Redemption Church KC Sermon Podcast

1. Without reading ahead to the questions that follow, come up with a mental list of things and people to which you have an authentic fidelity.How do you know? How were you able it identify these things?To what things would others who know you say that you have fidelity, based on what they can see of how you spend your time, your energy, and your money?What do you think of these lists? How similar or dissimilar are they? Why do you think that might be? 2. Whoever you may have thought of as “hired hands” during this week’s sermon, “they” aren’t the only ones who act as hired hands, holding fast to ideologies over relationships. We do it too. All of us. Where does that propensity show up most frequently for you? In what contexts and situations do you find it most difficult to forgo some aspect of your own power, privilege, comfort, or authority in favor of a sheep or a relationship right in front of you? Where do you find yourself most likely to choose your own benefit, your own voice? When might you be most likely to skip out on fidelity when it gets uncomfortable or challenging? In what relationships and dynamics do you most easily and quickly come to the end of what you’re willing to do to act as a shepherd? 3. Tim also preached about the problems we have today in both Christian & civic leadership. He talked about how we are responsible for the leaders we choose in not only society as a whole, but also in our homes and workplaces, our neighborhoods and families, in our churches, and in our communities. What does it look like to steward that responsibility? What ways can you (do you) utilize your own agency to identify, install, and support leaders who embrace and embody the good shepherd of the kingdom to the best of their ability? What’s at risk should we choose (individually and collectively) to abdicate our responsibility in these spaces?

1. In the context of discussing “the lack*,” Tim said, “Part of the role religion plays is to maintain the barriers between us and our sacred objects.”What’s your response to this idea? Tim suggested it might make us a little uncomfortable. How do you think that function of barrier maintenance works? In what way does religion maintain barriers? Is it intentional or incidental?Share a bit about your experiences in which religion has functioned as or supported barriers between you & objects of your desire? How did that work? Were you consciously aware of religion’s role in any way? How do you view that dynamic and its impact as it’s played out in your own life?2. There was a slide accompanying today’s sermon that read, “Emmaus is the road we walk amidst the wreckage of all the hopes and dreams that don’t pan out.”Take a few minutes to considerthis and share about some of the Emmaus experiences of your life. What have you learned through those experiences - good, bad, or ugly? What have the paths journeying away from those spaces afterward looked like?The second part of that same slide said, “God meets is on that road.”Has this been born out in your Emmauses? What has that been like for you? If you are in an Emmaus space now, or remember clearly that space, what is it like to  try to believe that God is meeting you in that place on the road as you’re in it? How does that idea impact your emotions and feelings about the difficulties in those disillusioned spaces?3. Tim closed his sermon by reminding us that “there is no sacred object that isn’t a scam; the Lack is never going away… it’s there to turn us toward each other.”In your experiences with the lack, what are some of the sacred desires that have attracted your hopes and longing? Are there certain types of things that you tend to put into that space of “sacred object?”When those sacred objects have failed you, what has that turning toward others looked like? Is that your default?Turning to others sounds easy, but often isn’t. What diversions and blockades tend to disrupt that process of disillusionment turning us toward each other for you?What types of connection help salve that place of Emmaus pain inside us? How might we better cultivate them? How might we lean into them in times of need? And, finally, how might we ensure that we’re available to be someone who is turned to in another’s time of hurting and disappointed lacking?*If you need a refresher on the terms from the sermon, see the slide image below; hopefully it’ll provide some clarity about the general framework of the sermon.

1. Tim preached about the need for our approach to our doubts to be neither indulgent nor avoidant, but to, instead, be creative. He talked about stewarding the tool of doubt.What experiences do you have with indulging in doubt and avoiding doubt? Tell your group a bit about those parts of your story - or as much of it as you may have to tell at this point in your faith travels. (You’ll get a chance to share about your experiences stewarding your doubt in a bit.)2. How do you feel about your doubts? How do you feel about the doubts of others? Maybe those closest to you? In what context does doubt feel scariest for you? In what contexts does it feel more approachable?If you’re unsure of how to answer these questions, perhaps consider that - at times - fear can lead to avoidance. Perhaps considering those “ditches” Tim mentioned: indulgence & avoidance, can help clarify where you might have doubt hiding underneath your acknowledged awareness.3. What does it mean to steward our doubt? What does that look like? If you were to give advice to a friend about engaging with their doubt, what would you tell them?What fruit have you either experienced for yourself or seen in the lives of others after intentional engagement with doubt?Share some stories of big or small instances in which you’ve utilized doubt as a tool (even if you didn’t know that’s what you were doing!). What had come about as a result of this creative engagement with doubt?

