5.5.19 - People of Wholeness (Fred Miller)

SCRIPTURE: Luke 19:42; 2 Cor. 5:18-19; Matthew 5:9; Luke 6:27-28; Colossians 3:10


Our calling, as Christians, isn’t just to recognize God’s ability to bring wholeness (Week 1), or to surrender ourselves to the gift of wholeness God wants to bring to us (Week 2); it’s also to be agents of wholeness in our relationships with others. Many of us are surrounded by broken relationships: in our relationships with our friends and family, and also in their relationships with one another. This week, we want to explore the roles God gives us to play as “peacemakers” working for reconciliation in our world. The kind of “shalom” God embodies is present in us, too, when our relationships are characterized by love and heart-felt acceptance.


DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  1. How do you feel when a relationship is alienated? Describe and explain your emotions.

  2. What are some things that keep people apart? (Specific unfulfilled expectations; specific hurts; specific judgments; etc.)

  3. How do prejudices work to undermine shalom? Share examples, both culturally and personally. How might these develop subtly over time?

  4. Of the above biblical texts, which speaks most to you, and why?

  5. Share personal examples of shalom-making in your own life. When have past hurts, disappointments, or alienations prompted you to initiate peace?

  6. Where is God calling you to be a peacemaker now?

Kenny Camacho