  Matthew 1:2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod,Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem  "Ol King Herod came to power like a fox, ruled like a lion, but he died like a dog." Herod Stone Masada  Hebron  The Temple Herodium  Tomb
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Read Romans 8:31-39 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Spend some time in prayer giving God glory, honor, and thanks. Relate + Community with others What stuck with you from Sunday’s teaching? Why? Reflect on the Richard Rohr observation: "“There are two ways to be a prophet. One is to tell the enslaved that they can be free. It is the difficult path of Moses. The second is to tell those who think they are free that they are in fact enslaved. This is the even more difficult path of Jesus.” The Greek word allelon means one-another. Did you know that our relationship with others is such a emphasis in the Scriptures? What do you make of this? (See Romans 1:12; 12:5; 12:10; 12:16; 13:8; 14:13; 14:19; 15:5; 15:7; 15:14; 16:6) Do you agree with the statement, “Following Jesus without belonging to a community of Jesus is called not following Jesus.”? Paul intended our ‘one-another-ness’ to be practiced in real ways. Consider Romans 12:6-8, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.” How do you see people using their gifts for others in the church? What are some ways you would like to explore your gifts or grow in using them? Read Romans 7:14 This is Paul’s lament of how sin and death keeps us from right relationships with God, others, ourselves, and the world. How does sin work against allelon? Paul ends Romans with a warning and a blessing. Read Romans 16:17-18 - One final word of counsel, friends. Keep a sharp eye out for those who take bits and pieces of the teaching that you learned and then use them to make trouble. Give these people a wide berth. They have no intention of living for our Master Christ. They’re only in this for what they can get out of it, and aren’t above using pious sweet talk to dupe unsuspecting innocents. and Romans 16:25-27 All of our praise rises to the One who is strong enough to make you strong, exactly as preached in Jesus Christ, precisely as revealed in the mystery kept secret for so long but now an open book through the prophetic Scriptures. All the nations of the world can now know the truth and be brought into obedient belief, carrying out the orders of God, who got all this started, down to the very last letter. All our praise is focused through Jesus on this incomparably wise God! Yes! What are the things from this series that have stayed with you? What got your attention? What do you want to explore more? What action do you need to take? Respond + Commission to action Read Romans. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+1&version=NIV Download the YouVersion Bible App if you have a smartphone. Read Romans, or have the App read it to you! Explore how God has gifted you to serve his plan to create a new community around Jesus. What do you love to do? What are you good at? What are you able to endure? What unique contributions can you make to building up the community?  Receive + Communion with God
Read Romans 8:19-22 The whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. For creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For creation was subjected to frustration…and creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the same freedom and glory as the children of God. Spend some time in prayer giving God glory, honor, and thanks. Relate + Community with others What stuck with you from Sunday’s teaching? Why? How do we commonly understand sin? How are these views helpful? How are they hurtful? How do you ‘see’ sin? What do you think of the idea that Jesus’s gift of life is given for everyone (and everything)? What about that idea is hard to accept? Does it change anything for how you see people and the world? Have you ever experienced life in Christ presented as a line in the sand? How did that make you feel (positively and/or negatively)? What does the statement “Jesus is into Reality” mean to you? How is possible to ignore Reality? How is it possible to join Reality? Have you known people who live in a way that does not correspond to Reality? What does that look like? How does the metaphor of Christ like the sun work for you? Are there times when you sense that Christ has already won the war? When is this reality least felt in your life? More Romans passages to reflect upon: Romans 5:18-19 Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right. Romans 8:19-22 The whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. For creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For creation was subjected to frustration…and creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the same freedom and glory as the children of God. Romans 5:15-16 The rescuing gift is not exactly parallel to the death-dealing sin. If one man’s sin put crowds of people at the dead-end abyss of separation from God, just think what God’s gift poured through one man, Jesus Christ, will do! There’s no comparison between that death-dealing sin and this generous, life-giving gift. Romans 8:1-3 With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death. Respond + Commission to action Read Romans. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+1&version=NIV Download the YouVersion Bible App if you have a smartphone. Read Romans, or have the App read it to you! Find one practical thing you can do this week that you would never do if you did not have confidence in God. Do one thing that makes no sense unless God is real and Jesus is raised. Do it. Then share that with someone. ReplyForward  Receive + Communion with God
Read Matthew 12:46-50 46 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” 48 He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” Spend some time in prayer giving God glory, honor, and thanks. Relate + Community with others What stuck with you from Sunday’s teaching? Why? A key idea from this teaching is that Jesus is the new great unifier of humanity. Previously, only death was powerful enough to make us all ‘one’. Now Christ can make us one. Reflect on how these powers (death, Christ) level the playing field for all groups of people. (Recall the key verse in Romans 10:12 - There is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”) Family is a gift that helps us form identity and belonging. What ‘families’ do you belong to? How have they shaped you into the kind of person you are? Our innate desire to belong to a family is powerful. What are some of the ways people try to create family beyond their biological beginnings? Paul both affirms and subverts our need to belong to a family. How does he subvert the Jews’ family identity in Abraham? How does he locate them in a larger human family? Romans 5:1-2 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.” What do you think of the provocative claim Paul makes, that Abraham was ‘credited’ or ‘justified’ as righteous before he did anything, that it was only his trust (faith, confidence) in God that set him apart? We are counted as ‘saved’ not by what we do, but by the family to which we belong. We receive the free gift of salvation from God by trusting God. What are some everyday ways we live that demonstrate we trust (have confidence in) God? Respond + Commission to action Read Romans. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+1&version=NIV Download the YouVersion Bible App if you have a smartphone. Read Romans, or have the App read it to you! Find one practical thing you can do this week that you would never do if you did not have confidence in God. Do one thing that makes no sense unless God is real and Jesus is raised. Do it. Then share that with someone. 
