Read Luke 3 & 4 and meet in your Good Soil Group by Sun, Jan 22.

Remember: Formation, not information. Luke and Acts invite us to live differently than the world around us. Focus on the seeds of trust, hope, and compassion God is planting.

Reading

As you read, here are a few things to notice, in addition to everything you notice naturally.

What God spoke to Jesus at his baptism, God speaks to each of us. When you read this passage, add your name: “______, you are my child, my beloved. With you I am well pleased.” And put that second sentence in whatever words will let you hear God’s deepest love for you. Try making it your mantra for the week.

In his hometown synagogue, Jesus read from the prophet Isaiah. Many point to this as Jesus’ mission statement in Luke, Jesus’ promise that his will be a ministry of release and setting free. In every single passage that comes after this the rest of the gospel, you might ask, “How is Jesus freeing people here?”

In Nazareth, the people rejected Jesus and violently threw him out. But in Capernaum, the people welcomed Jesus and begged him to stay. It’s as if Luke invites us to consider our response to Jesus, not only as individuals but as a congregation. How would you describe what the people did in Nazareth versus what they did in Capernaum? What about what Jesus did in each town? How was that different? And how was Jesus freeing people in both places?

Confused how the Nazareth crowd went from speaking well of Jesus to trying to lynch him? Maybe their question, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” was not so innocent. Compare 4:22 to 3:23: “Jesus was the son—so it was thought—of Joseph.” Luke is giving us here the key to understand all the conflict and opposition Jesus will face: people dismissing what is of God—Jesus, his message and ministry—as being merely human.

Meeting

Getting to Know Each Other (10 min): You might ask each other, “In the past week, when did you feel God’s love most strongly?”  Other questions, inspired by these chapters, could be, ”Who are your heroes?” and “Who are your enemies?”

Talking about Luke (20 min): Here’s some good starting questions for any week, “What did God do in these chapters? What did people do?” You also might ask each other, “What in these chapters did I welcome? What did I resist? How was Jesus freeing me as I read?”

Praying (15 min): Start this time by asking, “Who or what do we have to pray about today?” Don’t censor yourself. Nothing is too big or too small to pray about. And no one is beyond God’s care. If nothing else, pray for each other and for all of the other Good Soil groups that God will open us to the seed of God’s Word.

After Reading & Meeting

Check back on this website, for art and more. Ask Pastor a question. Leave a comment and let us know how the Spirit is moving with you!