Community Note
The end of the fall small group term is approaching quickly. The last day of the scheduled term is November 14th. Groups are free, of course, to meet throughout the holiday season as they’d like, but make time to set a plan together in advance of the term’s end.
Sermon Recap
The experience of being in an earthquake is deeply disorienting. It feels so unnatural because we almost never think about the ground – we just assume it will be there, solid under our feet. So when it shakes, we shake.
Life can feel that way, too. When the things we thought were solid and unshakeable turn out not to be, what are we to hold onto?
The book of Hebrews was written to a community of Christ-followers who needed encouragement to persevere in the faith in spite of hardship. Chapter 12 speaks to those moments when you’re tired of running, when the road hurts, and when the ground begins to shake.
When we are tired of running, we remember those who have gone before us. The stories of the “cloud of witnesses” in chapter 11 remind us that faithfulness does not always look like winning or victory. Sometimes it means continuing to trust even when we can’t see how our story will end. Jesus, as the “pioneer” of our faith (12:2) has gone where no one else has gone before, but he isn’t standing at the finish line telling us to run faster. Instead, he has opened a path for us to follow, to continue in.
Sometimes the hardest part of following Jesus is what happens when the road hurts. In verses 4-11 the author brings up the idea of “discipline”, which is the Greek word paideia. The word points to the work of formation, bringing to maturity. The goal isn’t becoming tougher but rather becoming people whose lives bear the fruit of righteousness and peace. This doesn’t mean every painful thing is sent to teach us a lesson, and this passage should never be used to justify abuse. But neither is our pain a sign that God has walked away. You are still a child of the Father.
The author continues, drawing our attention to the shared communal responsibility to pursue peace and holiness together. We were never meant to run this race alone.
There are Sundays when you arrive at worship barely hanging on and it is the faith of others that helps you continue. Other times, it is your faith that helps someone else keep going. We worship together and pray for each other, supporting each other as we are together being slowly transformed into the image of Jesus.
There are times when it feels like the ground under us begins to shake. The author of Hebrews draws a comparison between Mt. Sinai and Mt. Zion. At Sinai, the people could see the mountain but weren’t allowed to touch it. Zion, the heavenly city, can’t yet be seen — and yet Hebrews says we have already come to it (vs 22). What we can see now is not the whole story. One day God will shake all things in a final act of setting things right.
One day, all that is sad will indeed be made untrue. One day, like the desert pictured in Isaiah 35 that becomes a place of flourishing and home, God will establish his good kingdom forever. Because of Jesus, we are a people who belong to a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
Entering Conversation
Feel free to use any or all of these questions - or your own – in any order. The goal of our talking together is not merely better understanding, but to help us respond to what we have heard. Always, share as much or as little as you are comfortable with.
(NB: Some groups are giving intentional time this term to learning each other’s stories. If so, feel no pressure to also attempt a weekly sermon discussion. Let stories be told, maybe followed by a prayer of blessing over those who shared this week.)
Have you ever been in an actual earthquake? What did it feel like? What did you do?
Hebrews speaks of persevering in the faith as running a long race. How would you describe where you see yourself in that race right now? Do you know what you need most in this stretch?
Where do you most long to see God set things right?
If God is forming you through this season, what do you think he’s growing in you? How might you cooperate with that?
If God is forming Refuge through this season, what do you think he’s growing in us? How might we cooperate with that?
Tell of a time when someone else’s faith helped you persevere.
Vs 12 speaks of coming alongside those who have “drooping hands” or “weak knees.” Do you feel a particular place of weakness in your life right now? How might we help share in this with you?
If specific needs were shared this week, it might be appropriate to talk through ways of practically responding, ways of stepping toward each other in relationship.
End your time by praying together. If specific concerns were shared, name them as you’re able and trust them to God’s care. Wrap up your time in prayer by praying the Lord’s Prayer together, including kids if appropriate to your group.