“Jesus primarily targeted the heart of people. Jesus doesn’t want mirror surface changes because the exterior life can be so deceptive we can play games with appearances but the heart is who we really are and where we live our lives from.” Rustin Smith
Shaping our hearts is important because our heart is who we really are and where we live our lives from. In order to live your life from your heart it takes practice, this isn’t easy, we practice things because they’re hard. It’s important to spend time figuring out how to shape your heart and it’s best done through action, through doing, through practices. Acts 1:14 "They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers." Acts 2:37 When the people heard this(about Jesus), they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” In Acts 1 their action, their to do, was to pray continually and there was only 120 of them and then in Acts 2 (the next day) there was now 3,000 believes and they asked, “What can we do” What have you been doing to shape your heart? What do you need to be doing? Why should we not keep score and not wait? Having a child like faith is key to shaping our hearts. Matthew 18:1-5 The disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Jesus called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. Jesus desire for us is to have a humble, honest faith in God, and He used the innocence of a child as an example. Emulating the faith of children, we should simply take God at His Word. As children trust their earthly fathers, we should trust our Father in heaven. Kids have this trust, this faith to follow their leader, they don’t wait, they just do. Sigur Rós - Glósóli from sigur rós on Vimeo. “Glosoli” The name of the song and video, which is actually 2 icelandic words put together, the word “glow” and the word “sun.” So, I believe this video is about being a light to others. Leading them into something that could be hard, unknown, impossible but amazing. “To get what you’ve never had you have to do what you’ve never done” Thomas Jefferson The challenge here is to “do”, to not wait, but find something and do it.  Receive + Communion with God
Read Romans 10:12 Romans 10:12 - There is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Spend some time in prayer giving God glory, honor, and thanks. Relate + Community with others What stuck with you from Sunday’s teaching? Why? Can you name some groups you belong to in order to feel different from others? Does belong to the group ever make you feel superior to those outside the group? What is the difference between being “special” and being “superior”? How did having “the Law” (the very words of God) make the Jews special? How was it an advantage? How was it not an advantage? How is Israel’s relationship with the Law like the church’s relationship with the Bible in terms of being special, or superior? Read Romans 2:13-15 (MSG) - “When outsiders who have never heard of God’s law follow it more or less by instinct, they confirm its truth by their obedience. They show that God’s law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within them that echoes God’s yes and no, right and wrong.” What is this saying about what God is up to with all people, even those beyond our faith group? When we think of Romans 3:23 (“All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory.”) in terms of individual salvation, it is still true. But Paul was writing in terms of “both” - both groups (Jews/Gentiles) are in the same boat. How does this shift the application of this truth to how we might live? A Key Idea from this teaching is that there is no difference between Gentiles and Jews (or between any groups) when it comes to access and standing before God. God has a plan to reach and redeem us. And Jesus is the way God is going to do this. Romans 10:9: “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Respond + Commission to action Read Romans. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+1&version=NIV Download the YouVersion Bible App if you have a smartphone. Read Romans, or have the App read it to you! Begin seeing others as creatures of God. Other groups. Enemies. Neighbors. God is up to something and has not given up on any of us. Pray for them. Serve them. Love them in practical ways so you can get in on what God is up to and stay close to  Receive + Communion with God
Read Romans 11:1-2; 11-15 from the Message: 11:1-2 - Does this mean, then, that God is so fed up with Israel that he’ll have nothing more to do with them? Hardly. Remember that I, the one writing these things, am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham out of the tribe of Benjamin. You can’t get much more Semitic than that! So we’re not talking about repudiation. God has been too long involved with Israel, has too much invested, to simply wash his hands of them. 11:11-12- The next question is, “Are they down for the count? Are they out of this for good?” And the answer is a clear-cut No. Ironically when they walked out, they left the door open and the outsiders walked in. But the next thing you know, the Jews were starting to wonder if perhaps they had walked out on a good thing. Now, if their leaving triggered this worldwide coming of non-Jewish outsiders to God’s kingdom, just imagine the effect of their coming back! What a homecoming! Romans 11:13-15 - But I don’t want to go on about them. It’s you, the outsiders, that I’m concerned with now. Because my personal assignment is focused on the so-called outsiders, I make as much of this as I can when I’m among my Israelite kin, the so-called insiders, hoping they’ll realize what they’re missing and want to get in on what God is doing. If their falling out initiated this worldwide coming together, their recovery is going to set off something even better: mass homecoming! If the first thing the Jews did, even though it was wrong for them, turned out for your good, just think what’s going to happen when they get it right! Spend some time in prayer giving God glory, honor, and thanks. Relate + Community with others What stuck with you from Sunday’s teaching? Why? Why is it helpful to know the original audience of a book of the Bible? What does it mean that the Bible is not written to us, but that it is written for us? What do you think GK Chesterton’s line, “The great dividing line in life is not between believers and unbelievers, but between those who take life seriously and those who are indifferent.” In what ways is this true or helpful? Remember how often Paul speaks with the word “all!” In what ways might it matter that Romans is not written to individuals, but to groups of people? Briefly remember the historical context of the Romans letter. Who where the Gentiles and Jews? What had happened to the Jews and what was happening by the time Romans was written? (See Acts 18:1 for history). Is it surprising how Paul emphasized Gentile and Jewish hospitality toward one another? What do you think of the statement, “It may turn out that no one is saved alone. But our future is tied up with one another, and how we treat and welcome one another into the company of Jesus.”