Worship Resources 06-09-24

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June 09, 2024

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Assigned Scripture

Matthew 11:28-30

28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Ephesians 4:1-3

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Group Response

Following the weekly gathering, you’re invited to respond to the service by engaging in group discussion.

Jesus was gentle and lowly in heart (Matthew 11: 28-30).  These are part of Jesus’s character and two aspects of the Jesus Way.  The gentleness and lowliness of Jesus are how we—the body of Christ—maintain the unity of the Spirit in the midst of our disagreements and frustrations with each other (Ephesians 4: 1-3).  The second-half of the sermon suggests 5 practices that can help us be gentle in our disagreements (the outside of the cup), while at the same time making room for the Holy Spirit to transform our inner lives so they become more like Christ’s (the inside of the cup).

 

Discussion Questions

  1. Do you see any part of yourself in Rembrandt’s “Return of the Prodigal Son”?
  2. Did any of the stories or points resonate with you?
  3. Where did you feel resistance? What do you want to push back on?
  4. We can pray for our enemies and list their positive qualities. But what other things can we do to love them—to promote their good?
  5. How can we come to see interruptions as a responsibility and as opportunities?
  6. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life…”  (John 14:6). Do you, like Peterson, find Christians mostly struggling with the way of Jesus?
  7. What would it look like for you hold the tension between truth-telling and being gentle and non-judgmental?
  8. How can you apply Augustine’s idea to your own life? “Without God, we can’t; without us, he won’t.”