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SMALL GROUP RESOURCELENT 2019
The wilderness is a vast, wild, uncontrollable place. The wilderness is a liminal space, a place between civilizations. It is a place of transition, longing to finally arrive somewhere, of waiting, of wandering, and often of hardship. In the Bible, the wilderness is both a geographic region and a literary motif. It appears frequently (over 300 times!) and is never an extraneous detail. It is also never the destination or the end goal. The wilderness provides preparation for what is to come; it prepares the people for the Promised Land.
On a personal level, wilderness seasons are often associated with difficulty, with feeling distant from God, or feeling like God is altogether absent. These seasons cannot be short-circuited, ignored, or belittled. As painful as they can be, much growth happens in the wilderness. Rachel Held Evans says this about personal wilderness seasons: “It may take weeks, months, or even years to get on track again. In the meantime, every well, every drop of manna, every raven bearing bread in its beak, is salvation.”1 It is in the wilderness where we learn who we truly are and who we truly trust in.
1 Rachel Held Evans, Inspired, 48.
For the church, it is rare that the people of God arrive in any kind of promised land without taking a couple of detours just like the Israelites did in the books of Exodus and Numbers. First Methodist Houston is not exempt from these wilderness wanderings too. Perhaps we are coming to the end of a wilderness season, perhaps we have been prepared for what’s next, perhaps we’re almost to what’s just on the other side of Lent. Lent is a wilderness season. It is a season of preparation. It is a season butted up against a promised land – Eastertide. Lent is about more than giving up meat or chocolate. It’s about preparation for what’s next and encountering God in the meantime.
We encourage you to use this resource with your small group, Sunday School class, or grab a few friends to journey with you.
Follow @rooted_lives on Instagram to see a daily encouragement, challenge, verse, or song throughout Lent.
FOR QUESTIONS ALONG THE WAY,PLEASE REACH OUT TO PASTOR KAITLYN
Pastor Kaitlyn Bowie [email protected]
BLESSING “FOR THE INTERIM TIME”
BY JOHN O’DONOHUE FROM TO BLESS THE SPACE BETWEEN US
WHEN NEAR THE END OF DAY, L IFE HAS DRAINEDOUT OF L IGHT, AND IT IS TOO SOON
FOR THE MIND OF N IGHT TO HAVE DARKENED THINGS,
NO PLACE LOOKS L IKE ITSELF, LOSS OF OUTL INEMAKES EVERYTHING LOOK STRANGELY IN-BETWEEN,
UNSURE OF WHAT HAS BEEN, OR WHAT MIGHT COME.
IN TH IS WAN L IGHT, EVEN TREES SEEM GROUNDLESS .IN A WHILE IT WILL BE N IGHT, BUT NOTHING
HERE SEEMS TO BEL IEVE THE REL IEF OF DARK .
YOU ARE IN TH IS T IME OF THE INTER IMWHERE EVERYTHING SEEMS WITHHELD.
THE PATH YOU TOOK TO GET HERE HAS WASHED OUT;THE WAY FORWARD IS ST ILL CONCEALED FROM YOU.
“THE OLD IS NOT OLD ENOUGH TO HAVE D IED AWAY;THE NEW IS ST ILL TOO YOUNG TO BE BORN.”
YOU CANNOT LAY CLA IM TO ANYTHING;IN TH IS PLACE OF DUSK ,
YOUR EYES ARE BLURRED;AND THERE IS NO MIRROR .
EVERYONE ELSE HAS LOST S IGHT OF YOUR HEARTAND YOU CAN SEE NOWHERE TO PUT YOUR TRUST;
YOU KNOW YOU HAVE TO MAKE YOUR OWN WAY THROUGH.
AS FAR AS YOU CAN, HOLD YOUR CONFIDENCE.DO NOT ALLOW YOUR CONFUS ION TO SQUANDER
THIS CALL WHICH IS LOOSENINGYOUR ROOTS IN FALSE GROUND,
THAT YOU MIGHT COME FREEFROM ALL YOU HAVE OUTGROWN.
WHAT IS BE ING TRANSF IGURED HERE IS YOUR MIND,AND IT IS D IFF ICULT AND SLOW TO BECOME NEW.
THE MORE FA ITHFULLY YOU CAN ENDURE HERE ,THE MORE REF INED YOUR HEART WILL BECOME
FOR YOUR ARR IVAL IN THE NEW DAWN.
RESOURCES FOR DEEPER ENGAGEMENT
If you are looking for resources to journey more deeply this Lenten season, you are welcome to check out one of the following resources, some of which were consulted for the creation of this guide:
LAND WITHOUT BORDERS: HOW GOD GUIDES YOU THROUGH THE WILDERNESS by Dr. John A. Beck
Beck is an Old Testament scholar who specializes in Biblical geography. He leads groups of students and pilgrims through the Holy Lands of the Middle East to help people encounter the land of the Bible as its authors and inhabitants did This book would serve as an excellent small group or Sunday School resource for any group wanting to go more deeply into the study of biblical wilderness. He has a video series available with this same title as well. https://johnabeckauthor.com/
BRAVING THE WILDERNESS:THE QUEST FOR TRUE BELONGING AND THE COURAGE TO STAND ALONE by Brené Brown
Brown has a PhD in Social Work and teaches at the University of Houston. Her research focuses on communities and topics such as shame, belonging, and vulnerability. Her goal is to help people live more fully and healthily into their lives and she conducts qualitative research to these ends. If you appreciate a scientific approach to understanding how God has created us as people, I highly recommend her work.
