3.31.24 - God's Welcome, Our Surrender (Kenny Camacho)
SCRIPTURE: Romans 11:13-24
“ A posture of surrender–to God’s capacity for grace, to our God-given capacity to love and include–is what makes radical and enduring welcome work. And the proof that this surrender will work, that we are safe even when it is costly, is the empty tomb on Easter Sunday.”
REFLECTION/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
What is the most welcoming community you have ever been a part of?
Have you ever been a part of a community–or experienced a community–that felt “closed” to you? Has this ever happened in a church?
The big idea this week is that “welcome,” under our own power, won’t last forever. Why do you think this might be?
In Romans 11, what is Paul afraid will happen to the “welcome” of non-Jewish Christians? What does he want them to remember?
Think about your own faith story: have you experienced the “welcome” of God? What did that feel like? What does it make you think about?
What, in your view, is the connection between “welcome” and “surrender”?
Can you think of a time when you surrendered to God's love in your life, and how did it impact your relationship with others?
Are there people (or people groups) who are hard for you to “welcome”? Why is that?
How can we make sure that a posture of surrender–to God’s love for us and others, to God’s capacity for grace–remains at the center of Revolution’s culture?