1. In Tim’s sermon today, he talked about the symbolic opposition Jesus presented to three related spheres of power & influence that shared control of their world at large. Those Spheres of Power were Economic, Military, and Religious. As a group, discuss the following: What spheres of power & influence do you see as dominating and sharing control in our world today? Which, if any, of these remain? Which, if any, have shifted out of dominance? What, if anything, should be added to the list?2. As Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowds shouted, “Hosanna,” a phrase that, at the time had political connotations. It meant, “save us now!”To what (or to whom) are you tempted to look for saving, aside from and outside of God and God’s Kingdom? What do you think drives you to look to these other sources? Are there ways and/or times in which it might be appropriate to look for other “saviors?” If so, when/how? If not, why not? 3. Our last question is the same one we asked looking for answers to share on “the Wall:”Imagine you are a mentor to a younger person that asks for your advice about how to embody the way of the Kingdom as they participate in this year‘s election season, what advice would you give them?It would be great if you would follow/share this link so that you can share your answers to this last question with more of us. They’ll be posted (anonymously) on the Wall in the atrium. Thanks! https://redemptionchurchkc.churchcenter.com/people/forms/686513

1. Cole’s translation of John 12:25 is as follows:“Anyone who maintains their life will lose it, while anyone who comes to the end of themselves in this world of violence and corruption will keep it for the eternal kind of life.”What do you take away from this translated version? What does it mean - in concrete terms - to maintain your life in the sense of this passage as it was taught?What does it mean to “come to the end of yourself?” What might that look and feel like? Have you had experiences that you see as coming to the end of yourself? How easy or hard is it believe that these experiences are gateways to an eternal kind of life?2. Cole shared a quote from Dr. Cornel West: “What the cross is is unarmed truth.”Spend a little time discussing as a group what is meant by the term “unarmed truth.” What is “unarmed truth?” How is it distinct from other things we might call truth? What are its identifying characteristics? Does the West’s quote tally with the understanding of the term you’ve generated as a group? Looking at West’s quote as a whole, what is being communicated? What does this powerful statement mean?3. Cole suggested that maybe the obsession Christians seem to have with determining who is “in” and who is “out” isn’t about theology, but, instead, is about privilege.What’s your experience with that question, who’s in and who’s out? Have you spent time in a religious community that was particularly interested in it? If so, what do you see as the impact that a focus on that question may have had on that community and your experience of it?To what extent is that a question you still wrestle with? How often does it surface in your mind, either in regards to someone else or to yourself?What do you make of Cole’s suggestion that persistence in answering this question might be about privilege? What surfaces for you in response to that statement?If this is a question that takes up significant space in your mind, how would you feel about surrendering it and ceasing to engage in the question? What comes up for you if you consider simply never trying to answer that question again?4. Cole also shared an excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community.”“We must see now that the evils of racism, economic exploitation and militarism are all tied together. And you can’t get rid of one without getting rid of the other.“Jesus confronted this problem of the interrelatedness of evil one day, or rather it was one night. A big-shot came to him and he asked Jesus a question, what shall I do to be saved?“Jesus didn’t get bogged down in a specific evil. He looked at Nicodemus, and he didn’t say now Nicodemus you must not drink liquor. He didn’t say, Nicodemus you must not commit adultery. He didn’t say Nicodemus you must not lie. He didn’t say Nicodemus you must not steal. He said, Nicodemus you must be born again. In other words Nicodemus, the whole structure of your life must be changed.  Now that is what we are dealing with in America. Somebody must say to America, America if you have contempt for life, if you exploit human beings by seeing them as less than human, if you will treat human beings as a means to an end, you thingafy those human beings.  And if you will thingafy persons, you will exploit them economically, and if you will exploit persons economically, you will abuse your military power to protect your economic investments and your economic exploitations. So what America must be told today is that she must be born again. The whole structure of American life must be changed.”After reading the excerpt, Cole posed a rhetorical question: “Is this a call for every Christian to be a Civil Rights activist?”Well, what do you think? Is it? Discuss as a group.

1. One of the slides from Tim’s sermon today read, “People will choose a low level of chronic anxiety & stress, even though it’s more withering, over temporary acute pain that deals with the root cause.” What is your initial response to this idea? If you agree, why do you think people seem to operate this way? How true does it ring for you personally? Where have you seen this principle at work in yourself? If you’re aware of ways in which this has been true for you, but in which you have also eventually dug into those root causes, what motivated you to delve into that space of temporary acute pain? Once you did so, how “worth it” has that work been? Do you wish you’d done it sooner? Never done it at all?2. Tim talked about his observation that the process of deconstruction & reconstruction often leaves us without a sense of hopefulness and without a strong belief that God is still working in our world, and that the Spirit of God is still living, active, and taking us somewhere good. Take a moment to reflect on this idea. Have you gone (or are you going) through a process of deconstructing & reconstructing big pieces of your faith’s foundation? If so, how relatable is this observation?  Where is your own sense of hopefulness right now? How easy or difficult is it to believe that God is at work in your world and that the Spirit of God is living & active & taking you somewhere good? Now, rethink this idea relative to someone you know and about whom you care. Do you believe that God is at work in theirlife? That Spirit of God is leading them somewhere good? Is it easier or harder to believe in God’s active role in that person’s life than it is to believe in it in your own? Why do you think that might be? 3. Nearing the end of his sermon, Tim said that we all have to have to make the same choice into which Nicodemus was being invited: We’ll have to decide if we’re going to draw our lives not merely from a clear-eyed assessment of the mess we’ve made in the world, and, instead, let go of a life we’ve gotten used to in order to endure the acute pain of new birth. This, Tim said, is the way to let a new kind of fully alive life be born into our lives. It’s also the way to transmit to the coming generations a sense of hope, and a faithful expectation that God actually can show up and make a difference in our broken world. How does this very significant invitation sit with you? How willing do you feel to “let go,” delve into the painful process of examining root causes, and find a new kind of eternally alive life? How realistic or do-able does that actually seem? Where might you begin? 

