Lent 2019: Week Five Study Guide

Week Five: Humble Thyself in the Sight of the Lord

SHARE

Share your Highs and Lows for the week with each other. 

READ

Read the Gospel lesson from this past Sunday (John 12:1-8).  What part of the reading intrigued you, interested you, confused you, enlightened you?

TALK

  

In his sermon, Pastor Dave shared that being devoted to Jesus can lead us to do actions that will seem "peculiar" to the outside world.  Take the story of the anointing of Jesus at Bethany.  Of course it was an act of extravagance.  It could seem to some to be a "waste" and not good "financial stewardship."  

However, Jesus cautions against this dualistic thinking and instead invites us to see the beauty in what Mary does.  

Can you see the beauty in her act of devotion?  Can you see what Jesus is saying?  Are you willing to be seen by others as "peculiar" because of your devotion to Jesus?

PRAY

Pray for each other, the world, and then share the Lord's Prayer together

BLESS

Bless each other by making the sign of the cross on the forehead and saying, "God loves you and so do I"

Lent 2019: Week Four Study Guide

Week Four: The Most Wonderful Word in the Bible

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Share your Highs and Lows for the week with each other. 

READ

Read the Gospel lesson from this past Sunday (Luke 15: 1-3, 11-32).  What part of the reading intrigued you, interested you, confused you, enlightened you?

TALK

 

In his sermon, Pastor Dave talked about how far and wide does the forgiveness and grace of Jesus go. Some say to all people.  Others only the baptized believers.  

He quotes a sermon that says that the most wonderful word in the Bible is the word, "until".  As you read the parables in the 15th chapter of Luke you will notice that the God-figure (the shepherd searching for a lost sheep, the woman searching for a lost coin, and the father waiting for the lost son) all search "until" they find them.

So the question is, how long is "until"?  Is "until" ever over?  What are your initial reactions, struggles, concerns, etc. in considering God's grace?  God's love is generous and God's ways are not our ways.  How might this shape our own willingness to forgive others?

PRAY

Pray for each other, the world, and then share the Lord's Prayer together

BLESS

Bless each other by making the sign of the cross on the forehead and saying, "God loves you and so do I"

Lent 2019: Week Three Study Guide

Week Three: Bearing Fruit for Heaven's Sake

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Share your Highs and Lows for the week with each other. 

READ

Read the Gospel lesson from this past Sunday (Luke 13:1-9).  What part of the reading intrigued you, interested you, confused you, enlightened you?

TALK

In his sermon, Pastor Dave used the image of "Lazy-Boy" Lutheranism as an insufficient response to God's saving work in Christ (i.e. resting on grace with no action).  Instead we are called to be "fruit bearers", i.e. we have work to do. 

He discussed that we have been given the wonderful invitation to "partner" with God in achieving God's purposes in this work.  The words from the Lord's Prayer that read, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" speak to this invitation.  Pastor Dave said, "Heaven comes to earth through us."  Reflect on this statement together.

In conclusion, Pastor Dave used the Fruits of the Spirit from Galatians 5 as the guiding image for what we are invited to do.  See if you can memorize the Fruits of the Spirit and then discuss how you can partner with God in being agents of fruit bearing in these ways.  

Remember, though, this work doesn't "get you into heaven".  It is merely the work we do in response to what God has first done and helps bring a little more heaven to earth.

PRAY

Pray for each other, the world, and then share the Lord's Prayer together

BLESS

Bless each other by making the sign of the cross on the forehead and saying, "God loves you and so do I"

Lent 2019: Week Two Study Guide

Week Two: God is All In

SHARE

Share your Highs and Lows for the week with each other. 

READ

Read the Old Testament reading from this past Sunday, Genesis 15: 1-12, 17-18.  What part of the reading intrigued you, interested you, confused you, enlightened you?

TALK

In his sermon, Pastor Dave talked about covenant.  In the Bible, a covenant is a "contract" between God and the people of God.  In the covenant with Abram, what imagery does God use to express His willingness to enter into this covenant?

At the heart of our faith is a questions of whether or not we can trust God. What makes you trust God? What challenges your ability to trust God? What has helped you begin to trust God again?

PRAY

Pray for each other, the world, and then share the Lord's Prayer together

BLESS

Bless each other by making the sign of the cross on the forehead and saying, "God loves you and so do I"

Lent 2019: Week One Study Guide

Week One:  The Devil Made Me Do It

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Share your Highs and Lows for the week with each other. 

READ

Read the Gospel reading for the week:  Luke 4: 1-13.  What part of the reading intrigued you, interested you, confused you, enlightened you?

TALK

In his sermon, Pastor Dave highlighted three ways that we can face our own temptations as modeled by Jesus in the wilderness: 

     1)  Find strength in our baptism and belovedness to God (the promise of God to be with us),    

     2)  God is in the wilderness and God can change us and lead us through them 

          (see Abraham, Moses, Jacob, etc.), 

     3)  Seek the words of Scripture (other religious teaching) to guide us, and provide strength

Discuss how these may contribute to helping you in our own struggle with temptation.  What has been helpful to you in working through your own temptations?  

PRAY

Pray for each other, the world, and then share the Lord's Prayer together

BLESS

Bless each other by making the sign of the cross on the forehead and saying, "God loves you and so do I"

2019 Lenten Preaching Series: Getting Serious about Jesus

Getting Serious about Jesus

Sunday, March 10:  The Devil Made Me Do It (Luke 4: 1-13)

Sunday, March 17:  God is All In (Genesis 15: 1-12, 17-18)

Sunday, March 24:  Bearing Fruit for Heaven's Sake (Luke 13: 1-9)

Sunday, March 31:  God Forgives, are we OK with that? (Luke 15)

April 7:  Humble Thyself in the Sight of the Lord (John 12:1-8)

Lent is traditionally understood to be a season of contemplation and repentance.  It is a season of "reorientation" and renewal.  It is a season where we intentionally seek to follow Jesus more closely.  In other words, it is a time to "get serious" about Jesus.

Each week of Lent, I will be posting a small group study with questions about the topic for the week.  It will go out each Sunday evening, beginning March 10 and concluding on April 7.  All LIFT groups are invited to participate.      

If you happen to be at Bethel during Lent, don't be alarmed if someone comes up to you and asks, "Are you serious?"  It will not be meant in a derogatory way.  It is our Lenten mantra!  

SO, ARE YOU READY TO GET SERIOUS?

LIFT Bible Study on Evangelism (Part III)

Begin with the song "Revelation Song"

Share  your Highs and Lows for the week or since your last meeting

Read  the Lesson (Acts 17: 16-31)

Talk  and discuss the following:

What image / person / situation stood out to you in the story and why? What did it make you feel or understand about God?

Pastor John Wertz, when visiting us on September 30, preached from this text and reminded us that in the 21st century, Christianity in America looks more like "Athens" than "Jerusalem".  We are not in "familiar" territory anymore.  We are now in a culture that we cannot assume knows about our faith and life. 

He gave us three "prescriptions" for how to be in "Athens" effectively, taken from our lesson:

1) Realize we are in Athens, i.e. name our reality and embrace it

2) Find a way to "build bridges" into this strange new land. What are the bridges we/you could build? Discuss together.

3) Begin at the beginning.  Instead of assuming others "know" the Christian story, assume that they do not.  How might this change the way we "do" evangelism effectively? 

Pray  with and for each other (you can use the Lord's Prayer or sing the Doxology)

Bless each other by making the sign of the cross on each other's forehead and saying "The Lord Bless You and Keep You!"