Scripture & Prayer

"We have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord . . . May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light." (Colossians 1:9b-10a, 11-12)

Cleansing and Renewing God, we come before you this day filled with so many emotions—fear, uncertainty, and frustration—as well as faith and hope. We know the way in which you have walked beside us through the many ups and downs in our lives and yet we call upon your presence now more than ever. We want to know what the future holds for us, yet the fear of what that might be threatens to consume us. Calm that fear, Divine Love. Wrap your loving arms around our sister/brother and help him/her feel your peace and confidence to face the unknown, to realize that you are always with us. Gracious God, just as Jesus asked if it be possible that this cup would pass from him, there is part of us that wants to ask the same; that we not have to face the news we may hear and what that will mean for our lives. But God, we ask now that you give us the courage that Jesus had. Help us know that what you want is for us to walk in relationship with you through both the good and the bad that life may bring. All this we ask in the name of our Advent coming Savior, Jesus the Christ. Amen.

Scripture & Prayer

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In God's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:1-3)

Most Holy God, you are the Ancient of Days, present in all times and places. We come to you now, praying on behalf of ______, who so desires to be home. Grant her/him strength for the period of continued recovery and patience to understand your purposes, even in this illness and unknown time. We pray for all who minister to him/her—doctors, nurses, technicians, family, loved ones, and friends—may their every action be an expression of your sustaining grace. Give _____ your comfort, and may s/he know the peace from you that passes all understanding; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Advent Study - Session 2

RESOURCE: Adam Hamilton's "Prepare the Way for the Lord." eBooks and Kindle version can be purchased and accessed immediately via Cokesbury or Amazon.

Check-out this version of Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence.

General questions:

1. Hamilton says most key decisions in our lives require a leap of faith. Do you agree? Why or why not?
2. Who has been someone in your life that had tremendous influence (mentor) over you - investing in your life, and finding meaning and joy in walking alongside you? Who is someone you have mentored - having tremendous influence over while you found meaning and joy in walking alongside them?

Our study from tonight, "Pregnance, Birth, Circumcision, and Zechariah's Prophecy" allowed for great discussion and far short of covering all the aspects of the key Scriptures:

• Luke 1:18-22:
• "Our brains were wires for questioning, for critical thinking, and doubts that inevitably arise are meant to lead us to dig deeper, to search for answers," writes Hamilton. "We are meant to ask questions. Sometimes our doubts are well founded." When have your doubts about something led you to discover and void trouble? In what other situations can skepticism prove healthy and productive?
• When, if ever, have you or someone you know asked or wanted to ask God, "How can I be sure of this? What happened?
  
• Frederick Buechner said, "Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving." What does this quote mean? Do you agree? Why or why not? How, if ever, have doubts led you to deeper faith?
• Hamilton writes the longer he lives, the more comfortabl he is with uncertainty and simple trust in God. Do you share this experience? Why or why not?
• "While we, like Zechariah, crave certainty, God gives us mystery..." writes Hamilton. How does or how could your congregation recognize God's gift of mystery - in its worship, in its education ministries, in its service to others, or in other ways - while encouraging people to both trust God and ask questions?
• God was asking Zechariah to talk less and to listen more. When have you found less talking and more listening, whether to God or to other people, the right approach, and why?
• When, if ever, have you heard God speaking to you in and through silence? How? Where do you go when you wnat or need to take time for silence?
• Luke 1:40-45:
• When, if ever, have you heard prophecy for yourself?
• Hamilton points out Elizabeth is the first person to make "the fundamental confession of the Christian faith," that Jesus is Lord. Who was the first person you heard make this confession? If you made this confression yourself, when did you first make it? How can and do Christians make this confession with more than words?
• Hamilton sees Mary's visit to Elizabeth as evidence of a deep relationship that likely formed over many years, beginning when Mary was younger. What long-lasting relationships with older adults have positively influenced you, and how?
• "Everyone needs and Elizabeth," writes Hamilton, "but as we grow older, we also fidn ourselves needing a Mary." When and how, if ever, have you mentored, encouraged, and celebrated a younger person?
• Luke 1:57-64:
• The name, "John," in Hebrew means "The Lord is gracious." The Greek word for grace appears more than 150 times in the Second Testament. Christians believe grace is a defining characteristic of God (along with attributes like love). How do you define grace?
• Hamilton calls receiving and giving grace "the rhythm of the Christian life." What does Ephesians 2:8-10 teach about the rhythm of grace? When was a time you experienced grace? When was a time you extended grace to another person?