1. Tim used Hans-Georg Gadamer‘s concept of horizons throughout this week’s sermon, articulating the idea that we can sometimes have two clashing horizons (or orientations toward the world) challenging our working models of reality. Gadamer believed that the clash of horizons is the pathway to wisdom…if we’re willing to interrogate both horizons with curiosity and make adjustments. Share a bit with the group about times in your life when you’ve seen this concept at work in yourself. What have some of the new “alternate horizons” been that have entered your world and instigated a “clash of horizons?” What comes to mind first for you? Clashes that have been more momentous or examples that are more subtle? What have those experiences and times been like for you? How do you feel as you reflect back on them? 2. In today’s scripture reading from John 2, Tim said that “Jesus really instigates a clash of horizons.” His actions shift the footing for those who witness the events and actions in the temple. As we journey through the season of Lent, are there places or ways in which you sense Christ instigating or intensifying a clash or horizons for you right now? Whether on a large or a small scale, how might that be occurring? If you chose to give up something or take on a new activity for Lent, is that practice factoring in to whatever possible horizon shifts you may be sensing as either imminent or ongoing? Share with the group about your experiences. 3. Using today’s scene in the temple as an example, Tim talked about the idea that the love of God and the wrath of God are essentially the same thing. He taught that the Kingdom of God is like a river that flows with its own momentum, trajectory, and force. Whether we are going with or against that flow will make the difference in whether we experience certain things as God’s love or God’s wrath. How do these ideas strike you? How do you feel about the idea that God’s love & God’s wrath can actually be the same thing and that it’s *us* and our orientation toward the movement of the Kingdom’s horizons that can be the differentiator? Do you have places in your own experience in which you’ve seen these ideas in action? Have you had times in which you were unwittingly being drained and bedraggled by moving against the flow of the Kingdom, experiencing forms of God’s wrath? Have you had times in which you’ve had the opposite experience: moving in concert and cooperation with the flow of the kingdom, providing an experience of God’s love? Have you ever had a situation in which you feel like you’ve moved from one to the other? Share about any stories or situations that arise for you when you consider these ideas and principles. 

1. The central theme of Mandy’s sermon today centered on what it means for us to “take up our cross[es]” and follow Christ. How clear is this concept for you? What about it seems easiest to grasp? What seems hardest? Has any of that changed for you over time? Are there elements that are shifting for you currently in your life as you learn to more and more embrace this idea? If a child asked you “what does that mean?,” what would you say? If a child asked you, “how do you do it?,” what would you say?2. Mandy juxtaposed the idea of a “theology of glory” with that of a “theology of the cross.” She noted emphases on things like prestige, winning, and domination as hallmarks of a theology of glory. On the other hand, selflessness, serving others, and losing our lives were noted characteristics of a theology of the cross. Looking back on the story of your own life, are there different times in which you’ve seen one or the other as more prominent in your life?Are there different situations, relationships, or contexts in which one seems more likely to be a default for you? Do you see any themes or patterns as you consider these different theologies and ways of engaging in the world and how they may ebb and flow in your own life?3. Mandy closed her sermon by leading us all in reading the Prayer of St Francis of Assisi together. The closing section reads as follows:“For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”Which of these three idea seems easiest to embrace and to live? Which seems hardest? Share about any experience you may have pursuing these ideas as realities in your own life. What has that looked like? What has it felt like?As you listen to one another, what ideas, themes, or words are jumping out to you? What’s capturing your imagination as you listen to and learn from these friends around you? 

