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Sunday 07-26-2020
8th Sunday after Pentecost
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The following questions are connected to Sunday's gospel reading for you to use in your home or if you are joining up to five other people to watch worship and discuss the questions
1. Having listened to all these parables saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like..." What would you say the kingdom of heaven is like?
2. When it comes to living out your faith would you say you see yourself more as a mustard seed in size or the plant that comes from the mustard seed, "When it grows it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches?"
3. As you look at your faith journey, can you name a time when you felt moved to take a risk in connection with your faith, but didn't and later on wish you would have? Did that change how you handled an opportunity to take a risk in the future?
4. Can you think of a time that you DID take a risk in your faith journey and saw the fruit it bore? What gave you courage to take the risk?
The following questions are connected to Sunday's gospel reading for you to use in your home or if you are joining up to five other people to watch worship and discuss the questions
1. How do you see our current world as wheat and how do you see it as weed?
2. How comfortable are you with Jesus telling the servants to let the weeds and wheat grow together? How comfortable are you with Luther's statement, "We are simultaneously saint and sinner? What are the weaknesses and strengths you see in this saying?
3. In the sermon pastor pointed out the connection of the Greek word for the phrase "let both them grow together" is also tied to the word "forgiveness." If at some level Jesus is saying to be patient and forgive the weeds, what do you think about that?
4. A the beginning of announcements pastor reminded us that "God is responsible for deciding who the wheat and words are, not us." What do you think about that statement? Does it give you any freedom when hearing that said? Does it bring you fear?
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Sunday 07-12-2020
6th Sunday after Pentecost
Announcement Information Links
they are also located below today's Sunday Worship video
The following questions are connected to Sunday's gospel reading for you to use in your home or if you are joining up to five other people to watch worship and discuss the questions
I focused on the sower this week and the lavishness of the sower in scattering the seed, God's word, but there are many aspects of the seed and soil in this text as well and how God's Word takes root.
The Kingdom of heaven, says Matthew, belongs to the poor in spirit and the persecuted (Matthew 5:3,10), it is governed by humility (18:3; 19:14) and demonstrated in righteousness (5:10, 19-20; 6:33), which is to do the will of God (7:21).
As we ponder the parable of the sower, this invites us to reflect on a number of questions:
1. What does it mean to be good soil, prepared to receive the word of the kingdom?
2. How do we assess what kind of shape our soil is in?
3. What would we need to do for the seed to be able to take root in our bodies and souls?
4. How will we know if this is happening?
5. And how might we nurture good soil in those around us?
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Sunday 07-05-2020
5th Sunday after Pentecost
Announcement Information Links
they are also located below today's Sunday Worship video
The following questions are connected to Sunday's gospel reading for you to use in your home or if you are joining up to five other people to watch worship and discuss the questions
1. When you Hear Jesus' words, "come to me everyone and I will give you rest," what image of Jesus comes to mind? How is Jesus offering rest?
2. A yoke often connects two together. How do you see Jesus yoking together with you during this time and helping you face life's realities?
3. When you see division in our country, how does your faith call you to respond for all people? How are you currently responding verbally, with your social media posts, and actions to people that don't agree with you? How does this reflect Christ to others?