Winter Term: Week 4
About This Term
During this term we are inviting each small group to step into the practice of mission by serving alongside one of our partners or another local organization working for the good of the city. You can find a starting list of organizations on the JAM page of the Refuge website. For this reason, some weeks will not include a sermon discussion guide, but will instead give you space to plan together.
Entering Conversation
As you transition from your meal time to talking together more purposefully, take a minute to come to quiet. Ask for a volunteer to read Psalm 27 aloud. Allow for a brief moment of listening and then read it a second time, listening for what the Spirit might be bringing to your attention in the moment.
Take a moment to ask: what stood out to you? Allow space for those who’d like to answer. Secondly, more than just finding a thought interesting, what might it look like to respond to what you’ve heard?Recognize that some of your members might process slowly, internally and some more quickly, verbally. Feel no pressure to answer this second question out loud. Ask someone to end this part of your time in prayer, inviting the Spirit to continue the conversation.
Tonight’s Practice
Because of the initial work it will take to organize serving together, give priority to having the conversations you need to in order to continue moving toward that goal. If your group doesn’t need to work on planning/calendaring, etc., feel free to use any of the conversation prompts below.
I Peter 4:7 opens with what seems like an ominous note: “The end of all things is near.” But what if this doesn’t mean the “extinction” or “destruction” but rather the “telos” or “purpose”? This verse is a hinge between the old ways of living described in vs 3-4 and the new way of living detailed in vs 8-11. That new way of living speaks to the way of the new kingdom – a life defined by prayer, love, hospitality, and service.
In light of this “end” being near, we are called to be serious and disciplined. Even if we might perceive this as a grind, a constant work, we note how over and over the letter calls us to remember how God is present, how Christ has accomplished our redemption, how the Spirit is present and active with us. This is not a reminder to work harder at being righteous, but an invitation to align our lives now with the life that is to come. We wait for that day, but we also don’t have to just wait. The God who will reign in that time perfectly, is present with us now.
Questions for Discussion
The sermon opened with 3 ways we commonly imagine the future: continual progress, eventual collapse, and personal fulfillment. Did that reveal anything to you about your own perspective on the future? How might that be different from Peter’s invitation to consider “the end of all things is near”?
2. What we believe about the future will shape how we live now. And yet, how we live now also shapes our beliefs. It’s so important, then, what practices and habits we choose to cultivate in our lives. (Consider for example how doomscrolling actually effects your emotional outlook and your thinking). What other habits do you think might be having a quietly (or not) harmful influence on your view of the future?
3. Of the 4 practices named in this text – prayer, love, hospitality, service – is there one that seems of particular interest to you? How might you purposefully step into it this week, beginning to build a habit that points to the better story of Jesus’ kingdom.
Practice for the Week
Look for ways to take steps into the practice you have identified. Keep in mind the best way forward is something small but practical. As you think this over, ask the Spirit to give you eyes to see habits you should leave behind, and also joy as you enter into a new habit that points to the age to come.