? What are some lines we have drawn in our personal lives that may leave other on the outside looking in? (with friends, family, groups of people)? What could we do to receive Paul’s heart by creating ‘homecomings’ in our relationships, welcoming others into faith, into the company of the church? Respond + Commission to action Begin reading Romans. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+1&version=NIV Download the YouVersion Bible App if you have a smartphone. Read Romans, or have the App read it to you! Make a homecoming in your life. Welcome a neighbor, a friend, a co-worker into your company with the grace of Jesus. Let them know you accept them, that they are loved, that you want good things for them.  Receive + Communion with God
Read Romans 1:16 1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. 6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. 7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you. 11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles. 14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Spend some time in prayer giving God glory, honor, and thanks. Relate + Community with others What stuck with you from Sunday’s teaching? Why? Why is it helpful to know who Paul is and what his sense of mission was in order to understand his writing? What do you think of Paul’s experience of pain? e.g. Romans 9:2 - “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.” Can a faithful Christian still experience suffering and anguish? Why might this be important to understand? (See also 2 Timothy 4:6 and 2 Corinthians 1:8-10) Soteriology is the study of salvation. Ecclesiology is the study of the church. How are these different? Does it matter which one frames the other? What do you think of the idea that Paul’s framework was ecclesiology before soteriology? What do you think of the assertion that Paul did not accomplish his core mission of having a united church? Would Paul be invited to speak at leadership conferences today? Ego is how we think about who we are - the groups and attachments we have that we use to define our identity. What are some of the groups you identify with? What do you think of the idea that Paul is contending for us to find our identity in something larger and more permanent? (See Colossians 3:1-17) How is Paul’s persistent joy connected to the death of Ego? Respond + Commission to action Begin reading Romans. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+1&version=NIV Download the YouVersion Bible App if you have a smartphone. Read Romans, or have the App read it to you! See your group this week as a collection of Egos - people from different groups, different ways of thinking, different personalities, etc… who are called together to root their life in Christ, to be made one. Pray for others in your group, for their pain and joy. Receive + Communion with God
Some Key Scriptures to read and reflect on. What impressions or pictures come into focus as you encounter the idea of a ‘soul’ in these verses? Psalm 107:8-9 - ““Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” Genesis 2:7 - ”The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Mark 14:34 - “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow.” Psalm 103 - “Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits…” Psalm 131:2 - “But I have calmed and quieted my soul.” Matthew 10:28 - ““Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 16:26 - "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?” Relate + Community with others What stuck with you from Sunday’s teaching? Why? The components of a human person are the will, the mind, the body, and social context. The soul is what integrates and ‘runs’ these aspects of a person. Briefly reflect on what these parts are and any insights or experiences you have when these are well-ordered or dis-ordered. Reflect on these two statements: Unhealthy souls grow rushed, weary, and shallow, and souls can only find rest in God. Your soul can be all right when everything in your world is all wrong. Respond + Commission to action Share about the kind of Group experience you think would be helpful for nurturing healthy souls. How can our Group’s four practices of life-giving prayer, life-giving truth, life-giving relationships, and life-giving impact help us have healthy souls?  Takeaway Truth from Sunday’s message – Blessed are those who don’t know what they’re doing.
What stuck with you from Sunday’s teaching? Why? A beatitude is a statement declaring who it is that is ‘blessed’. How are people who don’t know what they’re doing be blessed in the Kingdom Jesus describes? What comes to your mind when you think of “God’s calling” in your life? Is it only about what you do, or are there other aspects of having a calling? Read Psalm 139:23 - “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts.” Why is this such an important prayer as it relates to your calling? What role do others play in discerning your calling, or God’s will in general? Read Hebrews 11:8 - “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” What do you think about the idea that your calling may include uncertainty? What would a church-community look like (what kinds of practices or postures) that was built around blessing those who ‘don’t know what they’re doing’? Are these things you can see at Vox? Can you think of ways we could move closer to this? |
ReverbEach week, you are invited to use the Reverb discussion guide with family, friends, or a small group for further Scripture readings, questions to ponder, or practices to engage. Archives
December 2018
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