Something was tearing the church apart, and Paul had to intervene. This Sunday, we’re in Galatians 5, and Paul has some of the most shocking lines in the New Testament here. But he also paints a beautiful picture of true flourishing. Come and wrestle with what it means to be free, rooted, enslaved to love, and who to trust with the formation of our souls.
For reflection & discussion:
When you think about the people who have most shaped your faith, what qualities made them influential? Was it what they taught, how they lived, or both?
Paul says the only thing that counts is "faith working through love" (5:6), and that the fruit of the Spirit grows from being rooted in God's love — "we are loved to love." What are your current practices of abiding / receiving God’s love?
What comes harder for you: receiving God’s love, or obedience to God’s way of love?
Paul’s ‘works of the flesh’ are primarily relational: strife, jealousy, factions, dissensions— and they’re on the same list as idolatry and sorcery. Which of these are you most likely to notice in others, and which ones do you excuse yourself from? (Speck and the plank)
Jesus said that “they will know you are my disciples by your love for one another.” Is that true of us? What practices or changes could we make to make that more true of our community?
For further reflection:
If you gravitate towards a ‘faction,’ why? Is the very act of justifying it doing the very thing Paul is arguing against?
The sermon ended with a charge: “go and eat with the person you're least patient with, or sharply disagree with — politically, theologically, ethically.” Who came to mind? What's stopping you, and when could you actually do it this week?
Podden och tillhörande omslagsbild på den här sidan tillhör
Pilgrim Church. Innehållet i podden är skapat av Pilgrim Church och inte av,
eller tillsammans med, Poddtoppen.