THE LAND BETWEEN: FINDING GOD IN DIFFICULT TRANSITIONS by Jeff Manion
Manion is a pastor who uses his own life experiences and his work as a pastor to provide insight about the journey through the wilderness, what he calls “The Land Between”. This work is extremely pastoral, and if you find yourself struggling through a wilderness season presently, you may find this book encouraging and illuminating.
BREAD IN THE WILDERNESS by Thomas Merton
Merton was a monk who dedicated his life to serving God and seeking him in solitude. He is a contemplative who has authored several texts that are considered spiritual classics. This work is about the Psalms and how these prayers are gifts of manna in the wilderness to the people of God.
ASH WEDNESDAY MARCH 5, 2019
SUBJECT: Beginning the JourneyVERSES: Psalm 51:1–17 (only 1–12 here)
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love;according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight,so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.5 Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.6 You desire truth in the inward being;[a] therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right[b] spirit within me.11 Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me.12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing[c] spirit.
It is common to pray before beginning a journey. Lent is a journey through the wilderness. Psalm 51 provides the prayer for us as we begin the journey. “Create in me a clean heart, O
God…” When we are far from God, when we feel like all is dry and deserted, it often has more to do with the state of our own hearts than God’s desire to be with us. When we pray for the forgiveness of our sins, for restoration and renewed joy, for cleansing, we are not praying for God to come back to us (as we will see in the coming weeks, God is there even in the desert); we are praying that we might come back to God. During Lent, we acknowledge the wilderness seasons that we all walk through, and we prepare for the promised land. We take on extra disciplines, not so that we can obtain an extra gold star or holiness on our own merit, but so that we can experience (and become aware of) God in new and deeper ways. According to Pastor Jeff Manion in his book The Land Between, the wilderness is fertile ground to learn about the loving, though sometimes confusing, discipline of God.2 Discipline is always meant to lead to life, though sometimes it does not feel this way. During Lent we try to intentionally embrace this discipline as a means of grace and life.
According to Biblical geographer Dr. John A. Beck, wilderness seasons are an important theme throughout Scripture.3 Beck believes that these themes are not accidental and are also instructive for us since we all experience our own versions of wilderness. We may not have spent 40 years wandering in desolate land like the Israelites, but we have all had seasons where we weren’t sure where God was leading (if he was at all), where we doubted the presence and provision of God, and where we felt like we were drowning with all of life swirling around us.
2Jeff Manion, The Land Between, 126.3 John A. Beck, Land Without Borders: How God Guides You Through The Wilderness
“PURGE ME” BY URBAN DOXOLOGY
PURGE ME
WON'T YOU CLEANSE ME
MY DEEPEST DESIRE IS FOR YOU
LORD I 'M HURTING
AND YET I 'M YEARNING
ARE YOU SPEAKING CLEARLY?
I NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU
I NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU
I'M CRYING OUT
I'M DESPERATE FOR YOU
AND I 'M NOT AFRAID TO OPEN MY HEART AND GIVE YOU ALL
WE'LL DECLARE YOUR NAME
JEHOVAH REIGNS DESPITE OUR PROBLEMS
AND THROUGH THE PAIN
WE'LL LEARN TO TRUST IN YOU
DO YOU HEAR ME?
I HEARD YOU CAN SAVE ME
ALL IT TAKES
IS A SINGLE TOUCH FROM YOU
LORD I WANT YOU
AND LORD I NEED YOU
I COME AS NOTHING
WITH EVERYTHING TO LOSE
SO COME AND MAKE ME NEW
I 'M CRYING OUTI'M DESPERATE FOR YOU
AND I 'M NOT AFRAID TO OPEN MY HEART AND GIVE YOU ALLWE'LL DECLARE YOUR NAME
JEHOVAH REIGNS DESPITE OUR PROBLEMSAND THROUGH THE PAIN
WE'LL LEARN TO TRUST IN YOU
OCEANS PARTMOUNTAINS MOVE
GIANTS DIESATAN LOSES
CHAINS WILL FALLNATIONS FREED
FREE FROM SLAVERYWILL YOU SAVE ME?
JESUS SAVE MEJESUS SAVE ME
I'M CRYING OUTI'M DESPERATE FOR YOU
AND I 'M NOT AFRAID TO OPEN MY HEART AND GIVE YOU ALLWE'LL DECLARE YOUR NAME
JEHOVAH REIGNS DESPITE OUR PROBLEMSAND THROUGH THE PAIN
WE'LL LEARN TO TRUST IN YOU
Song for Personal Worship: “Purge Me” by Urban DoxologyYouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmBKbHmDTMw
Urban Doxology is a ministry of Arrabon, which seeks to equip and empower people to be people and communities of racial reconciliation.
To learn more about Urban Doxology: http://www.urbandoxology.com/#urban-doxology-1
WEEK ONE: MARCH 10, 2019
SUBJECT: Wilderness TemptationsFOCUS VERSES: Matthew 4:1–11
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”
4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9 and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
If we’re going on a wilderness journey together, we should expect to find Jesus there too. He’s no stranger to the wilderness and all of its temptations and he went there long before we did. Because wilderness seasons are associated with distance from God, it makes sense that the wilderness is also the place of temptation. In the wilderness, we are tempted to save ourselves, to find our own way out, and to worship anything that gives us a quick fix, but the story of Jesus in the wilderness reminds us that those things will never get us to the real promised land.
