Redemption Church KC Sermon Podcast

1. What do you think about the retelling as reframing of the story of Elijah that Tim shared in today's sermon? How did it impact you? What were some of the things that stuck out to you or stirred your curiosity and imagination? What's your sense of what it means for this story's reframing, rooted in Jewish scholarship, to be so different than the way the story is told and understood in most Christian contexts? What are the possible outcomes of one understanding being embraced over the other? 2. Elijah spearheads a dramatic event at which the power of God decisively puts to shame Baal's priests and their acclaim of Baal. He acts with great faith and devotion to God. As soon as his faith is vindicated, he turns around and immediately commits a great act of violence against his opponents. What does God's response to Elijah tell us about God? Which part of it resonates for you or catches your attention? Have you had experiences in which your faith felt justified or validated? How did you respond to those moments? What did they teach you about God? If you've ever erred in your response to God's faithfulness, what did you see in God's response to you? 3. A reading of Elijah's story, informed by Jewish scholarship, clearly frames Elijah's violence as mistaken and out of sync with the spirit of God. Tim taught that, even one of the stories of Jesus visiting Samaria centuries later reinforces God's rebuke of Elijah's actions that day. One of Tim's slides read, “the kingdom comes not through violence, but through gentleness; not through one leader's zeal, but through an [alternative] faithful community.” Think about parallels and places in our world today in which we face dramatic injustice at the hands of empire. What does this story teach us about a faithful response to that injustice? How do we show up and engage as something akin to whisper in which Elijah experienced God's presence while still remaining active and effective in our faithfulness and love?

1. As part of Tim's sermon today, he talked about Walter Brueggemann's concept of the royal consciousness — an ideological capture that comes from prosperity. He named three features of it. First: numbness. Brueggemann said that when a person or community achieves a certain level of comfort — with all their basic needs met — something starts to happen to their imagination. Gradually, they start to focus on what's next (& then next after that, and next after that, and next after that, etc). And then slowly, the suffering of those at the bottom becomes tough to really see and to feel. Tim said, “The cries of the exploited are still there — they're just harder to hear over the ambient noise of the all-out pursuit of what's next.” Injustice requires a certain level of numbness in order to persist. It's not a byproduct of the system; it's a feature. Because, if those at the top could actually feel what those at the bottom feel, the pyramid that is the ideology would never hold. What do you think about this idea? Do you think that if “those at the top” could really hear and feel what those at the bottom experience, the system would fall apart? why or why not? When you consider this idea, do you identify more with those at the top or with those at the bottom? Why? To what extent can you see yourself in this idea of someone who is numb to the suffering of those at the bottom? 2. The second feature of the royal consciousness is static religion. Tim said that when the disruptive presence of God — the prophetic — becomes a force that's used to legitimize the status quo rather than calling the powerful to account, you're seeing this concept play out. In this paradigm, religion defends the status quo. Injustice ends up with the full weight of religious conviction behind it, and the powerful are justified by religion. Tim pointed out that this Type of religion doesn't require bad intentions or a lack of sincere devotion, only a certain level of comfort. Where can you see your own experience in this idea of static religion — are you tempted to be drawn into this way of thinking, or is it something you've been a part of in the past? How hard is it to find the ways you might participate in this form of ideological capture? How uncomfortable does it feel to look for them? How important is the idea of a God who challenges the powerful important to your concept of God? How much do you think it impacts and influences the way you live out your faith day to day? 3. The final feature of Royal consciousness is oppressive social order. A important piece in this concept is that royal consciousness' oppression doesn't say, “hey, I'm an ideology” — instead, it presents itself as the facts of life. It says, “this is how the world is — it's always been that way, it always will be.” How does this message or idea resonate for you right now, in the midst of the climate we live in these days — politically, socially, in terms of justice, both local and global and everywhere in between? As you look at all of these three features together, particularly within the framework of prosperity as their origin, what surfaces for you? If you can see yourself that way, how does it feel to examine yourself as one of the prosperous people in the paradigm? Do you feel moved to any specific kind of response? What might it look like to respond with action as prophetic resistance?

