GENESIS of LOVE Discipleship Institute 2017
Copyright 2017 Park Street Church One Park Street, Boston, MA 02108 www.parkstreet.org Content written by: Gary Anderson, Caleb Brown, Walter and Toni Kim, Elizabeth Lohnes Special thanks to Margaret Sloat for her organizational expertise! Booklet design: Caroline Lancaster/Julie Boyd
Table of Contents 4 Designed to Connect Being Attentive to Our Connections 10 Sibling Rivalries Assessing & Addressing Relational Patterns 16 Family Dynamics Resolving Conflicts 22 Forgiveness Building Redemptive Practices 28 Love for the World Peacemaking in a Broken World 34 Love Expressed Practicing Blessing
Week 1: Designed to Connect I hold him great who for love s sake Can give with generous, earnest will; Yet he who takes for love s sweet sake, I think I hold more generous still. march 5, 2017 ~Adelaide Ann Proctor English poet (1825 1864) Genesis 2:18 25 18 The Lord God said, It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him. 19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man. 24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. 25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. 4
Sermon Notes We were made to be in loving fellowship and not to be alone. The story of Adam and Eve insists on it, and our lives invariably prove it. Key Takeaway 5
Week 1 Exercise Peacemaking Being Attentive in to a our Broken Connections World 1. Intro In groups, share your name and three facts about yourself. Large group orientation: the what and why of LDI. 2. Personal Reflection Think about some of your most meaningful friends, family members or communities. Choose one (NOT a spouse) to describe to the group. What qualities make this relationship special? What helps you to feel connected to this person/group? How did the relationship become this way? 3. Group Discussion Take turns sharing about your special relationship (2 mins each). Listen attentively for themes. What common factors make relationships meaningful? What factors seem to vary from person to person? What does this reveal about what makes relationships work? 4. teaching on Colossians 3:12 14 5. Personal Reflection For each category (Identity, Quality, Activity), choose one question from each section that you will contemplate further this week. You do NOT need to answer the question yet. 6
VIRTUE from COLOSSIANS 3 QUESTIONS for SELF-EXAMINATION IDENTITY QUALITY ACTIVITY being God s chosen people being holy being dearly loved compassion kindness humility gentleness patience bearing with each other forgiving whatever grievances you may have against one another forgiving as the Lord forgave you How do I relate to other people with a recognition that I am God s chosen representative to them? In what ways does my life look different from popular culture? Do the ways I spend my time reflect a dedication to the things that are important to God? How does God s immense, unfailing, fatherly love for me affect the way I show love to others especially when I do not receive love in return? Am I so concerned with my own life that I fail to care about the struggles of others, or do I actively seek to alleviate them? How do I respond when someone bumps into me on the sidewalk, cuts in line, or takes my parking spot? Am I chafed when someone is promoted past me? When someone has made a mistake, am I harsh in the way I correct their error (to the point that I am right, but wrongly)? How do I react when someone does not listen to me or continues to interrupt me? When is the last time I agreed to try someone else s approach--even though I felt strongly about my own idea? Have I made tiers of wrongs and refuse to forgive offenses, unless they are petty? When I am wronged, do I wait for the other person to initiate before I offer forgiveness? If I knew that forgiving a wrong would cost me something, would I be willing to cancel the debt? love How often do I pray for unity in my non-romantic relationships that can only be described by the word love? 6. closing Prayer Write one thing that you hope to gain or contribute during LDI. Pray that God would use these next six weeks to transform you. 7
Weekly Activities m 6 Read Genesis 2:18 25. Although Adam was in a perfect relationship with God and living in a perfect situation, nevertheless God said, It is not good for the man to be alone (Genesis 2:18). In what ways does this surprise you? In what ways does it comfort you? How does your experience prove that God made you to live in loving relationships? Tu 7 Prayerfully read through Colossians 3:12 14. Reflect further on the Identity questions for self-examination. W 8 Prayerfully read through Colossians 3:12 14. As you reflect on each virtue listed, answer one Quality question for self-examination. TH 9 Prayerfully read through Colossians 3:12 14. As you reflect on each virtue listed, answer one Activity question for self-examination. F 10 Consider the strong relationship about which you shared on Sunday. Thank God for that person. Pray some aspect of Colossians 3:12 14 for the person. Consider how you might encourage him/her, or someone else, today. S 11 Psalm 68:6 says, God sets the lonely in families. Pray for those who feel disconnected at Park Street, in our city, our nation, and our world. Pray that God would use LDI to help you be more connected and to make others more connected.
