Let Everything that has Breath. - archive.cor.orgarchive.cor.org/uploads/tx_wecsermons/Small_Group... · That encounter changed Isaiah’s life. His account reminds us that, every

Send questions to Darrell Holtz ([email protected] or (913) 544-0274) © Copyright 2010 by The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection

September 25, 2011

“Let Everything that has Breath. . .”

A Grow-Pray-Study guide for small groups

This guide uses the Scripture readings from the daily ―GPS‖ study guide. Group members may read the

daily readings before the group meeting, or read the verses aloud when the group meets. The group may subdivide into two or three smaller groups,

each discussing a set of the daily readings and the corresponding questions on page 2, or the entire group may discuss those questions together. Our

prayer is that, whatever pattern of study you choose, the Holy Spirit will weave God‘s Word into the life and heart of each group member.

Isaiah’s account of his vision all but leaped off the page. He saw God—a God of awesome

power, unstained holiness, abundant grace and readiness to cleanse a flawed worshipper.

That encounter changed Isaiah’s life. His account reminds us that, every time we worship, we

too are coming into the holy, life-transforming presence of our awesome, gracious God.

Why do we sing in worship? The psalmists saw music, not as performance, but as a way to

express what is in our soul. We sometimes think music is just for the talented few, but the

psalmists invited every child of God (at any level of vocal quality!) to join in songs of praise. In

worship, our audience is God–and regardless of our skill, he hears our heart’s song.

The earliest worship meant building an altar, and sacrificing a lamb or other animal on it. For

agricultural people, devoting that animal to God showed love, awe and worship—and was a

real sacrifice. God’s people ever since kept giving willingly. They gave not just to pay the

church’s bills, but in order to honor God as supreme owner and source of all they had.

Private personal prayer is how we connect with God. But praying as a group met to worship is

also vital in our worship heritage. King Solomon’s great dedication prayer for the temple in

Jerusalem modeled a humble spirit, honesty and trust. In that same spirit, we can all speak

directly to God through the words of one who leads us in prayer as we worship.

As a young man, the apostle Paul studied to be a rabbi. He would have learned Scripture from

a very young age. Probably, like many devout young Hebrews, he even memorized long

passages and whole books. It makes sense, then, that when he led worship, and when he

taught others like his young protégé Timothy, preaching the Bible was a major focus.

As these Biblical blessings show, worship is not limited to one hour (or even one day) each

week. At the end of each service, in one way or another, the worship leader asks that God will

―equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to

him, through Jesus Christ.‖ When that happens, every day and hour of our week becomes an

ongoing part of worship, and worship truly becomes a way of life for us.

To access the Family Activity suggested in this week‘s GPS, download the printable GPS from

www.cor.org/guide.

MONDAY Isaiah 6:1-8

TUESDAY Psalm 100, 146

WEDNESDAY Mark 12:38-44, 2

Corinthians 8:9-21

THURSDAY 1 Kings 8:22-54

FRIDAY Acts 15:30-35, 2

Timothy 4:1-8

SATURDAY Hebrews 13:20-21,

Ephesians 3:14-21

http://www.cor.org/guide

“Let Everything that has Breath. . .” 2 September 25, 2011


SUGGESTED PRAYER Heavenly Father, as your followers, we never stop learning from you and growing in our faith. You fill us and strengthen us. We

want you to know, from our lips, how grateful we are for your love, mercy and grace. We open ourselves to your continuing

presence with us and in us. We pray that we may serve you well, and bring you joy and pleasure with our service. In the name of

Jesus, Amen.

CONNECT When we gather in church, do you think God draws nearer to us? Is he even "more present" than at other times of our daily lives? If so, why might this be true? Does the same hold true when we meet as a group? Would you like God to be nearer on a more regular basis? What can we do to cause God to draw closer to us more often?

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND STUDY

Read Isaiah 6:1-8. In his incredible vision, Isaiah saw God himself. How truly awesome! Imagine how he must have felt! What

would you feel if you had such a clear, seemingly real vision? Isaiah seemed to have been overwhelmed with the reality of his

sin, even though he was probably, by human standards, a reasonably righteous man. Would you have felt that way? When

the angel spoke to him, Isaiah accepted the fact that his sin was immediately forgiven. How are our sins forgiven? Have you

accepted the fact that your sins have been completely and totally forgiven? Do your worship experiences remind and reassure

you of Christ's forgiveness? If so, how important are regular worship experiences to the health of our faith and our soul?

Read Psalm 100, 146. In Psalm 100, the psalmist suggests that we should worship with gladness. Does everyone attend

worship feeling glad to be there and participating? What other reasons and attitudes might some people carry into worship?

Have you ever felt as though mere words in worship are simply inadequate to express your deepest feelings toward God?

What is a psalm? Why do we make music and sing in worship? Sometimes we are suffering when we enter into worship. Are

you able to worship joyfully even when things aren't going well for you? Why might this often be the case?

Read Mark 12:38-44, 2 Corinthians 8:9-21. When we give our offering, why are we giving? Are some reasons healthy and

others unhealthy? To what or to whom are we giving? Do you think most people think about these questions when they give?