Tim Suttle

Ordinary Time 08: David and His Contradictions

1. In her sermon today, Christina taught about the contrast between Saul & David's approaches to kingship, highlighting that Saul's reign was desired by the people of Israel partially in response to the period of the Judges and its unpredictable uncertainty. Where in your life do you get to show leadership? To what extent is your own leadership style a reaction against undesirable periods or experiences in the past? What does that end up looking like? How well is it serving those you lead?Considering the period of unpredictable political uncertainty in which we find ourselves, to what types of political and social leadership do you tend to be drawn? To what extent are themes & people that directly react to the current chaos appealing to you? Thinking outside of only those who hold political office, what else attracts you to a leader? What things matter most in their leadership? 2. Christina also talked about the reality that all of us, though to differing degrees, hold power of some kind. She then asked, “What would it be like not to deflect power, but to instead reflect on how we use our power?” So, what would that be like? Spend a little time reflecting on that now, and share with the group.She also prompted us to consider the opportunities we might have to act with and demonstrate hesed. hesed (definition and review)- Embedded in the very self-definition of YHWH- Often translated love, kindness, mercy- Other divine characteristics are “drawn” to it: truth, justice, faithfulness, compassion - Often entails extravagant generosity that is not expected to be reciprocated What opportunities do you have for demonstrating hesed in the various places in which you have power? How often and how do you take advantage of them? 3. Christina also asked us to consider what might fill the pages of our own autobiographies and biographies if they were to be written. Know that no human is all good or all bad, and setting aside the big moments that tend to act as mile markers in life stories, what themes do you think would emerge about the way you lived and live your life, engage in the world, interact with others, and wield your power?

Ordinary Time 07: Hesed

Ordinary Time 06: Finding God in the Ruins Tim Suttle

Ordinary Time 06: Finding God in the Ruins

1. Early in today's sermon, Tim said, “God prefers vulnerability to credentials and strength.” Reflect on this idea. In what ways do you see this reflected in the world today? Do you see it at all? In what ways is it contrary to many of our world's prevailing values? Where do you see the outcomes of the ways in which we've valued strength &/or credentials? What do you think would shift in our culture if we consistently valued vulnerability over credentials and strength?What do you feel more drawn to in others or in communities? Are there certain settings in which you're drawn to credentials? Strength? What about vulnerability?Lastly, reflect on yourself. How often do you open up to, own, or embrace your own vulnerability? Is it a stretch to conceive of your own vulnerability as an asset? How often do you try to deny, hide, or obliterate your vulnerability altogether? What do you think the impacts might be for you personally or for the world around you if you were to prefer your own vulnerability to strength or credentials? 2. From the sermon: “the cycle keeps repeating: tyrants & fools seize the power & exploit the people as the seeds of their own destruction grow quietly, reliably, among the very people - they've decided to exploit…and they never see it coming..” What thoughts or feelings rise to the surface in response to this idea? What does it elicit in you? What does it mean in 2026? How does it fit into the reality of your existence in the midst of the “unprecedented times” in which we live today? 3. Tim shared the following words from Rich Mullins. Read them aloud. "They would have us see ourselves as products ... something to be made, something to be used, and then something to be disposed of; used in their wars, used for their gains, and then set aside when we get in their way. Well, who are they? They are the few who sit at the top of the heap-dung heap though it is-and who say it is better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven.Well, I do not know that we can have a heaven here on earth, but I am sure we need not have a Hell either. What does it mean to be human? I cannot help but believe that it means we are spiritual, that we are responsible, and that we are free ... that we are responsible to be free." What jumps out to you or resonates most? What do you think this last paragraph means? In what ways are we the “they” that's referenced here? In what ways or settings do we dehumanize, objectify, commodify, and use others? What are the takeaways for you in this discussion?

Ordinary Time 05: Vulnerable Leadership

1. Tim talked about Abraham's story as the first draft of the Bible's favorite story: the story of “a God who longs to lift up the brokenhearted.”What surfaces as you think of this as God‘s favorite story? Where else do you see this story in the Bible? Where do you see this story beyond the confines of the scriptural canon? In history? In your family stories? In your own life?2. Tim talked about the “peasant revolt model” of reading the stories of conquest in the book of Joshua, drawing attention to the sharp contrast this reading presents to the vision of divinely-sanctioned genocide which many of us grew up with. What do you think about the ideas of these different readings? What kind of exposure have you had to other ways of understanding this section of the Bible's narrative? What surfaced for you as you listened, or surfaces for you now as you consider these various readings? How has the reading you have known up to this point impacted your faith? Would a new lens for these stories (if this is a new lens) make an impact? How so? How important does that feel?3. Tim served up a question that he suggested we come back to throughout this summer‘s study of the Old Testament: what does it mean to serve the Lord? Share about your answer to that question at this present moment, and tell a bit about how it may have evolved over time.