1. When talking about ancient practices around the Holy of Holies, and the fear God’s people felt about approaching God, Tim said, “When the children of God isolated God inside the temple, they cut themselves off from the source of life.” He juxtaposed that by noting that, in the Biblical stories, when someone had an experience of God while out in the wilderness, it was definitely one that didn’t have any of those isolating & estanging layers. Consider some of the stories from the Bible that stick with you most, some of your favorites. Are there Biblical stories of people encountering God that particularly speak to you or feel most important or special when called to mind? Are they stories in which God is more secreted away, inside the holiest of holy boxes? Or are they stories in which, out in the wild, people encounter God without any buffers. As you consider this question, what thoughts and feelings surface for you about your own expecations for encountering and seeking with God?2. Still considering these contrasting places for and ways of encountering God, but reflecting on your own life experiences, how “true" do these ideas seem to you? In what ways have you experienced a shut-away God, carefully enshrined in reverent, yet remote boxes? Has that orientation toward God left you feeling cut off from your life source? How so?What about your experiences of encountering God while in the wilderness… How do your wilderness encounters with God differ from experienes of God in those more sanitized and secured settings? How have those types of experiences been for you? What types of feelings come up when you think back to them?  How do you feel about the idea of these types of encounters in the future? Are there ways or contexts in which you might prefer to encounter God in a more removed way? If so, why might that be?3. Tim shared a slide that read, “God’s rightful place [is] down in the fray with God’s people, immersed & imminent in [our] everyday lives…like water.” Is this how you think of God’s “rightful place?” in the fray? Do you feel aware of an instinct to keep God separate from the fray of your life? Or to keep the most “frayed” parts of yourself separate from the parts of yourself that engage and connect with God? What comes up for you as you consider these questions? Let’s consider the metaphor comparing water to God’s presence… considering water’s ubiquitous presence in our lives, and its essentiality to our very existence. How does that feel different from the ways you conceive of God’s presence in your life? How does it feel similar? If you’ve got thoughts, ideas, or places of curiosity that surface as you consider this, share with the group. 4. Toward the end of his sermon, Tim talked about Lent as a season in which we choose to enter the wilderness for 40 days, letting go of some of our “little crutches” and letting go of things that we let stand as layers between us and God, helping to prop us up apart from God. Later, Tim remarked that Lent isn’t meant to be oppresive, but rather it can be a sort of personal adventure.Have you given up something for lent (this year or in the past)? If so, how have you gone about deciding what to give up? For you, how resonant to this idea about giving up your crutches? If you haven’t given up somethihng for Lent, have you ever considered doing so? What’s gone into your decision making process? For anyone who’s either given something up or undertaken other Lenten practices, what impacts you felt, if any? What expectations & hopes do you have for this year’s Lenten season? Does Lent feel more like a seasons of oppression or a season of adventure for you? Why do you think that is? 

1. In today’s sermon, Tim talked about the way in which, “In attending to life’s measurable realities, we seem to have lost the ability to recognize life’s immeasurable realities…” He also spoke of God as, “not a mystery that is unknowable, but rather endlessly knowable.”How do these ideas sit for you? What do they make you think of and feel?Remembering that there are no bad answers, reflect on how important measurable, concrete realities are in the way in which you understand and show up in the world. How much space is allocated for the mysterious and unknowable in your life and in yourself? When does it feel more natural or comfortable for you to interact with and engage with an immeasurable and endlessly knowable God? When does it feel more natural or comfortable to relate to God as more finite, certain, and calculable? What do you take away from these comparisons? 2. One slide from today’s sermon read, “God can be most easily lost by being thought found.” Does this resonate for you? Do you have experiences in which you feel like you’ve learned this lesson, in whole or in part? In what ways or contexts do you find yourself most likely to eelate to God as “found” in this sense? What are some of the  ways in which you’ve learned to help yourself to lean into the mysteries of a mysterious God when you might be more comfortable with a certain and fully clear God? Are there other practices that help keep you engaging with the “endless unknowability” of God in general? 3. Tim talked about the concept of the “great cloud of unknowing” as a place in which we can have an encounter with God. He said that one of the places we most often encounter this cloud is in other people. Do you have experiences in which someone else has unexpectedly brought you into an encounter with God? Share about places you’ve seen God through unanticipated or surprising experiences with other people. What conditions make it easiest for you to “love each other as if God is actually living through and in each other?” Which conditions make that harder for you?

1. Tim talked about Jesus’ symbolic move from the synagogue, which we see unfolding between last week & this week’s scripture passages from Mark 1. Tim talked about understanding this movement as a lesson: the problems in the synagogue are leaking out into the village. No shalom in the synagogue = no shalom in the home…or in the individual (physical) body. Think about and discuss this idea with the group. How does this baseline idea strike you? As part of your discussion, consider this concept’s application today. If we are paralleling this concept in our lives & world now, what stands in the position of the synagogue? Do home and personal body/self remain in that other position, or is more rearrangement needed? What are some alternate ways of stating this same idea with today in view? 2. One big idea Tim shared was, “God doesn’t promise to fix the world for us. God is trying to fix the world through us and with us.” What does this mean for us? What’s the difference between relating to and engaging with God with an expectation that God wants to fix the world for us versus an expectation that God wants to fix the world through us and with us?How do these different  baseline understandings & expectations show up in the different ways we engage with and relate to God directly? What’s practically different for an individual person engaging with God under one idea versus the other? What’s different for a group or community? How do the words we use in prayer, in worship, in discussion, and study shift moving under one idea or the the other? 3. Tim talked about the Greek word “daimon,” which is often translated into English as “demon.” He suggested a different modern concept might be a good word to use instead: ideology. He said, “Jesus seems to want us to participate in naming our ideologies and casting them out.”Take some time as a group to do just that. What are some of the “daimons” you might name as ongoing struggles both in yourself and in communities to which you contribute? As you think through some of ideologies and daimons that you see most impacting you and others today, consider, too, Tim’s teaching that along with an invitation to name these daimons, we’re also given the power & authority to finally deal with them. What surfaces for you in response to this idea? Considering that “Jesus charged his followers to take responsibility for the peace of our world,” which daimons seem like the priorities to you? Why? Which do you feel like you have the most ability to impact right now in your life and world?

