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Study Guide: Returning To The Sacred Shhh…

Sunday December 13, 2009 | Greg Boyd

Focus Scripture:


Brief Summary:

When we work for justice in the world, we are partnering with what God is already doing. It’s important that we seek God first, rest in God’s love, and only then can respond faithfully to the call to partner with God by fighting for justice in our communities.


Extended Summary:

This week was the closing sermon for our fall series entitled: Compassion by Command. In response to the enthusiasm but also some anxiety about acting on what we’ve been learning this fall, Greg took this opportunity to refocus our attention on the core of our faith: getting our identity from Christ alone.

To make this point clear, Greg made a comparison between the inner life of two people who share similar values and perhaps engage in similar activities.

On the one hand: an agnostic (someone who is between an atheist and a believer—not sure about God and faith) can be a very sold out and passionate activist for a justice issue, but since they don’t have God as the source of this passion and activity, they are running on their own steam and are often exhausted by the exertion of energy.

On the other hand: a believer who gets their identity from God, seeks God first, rests in the assurance that God loves them, and doesn’t have to carry the burden of the fate of the world or any part of it on their own shoulders. The person of faith simply expresses themselves in obedience to what God calls them to do and rests knowing that God will take care of the rest, even if its not in a way that the believer can see and understand during this lifetime.

As a Christian community, we recognize that our job is not to fix the world around us. Rather, we are to faithfully respond in the ways God calls us to. And when we do respond, we do so not in our own strength, but with the assurance that God is already working and we are simply being allowed to partner with God in a specific way. When we learn to do this, we will be expressing the kingdom by
keeping things simple and being generous with those God brings into our lives. Our serenity (peace) comes from our caring deeply about what God cares about and at the same time trusting God with the world God created.


Reflection Questions:

  1. What stood out to you most from this message and the supporting text?
  2. Has this series caused you some anxiety? What have you felt like you are supposed to be doing?
  3. We have seen clearly that God is deeply concerned for the poor and calls us to respond to the needs in our community. Based on Greg’s message today, what should our first priority be? How does this relate to God’s calling us to serve? Is this an either/or or a both/and situation?
  4. How can we have peace (serenity) in a world that is hurting as much as this one is? How does this peace connect with our role as God’s hands and feet? How does this peace connect with our role as God’s children?
  5. Have you tended to lean more in the direction of activism or more in the direction resignation? How would refocusing your attention on God help you find a more healthy way to engage with the community around us?

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