BEYOND SUNDAY
Like the Israelites in the desert heading toward the Promised Land, we are a faith community heading into a promised future. In this series, Together: Remembering - Experiences that Inform Our Future we will learn from the Israelites’ story, found in the Book of Deuteronomy, about what they were called to remember in order to follow God well. This week, we focus on remembering that we are to care for the vulnerable.
Review:
1. In our journey with the Israelites in Deuteronomy, what are you remembering from the book that is impacting your life?
2. When did your eyes first open to the needs of the vulnerable around you? Or maybe you were actually the vulnerable one. Describe what you saw, experienced and how it made you feel?
3. Take some significant time to reflect on Deuteronomy 24:17-22. What are you drawn to in the passage?. What is beautiful about it and heartbreaking? What keys words are essential to it’s meaning? What is God saying about seeking justice for another and why the Israelites must do it? If you had to sum it up in a sentence, how would you state it.
4. Throughout the Bible, this message of caring for those in need is declared multiple times (7X just in the book of Deuteronomy). What other passages and stories reflect the same truth as found in Deuteronomy? How do the words of Jesus (Matthew 22:35-40, 26:11) and James, the brother of Jesus, (James 1:27) relate?
5. What holds us back in living out caring for the foreigner, fatherless and widow? How does our depth of understanding of God’s love for us help us to do so? How does drawing closer in proximity to a vulnerable one and being able to pronounce their name change our heart? How has this been true in your life?
6. Who is the foreigner, fatherless, or widow that need your presence and practical help? If it is not obvious, ask God to lead you. Check out these resources: Malawi Children's Mission and PCC Orphan Support.
NEXT STEPS
-Recite Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (The Shema) day/night. Replace Israel with your name/ family’s name.
-Follow the Weekly Listening/Reading Plan for Deuteronomy (Chapter 25-28 by 10/31)
-Engage in Prayer Wed. PCC Noon Time for 30 min (Info/Zoom Link) or last Friday/month live at PCC
-Place a memory of God on the Wall of Remembrance in the back of the Worship Center