1. Early in the sermon, Tim talked about the power of naming and names. He also talked about a name’s power to connect, connote, create meaning, and conjure memory. Think about your own experience of and relationship to naming and names. Have you ever named a person, pet, project, or something else? What did it feel like to have that responsibility/power? How did you go about choosing? What about your own name? Or nicknames you’ve had? Do you have thoughts or feelings about not only the names themselves, but also those who bestowed them? Share with the group about different ways in which you see the dynamics Tim talked about showing up in your own experiences of naming and names. 2. In his sermon today, Tim talked about the way in which ancient Jews at the time of Mark’s gospel generally dealt with people & things that were unclean and out of sorts. They tended to isolate and exclude these people, and create distance between themselves and these situations. Tim also pointed out that we tend to do the same thing. Where are places in your world that you may tend to try to isolate from, exclude, or simply avoid these types of challenging people and situations? How does that dynamic shift and change when the people & circumstances are closer-to-home or more distantly removed?3. Tim preached about the fact that Jesus focused his rebukes and challenges on corrupted institutions and social codes, and when it came to personal failings, he simply offered grace. At the same time, he noted that many Christians today tend to do the exact opposite. Why do you think that is? Where do you see that tendency in yourself? How much comfort and reassurance do you find in your sense of your own personal piety? How does that relate to the degree to which you feel a duty to challenge those same cultural institutions and codes that were present and are present in many (if not all) spheres? Does one feel more important? Does one feel more urgent?

1. Tim taught about the Greek word “metanoia,” which is translated into English as “repentance.” This word wasn’t a religious word for the ancients. Instead, it means to change direction in your life, and has an implied meaning of changing allegiances as well. Are “repentance” and “repent” words that you use with any regularity in speech, thought, or prayer? What do you usually mean by them when you use them? Is that something that’s changed over time? Keeping in mind the non-religious way in which the word was used during the time periods in which Bible’s books were written, what might shift in how you relate to the word? Do you feel more or less open to using it or thinking of things in those terms? When are times in your life (any part of your life, not just spiritual/religious) during which you have “metanoia-ed?” When have you had a “radical break with business as usual?” Are there milestones you can point to and say, “I really changed course in my life here?” If so, what led to those shifts, and how consciously chosen were they? If not, what might that help you understand about your own journey? Share whatever comes up as you reflect on changes in direction and/or allegiance in your life.2. Tim talked about the phrase “fishers of men,” as well as the widely accepted interpretation that this phrase means recruiting converts. The reading he shared reached back to multiple references from the Old Testament prophets, in which the same idea of “catching” people instead means identifying and censuring people for the ways in which they perpetuate systems of injustice.Imagine yourself for a moment as a fisherman/woman approached by Jesus. Imagine that as you’re hard at work, casting your nets into the waters, he catches your attention and invites you to set aside what you’re doing and, instead, go out into the world to identify and work against people and systems that oppress those in the margins, perpetuate injustice,and by virtue of that work, build God’s kingdom here on earth. How does your heart respond to that invitation? Do you feel hestitant? Entusiastic? Wary? Motivated? What crops up inside as you imagine being part of that exchange? Are there places of resistence? Places of empowerment?Now imagine Jesus approaching you in the midst of whatever work and labors take up your time in your daily life today, and extending the same invitation. What surfaces as an initial reaction? What’s your gut-level response? How much does it have in common with your response in the previous imaginary scene? What shifts? Explore with curiousity the similarities and differences between how you feel about the two different scenarios. Share with the group. 3. Toward the end of his sermon, Tim pointed out that part of the work involved in overturning the existing order of power and privilege is being caught ourselves. He reminded us that our task is not to avoid judgement, but that instead, in the paradigm of the kingdom, judgment is just an opportunity to change directions and grow. In the long run, that judgment is a type of grace. Generally speaking, how motivated are you to avoid judgment (divine or otherwise)? How much does the avoidance of judgment drive your choices and behaviors, whether consciously or unconsciously? Limiting the conversation to holy or divine judgment, how do you feel about thinking of judgment as a grace, a gift, and an opportunity? When you are re-directed or asked to shift by those you trust in your life, how do you tend to respond? With a gracious thank you for the opportunity to change course and grow? Or someting more…human? :) What do you think about paralleling these two ideas? How are they similar? How are they different? 

