Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Lent 2019: Week Three Study Guide



Week Three: Bearing Fruit for Heaven's Sake


SHARE

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"

Friday, March 22, 2019

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"

Monday, March 11, 2019

Lent 2019: Week One Study Guide


Week One:  The Devil Made Me Do It


SHARE

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"