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"
No comments:
Post a Comment