Ordinary Time 04: The Excluded Ones

1. Early in his sermon, Tim said “American Christianity has largely sentimentalized the New Testament; but you can't do that with the Old Testament.”What do you think it means to “sentimentalize the NT?” How prominent is that in your experience of Christianity? How aware of it have you been or are you now?What things can you recognize and identify as impacts or outcomes of that sentimentalizing? How have those things impacted you and your life of faith?2. The phrase “the Canaanites” acts almost as a shorthand representation for the many smaller kingdoms that operated in the region at the time. These kingdoms operated in the mode of something Brueggemann called the “Royal Consciousness: a culture of domination, consumption, and social control where the few live extravagantly…at the cost of many.”Common objects of worship in these cultures were Baal & Asherah. Baal was the rain and storm god, while Asherah was believed to have power over childbirth and family concerns. The Israelites, as noted in Judges 3:7, don't last long before they lapse into servitude of these two gods.In the cultural & historical contexts of Judges, Baal & Asherah could be understood as objects that were worshipped in attempts to avoid the threats of chaos & barrenness. These two themes have shown up repeatedly in our study of the first Old Testament books.Where, in our own modern cultural context, do you see the same perpetual specters of chaos & barrenness? What does each look like in 2026's America?How do people today try to escape these modern iterations of chaos &/or barrenness? To what extent do you see that dynamic at play within our world today?To what extent is that dynamic at play in you and your life? What things do you pursue as hopeful saviors from these timeless threats? Where do you tend to (consciously or unconsciously) look for rescue or safety in the face of them?3. Tim described a pattern that is present in Judges; it's a cycle that starts with loss of memory resulting in ideological capture.Where can you identify these first parts of the pattern in a more contemporary context?After reviewing the full cycle, how relatable or resonant does this pattern seem today? Does it hold true? Where might you call out additional nuance or variation?Tim said that though this pattern is often referred to as the “sin cycle,” it is, instead, a Redemption Cycle. He added that “failure is the engine of every redemption story.”What do you think about this framing? Where does it hold up? Where might you feel curious about gaps?How might you conceive of yourself within its stages, especially in light of the things you identified in question 2 as places you may turn for safety in the face of chaos and/or barrenness?

Ordinary Time 03: Finding God In The Ruins

Tim Suttle

Ordinary Time 02: Promotion Sunday 2026

1. In his sermon, Tim expressed that, in Jesus' time, Jewish religion had become what all religions — all moral systems & political movements — tend to become over time: more an ideology than a sacred religion. What's it like for you to think about YOUR religion like this? How much do you think your experience of your faith is ideological? or influenced by ideology? How has that aspect of your faith experience evolved over time? How does it feel to consider that question?2. Tim said, of the earliest Christians, that they didn't abandon their religion, they just adapted it. What's your response to the idea of adapting your religion? What do you think drives the adaptation & evolution of religion? What do you know about what's driven the adaptation and evolution of Christianity?What do you think should drive it? Where might you see similar forces at work in today's church? How and where is it adapting? How do you feel about it?How do you see your role in the evolution of the church today?How do you see your role in that adaptation? 3. How do you respond to the idea that the church is like a walking wall? How do you understand the metaphor in regard, not only our deconstruction of the church's past, but also to the reconstruction of the present? In all likelihood, there will come a time when future Christians will work to deconstruct the things that, at present, we are building with the stones of our religion and church. How do you respond to the idea that the things we're building together, in the largest sense, will be due for deconstruction by a future version of the church? What feelings arise for you? What thoughts? If there is resistance to that idea, share about it.

