Posted on September 4, 2022 Posted By: HCCCategories: journey
Heartland Community Church
THE JOURNEY
The Family of Jesus
By Lisa Zulke
Descriptions of me in elementary school: Very imaginative! Favorite questions are how and why. Can explain how things work to classmates.
Also me: Talks too much in class. Asks too many questions. Asks questions at the wrong time. Can appear bossy.
In the story of Jesus and the people who were trying to figure him out I can relate to the expectations or assumptions that led people to misunderstand him. I was misunderstood as a child with a mind who wanted to know how and why things worked. My wonderings and my desire to learn outpaced the expectations others had of me. Sometimes, they offended. I was often too much. At times, not enough, as I learned to keep my questions and wonderings to myself and became a quiet child.
Fast forward to my mid-twenties and early thirties. A young professional, learning to navigate the world of work and volunteering and making a difference and finding my space in the world. Through a couple chance encounters, I began to hear about Jesus. The first few years of learning to follow him were challenging, because I bumped into very similar thoughts about my questions. Asks too many. Asks at the wrong time, or asks the wrong question. But, Jesus. He never questioned my questions. He held space for me to draw near. To pull back. To wrangle and wrestle and voice my questions and my doubts and my lack of understanding.
What I learned as I found space for me in a room with Jesus is that he always has time for questions. He wants me to explore my thoughts, my doubts, and to share those explorations with him. He wants us to discover how things work…particularly how a relationship with him works. Over the long haul, I have learned that I can lean back, just as I am, trusting that Jesus is good and that he holds space for me…for each of us.
I join you this week exploring ways that I can draw nearer, making space for Jesus in my days, and finding ways to hold space for friends and family who have questions and doubts. How can I be a better space maker for them? How can I be a conduit of Jesus’ space-making, relationship-building vibe?
Observe, Reflect, Apply: As you read the passages, consider where you would locate yourself in the story. Another way to consider that…where would you locate yourself in relation to Jesus? What does it mean to "do the will of my father"? How can you take a step closer to Jesus this week? How might you make space for a friend or family member to draw closer to Jesus?
Can you imagine the joy and pride of God as you become a part of his family? What does it feel like to live "chosen" by God? I often wonder…am I living out the truth of being chosen? What would it look like…what would my life look like…if I lived fully into this identity?
Take a moment to write this verse in your own language. How would you explain this truth to someone who has never heard it? What does it mean, to belong to each other? Where do you see signs of belonging like that in your community? Where do you see places that you or your community could get better at belonging to each other?
How would you describe the nature of being a child of God to someone who doesn’t yet believe? What does it mean to you to have the spirit of God joined to your spirit? What is a benefit of this? What is confusing or hard to understand about God’s spirit? What does it mean to share God’s glory and his suffering?
Isn’t it cool of God to make a way for every human…EVERY human…to be part of his family, our community? Considering an ordinary day, how would someone know that you are part of God’s family? What does it look like to live out your faith in the places you live, work and play?
{extra journey resources}
CLICK HERE to visit The Bible Project site and explore their super simple, super informative Bible videos (and other resources). You can also download The Bible Project App HERE.
CLICK HERE to get the Read Scripture App, from our friends at The Bible Project.
CLICK HERE for more on how to use the observe-reflect-apply approach to getting the most out of your Bible reading.
The Bible App Get the free YouVersion Bible for your phone, tablet, or computer. Experience the Bible anywhere, with options to highlight, save notes, and share what you are reading with others.
The Bible App For Kids YouVersion partnered with OneHope to develop the Bible App for Kids, designing it specifically to engage children with Bible stories on an age-appropriate level. The Bible App for Kids is a free app for Android, Apple, and Kindle devices, available in over 60 languages.
Bible Gateway Provides advanced Bible searching capabilities, which allow readers to find passages in scripture based on keywords, phrases, or scripture reference.
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