01.27.08
Small Group Plan - January 27, 2008
“Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There”
Myspace or Ourspace?
Small Group Plan
January 27, 2008
Dear Small Group Leader,
Marcia Hornok struck a nerve when she took the Psalm that most expresses our need for quiet and rest and rewrote it in the style of our tired, stressed-out culture.
The clock is my dictator, I shall not rest.
It makes me lie down only when exhausted.
It leads me to deep depression.
It hounds my soul.
It leads me in circles of frenzy
for activity’s sake.
Even though I run frantically
from task to task,
I will never get it all done,
For my “ideal” is with me.
Deadlines and my need for approval,
they drive me.
They demand performance from me,
beyond the limits of my schedule.
They anoint my head with migraines.
My in-basket over flows.
Surely fatigue and time pressure
shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell
in the bonds of frustration forever.
– Discipleship Journal (Nov-Dec 1990)
OPEN IT / INTRODUCE IT …
· What is the over-all message of this rewritten Psalm 23?
· Which part captures our culture most clearly? How?
· Which line or phrase points a finger at you? Explain.
LOOK AT IT / STUDY IT …
Slowing Down Is Not A Suggestion
Matthew 6:6
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Mark 6:31
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
· In the past, have you usually thought of “slowing down” as a suggestion or a command? Why?
· How does our culture discourage slowing down?
· Mark describes the “coming and going” of Jesus’ day. What would it look like in our day?
· How can a “quiet place” provide rest?
· What is the difference between the “rest” of our world and the “rest” described by Jesus?
· When is recreation not a time of being “re-created?” What would true re-creation look like?
Following The Rhythm Of Jesus
He Receives – Mark 1:11
A voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
· In contemporary language, what three messages did Jesus receive from His Father?
· Why did He need them?
He Shares – Mark 1:32-34a
32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases.
· How would you have felt if, opening the door, you saw the whole town?
· How did God’s three messages prepare Jesus to open the door?
He Replenishes – Mark 1:35
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
· Why was it important for Jesus’ “place” to be “solitary?”
· Imagine Jesus’ words as He describes His experience the day before. What would He be saying to God?
USE IT / APPLY IT …
· How can a couple’s marital “rest” affect their individual “rest?”
· How can two people slow down together?
· How can having a margin built around a family protect that family?
· If you were giving the advice, what would you say are the first steps to take in building that margin?
· Why do our children need us to slow down?
Close by asking God for an obedient heart as we choose to slow down and more fully give God our time and our hearts.