1. Tim talked about the Fig Tree as a Jewish symbol. In some senses, it represents a promise of safety, security, and provision. In others, it is used as a symbol of Nationalism, used to give license to kill, sometimes in the name of God. Calling back to the Bible’s first mention of a fig tree, in the story of Adam & Eve, Tim also talked about the way these symbols can represent the human temptation to hide, and to avoid our own nakedness and vulnerability. In both senses, Tim likened the Jewish Fig Tree to the American “stars and stripes.”  Reflect back on your own life to date. Whether the fig tree, the American flag or something else, where are places in which you’ve rallied behind/under a powerful idealogical symbol and used its cover as a way to exert your will upon others, in whatever way and to whatever scale? In other words, where have you acted (or supported others to act) to overpower or subdue someone else’s voice/ideas/intentions/humanity and felt justified in doing so for reasons of “Christian righteousness?” Likewise, where are places in your story that you’ve perhaps taken cover under the banner of an idealogical frame or symbol in order to avoid and hide from the painful and vulnerable realities of human existence, either your own or that of others?2. Tim talked about the nature of American Nationalism and the ways in which the story of America is often tethered to the storyline of Christianity. He shared the idea that the identities of many American Christians are more American than Christian. He cited Stanley Hauerwas’ observation that many teach their children that being a Christian is their choice in a way that being an American is not. How does this idea strike you? If you are an American by birth, does it feel more or less immovable than your identity as a Christian? If you were born into a Christian American family, how does your experience line up with Hauerwas’ observation? And how do these two signifiers of identity function within you today (if you are both American & Christian)? Does one feel more or less fluid than the other? Share about why you think that might be. 3. (Final infographic included below as a memory refresher) In the latter half of his sermon, Tim walked through Richard Rohr’s idea of a human’s spiritual journey through life. The journey starts with a period of intense ascent, followed by a time of crisis, and then either a path of continued ascent in pursuit of building our towers, or by a leap from our tower into a period of descent in which we are no longer trying to win or conquer, but are, instead, learning to die to ourselves and pour out our lives for others in love. “Love,” Tim said, “is always a fall.” Reflect on the potential trajectories laid out by Rohr and their differences and outcomes. Share about your own experiences of the stages described (so far in your life): ascent, crisis, then continued ascent or descent. Which feel familiar? Current? Elusive? Confusing? Do you see yourself on one of the trajectories Rohr describes as leading toward either “old fool” or “holy fool?” How so or why not?

1. .Tim said that in the season of Epiphany, we ask ourselves two questions: The first is “what is being revealed here? About God?…about humanity?”The second is “how should we respond… as God’s faithful people?”Consider the things going on in your own life right now. What’s requiring your attention? What are the present headlines of your personal world?Then consider how you might answer these questions about the things that came to mind: “what’s being revealed here?” And “how should [I] respond?” Share with the group about both what those top-of-mind things are, and how you might answer these questions in response to them. This is a great opportunity to tell the truth about your real life if that kind of vulnerability can be difficult for you. 2. Through his sermon, Tim shared some of the ways Jesus’ contemporaries saw him:Some Jewish people saw him as a voice for expression of their grievances. Some Jewish leaders saw him as a threat to the status quo. Herod saw him as a rival for the throne. The Magi saw him as a sign of hope for all nations. Tim then closed his sermon with a direct question to us all: what do we see in Christ? A threat to kill or domesticate OR a king to worship & rejoice in?Obviously, we all know the “right” answer is the second one. But consider the idea that, even if our first or dominant response is to see Christ as king, there are probably parts of each of us that can respond to Christ as a threat to our status quo, comfort, or power. What parts of you might be threatened by Christ? If that feels impossible to answer, consider Tim’s comment that Christ will ask each of us to leverage our power and resources to try and include others, and to extend peace to all nations. In which areas of your life might you resist including others and extending peace? In which parts of your life would you prefer Christ not ask for acts of inclusion or extending peace?3. Tim also talked about the contrast between Jesus and Herod that exists through the stories of the Gospels and of Christmas.If we think of Herod as representing something more genuine than a boogeyman or caricature of evil, what might be his equivalent in our world today? What are the things that, in your mind, might stand as a contrast to Christ if the Christmas story were to unfold today for the first time?The goal isn’t to find people or institutions to vilify, but rather to identify some places in our own world that might be likely candidates for opposition to the presence of God revealed through Christ. Some may be people or institutions for which we have affection. Remember: there are no wrong answers. See what ideas you, as a group, can generate without blame or judgment.4. (Bonus question for the over-achievers and/or quick discussers) Do you think of Herod as a part of “the Christmas story?” If so, when did he become a part of the story for you or have you always understood him as a part of the narrative?How do you think it changes “the Christmas story” to include him? How does it change the story to exclude him? What might these answers suggest about why he’s often omitted from the primary narrative?