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Sibling Rivalries Week 2: Sibling Rivalries March 12, 2017 We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means the only complete realist. ~C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity Genesis 4:1 16 1 Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man. 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also brought an offering fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. 6 Then the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it. 8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, Let s go out to the field. While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, Where is your brother Abel? I don t know, he replied. Am I my brother s keeper? 10 The Lord said, What have you done? Listen! Your brother s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth. 13 Cain said to the Lord, My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me. 15 But the Lord said to him, Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over. Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the Lord s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. 10
Sermon Notes This sibling rivalry shows that sin ruins relationships, the fall complicates relationships, but God gives us an opportunity for restoration. Key Takeaway 11
Week 2 Exercise Assessing & Addressing Relational Patterns 1. Intro Debrief the previous week s exercise: what is one question from the Colossians exercise that you found helpful? Describe why or how. Share one part of today s scripture passage that was meaningful to you. 2. Personal Reflection Orientation: how can our relational patterns help or hinder us from being our brother s keeper? Read Romans 12:9 21. Circle two phrases that are strengths (doing well) that you have. Draw boxes around two phrases that are weaknesses (crouching tigers). 9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with God s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God s wrath, for it is written: It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 12
Think about the various arenas of relationships, e.g., your family of origin, work/school, church, your current living situation, your neighborhood, your social media groups, the world. Choose three arenas. For each arena, choose one phrase from Romans 12:9 21 that describe a strength you have to contribute. Then choose one weakness. Consider one practical next step. ARENA STRENGTH WEAKNESS NEXT STEP 3. Group Discussion Take turns to describe one strength that you have. Is it consistent across all three arenas you chose? Why or why not? Share one example of how you have displayed this strength. This is not to boast, but to help us learn from each other. Take turns to share one area of weakness in one arena (or specific relationship) in which you would like to prayerfully and purposefully work on during this season. 4. Closing Prayer: Pray that God would help you choose a person or relational situation that needs improvement. HOMEWORK: There will be a link to a survey on Conflict Resolution for you to take for yourself, as well as to ask someone else to complete for you.
Weekly Activities During this week, please be sure to take the self-assessment survey, which you can access at www.parkstreet.org/ldi. Also send the link to a trusted person to assess you. m 13 Read Genesis 4:1 16. As Abel did, consider what it means for you to offer the very best of your life to God. Confess any sins that have mastered and prevented you from offering the best. Ask for God s grace to enable you to do well. Tu 14 Read Romans 12:9 21. Use the passage as a basis for prayer. W 15 Regarding your Arena 1 relationships: Pray for grace and wisdom to put on your strengths and to put away your weaknesses. How can you apply this passage toward a specific person today? TH 16 Regarding your Arena 2 relationships: Pray for grace and wisdom to put on your strengths and to put away your weaknesses. How can you apply this passage toward a specific person today? F 17 Regarding your Arena 3 relationships: Pray for grace and wisdom to put on your strengths and to put away your weaknesses. How can you apply this passage toward a specific person today? S 18 Reflect upon the results of your conflict resolution survey. In what ways is it accurate? Inaccurate? How does the assessment of your trusted person compare? What do you learn? Be prepared to share one insight with your group.
