3.1.20 - The Unexpected Grace of Obedience (Kenny Camacho)

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 7

The “Golden Rule” is the most ubiquitous moral teaching in the history of the world: we are in global agreement that we should all “treat others as we want to be treated.” But despite how easy to understand this idea is, and despite more than 5,000 years of sharing it generation after generation, we don’t seem to be any closer to actually living this way! So, why is following the Golden Rule so hard? This week, we want to explore the possibility that treating others with real empathy and love actually depends on experiencing God’s attention and grace for ourselves. As we continue to explore what it means to be “ambassadors of reconciliation” this year, we need to ask ourselves: “how well do I really know the love I have been asked to share?”

REFLECTION/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  1. What are some of your earliest experiences with the “Golden Rule”? Have you ever taught the “Golden Rule” to others? Why do you think it is so central to our culture? 

  2. In your experience, what makes the “Golden Rule” so hard to follow or keep?

  3. On Sunday, Kenny said, “it’s not that we can’t treat others the way we want to be treated; it’s that we do treat others the way we expect to be treated.” Discuss this claim as a group: what strikes you as true about it? What is hard or confusing or complicated about it? 

  4. Tough question alert! If you look at the ways you tend to treat other people (with trust; with skepticism; avoid altogether), what does your attitude reveal about the way you see others/the world/yourself? 

  5. The first challenges for this week were to “allow yourself to be known” and to “give yourself permission to be loved.” What is your reaction to these challenges? Would they be worth trying in your life?

  6. What can you do to “grow” in your understanding of God’s love for you? What sometimes makes this hard for you to accept? How can disciplines or community help you?

Kenny Camacho