Advent Study - Session 1

RESOURCE: Adam Hamilton's "Prepare the Way for the Lord." eBooks and Kindle version can be purchased and accessed immediately via Cokesbury or Amazon.

Our study from last Wednesday, "God Has Heard Your Prayers," sparked great conversation in our Zoom gathering. As a follow-up here, we can continue the discussion. Here are some key points and questions to keep the conversation going:

• Scriptures: Malachi 3:1, Malachi 4:2, Malachi 4:5-6 Luke 1:5-17
• God hears our prayers, though God's way of answering them is often different that we sometimes prayed.
• How much comfort and encouragement do you think the Bible's stories about infertile couples offer to infertile couples today? Why? How does or how could our congregation minister to women and couples who want to have children but find themselves unable to have them?
• Why do you imagine Zechariah felt fear when he saw the angel (Luke 1:12)?
• "The miracles God works," writes Hamilton, "sometimes come in ways that are different from what he had imagined when we pray." What "miracles" in this sense can you point to, in your own or in others' experience?
• Why does Malachi say "the day of the Lord" will be "great and terrifying"? How do you react to the prophet's words?
• This Advent, what are you doing to prepare the of the Lord?

Workshop on Community Transformation

In a collaborative effort of the four "downtown" United Methodist Churches, Brown Street UMC, under the direction of Rev. Barb Marshall has organized a Bible Study / 4-week workshop on Community Transformation. We're encouraging out-of-the-box thinkers, perhaps those newest to our congregation, to participate. It'll be on Tuesday evenings, 6:30-8:30pm, beginning on Sept. 29 at Brown St. UMC (corner or 9th and Brown streets) in the basement.

If you plan on participating, please email Barb.Marshall@inumc.org with your name and church affiliation.

PREPARATION:

Week 1: There are readings suggested for our first gathering. You are invited to read the first part of Job (in the Bible), Chapters 1-28. We will be working from 2 excellent books. If you have not come across them before they are well worth reading. I have included a link to the synopsis for each book if you would prefer to read that.

• Job, Chapters 1-28
• The synopsis Civic Engagement and the Restoration of Community, Changing the Nature of the Conversation http://www.peterblock.com/_assets/downloads/Civic.pdf
• Block, Peter. Community: The Structure of Belonging. :Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2008.

Week 2:

• Job, Chapters 29-42
• The synopsis: http://southwood.org/files/pdf/WhenHelpingHurtsSummary.pdf
• Corbett, Steve; Fikkert, Brian, When Helping Hurts, How To Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor... and Yourself. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2009.

No further reading is planned for weeks 3 and 4. However, a list of reference materials will be available at our first meeting.

Further information how our workshop conversations connect:

BOOK OF JOB
In Job we are witness to his experience of a range of emotions as he struggles with the incomprehensibility of his fate. His connection with his family, friends and community are all impacted as each imparts their own wisdom. Sure of his faithfulness, Job rejects their worldview that insists he repent of his sin. We will look at the folly in wisdom as Job comes to a new understanding of his relationship with God and his place in God’s creation.

EMERGENT DESIGN
We will look at simple but fascinating discoveries of modern science to arrive at new insights in our worldview. Then along with Job, we will reconstruct what new knowledge suggests for our interactions, with and place in, community.

COMMUNITY
Drawing from Peter Block’s writing on community, we will look at the current state of our communities and the place they hold in life. As Block suggests, rather than looking at fixes for current problems, we will begin to look at ideas of what might be possible using our own inter-church community as an example.

MISSIOLOGY
We have some wonderful examples within our INUMC conference of how the UMC is active in partnering with and serving in community. We will touch on the topics of evangelism, charity, and missiology and what they have to offer to our conversation on community in making disciples for the transformation of the world. We will reflect on how our community interactions connect with the mission and vision of our churches.

APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY
Appreciative Inquiry will be introduced as a tool for use in guiding the continuing work of a conversation circle to better discover and name connections and resources already at hand.