5.12.19 - Kingdom of Wholeness (Kenny Camacho; Story By Maria Wilhelm)
SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 2:1-5, 9:6-7, 25:6-9; Matthew 5:13-16; 1 Peter 4:7-11; Acts 2:42-47
Extending the idea of Shalom beyond personal Shalom (Lives of Wholeness) and relational Shalom (People of Wholeness), we naturally seek to be part of God’s Kingdom of Wholeness, desiring to bring Shalom to our greater sphere of influence in our neighborhoods, our city, and the world. Though we see and grieve the brokenness of relationships and the world all around us, we also acknowledge that because Jesus has made us whole, we get to participate in God’s Kingdom of wholeness now, where we live, and with the resources God has given to us. Living like Jesus looks like engaging with the people and culture we have been placed in, extending relationship, meeting needs both physical and spiritual. We look forward with hope to the time when all will be made right again, but we also set our eyes on the ways God wants to use us right now to bring shalom to the world we live in. Shalom is the act of “living wholeheartedly in a broken-hearted world. We are made whole in order to make the world whole” (Osheta Moore).
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
What does it look like for you to live “wholeheartedly in a broken-hearted world”? Is this a struggle for you? Has this been a goal for you? Do you see this as a mark of being a Christian?
Consider where you live: neighborhood/apartment complex/dorm. Do you know your neighbors? Their names, their occupations, their struggles? How can you reach out this week to one person living in your immediate radius (outside of your family), to extend care and kindness, no agenda/strings attached?
How would you know if God’s Wholeness, or “shalom”, was coming to your neighborhood? To the city of Annapolis? What would it look like? What would be different? Where do you already see “shalom” in this city?
In what ways are we as a church family actively being Good News to the world, bringing “shalom” to our community? How are we a people who know of the kingdom of God and embody it here, in our community, in practical ways?
What specific resources has God given you that you can invest into ushering in His Kingdom of Wholeness? Research a way to give your time or money to a place that is already doing this work of “shalom,” whether it is local or global.
What grieves you about the world? What are the passions has God planted in your heart? Consider how God has equipped you to bring “shalom” to the areas where those two things overlap.