Cole McGee

1. Toward the beginning of his sermon, Tim “Oak of Righteousness” Suttle talked about our tendency to disengage from reality by moving into either cynicism or sentimentality. Using two Oscar Wilde quotes to help clarify, he defined a cynic as someone “who knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing,” and a sentimentalist as someone who wants to “have the luxury of an emotion without paying for it.” Which of these two ditches do you most lean toward? Are there certain situations in which your tendency changes? In sharing about your answer, feel free to share examples of times in which you’ve seen yourself veer into one space or the other. Tim suggested that, if we can avoid the appeals of both cynicism and sentimentality, we can find a middle road, on which we see both the wind of God at work *and* the pain of the world around us. He named this orientation as one of hope. How accessible does a stance of hope feel for you? In what ways does it feel more natural? In what ways do you feel more resistance? Why do you think that is? 2. Tim also used Phyllis Tickle’s idea of a “great rummage sale of wisdom” occurring every 500 years, pointing out that these big perennial shifts and evolutions in thought often result in some sort of split within the church at large. How does it feel to think of your “normal life” existing in the context of one of these enormous milestone eras? Is that an easy idea for you connect with, or does it take some considering and evaluating? How does it feel to conceive of your world and all of us living - right now - as being in the middle of an evolution of epic proportions? Scary? Exciting? Put some feeling words to your own internal responses. 3. Tim put forth the idea that, in our time, God is “reaching into the center of Christianity” and pushing down with his finger to make a “new gravitational center.” He talked about this new gravitational center’s way of pulling us across boundaries and making irrelevant divisions that used to separate us. He talked about how this can pull us toward each other and toward God, and, with that, out of all the divisions, fighting, & chaos that we’ve known. He also talked about reasons why some might resist this new gravitational pull: In this paradigm, there’s no place for delineating who is in and who is out. There’s not easy access to control. Winning and affluence aren’t the hallmarks of God’s hand at work. For some, these shifts might be uncomfortable and unappealing. What about for you? It might be easy to name the appeals of a cultural shift that puts a greater emphasis on Jesus’s way of life, long-standing church tradition, contemplative prayer, self-sacrificing love, a rejection of violence, and people of different religious traditions joining together in common purpose. But what are the aspects of this new vision for now that might stir up resistance in you? You may not be super motivated by dividing people into “in” and “out,” or the splash of prosperity promised by some. But a gravity that pulls us toward the things emphasized above also asks new things of us. What might you be asked to give up that you’d rather hold? What might you be asked to step into that you’d rather not approach? Put some thought about the possible “down sides” of the kingdom view Tim called to mind. (Because, if there were none, we’d all be doing it already). Share and discuss with the group.

1. As Tim taught about preparing the way f1. As Tim taught about preparing the way for God and what that involves for us all, he said, “We cannot prepare the way of the Lord from a place of power, pride, or privilege.” He added, “we can, but we won’t….” When you consider your own life, circumstances, and self, which of these looms largest for you: power, pride, or privilege? Explain your answer. What does it mean to be someone who is handed power & privilege automatically by virtue of things a person can’t readily change or surrender (things like race, gender, educational history, socioeconomic background, etc), and also want to prepare the way of the Lord? What’s the difference between *having* power & privilege and acting from a place of power & privilege? Where does pride factor in? What does it mean to come from a place of pride? What does it look like to operate differently? To what degree do you feel like this is work you, personally, need time do? 2. In his sermon, Tim talked about the reality that God doesn’t come in the form of what we often think of as “blessings,” and that in fact, God comes in the form of brokenness and weakness. He then said, “It’s totally possible that we’ll think we’re having encounters with God when we’re actually missing him altogether.” Think for a moment about this big statement. Reflect on your own history with God and the things that have and do influence your experience of God. What do you think Tim is saying here? How do you understand this idea? In what ways might it apply to you? What thoughts, feelings, and memories surface for you as your consider? 3. Tim also talked about the things we often reach for so that we “don’t need God to show up in the world.” Some of the examples he gave are personality, intellect, beauty, a 401k, righteousness, good works, your job, health, children, power, prestige, capacity for hard work, or your competency. In this vein, he asked, “What do you need to let go of so you can make room for God?” Add to his list. What are the trappings you tend to put your trust in when those moments come? “What,” as Tim asked, “do [you] reach for so that [you] don’t need God to show up in the world?” Once we can identify some of these things for ourselves, what does it look like to let them go as we try to make way for God? What steps might a person take? What steps might you take? or God and what that involves for us all, he said, “We cannot prepare the way of the Lord from a place of power, pride, or privilege.” He added, “we can, but we won’t….” When you consider your own life, circumstances, and self, which of these looms largest for you: power, pride, or privilege? Explain your answer. What does it mean to be someone who is handed power & privilege automatically by virtue of things a person can’t readily change or surrender (things like race, gender, educational history, socioeconomic background, etc), and also want to prepare the way of the Lord? What’s the difference between *having* power & privilege and acting from a place of power & privilege? Where does pride factor in? What does it mean to come from a place of pride? What does it look like to operate differently? To what degree do you feel like this is work you, personally, need time do? 2. In his sermon, Tim talked about the reality that God doesn’t come in the form of what we often think of as “blessings,” and that in fact, God comes in the form of brokenness and weakness. He then said, “It’s totally possible that we’ll think we’re having encounters with God when we’re actually missing him altogether.” Think for a moment about this big statement. Reflect on your own history with God and the things that have and do influence your experience of God. What do you think Tim is saying here? How do you understand this idea? In what ways might it apply to you? What thoughts, feelings, and memories surface for you as your consider? 3. Tim also talked about the things we often reach for so that we “don’t need God to show up in the world.” Some of the examples he gave are personality, intellect, beauty, a 401k, righteousness, good works, your job, health, children, power, prestige, capacity for hard work, or your competency. In this vein, he asked, “What do you need to let go of so you can make room for God?” Add to his list. What are the trappings you tend to put your trust in when those moments come? “What,” as Tim asked, “do [you] reach for so that [you] don’t need God to show up in the world?” Once we can identify some of these things for ourselves, what does it look like to let them go as we try to make way for God? What steps might a person take? What steps might you take?