Jesus ends his 40 days in the wilderness just as we are beginning ours, so this seems like an odd choice for the beginning of Lent. Jesus was prepared for ministry, not in a seminary or even in a church, but in the middle of nowhere being tempted by the devil. We are prepared for Easter, not with an abundance of head knowledge or with perfect Sunday School attendance, but by knowing what it feels like to walk through the desert, to be tempted, and to come out on the other side knowing ourselves and God more deeply.
I struggled with verse 1 for years. This verse says that the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted. This always sounded like bad news to me – if the Spirit could lead Jesus into the wilderness then the Spirit could lead me there too. And the wilderness was not some place I ever wanted to end up. After the past decade of my life, I now understand that wilderness isn’t punishment. The wilderness is an unexpected and difficult season for sure, but it can also be a form of divine mercy and wisdom when we are led there.
In his study, John Beck teaches that God leads his people into the wilderness for three reasons: to humble, to test, and to teach.4 It is in the wilderness where the truth comes out. We come face to face with the arrogance of our own self-sufficiency, the truth of our inner character (it’s hard to hide what’s really inside when you’re hungry!), and we see how much God truly is our sole provider and sustainer.
4 John A. Beck, Land Without Borders: How God Guides You Through The Wilderness, 48–54.
“WHEN I AM AFRAID” BY LAURA HACKETT PARK
WHEN I AM AFRAID I WILL TRUST IN YOUWHEN I 'M OVERCOME I WILL CLING ONTOTHE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER, HE'S HIGHER
THE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER
WHEN I AM AFRAID I WILL TRUST IN YOUWHEN I 'M OVERCOME I WILL CLING ONTOTHE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER, HE'S HIGHER
THE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER
WHEN MY ENEMY'S TOO STRONG FOR MEI DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIGHT THE FEAR
THAT COMES AGAINST MY HEART AND MINDI CALL UPON THE NAME OF CHRIST
HE'S HIGHER, HE'S HIGHERTHE ROCK, HE IS HIGHER
WHEN I AM AFRAID I WILL TRUST IN YOUWHEN I 'M OVERCOME I WILL CLING ONTOTHE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER, HE'S HIGHER
THE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER
O WHEN I AM AFRAID I WILL TRUST IN YOUWHEN I 'M OVERCOME I WILL CLING ONTOTHE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER, HE'S HIGHER
THE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER
WHEN MY ENEMY'S SURROUNDING MEHE COMES TO STEAL MY JOY, MY PEACE
I LET GO OF MY REASONINGAND FALL UPON THE ROCK
THAT IS HIGHER, HE'S HIGHERTHE ROCK, HE IS HIGHER
O WHEN I AM AFRAID I WILL TRUST IN YOUWHEN I 'M OVERCOME I WILL CLING ONTOTHE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER, HE'S HIGHER
THE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER
I WILL NOT BUILD MY LIFE UPON THE PASSING SANDSOF HOW I FEEL INSIDE FROM ONE MOMENT TO THE NEXT
BUT I WILL LOVE YOU LORD, MY ROCK, MY GOD, MY STRENGTHA PRECIOUS CORNERSTONE THAT FLOODS OF DEATH COULD
NEVER SHAKE
O FOR THERE IS NO PEACE OF MIND, OUTSIDE OF TRUTH IN CHRIST
FOR THE FEAR IS REAL AND IT'S POWER CAN KILLBUT THE STABILITY OF OUR TIMES, THE STABILITY OF OUR TIMES
WILL BE THE ROCK, THAT IS HIGHER, HE'S HIGHER,THE ROCK HE'S IS HIGHER
O WHEN I AM AFRAID I WILL TRUST IN YOUWHEN I 'M OVERCOME I WILL CLING ONTOTHE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER, HE'S HIGHER
THE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1vzX8EYQ20
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
– Do you identify with the description of a wilderness season or experience? Why or why not?
- What are some wilderness experiences you have had in your life? How did you cope during that time?
- Prior to your group meeting, spend some time reflecting on your wilderness experiences. What do you think God was teaching you during these seasons? How did these experiences shape you?
- As you enter the season of Lent where we intentionally walk into a spiritual wilderness, what practice would you like to adopt or what habit would you like to stop? We encourage you to adopt something that will help you identify more closely with Christ. This is a season of pressing into the unknown to hear from our Lord.
- How can you hold each other accountable to these practices throughout Lent?
- Pray Psalm 51 together as a group to close your time together.
WEEK TWO: MARCH 17, 2019
SUBJECT: The First Wilderness StoryVERSES: Genesis 3:22–24
22 Then the Lord God said, “See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— 23 therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a sword flaming and turning to guard the way to the tree of life.
Wilderness stories are ancient. Though this passage is not explicit with the word “wilderness,” it is clear that when Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden nothing was ever the same again. Our most natural state is constant communion with our Creator, but since the introduction of sin, we have been striving to get back there. Every wilderness experience is one more step in that journey. Every wilderness experience is one step closer to being in constant communion with God.
We will see throughout this season that God is a constant presence in the wilderness – angels attended Jesus last week, and this week God has been gracious with the people by providing them clothes. Even when we feel banished from Eden, cast into the wilderness, we are never without grace. The only thing getting us to the other side is that our Creator refuses to leave us.