1. In his sermon, Tim expressed that, in Jesus' time, Jewish religion had become what all religions — all moral systems & political movements — tend to become over time: more an ideology than a sacred religion.  What's it  like for you to think about YOUR religion like this? How much do you think your experience of your faith is ideological? or influenced by ideology? How has that aspect of your faith experience evolved over time? How does it feel to consider that question? 2. Tim said, of the earliest Christians, that they didn't abandon their religion, they just adapted it. What's your response to the idea of adapting your religion?  What do you think drives the adaptation & evolution of religion? What do you know about what's driven the adaptation and evolution of Christianity? What do you think should drive it? Where might you see similar forces at work in today's church? How and where is it adapting? How do you feel about it? How do you see your role in the evolution of the church today?How do you see your role in that adaptation?  3. How do you respond to the idea that the church is like a walking wall? How do you understand the metaphor in regard, not only our deconstruction of the church's past, but also to the reconstruction of the present?  In all likelihood, there will come a time when future Christians will work to deconstruct the things that, at present, we are building with the stones of our religion and church. How do you respond to the idea that the things we're building together, in the largest sense, will be due for deconstruction by a future version of the church? What feelings arise for you? What thoughts? If there is resistance to that idea, share about it.

1. How have you thought about the ascension up to this point in your life of faith? Have you thought much about it? Where does (or has) it fit in to your overall sense of the gospels' story? What kinds of question and curiosity does it bring up for you? 2. In her sermon, Mandy said, “we live, like the disciples, in the space between blessing & fulfillment.” How does this statement resonate for you right now? How real does it feel? How does it fit in with your own experiences of the ebbs and flows of hope?3. Mandy also talked about the church as a place that “becomes a place where heaven & earth still meet.”How does this idea sit with you? Does this feel like a far away, theoretical idea? like a real and consistently present reality? Something in between? Depends on the day?If you have had an experience during which the church felt like a place where heaven and earth still met, what was it like? What made it such an experience? When was the last time? What factors do you think set the conditions for that kind of experience?

1. How have you thought about the ascension up to this point in your life of faith? Have you thought much about it? Where does (or has) it fit in to your overall sense of the gospels' story? What kinds of question and curiosity does it bring up for you?  2. In her sermon, Mandy said, “we live, like the disciples, in the space between blessing & fulfillment.” How does this statement resonate for you right now? How real does it feel? How does it fit in with your own experiences of the ebbs and flows of hope? 3. Mandy also talked about the church as a place that “becomes a place where heaven & earth still meet.” How does this idea sit with you? Does this feel like a far away, theoretical idea? like a real and consistently present reality? Something in between? Depends on the day? If you have had an experience during which the church felt like a place where heaven and earth still met, what was it like? What made it such an experience? When was the last time? What factors do you think set the conditions for that kind of experience?

Redemption Church

Redemption Church

1. Tim defined ideology & described both the way it functions in our lives and the ways in which Jesus worked to break down its hold over people. He taught that the purpose of ideology is to mask the alienation we feel from God, self, others, and creation. He then began the following sentence, which was ended by the slide below. He said, “The Jesus way to be emancipated from full ideological capture is to…” (see slide).To what extent do you see yourself as someone who has been or is captured by ideologies? How do you feel about the idea of your own alienation from God, yourself, others, and creation? In what ways can you see interplay between your experiences of ideologies and how you relate (or have related) to your own feelings of alienation?2. Tim taught that, through Jesus, God was establishing a new way of being human. He's promising that love, as a way of life, will connect us to God. What does it look like to live in the way of love? Where does that approach to life show up most conspicuously? Where does it have the biggest impact? And on whom?Does living in the way of love (as you've just described and defined it) feel like whatever you expect connecting to God to feel like? If so, how so? If not, why not?3. As he closed his sermon, Tim said, “My whole hope is in this. I want this for me; I want this for you.” What do you think the idea of someone's “whole hope [being] in this” conveys? To what extent is that statement true for you personally? How does that show up in your life? When you feel more divided, what things tend to crowd into that list of things in which you place your hope?

