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Week 1 – 9/4 Where Are You From? Part 1 |
Week 2 – 9/11 Where Are You From? Part 2 |
Genesis 2:4b-15 |
John 1:35-51 |
In order to build connection and trust, we need to listen to each other’s stories and experiences to learn who and what has shaped us. We also need to feel seen and known for who we are. In these first two weeks, we hope to affirm the particularity of our identities while also acknowledging our common ground. Formed from the dust and God’s very breath in the garden of Eden, we have a common home, a shared birthplace, and a collective calling. The story of Jesus calling the disciples provides a helpful charge for the whole series: to “come and see” what the journey holds. |
- Where were you born? How has that geographical location influenced who you are today?
- What makes a place feel like home to you?
- Think of someone who has shaped who you are. In what ways have they impacted your life?
- What’s your favorite family tradition or, what’s one you want to start and pass along to those you love?
- If you feel comfortable, share anything you know about your ancestry or ethnicity. What stories have been passed down to you? What stories or information are missing?
- What is your faith journey? Share a few of your faith journey milestones.
- What’s something you love or celebrate about yourself?
Week 3 – 9/18 Where Does It Hurt? Part 1 |
Week 4 – 9/25 Where Does It Hurt? Part 2 |
1 Samuel 1:1-18 |
Mark 5:21-43 |
This question implies that all of us have known pain and suffering. In order to cultivate connection, we must first get curious about the pain others carry and the pain we carry ourselves. Before we can act, we must first acknowledge and believe the pain is real, for bearing witness to each other’s pain helps us cultivate compassion. In 1 Samuel, Hannah’s pain is ignored, diminished, and mocked. Yet, Hannah vulnerably and courageously bears all of herself before God, which transforms Eli’s perspective. She finds release by being fully seen and known by God. In the dual healing story of the hemorrhaging woman and Jairus’ daughter, we acknowledge those who suffer chronically and in isolation. We must also confess the harm done in neglecting the emotional, physical, individual, historical, and systemic wounds that exist among us. |
- What makes your heart hurt?
- Where in your life do you feel vulnerable, humbled, or broken open?
- What is a fear or anxiety that is weighing on you right now?
- Share a challenge, hardship, or obstacle you have faced in the past. How has that experience shaped who you are now?
- Name a time when you have spoken your hurt out loud. How did that make you feel, and did it help you heal?
- What is one way you care for yourself daily?
- Share about a time you witnessed someone else’s grief or pain. How did that experience impact you?
Week 5 – 10/2 What Do You Need? Part 1 |
Week 6 – 10/9 What Do You Need? Part 2 |
Job 2:11-13 |
2 Timothy 4:9-18 |
This question recognizes that we all have needs and that we need each other. It reminds us that we each have unique needs; we can’t assume to know what is best for others. It also prompts us to reflect on our own needs, priorities, and desires, which can sometimes be difficult to discern from one situation to the next. In the midst of Job’s afflictions, three of his friends promptly leave their homes and come to him. They tear their garments, weep loudly, and sit with him for seven days, saying nothing. Their response is the ministry of presence, of true solidarity, of seeing his excruciating pain and joining him there. Beaten and imprisoned, Paul writes to Timothy with a simple request: “Come quickly.” He lists those who abandoned him, but says, “I hope that God doesn’t hold it against them!” In his greatest moment of need, Paul doesn’t need revenge, but instead asks for companionship. In essence, this is what we all need—for someone to come quickly, to gather the items we want, and to simply show up. |
- Share a memory of a time someone extended care for you. What did they do and how did it make you feel?
- Share about a time you have been in a caretaking role. What needs did you have as a caretaker?
- When in your life have you asked for help? Did you get the help you needed?
- Share about a time you needed help, but didn’t ask for it. What do you wish you could have changed about that experience?
- What things help make a bad day better?
- What’s a gift (tangible or intangible) you’ve received that you’ll never forget?
- Describe a time when you felt God was near.
Week 7 – 10/16 Where Do We Go From Here? Pt 1 |
Week 8 – 10/23 Where Do We Go From Here? Pt 2 |
Ruth 1:1-22 |
Acts 10 |
This final question is not meant to be the end of the journey; instead, it creates openness to explore together what is next. It is contextual, designed for individuals, families, churches, and communities to discern how to move forward into something new. While stepping into the next chapter, our hope is that we keep cultivating curiosity, asking questions, having conversations, and seeking connection in order to humanize and care for each other. Ultimately, this final question invites us to foster hope and imagination. After the loss of loved ones disrupts their lives, Ruth and Naomi create a new covenant with each other, choosing to be in a relationship across their religious, cultural, and generational divides. As women, they build power together in a system where they have little power. Cornelius, a pious Roman centurion, and Peter are brought together through visions they each receive. Peter and Cornelius meet face-to-face and Peter says: “I really am learning that God doesn’t show partiality to one group of people over another.” Through their courageous conversation, their narrow perceptions of others expand, the Spirit descends upon them, and they share in community and hospitality. |
- What energizes or excites you?
- What is something you deeply long for?
- Describe a dream you have for the future.
- Where are you finding joy right now?
- Who is someone in your life you want to grow closer to or reconnect with? What might that growth and connection look like for you?
- What is something you are looking forward to?
- What is a dream you have for your faith community? In what ways would you like to see your community grow or shift?