Walking with Jesus - February 28

2010-01-27T14:17:00.002-05:00

February 28 – Matthew 13 – 26
Focal Passage: Matthew 21:28-46

Working Titles: Jesus Gives Us the Kingdom or Jesus Trusts Us with Everything or What Will We Do with This? Or They’re Going to Kill Him for Including Us or You Ask for It. You Got It. Or Let’s Do Something Amazing with This!

Beginning Thoughts: Jesus replaced a functioning religion and a world power with a group of misfits who believed what he said. Dogma and Dominion are now Love and Service. It became clear to the leaders of his day that Jesus was not going to stay in the fold. They also saw that he was asking them to claim the covenant of Abraham as their own and be a blessing to everyone. Judaism and Caesar were not interested in letting Love replace law and service of others replace devotion to the ones in charge. We are invited to be the faithful ones who can see that we have been saying “no” and now wish to say “yes” to our loving Father who invites us into this new world order. It has a different set of values, vocabulary, and rewards. As we become secure in the Love that Jesus lived out of, we trust that a Cross is the sign of victory as tax collectors and prostitutes lead the way into the Embrace of God. Unless we understand this, we will be crushed by the world we create and miss the Kingdom banquet we were invited to.

Discussion topics: What would you like to do with the rest of your day if you could do anything? What dream is there in you that you think God/Jesus/Spirit put there? Is there a task you want to accomplish that will include giving God pleasure? What is it like to be rejected? How could you let someone know that their shame is a lie and their existence thrills the heart of God? Would you like to see religion replaced with something else? What would that look like? Who would benefit from that new reality? How could we replace religion?

Walking with Jesus - February 21

2010-01-26T09:19:00.008-05:00

February 21 – Matthew 1 – 12
Focal passage: Matthew 7:13-29

Working Titles: Walking with Jesus Changes Everything or Before I Follow, Let me Think or I Think He’s Serious or We’re Not in Kansas Anymore

Beginning thoughts: Following Jesus or walking with Jesus is an all-consuming decision even though it starts with a simple choice to make room for him in our lives. Jesus was clear that he was offering people a different path than they found in the Judaism or Roman world of his day. Following Jesus involves a radical break with our "normal" life. The call to the Kingdom of God is one Jesus expected others to accept but he was very straight about the choice being made. We are secure inside the Kingdom but we must first admit how insecure we are in our current life. The storms are blasting. The destruction is happening. We are sitting in the same place as the early disciples. Will we join Jesus in the transformation of Real life, beginning with ours? We are free to choose to follow Jesus into the Kingdom of God and participate in the new creation or stay a slave to our “normal” and participate in the destruction of our lives and God’s world. We must participate in the end of the world as we know it, including the safe American Christian world that ignores the way and words of Jesus while it claims to follow Jesus.

Discussion topics: What are some of the differences Jesus would like to see in our world? What would Jesus start with in your life, if he used you to change things? What are some good things Jesus would build on in our world? Where is Jesus working now? How is Jesus inviting people to follow him now?

Words For Living

Walking with Jesus - February 28

Walking with Jesus - February 21