Breaking Ground
What’s your favorite surprise or twist ending to a story? Why?
The Dig
This Sunday, we began our new series Expect Resurrection, where we’re exploring the biblical concept of resurrection.
Begin by reflecting on your personal history with concepts related to the afterlife & the conclusion of God’s story.
What were you taught about the afterlife or what the Bible had to say about the end of history? How did that impact your worldview & faith?
Do you believe the same things now? If not, how & why have your beliefs shifted?
In Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Mike explored the common misconception that the Bible upholds escape as the ultimate goal of God in the biblical story. That is, Christians escaping from earth (our corrupted, bad, physical space) to heaven (God’s good, spiritual one) when we die.
What issues get created from this hyper-focus on escape & rejecting our physical world?
Next, read Revelation 21:1-5. Recall, Revelation is a piece of Jewish Apocalyptic Literature, in which an author describes present events from God’s cosmic perspective through intense symbolism. Here, John symbolically depicts a very different resolution for God’s story than escapism, envisioning that God’s presence will come here to restore all things (both physical & spiritual) through resurrection, the renewal of this Creation, & the full reuniting of Heaven & Earth (God’s space & Humanity’s space).
What stands out to you the most from this passage?
How does this resolution to God’s story offer up a healthier & more redemptive hope for ourselves & our world?
Critically, John & the other early Christians believed that this New Creation & Resurrected reality was already available to us here & now. In particular, they believed that, through Jesus, we could draw this future end of God’s story into the present through how we lived redemptive & Christlike lives.
How might these concepts of new creation & resurrected life motivate us to actions of healing, liberation, justice, reconciliation, renewal, & restoration in our present world?
Getting Out of the Hole
Take time each week to reflect on the Sunday sermon & how it might be applied to your daily life.
- Read Revelation 21-22. Write down any verses or key pieces of imagery that give you hope.
- How would your behavior & attitudes change if you believed that you’re called to start embodying these images in the present? How would you start living out what you’ve identified? How might that positively impact both your life & the lives of people around you?
- Commit to one action or practice this week that would help you more deeply embody living at this intersection of heaven & earth in your daily life.
Journal, reflect, & pray on how God might be speaking to you through each week’s teaching. Share your experience with your growth group next week!
Additional Resources*
Surprised by Hope by NT Wright
The Resurrection of the Son of God by NT Wright
TheBibleProject.com
Coming Up This Week:*
Saturday, March 26th: Join us next Sunday for week 2 of our series Expect Resurrection!
* Please see mye3.org for details.