“NOT IN A HURRY” BY WILL REAGAN & UNITED PURSUIT
LORD I DON’T WANT TO RUSH ON AHEADIN MY OWN STRENGTH
WHEN YOU’RE RIGHT HERE
I’M NOT IN A HURRYWHEN IT COMES TO YOUR SPIRIT
WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR PRESENCEWHEN IT COMES TO YOUR VOICE
I’M LEARNING TO LISTENJUST TO REST IN YOUR NEARNESS
I ’M STARTING TO NOTICEYOU ARE SPEAKING
LORD I WANT TO LOVE LIKE YOUI WANT TO FEEL WHAT YOU FEELI WANT TO SEE WHAT YOU SEE
OPEN MY EYES I WANT TO SEE YOU MORE CLEARLYOPEN MY EARS I WANT TO HEAR YOU SPEAK
TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS WHAT’S ON YOUR MINDI’LL BE YOUR FRIEND, I WANT TO SEE THROUGH YOUR EYES
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeWuavHf4oY
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Read Genesis 1–3: do you notice anything new about the creation stories as you think about them in the context of our journey through the wilderness? What stands out?
- Even after Adam and Eve’s disobedience, God still provided what they needed. Though relationship was cut off and made more difficult, God never abandoned them. When have you experienced the grace and gifts of God even when you felt undeserving? Are you able to recognize the gifts God has provided for you? Or do you struggle to notice them? Sometimes community can help us see what we ourselves are blind to.
- God has created all of the earth, which includes the wilderness spaces. What implications come from this knowledge? How might this help us fear less?
MEDITATE ON PSALM 24:1-2 IN CLOSING YOUR TIME TODAY:
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.
WEEK THREE: MARCH 24, 2019
SUBJECT: Wilderness GraceVERSES: Exodus 16:1–15
The whole congregation of the Israelites set out from Elim; and
Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and
Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had
departed from the land of Eg ypt. 2 The whole congregation of
the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the
wilderness. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by
the hand of the Lord in the land of Eg ypt, when we sat by the
fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out
into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from
heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather
enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they
will follow my instruction or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they
prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they
gather on other days.” 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the
Israelites, “In the evening you shall know that it was the Lord
who brought you out of the land of Eg ypt, 7 and in the morning
you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your
complaining against the Lord. For what are we, that you
complain against us?” 8 And Moses said, “When the Lord gives
you meat to eat in the evening and your fill of bread in the
morning, because the Lord has heard the complaining that you
utter against him—what are we? Your complaining is not against
us but against the Lord.”
9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of
the Israelites, ‘Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your
complaining.’” 10 And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation
of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the
glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11 The Lord spoke to
Moses and said, 12 “I have heard the complaining of the
Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the
morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know
that I am the Lord your God.’”
13 In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in
the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When
the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was
a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. 15 When
the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?”[a]
For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the
bread that the Lord has given you to eat.”
This is perhaps the most famous wilderness story. The Israelites haven’t even been walking that long, and they are already tired of being there! Slavery looks more appealing than hunger. Known oppression looks better than an unknown future. It doesn’t take them long to miss the comforts of their captivity. It doesn’t take them long to forget how they had begged God to rescue them from Egypt.
It’s interesting that the point of this miracle is not so that the people would stop complaining against God or Moses. It’s not even to satisfy their growling stomachs. The point of this miracle is so that they would “know” it was God who brought them out Egypt. The point of this miracle is knowledge of God. God wants his people to KNOW him.
The wilderness might not be the most comfortable place, but it has something to teach us: about God, about ourselves, about each other, about where we’re going. According to Biblical geographer John Beck, “The Lord used the wilderness
to teach the people, when they were facing austerity, how capable, caring, and reliable he is.”5 It is important that we learn how to trust God in the wilderness or we can forget God’s provision when we get to the promised land. If we are to be prepared for the Promised Land, we have to learn all there is to learn in the wilderness. If we are going to recognize the work of God in the Promised Land (with its readily available food and its temptations to self-sufficiency), then we have to start recognizing the work of God in the wilderness.
5 John A. Beck, Land Without Borders: How God Guides You Through The Wilderness, 51.
“YOU ARE MINE” BY ENTER THE WORSHIP CIRCLE
[WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ ISAIAH 43 WITH THIS SONG]
MAYBE I DON'T HAVE THE STRENGTHMAYBE I DON'T HAVE THE FAITH
YOU BROUGHT ME HERE IN 40 YEARSI KNOW THIS TRIP SHOULD TAKE A WEEK
I'VE SHED MY TEARS AND SHED MY BLOODBEEN HELD RANSOM BY THE FLOOD
THE WINTER STEALS MY SONGS AWAYIN ALL OF THIS I COME UNDONE
WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH THE WATER I WILL BE WITH YOU
WHEN YOU PASS THROUGH THE RIVER THE WAVES WILL NOT OVERTAKE YOU
WHEN YOU WALK ON THE FIRE THE FLAMES THEY WILL NOT TOUCH YOU
YOU ARE MINE, YOU ARE MINE, YOU ARE MINE
I'VE BEEN A CHILD I 'VE BEEN A SLAVEI'VE GROWN BITTER AND LEARNED TO PRAY
PACKED MY BAGS AND STARTED BACKTHE COST WAS JUST TOO HIGH TO PAY
WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH THE WATER I WILL BE WITH YOU
WHEN YOU PASS THROUGH THE RIVER THE WAVES WILL NOT OVERTAKE YOU
WHEN YOU WALK ON THE FIRE THE FLAMES THEY WILL NOT TOUCH YOU
YOU ARE MINE, YOU ARE MINE
I 'M CRYING OUTI'M DESPERATE FOR YOU
AND I 'M NOT AFRAID TO OPEN MY HEART AND GIVE YOU ALLWE'LL DECLARE YOUR NAME
JEHOVAH REIGNS DESPITE OUR PROBLEMSAND THROUGH THE PAIN
WE'LL LEARN TO TRUST IN YOU
OCEANS PARTMOUNTAINS MOVE
GIANTS DIESATAN LOSES
CHAINS WILL FALLNATIONS FREED
FREE FROM SLAVERYWILL YOU SAVE ME?