Do we all give equally, considering our resources? How important is a "willing heart" to our giving? Should we tell others how

much we give? Are there any circumstances when that might that be a good thing to do? How carefully should we handle the

offerings made by others? Why is this important? What has happened when stories of church mishandling of funds become

known to the public?



Read 1 Kings 8:22-54. Solomon was the wealthiest and most powerful man of his time. Yet his personal prayer of dedication

for the awesome new temple was indeed wise. He recognized that the people, all people, face difficulties, are guilty of sin and

are in need of God's forgiveness, protection and provision. When you worship God, do you consciously recognize your need

of him, despite any successes you might have experienced in life? Does the place in which you worship inspire you to

remember God's greatness and power? Solomon's temple was a place of immense size and majesty. To what extent do the

physical attributes of the place of your worship affect the strength or depth of your worship?

Read Acts 15:30-35, 2 Timothy 4:1-8. Paul, Barnabas, Silas, Judas and Thomas...all believers who understood that another

form of worship was service to others. They all spread the word of faith, not only to non-believers, but also to their fellow

believers in order to strengthen their faith. Do you serve in some way within your worship community? What do you do that

might please God and so be a form of worship for you? Do you ever speak of your faith in order to strengthen others? How

does that feel?

Read Hebrews 13:20-21, Ephesians 3:14-21. So...when does worship end? Is it at the end of every church service? If God

"equip(s) you with everything good for doing his will," what are we to do when we are so equipped? Furthermore, if God "may

strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being," how can we expect to feel? What can we expect to do after

that strengthening? How will we then face difficulties? How will we help others? Can we expect to be successful with our

efforts of faith?

From last week: Did you try to find a way to be mindful of God in everything you did? Did you try to think of him constantly and worship him with your family activities, your work, your church service and your play? What was your experience?

FOR ADDITIONAL INSIGHT

From Pastor Hamilton’s sermon, 9/25/11: ―I want to remind you of something I mentioned last week. I likened worship to a rugby game and mentioned that many of us don‘t know the rules nor the aim. Last week I taught you the aim–bowing down before God, recognizing God is God and we are not, offering ourselves in service to God, giving thanks and praise to God who is our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. But here‘s one thing I want to make sure you get. I mentioned that I was watching a rugby game as a spectator in the stands. It‘s easy to suppose that you come to worship that way—you sit in a seat, and watch us up front do something, and then decide whether you liked it or not. But in worship, you are the ones playing the game. The place where you sit is the field. We up here on the chancel are coaches and cheerleaders. Our aim is to lead you in worship and to worship with you as we do. And your job is not to be bystanders. There is only one spectator in worship, and that is God. God is here, watching and listening and taking pleasure in our outpouring of praise and prayer and petition and preaching. Our aim is not to worship for you, but to help you to worship in spirit and in truth…. Worship matters. The daily yielding, reverencing, seeing with wonder and giving thanks to God matters, and the gathering



together before the table, which is also a throne, and saying once more by our very presence here, ‗You are God. You are first in my life. And yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever. Amen.‘ It matters. I want to offer you this challenge, and to say something as plainly as I can: Being a committed Christian includes making weekly worship a priority in our lives. We come to meet God in his holy house. We come to remember who he is and who we are called to be. We come to sing and pray, to confess and to lay our burdens down. We come to listen for his voice, and to offer our lives to him. And finally, we come to be sent back out each week on his mission in the world. So here is the specific challenge to you. I want to ask those of you who consider yourselves Christians, Would you make it a priority in your life to be in worship every weekend? Would you determine that, as someone who is a Christ follower you will be in worship here if you are not sick or out of town? If you are sick or out of town, will you join us on line if you‘ve got a connection? Please sign in as we keep track. I‘m guessing each of you could do this at least 3 out of every 4 Sundays. That‘s my goal for every active member of Resurrection– in worship at least 75% of the time in 2012.‖

How do we worship? ―Phrases like Worship Service or Service of Worship are tautologies. To worship God means to serve him. Basically there are two ways to do it. One way is to do things for him that he needs to have done—run errands for him, carry messages for him, fight on his side, feed his lambs, and so on. The other is to do things for him that you need to do—sing songs for him, create beautiful things for him, give things up for him, tell him what‘s on your mind and in your heart, in general rejoice in him and make a fool of yourself for him the way lovers have always made fools of themselves for the one they love. A Quaker Meeting, a Pontifical High Mass, the Family Service at First Presbyterian, a Holy Roller Happening—unless there is an element of joy and foolishness in the proceedings, the time would be better spent doing something useful.‖ --Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking, pp. 97-98.

Final application: This week, repeat last week's efforts to try to find a way to be mindful of God in everything you do. Think of him constantly and worship him with your family activities, your work, your church service and your play. Next week, share with the group what you experienced.

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Let Everything that has Breath. - archive.cor.orgarchive.cor.org/uploads/tx_wecsermons/Small_Group... · That encounter changed Isaiah’s life. His account reminds us that, every