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Week 3: Family Dynamics march 19, 2017 Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city. ~George Burns Genesis 37:1 11 1 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. 2 This is the account of Jacob s family line. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. 5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it. 8 His brothers said to him, Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us? And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. 9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. Listen, he said, I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me. 10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you? 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind. 16
Sermon Notes Everyone exists in relational ecosystems (biological, spiritual, occupational, etc.) in which different dynamics and personalities interact. How can we understand and resolve the conflicts that inevitably arise? Key Takeaway 17
Week 3 Exercise Resolving Conflicts 1. Group Discussion Of the options from the box, which do you think is generally your response to conflict? If you took the Conflict Resolution Survey last week, did you think it was accurate? Why or why not? If you asked a trusted person to complete the Conflict Resolution Survey on your behalf, did you gain any additional insight? Does how you respond change depending on whom the conflict is with or its setting? As a group, discuss the pros and cons of each style of dealing with conflict. Under what circumstances is each style appropriate and helpful? What are the potential dangers of each style? The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) describes these five different conflict-handling styles: Competing: Trying to satisfy your own concerns at another s expense Collaborating: Trying to find a win-win solution that completely satisfies both people s concerns Compromising: Trying to find an acceptable settlement that only partially satisfies both people s concerns Avoiding: Sidestepping the conflict without trying to satisfy anyone s concerns Accommodating: Trying to satisfy the other person s concerns at the expense of your own https://www.cpp.com/contents/cost-of-conflict.aspx Each different style has its own strengths and weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages based upon the people involved and the specific situation. By knowing our typical style and the variety of approaches, we can be more purposeful in choosing how to approach a certain conflict. 18
2. Teaching on listening James 1:19 20 Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. QUICK TO LISTEN Listen to his/her words. Try not to be defensive. Try to hear something new. SLOW TO SPEAK Consider your words. Attack the problem, not the person. Share your feelings, not accusations. Listen for his/her meaning. Consider your meaning. Listen for his/her reasoning. Consider your reasoning. Listen for his/her history. Consider your history. Listen for his/her intentions. Consider your intentions. Listen for something positive. Consider saying something positive. 3. Closing Prayer Pray that God would give you a spirit of humble boldness as you consider relationships where there is conflict that may need to be addressed. Pray that God would grant you the ability to love others who are hard to love, forgive those whom you need to forgive, and ask forgiveness from those whom you need to ask forgiveness. HOMEWORK There will be a link to a survey on Conflict Resilience for you to take for yourself. After you take the survey, choose one practice that you need to improve. 19
Weekly Activities m 20 Ephesians 4:26a says, In your anger do not sin. We often equate anger with sin, but God gets angry (and acts on it) without sinning. How can you be angry without sinning? Do you have open anger toward someone? Ask God to show you where you may be harboring anger or resentment toward someone that needs to be resolved. Tu 21 Read Matthew 5:23 24. When there is a conflict, whose responsibility is it to initiate reconciliation? Is there someone you need to reach out to? Spend some time in prayer about the situation and how best to approach it. W 22 For the relational situation you chose yesterday, use the James 1 chart as a guide to help you think about the other person s point of view and what words will give grace to him/her. TH 23 Matthew 18:15 says, If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. According to this verse, when there is a conflict, whose responsibility is it to initiate reconciliation? Is there someone you need to plan to talk with? Spend some time in prayer about the situation and how best to approach it. F 24 For the relational situation you chose yesterday, use the James 1 chart as a guide to help you think about the other person s point of view and what words will give grace to him/her. S 25 Read Luke 6:37. Is it easier for you to receive forgiveness when you have hurt someone or to extend forgiveness to someone who has hurt you? Why? 20