JESUS SAVE MEJESUS SAVE ME
I'M CRYING OUTI'M DESPERATE FOR YOU
AND I 'M NOT AFRAID TO OPEN MY HEART AND GIVE YOU ALLWE'LL DECLARE YOUR NAME
JEHOVAH REIGNS DESPITE OUR PROBLEMSAND THROUGH THE PAIN
WE'LL LEARN TO TRUST IN YOU
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY5q3HVkyYA
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- It’s easy to look at Israel and judge them for complaining so quickly into their journey, but if we’re honest, we are better at complaining than gratitude most of the time. Share with your small group about a time when you spent a lot of energy complaining about a situation or experience. Is complaining something you’ve ever struggled with? Why or why not?
- God wants Israel to remember WHO rescued them and WHO has heard their cries. Remembering seems key to the relationship between God and God’s people. Do you remember a time when God rescued you? Share about a time when you were rescued, protected, or heard by God. Let your stories encourage each other in your faith.
- It is important to God that the Israelites not take more than they need for each day. At first glance, this seems insignificant, but with further thought, it seems that God is suggesting an economic disposition. God is encouraging the people to resist greed and to choose only what is necessary for them and their families for one day. This practice requires great trust in God, that God will provide for the next day so you don’t have to over-acquire on this day. In many ways this is counter to our American way of relating to resources. We often hoard and try to save up as much as we can for later. Might this be evidence of our lack of trust in God? The wilderness teaches us to trust in God because there isn’t more available than what we need for one day at a time. Do you struggle to trust God for what you need? In what ways?
- Why do you think it’s important to God’s people to learn how to trust in the wilderness before the Promised Land?
WEEK FOUR: MARCH 31, 2019
SUBJECT: Food for the JourneyVERSES: 1 Kings 19: 1–10
Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” 3 Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there.
4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.” 8 He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. 9 At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there.
Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”
To fully grasp this wilderness story, you need to pay attention to its position in the larger story of Elijah. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah is confident and sure. He takes on the prophets of Baal on the top of Mount Carmel, and of course, YHWH proves himself to be the one true God.
In this scene, Elijah does not have a doubtful or cowardly bone in his body, but then, everything changes. Jezebel threatens his life and all of a sudden, Elijah shrivels. He flees. One moment he is sure of God’s power, goodness, and providence, and the next he is completely paralyzed by fear.
I think this dichotomy of confidence and fear, faith and doubt rings true for a lot of people. Doubt of God and God’s purpose for your life is a common and intense wilderness experience. At first glance, Elijah seems to be a bit whiney in this chapter – “Just kill me now. I’m the only one left.” – but God does not treat him as someone to be ignored or cast aside just because he has become less sure and confident. Instead, when Elijah is neediest, God feeds him. God cares for him in order to move him from this place of darkness and hopelessness to where God is still planning to use him further. As someone who complains to God often, this is good news to me!
“SILENCE”BY ANTHONY EVANS
QUESTIONS LEFT UNANSWEREDFEELS LIKE MY PRAYERS ARE HITTING THESE WALLS
SO I 'M LEFT HERE WONDERINGIF YOU CAN STILL HEAR ME, HEAR ME AT ALL
I'VE BEEN HERE SO LONG, MY FAITH IS GETTING WEAKSO I JUST HAVE TO BELIEVE
MAYBE YOU'RE SPEAKING THROUGH THE SILENCEMAYBE IT'S ALL I NEED TO HEAR
GIVE ME THE PATIENCE IN THIS QUIETI NEED TO REST HERE, AND BE OKAY
TO WAIT
MY FRAIL SOUL'S GUARDEDWHEN DID I START NOT BELIEVING THAT YOU (OOH)
THAT YOU ARE WHO YOU PROMISEDYOU'LL BE FAITHFUL TO FINISH WHAT YOU SAID YOU WOULD DO
ALTHOUGH RIGHT NOW, I CAN'T HEAR YOU SPEAKINGI WILL CHOOSE TO BELIEVE
MAYBE YOU'RE SPEAKING THROUGH THE SILENCEMAYBE IT'S ALL I NEED TO HEAR
GIVE ME THE PATIENCE IN THIS QUIETI NEED TO REST HERE
AND I WILL WAIT FOR YOUAS LONG AS IT TAKES, I WILL WAIT
I WILL WAIT FOR YOUAS LONG AS IT TAKES, I WILL WAIT
MAYBE YOU'RE SPEAKING THROUGH THE SILENCEMAYBE IT'S ALL I NEED TO HEAR
GIVE ME THE PATIENCE IN THIS QUIETI NEED TO REST HERE
MAYBE YOU'RE SPEAKING THROUGH THE SILENCEMAYBE IT'S ALL I NEED TO HEAR
GIVE ME THE PATIENCE IN ALL OF THIS QUIETI NEED TO REST HERE
AND WAITFOR YOU
AS LONG AS IT TAKESI WILL WAIT
I WILL WAIT FOR YOUAS LONG AS IT TAKES
I WILL WAITFOR YOU
I WILL WAITFOR YOU
AS LONG AS IT TAKESI WILL WAIT
FOR YOUFOR YOU
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBd_MyhKD4M
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Discuss 1 Kings 19 -- what stands out to you about this narrative? What is interesting to you? What questions linger?
