The Meeting House Bruxy Cavey
God @ Church
APPETIZER: WE'RE ALL SO LONELY
THE PROBLEM:
To be human is to be, at some level and at all times, in every moment and in all circumstances and experiences, deeply and disturbingly lonely.
How compact your bodies are. And what a variety of senses you have. This thing you call language though, most remarkable. You depend on it for so very much. But is any one of you really its master? But most of all, the aloneness. You are so alone. You live out your lives in this shell of flesh. Self-contained, separate. How lonely you are. How terribly lonely.
-Spock/Kollos (Star Trek, Season 3, Episode 5 (Is There in Truth No Beauty?)
A race of telepathic beings is authentic in communication. Makes comment on Spock's life. Processed that for a long time.
Abraham got an extreme command that made him lonely. Only depend on God. Absolute. Huxley. He wrote the best stuff outside of the Bible.
The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God.
-The Apostle Paul (Romans 8:26-27)
DINE IN: GOD'S SOLUTION FOR OUR SEPARATION
John 20:19-20, Romans 8
I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. … On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
-Jesus (John 14:16-20)
We have the mind of Christ.
-The apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 2:16)
Hanging out in the game world Red Dead Redemption and making friends there.
PROFOUND INTIMACY:
John 14:16-20, John 14:23; John 15:1-17; John 15:26; John 16:12-15; John 17:26
Romans 8:14-15, Romans 8:26-27;
The Spirit of God. No condemnation. V14 led by the Spirit of God. Not slaves. Sonship. For men and women. Crying ABBA Father. Now Co heirs. Jesus is our brother.
The Spirit helps us in our weakness. When we feel down and alone the Spirit prays for us.
Lack of engagement drains our energy. We need to contact our friends.
We don't have to find the words. Just hang out with God.
Groan moan the Spirit gets it. He'll groan with you.
Be open and honest with each other. Jesus's presence is increased when you meet with others.
Galatians 4:19; Ephesians 2:3-7; Ephesians 3:14-15; Colossians 1:27; Colossians 3:1-4; 2 Peter 1:3-4
Perichoresis: The persons of the Trinity interpenetrate one another.
Theosis: We are welcomed into the love life of the Trinity.
TEMPLE
Matthew 18:20; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 1 Peter 2:5; Revelation 21:22; Acts 17:28
BODY
Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 3:6; Ephesians 4:15-16; Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18, Colossians 1:24
FAMILY
Matthew 12:50; 1 Timothy 3:15; 1 Timothy 5:1-2
For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit.
-The apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 5:3-4; Colossians 2:5)
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. (John 20:19-20)
Acts 2 and onward… With the Spirit they are truly together, truly one, even though they move out into the world, often in different directions.
TAKE OUT: MY NEXT STEP
Hey, I'm hungry. Wanna grab dinner together?
Hey, I'm lonely. Wanna grab dinner together?
My Next Step This Week…
1. Read and meditate on the Scriptures in the sermon notes.
2. Read a book on the importance of soul friendship (e.g. Vivek H. Murthy's Together).
3. Confess your loneliness to one trusted, wise, and loving person.
4. Spend 15 minutes each day investing in your closest relationships.
5. Look up "one another" commands in the Bible and start researching for learning together in September. (Just make sure your research includes learning by doing!)
Remember to use these questions like a menu, not a checklist. These questions are not mandated material you have to cover but options to help guide your discussion as much or as little as you like.
Bob asks: if loneliness is human, When is it a crisis? Live a life of love and light. Tune into the lonely around you and share. If it prevents you from living life get help
Ask questions is refreshing. Patina. Questions need to be part of our love language. Blocking questions creates loneliness. I don't worry about unicorns Hinduism and other things I don't believe. Doubting your faith means you have faith.
Having said this, he showed them his hands and his side. So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
John 20:20 CSB
HANG OUT | Large Group
1. What about the Sunday (and/or After Party) teaching stood out to you?
2. Have you tried any of the next steps in the Take Out? Talk about your experience.
HEAR | Discussion Groups
3. Read all of Romans 8. (And keep in mind our theme of experiential intimacy as an antidote to loneliness, and spiritual family as an antidote to the dislocation and disorientation of our time.) NOTE: If time is short, just read verses 26-end.
a) What stands out to you? Talk about wherever this passage leads your thoughts.
b) In Christ our intimacy with God and one another is fundamentally nonjudgmental, without condemnation. How can we manifest this well in a community where we as a family are also supposed to rebuke and challenge one another?
c) We have living in us "the Spirit of God", "the Spirit of Christ", and "Christ" (verses 9-10). Is Jesus in heaven or in us or both or what? Try to explain this to one another simply. (Recall the concept of "perichoresis".)
d) Have you ever experienced the "wordless groans" of the Spirit? What is this experience like for you? (Or what do you think it might be like?) Take time to meditate quietly on verses 37-39. Then talk about any new thoughts or feelings.
HUDDLE | Huddles
4. Talk about what God has been saying to you this week, and/or about how you are doing in your lives, and pray for one another.