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Week 4: Forgiveness march 26, 2017 The only ground on which God can forgive our sin and reinstate us to His favor is through the Cross of Christ. There is no other way! Forgiveness, which is so easy for us to accept, cost the agony at Calvary. ~Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest Genesis 41:50 52 ; 50:15 21 50 Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. 51 Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father s household. 52 The second son he named Ephraim and said, It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering. When Joseph s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him? 16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, Your father left these instructions before he died: 17 This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly. Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father. When their message came to him, Joseph wept. 18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. We are your slaves, they said. 19 But Joseph said to them, Don t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children. And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. 22
Sermon Notes The more forgiveness is needed, the more humanly impossible it is to grant. With God s help, however, forgiveness will be granted and ways will be found so the offender can more easily accept it. Key Takeaway 23
Week 4 Exercise Building Forgiveness Redemptive Practices (resolving conflict; restoring fellowship) 1. Intro Share one part of today s scripture passage that was meaningful to you. Have you been able to apply any of the principles from the past weeks? What input or prayer do you need to help you process? 2. Personal Reflection Read through Ephesians 4:25 32. Choose one color and underline all the things you are commanded to stop doing (prohibitions). Choose a second color and underline all the things you are commanded to do (positive). Choose a third color and underline the motivation for these commands. What do you notice? What was one lesson that struck you? 25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 In your anger do not sin : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. 24
3. Group discussion Discuss Ephesians 4. What did you learn? What questions do you have? People often use speak truthfully (verse 25) as an excuse to say hurtful things. How do we balance the need to speak truthfully with the instructions in verse 29? Think about how in Christ God forgave you (verse 32). What does this teach us about forgiveness? 4. Closing Prayer: Pray that God would help you to understand how much you have been forgiven. Also pray that God would help you in a human relationship in which you need to forgive or be forgiven. 25
Weekly Activities m 27 Weekly Activities Read Luke 7:36 50. Do you relate more to the woman or to Simon? Why? Make a list of things for which God has forgiven you. Pray, thanking God for His grace and mercy that cover our sins. Tu 28 Read Luke 23:32 46. Contemplate the price Jesus paid to purchase your forgiveness. Why did the Son of God suffer torture, mockery and death? W 29 Read Ephesians 4:31. It can be very hard to let go of bitterness, rage, and anger. What do we think we gain by holding on to them? What do we fear losing if we get rid of them? TH 30 Read Eph 4:32. Forgiving someone is difficult when we feel no kindness or compassion toward him/ her. If there is someone you feel you cannot forgive, ask God to give you kindness and compassion toward him/her by helping you to see that person the way God does. F 31 Read 1 Peter 3:8-9. What would it look like for you to repay evil with blessing? Who is someone who has done evil to you, and what would it look like to respond with blessing? Ask God to give you the strength to do it. S 1 Read Luke 17:3 5. Is there someone you need to rebuke? To forgive? Ask the Lord to increase your faith to enable you to rebuke and to forgive, even when it seems impossible. 26
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Week 5: Love for the World april 2, 2017 They love one another. They never fail to help widows; they save orphans from those who would hurt them. If they have something they give freely to the man who has nothing; if they see a stranger, they take him home, and are happy, as though he were a real brother. They don t consider themselves brothers in the usual sense, but brothers instead through the Spirit, in God. ~Aristides (ca. 125) The Apology of Aristides the Philosopher Jonah 4:1 11 1 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord, Isn t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live. 4 But the Lord replied, Is it right for you to be angry? 5 Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant[a] and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. 7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, It would be better for me to die than to live. 9 But God said to Jonah, Is it right for you to be angry about the plant? It is, he said. And I m so angry I wish I were dead. 10 But the Lord said, You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left and also many animals? 28
Sermon Notes God s people are called to love one another in a manner that extends outward to the world. How do we live as peacemakers in a broken world? Key Takeaway 29