- No matter how high of a mountain top experience we have, we are still capable of experiencing the pit of doubt and despair. Have you ever experienced this swing? Maybe the week after a retreat you stumble back into the sin you thought you had conquered? Maybe you spend a week caring for the poor on a mission trip and then the second you return home you deny helping the homeless man on the corner because you doubt the point of it all? We’re all capable of being full of faith one moment and consumed by doubt the next. Share about one of these experiences with your group.
- Maybe you don’t have an actual Jezebel hunting you, but you likely have some enemy that threatens to destroy and harm you. Who/What is your Jezebel? How do you maintain strength for the long journey of fighting and/or fleeing? If you can’t identify this in your life easily, I encourage you to spend some time reflecting and praying about this. Your enemy may be more passive, but we all struggle with some-thing.
- God cares for Elijah in very meaningful and tangible ways. Do you believe that God does or will do this for you? Why or why not?
WEEK FIVE: APRIL 7, 2019
SUBJECT: A Different Kind of WildernessVERSES: 2 Corinthians 12:6–10
6 But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, 7 even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. 8 Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, 9 but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.
The wilderness is not relegated to geography, to Jesus, or to the Old Testament. Paul talks about “a thorn in his flesh” which seems to create a similar experience of wilderness for him. We really don’t know what Paul’s thorn was, and we really don’t know if Paul wandered around, felt distant from God, or doubted as a result. We do know that it was not comfortable and that he wanted to be relieved of the burden, just like the wilderness. We do know that it could have derailed his ministry and so could the wilderness. Paul’s thorn in his flesh reminds us that even the best disciple has some-thing that keeps him needing Jesus. We all have something; we all need Jesus. We can’t do this on our own.
Paul says that he boasts of his weakness and as a result, the power of Christ dwells even more fully in him. We so often try to hide our weaknesses or our wilderness journeys because we are embarrassed or feel like we might be judged. What if
instead we allowed God to use those experiences as witnesses to his grace? I’ve been through a wilderness and come out the other side. I had (have) a thorn in my flesh, but I am powerful still. That’s the Gospel: God flips everything that we know about strength and weakness upside down.
God uses even the most uncomfortable and unbearable wilderness experiences and transforms them and redeems them for his purposes. No experience is so awful that God cannot redeem it and restore you.
“GRACE FOR ME”THE MICHAEL GUNGOR BAND
THIS JAR OF CLAY AND ALL ITS WEAKNESS;SOMEHOW INSIDE DWELLS YOUR FULLNESS
EVEN THOUGH I 'M NOT YET FLAWLESSYOU ARE FORMING ME
YOUR GRACE FOR ME IS ALL I NEEDALL I NEED IS HERE
YOUR GRACE FOR MEIS ALL I NEED
ALL I NEED IS HERE
EVERYTHING THAT I DESIRE REALLY MAY NOT MEET MY NEEDSHELP ME TO SEEK FIRST YOUR KINGDOM
YOU'LL PROVIDE FOR ME
YOUR GRACE FOR MEIS ALL I NEED
ALL I NEED IS HEREYOUR GRACE FOR ME IS ALL I NEED
ALL I NEED IS HERE
VALLEYS COME AND TEARS AREN'T DRY YET AND THERE ARE THINGS I DON'T YET SEE
BUT I 'LL REJOICE DESPITE THE HARDSHIP; YOU ARE FORMING MEYOUR GRACE FOR ME IS ALL I NEED
ALL I NEED IS HEREYOUR GRACE FOR ME IS ALL I NEED
ALL I NEED IS HEREALL I NEED
ALL I NEED IS HERE IN YOU
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qBfoPvdN00
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- What do you find challenging about this excerpt from Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth?
- Do you believe that God’s grace is sufficient for you? Do you believe that God’s power is made perfect in weakness? Why or why not?
- How do you sense God forming you?
- Read Romans 8:26–28 together -- what do you think these verses means? Have you ever had an experience that you saw God redeem, restore, and use for His purposes? If you are willing, please share this with your group.
HOLYWEEK
BEGINS
PALM SUNDAY APRIL 14 , 2019
We encourage you to attend one of our Palm Sunday services today.
