Why Church Matters A Place to Belong

Transcription

1 Sunday Morning Grow Groups Week of October 14, 2018 Announcements (1-2 min) Why Church Matters A Place to Belong Dallas Arboretum - October 21st Pub Theology: October 22nd, 7pm at The Holy Grail Pub ReformationFest on October 28. One worship service at 10am, all church picnic with brats, sauerkraut, oopma bands, games, and rootbeer garden follows at 11:30. Sign up at the tables in the Atrium. New Women s Study starting on 2nd Weekend of Every Month. Hosted at Sara Kriesel-Hall s house on Nov 10th at 2pm. Hope to establish a unit of the Women of the ELCA through this group opportunity. Connecting with Each Other (15 minutes) Welcome any new arrivals to the group by introducing yourselves. Catch up on your week by sharing a high/low. Spend a few moments on these questions: When you were a kid, where did you feel like you belonged? Who were some of the people that made you feel like you belonged? As an adult, are there communities that you still feel like you don t belong in? Where do you feel as though you are most supported, loved, and welcomed? How can you create that feeling? Digging Deeper and Turning to the Texts (30 minutes) We are into the second week of our sermon series focused on Why Church Matters. Last week Pastor Paul preached on the way that baptism makes a difference in our lives. This week the theme is, A Place to Belong. What are some ways that the church makes you believe that you belong and welcomes you in as a child of God? The definition of belonging is to be a member or part of something. As a church, we view belonging a little differently. Yes, being a member is important so that we have accurate contact information for you and our church records are up to date, but I think the last part of the definition is what we are about. We are about making people feel like they are a part of something larger. We are about making people feel as though they are a child of God, they are Page 1

2 loved, and that they are a part of a community that reminds them that they are beloved. We are a part of God s story, and at the end of the day we belong in God s story. Let s look at our gospel lesson for today. Luke 9:10-17 [At the beginning of chapter 9, Jesus send outs the 12 disciples to go and heal the sick and proclaim the good news. They are returning from one of their first tasks as disciples and telling Jesus about what they had experienced and why they needed a break.] 10 On their return the apostles told Jesus all they had done. He took them with him and withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida. 11 When the crowds found out about it, they followed him; and he welcomed them, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed to be cured. 12 The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said, Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside, to lodge and get provisions; for we are here in a deserted place. 13 But he said to them, You give them something to eat. They said, We have no more than five loaves and two fish unless we are to go and buy food for all these people. 14 For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each. 15 They did so and made them all sit down. 16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces. What sticks out to you from this reading today? When have there been times in your life when you needed a break, but had to keep going? When have you had to welcome someone into your life when it would have been easier to turn away or retreat? Jesus divided the 5,000 people into groups of 50 (that s a lot of small groups!). What do you imagine those groups were like? Page 2

3 What are some of the ways that the disciples and Jesus created a sense of belonging for people in this scripture passage? How do meals or the community around us provide us with a sense of belonging and community? Jesus had every intention to bring the disciples to retreat with them after they had been out doing God s work, but instead they had to change their plans and create a place of belonging for the 5,000 that followed. They didn t only feed the 5,000, but they kept the left overs to hand out to those they interacted with. Oftentimes, when this scripture is preached, we only talk about the miracle that occurred when the bread was multiplied. In reality, the real miracle was that Jesus created a community of 5,000 by breaking them up into smaller groups, giving them a meal, giving them people, and sending them on their way. Jesus made them feel like they were a part of something, even if it was only for a moment. Jesus welcomed everyone. PMLC welcomes everyone, and it s our call as Christians to make everyone feel like they belong to something bigger - that they belong to God. We now look at Colossians 3: As God s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 13 Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Paul is writing to the Colossians. He is telling them how to live their life as followers of Jesus. Paul has not yet visited Colossians when he writes this letter, but he has heard about them. He is writing to them to encourage them to continue to live a life full of Christ. I often think this letter could be written to us today as a reminder of our call as Christians. Page 3

4 How does this passage remind you of your call? I ve always liked this passage because it tells us to Clothe ourselves. We literally need to remind ourselves to do this every day, just like we need to get dressed in the morning. Is it easy to clothe yourself with love and forgiveness? How do you think your life would change if you clothed yourself every day with these attributes? What does it feel like when you are confronted with love, humility, and grace? How can you create a sense of belonging for younger generations? Did you need to be reminded of your call today? Why? What is one way that you could create a sense of belonging both inside of PMLC and outside of PMLC? There a book called, Daring Greatly by Brene Brown. I highly recommend this book if you would like to read more about belonging and vulnerability. Here are some quotes from this book that relate to the topic. Please discuss if time allows. One of the biggest surprises in this research was learning that fitting in and belonging are not the same thing. In fact, fitting in is one of the greatest barriers to belonging. Fitting in is about assessing a situation and becoming who you need to be in order to be accepted. Belonging, on the other hand, doesn t require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are. Connection is why we re here. We are hardwired to connect with others, it s what gives purpose and meaning to our lives, and without it there is suffering and a lack of belonging. Taking it Home (3 minutes) There s a song called, Humble and Kind by Tim McGraw. It provides a lot of real life examples of clothing yourselves with Christ. Listen to this song and talk about it with someone around you. Pray every morning or evening for God to equip you to help people feel as though they belong in God s world. Reach out to a friend our family member you haven t talked to in a while to say hi and reconnect. Prayer (3 minutes) End your time together by sharing prayer requests, and then close with the Lord s Prayer Page 4

5 Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, Your kingdom come, your will be done, On earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen. Page 5