Week 5 Exercise Peacemaking in a Broken World 1. Intro Gospel according to Jesus and the Call to Peacemaking Orientation to today s exercises 2. Personal Reflection: Case study You are in a small group at church, and someone starts complaining about being wronged by another person who is not there. However, the small group member is very intimidated by this other person. At what point does it become gossip/slander? What responsibility do you have to help resolve the issue? Under what circumstances? Why or why not? How? What Biblical principles, verses, or stories apply to the situation? 3. Group Discussion Discuss the case study and come up with a group plan. Think of a current conflict within a community: your workplace, city, nation, or world. What makes the conflict so difficult to resolve? What would forgiveness look like? What would peacemaking look like? How should a believer or a church be engaged? What Biblical principles, verses, or stories apply to the situation? 4. Closing Prayer Pray for the peace of our workplaces, city, nation, and world. Pray for grace, courage, and wisdom to engage as peacemakers. 30
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Weekly Activities m 3 Read Jonah 4:1 11. What attributes of God stand out to you? Spend some time in reflection and adoration of those qualities of God. Who are the groups of people whom you find difficult to love? Ask the Lord to give you His mind and heart for them. Tu 4 Read 2 Corinthians 5:16 21. How has the gospel worked to change your life and your perspective on people? How does it still need to work in your life? In what ways do or don t you believe that God is reconciling the world to himself in Christ and through you? W 5 Read Jeremiah 29:1 7. Pray for the peace of Boston (or your neighborhood) and for the Gospel of peace to be proclaimed in the city. Pray for civic leaders, schools, etc. Pray for Park Street Church to be a presence of peace. TH 6 Read Matthew 5:9. To make peace we have to put the relationship at a higher priority than the conflict itself. What does it look like to be a peacemaker? What is the connection between being a peacemaker and a child of God? Ask God to allow you to put a high value on relationships and people. F 7 Pray for missionaries who work in areas of the world mired in conflict. Pray for Park Street Church s refugee partnership with World Relief in the Middle East. How can you give cheerfully and sacrificially to advance the work of peacemaking? S 8 As LDI comes to a close, think about the main points of application to be remembered or a plan to be implemented in the near future. 32
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Week 6: Love Expressed More love to Thee, oh Christ, more love to Thee! Hear Thou the prayer I make on bended knee. This is my earnest plea More love, oh Christ, to Thee More love to Thee, more love to Thee! ~Elizabeth Prentiss, More Love to Thee April 9, 2017 John 12:1 19 1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 Why wasn t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year s wages. 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Leave her alone, Jesus replied. It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you,but you will not always have me. 9 Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him. 12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel! 14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: 15 Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey s colt. 16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him. 17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him! 34
Sermon Notes Reconciliation not only repairs love, but inspires it: he who has been forgiven little, loves little (Luke 7:47) What is true in our relationship with the Lord, is true also in our relationships with each other. Key Takeaway 35
Week 6 Exercise Practicing Blessing 1. Intro Looking Back and Planning Ahead 2. Personal Reflection What are your main application points to be remembered from LDI? What is a prayer request that you have for the future? 3. Group discussion Take turns to share main application points and prayer requests. Ask clarifying questions to help one another be specific. 4. Teaching: Theology & Practice of Blessing 5. Closing Exercise Write notes of encouragement and/or words of blessing to one another. Pray for one another with thanksgiving to God. 36
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Weekly Activities m 10 Read John 12:1 19. How easily do you embrace the notion of being loved by God? What does it mean for you to love God extravagantly? Tu 11 Read 2 Corinthians 5:14 15. Contemplate the ways that you have experienced Christ s love. How can Christ s love be a motivation and a model for your relationships to others? Spend some time in prayerful reflection. W 12 Thank God for people that you have met in the class. Pray for situations, hopes, and concerns that they have shared. TH 13 Read the introduction and explanation for today s Maundy Thursday service at www.parkstreet.org/ maundythursday. Attend the service at 7:30 PM if possible. F 14 Read the introduction and explanation for today s Good Friday service at www.parkstreet.org/ goodfriday. Attend the service at Noon or 7:30 PM if possible. S 15 Pray for those who are in a period of waiting or silence, that they would be granted patience, trust, and hope 38
blessings & notes ENcouragements 39