1. One of Tim’s slides read: “the Israelites decided their God must be in conflict with the way the world is typically organized.  [& that] God‘s blessing is not distributed according to birth order strength, or fertility, but is for all people who are willing to be vulnerable and to love…”

What does this revelation mean for us today as Christians? Where do you see overlap or a through-line between this understanding of the  ancient Jews, & our understanding of God today (as Christians)?

Re-read the entirely of the slide again as a group. What’s the significance of vulnerability in this paradigm? Do you think of vulnerability as a component of your faith? How might you explain its relevance (or irrelevance) according to how you see it?

To what degree do you see this revelation or idea as important or meaningful in our modern day engagement in our faith? Share about why. 

2. Tim also talked about the ways in which the Israelites understood God as being‘ meaningfully connected to or aligned with those who are marginalized and disempowered (e.g. the many barren women, & second-sons whose stories are told in the Hebrew Bible). He shared that the Israelites believed that God wasn’t using them in spite of their flaws, but because of them.

If we hope to embody the same relationship to God and be useful to him in ways that mirror our ancient faith-ancestors, how do you conceive of doing so as people of great privilege living in Johnson County Kansas in 2025?

What makes that difficult for us? In what areas might we have blinders? 

Are there areas in which we might have unique clarity?

In what ways do you think you might be especially useful to God because of your flaws rather than in spite of them? 

Are there ways that you think the Christian Church as a whole can be especially useful because of its flaws rather than in spite of them?

3. Tim asked, “who do you identify with most in this story?” Take a moment to reflect on each of the 4 main characters: Jacob, Esau Isaac, and Rebecca. Then answer his question:  Who do you identify with most? why?

Is there anyone that you feel like you can’t identify with at all? Share about why.