1. Early in his sermon, Tim talked about his sense that, as we start Advent this year, there’s a unique heaviness in the world. He shared some of the large scale things he worries about (like worldwide authoritarianism, climate change, racial injustice, income inequality, and more) and other underlying dynamics that may be contributing to an overall sense of bleak disorientation and grief.How does this perspective settle for you? Do you share the same sense inside that our world is especially pained right now? Especially disarrayed? If so, in which ways do you experience this sense? Emotionally? Physically? Intellectually? In other ways?If not, how do you experience your sense of the world right now? Share about how you orient yourself in the many layers of global experiences. 2. Tim talked about Isaiah’s sense that God’s hiddenness is to blame for the painful realities of his time, and that it’s because of God’s elusiveness that people don’t believe in God’s power.Tim taught us about the concept of “deus absconditus,” or “the hidden God” and the way in which this very quality of God has been the long-standing frustration of humankind.How much do these ideas resonate for you? To what degree does God feel hidden & silent for you right now? To what extent does God feel present and active?Have there been times in your life where God has seemed more or less hidden than the way you presently experience God? What might be some of the things shaping or contributing to those changes in your experience?3. Tim talked about the hiddenness of God as not just a mis-calculated perception, but instead as an intentional and purposeful part of the way God makes Godself known to us.How do you understand that sense and experience of God as hidden - and that it might be purposeful? Does that make sense for you? What emotions surface for you as you sit with the idea that God’s hiddenness might not be only accidental or your (incorrect) perception? How do you feel about the idea that the painful and confusing experience of God’s hiddenness might be by design & on purpose?4. Spend of a few moments reconsidering the powerful visual experience of watching the clay be shaped, worked, and molded by the potter. Tim talked about the need for textual irregularities (bubbles) to be slowly worked out - through pressure - in order to avoid eventual explosion & destruction. He also talked about the fact that different pieces of clay have different qualities & that skilled potters respond to the clay itself as they work to shape and form it.Consider yourself, as Tim prompted, as clay in the active & engaged hands of a Masterful Potter. Try to absorb that idea for a moment, and share about what surfaces for you. What emotions come to the fore? What fears? How comfortable are you with seeing yourself as the clay in this enduring metaphor? Why do you think that is?

1. In his sermon about the life of St. Anthony the Great (and the desert fathers), Tim outlined some of the core practices of the desert fathers and those who came to learn from them: Silence Solitude Prayer Fasting Meditation Contemplation & Testing Which of these most catch your attention? Why do you think that is? Do some feel especially unappealing? Why do you think that is? When you consider this list, do they make sense for you as individual practices? For example, how do you understand silence to be different from meditation? Or contemplation different from meditation? Do some of these automatically go together for you (e.g. silence and solitude) or do you see different ways to engage in them that might be less obvious? Share your imaginings with the group. 2. Tim emphasized St. Anthony’s specific engagement with the practice of silence. Though it might sound simple, silence can be very hard to come by in our busy world. St. Anthony sold his possessions and retreated to an abandoned tower in the desert to pursue his spiritual practices and engage with his own inner demons. How does this scenario strike you (other than hot and uncomfortable)? Is it extreme? Necessary? Both? Neither? How difficult is it or would it be for you to carve out quality space for silence and inner-work in the midst of the busyness of your regular life? How valuable do you think that might be? In a practical sense, what might it look like for you to engage in some of the wisdom St. Anthony’s example gives us while also remaining an active participant in your own life? 3. Timhared some clear instruction from James 3-4 and posed some questions to us all. Review those paraphrased questions below and ask/answer those that feel most engaging for you and/or your group. “Submit yourselves to God.” - Who and what do you submit yourself to in your life? What are we actually risking to submit ourselves to God? “Resist the devil. - What are we doing to resist? Are we living and deciding consciously? Or just resigning ourselves to whatever comes and giving in? “Draw near to God.” - How do we do that? As Tim said, “You don’t become a Christian through osmosis.” “Cleanse your hands” - How are the things we do with our hands shaping us? “Purify your hearts.” How do we live in a way that doesn’t just look Christian, but actually engages our hearts in the deeper work of purification? 4. The final instruction from the passages in James is “Humble yourself.” Of this, Tim said that Anthony’s discovery was that if we take James’ words to heart and do the hard work of facing our own demons while adopting the simple practices of the desert fathers, we can become friends with God…and then the means by which other people become friends with God. St. Anthony said, “Our life and death are with our neighbor. If we gain our brother, we have gained God.” Share the thoughts and feelings that arise in you as you consider these ideas.