The Waiting. 3.

It should be pretty well established by now that the waiting is hard. The real trick is establishing that the reward to waiting well is more awareness of ourselves and others. Of seeing when we're so used to being blinded.


Spend some time as a group and discuss the feelings we expect God to give us, and what it might mean to our lives that God won't be delivering them.




Thaw

• Share some fall memories from your childhood. Were there any traditions, responsibilities, events that are best remembered this time of year?
• Do you find yourself looking forward to or dreading some of the upcoming holidays? Why?
• What from the message Sunday has most stuck with you?

Read

• This is traditionally understood as the Lord's Prayer. Read it together and see what new dimensions you can recognize.

Our Father, who is in heaven

Hallowed be your name

Your Kingdom come

Your will be done

On Earth as it is in Heaven

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our trespasses 

As we forgive those who have trespassed against us

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil

• Thoughts?
• Why in such a brief prayer template would Christ include two stanzas regarding forgiveness?
• Forgiveness is obviously not a feeling or a disposition, but an act of a will submitted to Christ's Kingship ("Your Kingdom come!"). What does it mean to you that this prayer connects the act of forgiveness without mentioning the associated feelings?

Discuss

• What have you observed happens when you behave primarily based on your feelings?
• In how many areas of your life do you live chiefly on feeling and does that work in your estimate?

Leader note: It may be worth pointing out in the course of discussion that so long as feelings dictate our actions to us, it's Our kingdom come rather than not God's. When we do only what we feel like doing, we shape our will around our desires, regardless of whether that's best or not. This effectively negates the first five lines of the prayer!

Apply
What can we do to become a people who behave in accord with the Kingship of God, rather than the kingship of our (undisciplined) emotions?

Leader Note: It's important to make a distinction here. Our emotions are important, and shouldn't be ignored. The word "undisciplined" is included to communicate that until the emotions are aligned with our highest selves (love, others-centeredness, grace and peace, Christlikeness, etc) then they should be considered, but given little say in the actions we choose. Leave room for people to understand this distinction; disciplined emotion is a beautiful thing!