling and praising the glory and goodness of God!" How can you worship in a way that does this?
7. I invite you to take a moment-- close your eyes if you’d like and reflect on the following questions, afterwards if comfortable, share what came to mind with those around you: Think about the last time that you were truly happy. Not just “yeah, everything went my way!” But glad, in the deepest parts of yourself. When’s the last time you felt like that? Have you ever felt like that? Can you see God there? Sometimes our deepest gladness actually comes in experiencing the beauty and goodness of God in the midst of hard times. Can you picture God there, in the midst of your hard time, offering you hints of heaven when you needed it most?

Scripture: Revelation 7:9-10

1. Will described a time when his relationship with his brother was so broken that God had to stop Will in his tracks while praying and point out to him the weight of the problem. Have you ever had a relationship like that, that you just wanted to run away instead of trying to address it? Has God ever stopped you in your tracks like Will?
2. Take a minute to read the scripture for today. What do you visualize when you read/hear this picture of Heaven? What does it call us to? What does it call you to?
3. What are things that you think alienate us from one another today? What are some of the things that make reconciliation so hard? 
4. Some of the main divisions in the church are racial ones. This is true even among multi-ethnic churches, we may exist in polite friendliness together but this isn't the same as sharing each other's burdens and truly caring for one another in a different kind of way. As Will puts it, the main reason for these divisions isn't direct hate, it is indifference. In what ways do you see this in the church? In what ways have you been indifferent to the suffering caused by racism? 
5. Phyllis said, "Solidarity is about more than just getting along; it’s costly.” It’s more than a hashtag, or declaring yourself an ally; it’s looking one another in the eye; listening; it’s empathy; it’s loving action. That takes time. That takes grace. That takes the power of the Holy Spirit." What do you think of this? What are examples of true solidarity you have seen, heard of, or experienced before? In what ways do you think the Holy Spirit was at work in these examples?
6. One of the first steps in reconciliation is repentance. I invite you to take a deep breath right now, and simply ask God the following in prayer: Where is their indifference in my heart? To whom in my life, in our family of faith, do you need to give me a new heart? If you feel comfortable, share what came up for you.
7. It is also important we take concrete steps towards better loving one another, showing solidarity, and working explicitly towards reconciliation. What are some next steps you either are taking in this, or think you could take? If nothing comes to mind perhaps brainstorm some with those around you, and support one another in taking these steps forward!

Scripture: Acts 6:8-11. 7:54-56

1. Have you ever been misrepresented or had your integrity questioned? What was a time where opposition suddenly arose in your life and how did that feel?
2. We all approach and process disagreements in different ways. How do you typically respond to disagreements with others? 
3. Take a minute to read the scripture. What do you notice and what questions do you have? How does Stephen respond to opposition?
4. In Stephan's case and the case of many others in the Bible faced with opposition, God sent God's own presence and light to guide and be with them. As Will says, "Where God is present, there can peace like a river; strength in weakness; promise in despair." Have you ever seen this happen? Or felt this peace, strength, or promise? 
5. What does it mean for you to face opposition and instead of being overwhelmed, instead of fighting or running away, to be heavenly-minded, to fix your eyes on Jesus, so that you won’t back down, and can face your current challenge/your calling, with courage and grace?
6. We are called to be messengers of God's love and truth, but that doesn't come without opposition! As Will reminds us, "When opposition comes, it’s not about you; it’s about the message. Sometimes when you set a boundary because it’s right, or reach out because it’s caring, or gently correct because it’s truthful, or make a choice because it’s a matter of integrity, people don’t want that boundary, or that care, or that truth, or that choice… but instead of wrestle with that message, they take out their resistance on the messenger. But it’s NOT about you!" How can this reminder help you in being a messenger and/or navigating such opposition? 
7. Will offers three suggestions for how to face opposition while calling on God's presence. Take a minute to read through them and think through what the situations you find yourself in. Then feel free to share anything that came up for you with those around you!

• First, DEFINE IT. The life of a servant is never stress free. What kind of opposition are you facing? Is it something or someone out there, or fear and shame inside here? Name it.
• Second, DISENGAGE. This might sound counterintuitive, but you can’t face opposition well if you are totally absorbed in the details and anxiety of your situation. We actually can best face the discomfort of our earthly situation only as we are the most comfortable and rested in our true heavenly home. It’s when we’re most heavenly-minded that we can garner the most earthly courage! So take the time to connect with God, to actually breathe in Christ’s peace, and call upon the power of the Spirit.
• Finally, DIFFERENTIATE. Remember it’s not all about you. Let your focus move from your anger and your fear, all those overwhelming feelings inside, to the message and what God is calling you to do. What’s the opportunity in this situation? How might God be uniquely using you to show love through this?

Scripture: Ephesians 1:13-14

1. This is our last sermon on our current series! Take a moment and reflect--what are ways you have experienced tastes of Heaven on earth in the past few weeks? What are other questions this series has brought up in you?
2. As many things start to transition and the weather gets warmer, what are the anxieties you are still holding with you? Do you feel like it is hard to trust others again?
3. Becky describes this past year in some ways like a centrifuge or a salad-spinner in the ways it has disoriented and changed us all while revealing parts of us we didn't know about. How has this year been like life in a salad spinner for you? What has come apart in your life? How are you different?
4. Take a moment to read the scripture for the sermon. What promises can we hold on to amidst being in a "centrifuge"/when everything else feels chaotic or unstable?
5. St. Augustine says, “When you are ‘poured out’ upon us, you are not wasted on the ground. You raise us upright. You are not scattered but reassemble us. In filling all things, you fill them all with the whole of yourself.” Have you ever experienced this in the midst of chaos or anxiety-inducing situations?
6. Becky says, "Even now, by God’s Spirit, we are being renewed day by day. We are not alone. As fragmented as we may feel, we will not come apart. The stability and wholeness of God's coming kingdom is already available to us! There is a God who holds us, and who is knitting us back together, knitting us whole and strong and free, even as Creator God first knit us together in our mother’s womb, whole, and strong, and free!" Take a minute and pray about this. What does that mean for you today? Does this message invite you to anything? 
7. I invite you to pray as a group for the centrifuges you have all experienced this year. Pray for a sense of stability and wholeness for each of you and our community as we experience transitions and need reminders of the ways God holds us and restores.