Jesus’ Call to Community - One

Written By Hayley Lotter

Opening Prayer:

Pour your Spirit upon us.
Help us so to walk in your ways.
May the life that we live together,
become an offering of love,
truly glorifying to you –
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Adapted from - Gathering for worship: Patterns and Prayers for the Community of Disciples, 37.

Key Scriptures:

“18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”
— Matthew 4:18-22
“46 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”

48 He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.””
— Matthew 12:46-50

Summary:

This week we opened scripture and asked the question - does Jesus call us into community, and if so, what is that community to be like?

We discovered that Jesus invites all who follow Him to do so together with others; to become part of a new family. Below is a summary of Sunday’s talk.

Questions to Consider:

  • What does the word ‘community’ mean to you? Why?

  • Why does Jesus call us to be together? What does community provide in our discipleship that we will miss out on if we remain alone?

  • How do you think Jesus felt towards his mother and his brothers? Why?

  • What scares you about this model of community? What excites you?

  • What do you need to start doing to make this a reality in your life?

  • How has God expanded the definition of family? How does this change your view of your place in the family?

Practices to Consider

  • Is there someone within the SWBC family that you could grab a coffee with, or invite to dinner this week?

Prayer Prompts:

  • Pray for opportunities to widen your experience of family.

  • Pray for the people of Sudan, affected by a brutal civil war, and the famine resulting in part from this conflict.

Additional Resources

Hayley Lotter