Worship Services:
+ Downtown | Sanctuary | 9 and 11 am
+ West Campus | Worship Center | Traditional 9 am
+ The Source | 11:11 am
SUBJECT: A Voice in the Wilderness [Palm Sunday]VERSES: Matthew 3:1–12 [verses 1–6 below]
In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’”
4 Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
John the Baptist’s voice is most often heard in the first weeks of Advent. We typically think that he is crying in the wilder-ness to make way for the newborn King, but this text about making way is equally appropriate at the end of Lent. John the Baptist is a figure that has one foot in the door of the old age and one foot in the door of the new. He is both aware of and working with the world of the ancient Hebrews and the world of Jesus. Palm Sunday is a Sunday with one foot in the door of the old age and one foot in the door of the new. Palm Sunday straddles life and death. Palm Sunday looks back at the life of Christ and forward to the death of Christ. Palm Sunday is the hinge between the world without resurrection and the world
where all things new is a present possibility. The only way that we are going to get to the new age proclaimed by John the Baptist is to journey through the wilderness, through judgment and into hope.
It is interesting to note that John and Jesus are on a bit of opposite paths here. John is in the wilderness, on the margins. The city was the center. John is pulling people out. For most of his ministry, Jesus meets people on the margins of society. He is on the fringes, but this week he’s moving to the center, entering Jerusalem, making a scene. This week Jesus’ empire that was on the margins confronts the empire that is in the center. And for a moment: it looks like traditional might and power win. But only for a moment.
PERSONAL REFLECTION
- How have you encountered God throughout this wilderness journey of Lent? What have you learned? Where have you been humbled? Where have you been tested?
- Read Matthew 21:1–11 which is the traditional story for Palm Sunday. Knowing what’s coming in a few days, what stands out to you about this story?
MAUNDY THURSDAYAPRIL 18, 2019
We encourage you to attend one of our Maundy Thursday services today.
Worship Services:
+ Downtown Sanctuary | 12 pm for a communion service
+ West Campus Worship Center | 7:30 pm for The Last Supper Cantata
SUBJECT: Road-Weary Feet VERSES: John 13: 1–17
It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not everyone was clean.
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes
and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
On Thursday, the rhythms of the Lenten journey change. Where we were once wandering in the wilderness, all of a sudden the pace has picked up. Momentum has shifted. We are moving quickly to the other side, to the Promised Land, but… but we have the hardest part of the journey to go yet. As we come to Holy Week, it is likely enough to just ask our congregation to hear and experience again these last few steps in this liminal season of preparation. On Thursday, the ideas about the “Lenten journey” have become concrete objects: a towel, a bowl, a cup, some bread, and bare feet. This night above almost any other is experiential – the story can be touched.
The word “Maundy” comes from the Latin word “command.” On this night, Jesus commands his followers to “love one another.” This love is shown in the table and the basin. We are to show this love to everyone we meet on our journeys through the wilderness and into the Promised Land.
PERSONAL REFLECTION
- Peter’s initial response to Jesus washing his feet was an abrupt, “No!” Why do you think he responded this way? Are there any ways in which you put up a wall between you and Jesus? Are there certain parts of your life you would rather not have him touch or clean?
- Jesus sets a new paradigm for leadership -- the leader is the one who serves and gets down on the ground. Do you ever practice this kind of leadership? Is there a place in your life where you could practice this?
GOOD FRIDAY APRIL 19, 2019
We encourage you to attend one of our Good Friday services today.
Worship Services:
+ Downtown Sanctuary | 12 pm
+ Service of Darkness at Downtown | 7:30 pm
SUBJECT: The End of the JourneyVERSES: Luke 22:47–23:56
Today’s Scripture passage is quite long. You may read the story of Jesus’s arrest and death in your personal Bible or by searching online:
Luke 22:47–23:56 on BibleGateway.com
The Lenten journey ends here: at the foot of the cross. To our ears, it sounds incredibly holy, but if you take a step back and realize that this journey you’ve been on ends in death… what then? The trip has to stop because the leader has died. The show can’t go on because the leader has been tragically killed. It’s not a very good ending to a story, but it’s where we find ourselves on this day.
If you look at the whole of Luke’s passion narrative though, you see the theme of innocence repeated over and over again. Jesus is tried twice – he is innocent. The centurion proclaims, “Surely, this man was innocent.” (In Mark’s Gospel, he calls him the Son of God instead.) This reveals that Luke may be more concerned with justice than with Christology. Despite the fact that Jesus did no wrong, he brings resistance from the very beginning of his life. We resist following Jesus with everything we’ve got, and I wonder if that’s because it ends here. And it’s hard. There’s no way to make this day easier – you really can’t skip over it. You can’t make it more
palatable. You just have to stop – stop wandering in the wilderness for a moment, stop trying to race to the other side, stop walking – and be at the foot of the cross.
PERSONAL PRACTICE
- Take time to remember the death of Jesus today. Spend some time in silence. Meditate carefully on the narrative of Jesus’ final moments. Resist the urge to rush too quickly to resurrection. We don’t have much to celebrate if we don’t let ourselves feel the pain of death.
- What deaths have you experienced in your own life? This may be the death of a loved one, but we can also experience death in the loss of a relationship, job, or community. We experience death anytime we know loss. What losses do you need to take the time to grieve this day and to lay at the foot of the cross?
HOLY SATURDAY APRIL 20, 2019
Holy Saturday is a time in between -- the death has happened and the resurrection has not. We sit and wait. We wonder if life will ever come again. We wonder if our leader will reappear. We wonder if it was all worth it.
Sit in the mystery of the unknown this day. Meditate on what it would have been like to be a disciple who just watched their leader die. How would you feel? What fears would creep up? What temptations would haunt you?
Throughout the ages the church has used images to focus their prayers and meditations, especially in times when not everyone could read. Many people have found a renewed appreciation for praying with icons in recent years. If you would like to meditate on the death of Jesus through viewing an icon, you can find an icon of the crucifixion here:
http://www.olgachristine.com/icon_crucifixion.html
The truth is, we all experience times of Holy Saturdays in our lives. Do not rush past this day. Feel the loss of the Son of God on this day. Sit and wait.
EASTER SUNDAY APRIL 21, 2019
SUBJECT: You Shall Live VERSES: Ezekiel 37:1–14
The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3 He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath[a] to enter you, and you shall live. 6 I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath[b] in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophe-sied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath:[c] Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath,[d] and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” 10 I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.11 Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’ 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 14 I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.”
This is the imagery of resurrection that we get to experience in the words of the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel. It’s hard not to picture a valley full of bones when you hear it. The “dry bones” are meant to emphasize the death – it is real death, no marrow exists in the bones, it is not merely spiritual. It’s into this valley of real death that God speaks, “Mortal, can these bones live?” It seems impossible, right? Too good to be true, right? Then, they start to clatter and rattle… can you hear it??
Just life would be enough for these bones, but it’s not just life that God promises. God says that God will put breath in them. Ruach in Hebrew. We know this word – it’s what hovered over chaos in Genesis 1, it’s what’s in Adam, it’s what brought Lazarus back to life, it’s what resurrected Jesus, it is the Spirit. When God brings you back from the dead, it’s more than just life – it’s life abundant, life eternal. This is such Good News!
God doesn’t just bring the bones back for no reason. God doesn’t bring new life without a point. The text says, “[A]nd you shall know that I am the Lord.” The promise is for life, breath, and knowledge of God. Thanks be to God.
As you conclude this time of wandering in the wilderness, we truly hope and pray that you encountered manna in the desert along the way, that you felt the ministry of the angels to you in times of fatigue, and that you sensed the footsteps of Jesus going before you in this desert land.
May it be true for you -- that you know, love, and trust God more deeply today than when you first set foot in the wilderness.
“DRY BONES” BY GUNGOR
[CONTEMPORARY MUSIC]
MY SOUL CRIES OUTMY SOUL CRIES OUT FOR YOU
THESE BONES CRY OUTTHESE DRY BONES CRY FOR YOU
TO LIVE AND MOVE'CAUSE ONLY YOU CAN RAISE THE DEAD
CAN LIFT MY HEAD UP
MY SOUL CRIES OUTMY SOUL CRIES OUT FOR YOU
JESUS, YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SAVES USCONSTANTLY CREATES US INTO SOMETHING NEW
JESUS, SURELY YOU WILL FIND USSURELY THE MESSIAH WILL MAKE ALL THINGS NEW
MY SOUL CRIES OUTMY SOUL CRIES OUT FOR YOU
THESE BONES CRY OUTTHESE DRY BONES CRY FOR YOU
TO LIVE AND MOVE'CAUSE ONLY YOU CAN RAISE THE DEAD
CAN LIFT MY HEAD UP
JESUS, YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SAVES USCONSTANTLY CREATES US INTO SOMETHING NEW
JESUS, SURELY YOU WILL FIND USSURELY THE MESSIAH WILL MAKE ALL THINGS NEW
WILL MAKE ALL THINGS NEW
LIFE IS BREAKING OUTIT'S BREAKING OUT
LIFE IS BREAKING OUTIT'S BREAKING OUTIT'S BREAKING OUT
AND LIFE IS BREAKING OUTIT'S BREAKING OUTIT'S BREAKING OUTIT'S BREAKING OUTWHOA, OH OH OH
WHOA, OH OH
JESUS, YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SAVES USCONSTANTLY CREATES US INTO SOMETHING NEW
JESUS, SURELY YOU WILL FIND USSURELY OUR MESSIAH WILL MAKE ALL THINGS NEW
WILL MAKE ALL THINGS NEW
Songwriters: Lisa Gungor / Michael GungorYouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYESRBHhUxE
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- As your group gathers to complete the season of Lent, take time to truly celebrate Easter together! You could celebrate your group meeting with a potluck or special meal together.
- Read the story of the resurrection of Jesus in Luke 24.
- Where do you see signs of new life in your own life, community, church, family, world? Where do you see the Spirit of the Living God at work?
- Close your time in prayer together for each other, your small group, and your church. May we all follow God forward towards the Promised Land of new life!
JOIN US AT ANY OF OUR SERVICES
DOWNTOWN SANCTUARY 9 AND 11 AM
BRASS AND CHOIR
WEST CAMPUS WORSHIP CENTERTRADITIONAL: 9 AMBRASS AND CHOIR
THE SOURCE11 :11 AM
CONTEMPORARY WORSHIP
EASTER EGGSTRAVAGANZA WEST CAMPUS | 10:30 AM
WITH AN EASTER EGG HUNT ON OUR SOCCER FIELDS. FOLLOWING WORSHIP, EVERYONE IS INVITED TO STAY FOR A
COMMUNITY LUNCH.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT
CELECIA MART ÍNEZ | [email protected]
APRIL 21
WE HOPE YOU HAVE HAD A
MEANINGFUL AND FRUITFUL LENT
SEASON!
LOVE,
your pastors at FMH
fmhouston.com