1. Tim defined ideology & described both the way it functions in our lives and the ways in which Jesus worked to break down its hold over people. He taught that the purpose of ideology is to mask the alienation we feel from God, self, others, and creation.   He then began the following sentence, which was ended by the slide below. He said, “The Jesus way to be emancipated from full ideological capture is to…” (see slide). To what extent do you see yourself as someone who has been or is captured by ideologies? How do you feel about the idea of your own alienation from God, yourself, others, and creation? In what ways can you see interplay between your experiences of ideologies and how you relate (or have related) to your own feelings of alienation? 2. Tim taught that, through Jesus, God was establishing a new way of being human. He's promising that love, as a way of life, will connect us to God.  What does it look like to live in the way of love? Where does that approach to life show up most conspicuously? Where does it have the biggest impact? And on whom? Does living in the way of love (as you've just described and defined it) feel like whatever you expect connecting to God to feel like? If so, how so? If not, why not? 3. As he closed his sermon, Tim said, “My whole hope is in this. I want this for me; I want this for you.”  What do you think the idea of someone's “whole hope [being] in this” conveys? To what extent is that statement true for you personally? How does that show up in your life? When you feel more divided, what things tend to crowd into that list of things in which you place your hope?

1. In his sermon, Tim talked about the radical nature of Jesus' statement that he has other sheep who do not belong to [ancient Israel's] fold. He went on to discuss the congruence between this statement and the countless examples in Jesus' life that worked against the paradigm of an in-crowd and an out-crowd (regardless of how you define the boundaries). Tim then said that, “Jesus had a deep trust in relationship — as a great teacher … He knew that Love & fidelity are among the only things powerful enough to make us change & grow.”What relationships in your life have asked you to forgo a little bit of your own truth for the sake of the relationship? How has that come to be? What decisions have you made in response to the ask? How do you feel about the outcomes of those choices?Tim also said, “Jesus had a habit of leading his followers — into situations where they had to choose between their privilege as insiders — & some person who was being excluded.” What relationships have you nurtured and committed to at the expense of your own status and privilege? What has that looked like? What's happened as a result? How do you feel about that? 2. Tim said that we have a sacred obligation to learn, to study the voice of Jesus. What does it mean to recognize Jesus' voice as the good shepherd? What might that look like? Is that something with which you've had experience? If so, how have you known/do you know when you're hearing Jesus' voice? What are you listening for to help you to know?3. Tim taught that, for Jesus, it was very simple to figure out who you're following & what path you're on:If you feed the hungry — offer a cup of cold water to the thirsty. If you care for the homeless — & work to make sure they've got a place to live — in your community, and that they've got clothes on their backs.If you're helping to ensure that the sick & those in chains are being cared for, and if you're involved in their lives — that's how you tell who's following his voice.Tim was careful to say that these ideas aren't concerned with a personal checklist, but rather with the slow patient trajectory of our community. Getting distracted by “should” and guilt isn't necessary or helpful. So please try to mindfully avoid self reproach or shame as you consider the following: In which ways does your life feel in alignment with these priorities? Are they priorities? What does that mean for mean for you? What does it look like?What does it mean to you to be a part of a community (if you feel that you are) that is committed to the priorities for justice and care that Jesus spoke about?

1. In his sermon, Tim talked about the radical nature of Jesus' statement that he has other sheep who do not belong to [ancient Israel's] fold. He went on to discuss the congruence between this statement and the countless examples in Jesus' life that worked against the paradigm of an in-crowd and an out-crowd (regardless of how you define the boundaries).  Tim then said that, “Jesus had a deep trust in relationship — as a great teacher … He knew that Love & fidelity are among the only things powerful enough to make us change & grow.” What relationships in your life have asked you to forgo a little bit of your own truth for the sake of the relationship? How has that come to be? What decisions have you made in response to the ask? How do you feel about the outcomes of those choices? Tim also said, “Jesus had a habit of leading his followers — into situations where they had to choose between their privilege as insiders — & some person who was being excluded.”  What relationships have you nurtured and committed to at the expense of your own status and privilege? What has that looked like? What's happened as a result? How do you feel about that?  2. Tim said that we have a sacred obligation to learn, to study the voice of Jesus.  What does it mean to recognize Jesus' voice as the good shepherd? What might that look like?  Is that something with which you've had experience? If so, how have you known/do you know when you're hearing Jesus' voice? What are you listening for to help you to know? 3. Tim taught that, for Jesus, it was very simple to figure out who you're following & what path you're on: If you feed the hungry — offer a cup of cold water to the thirsty.  If you care for the homeless — & work to make sure they've got a place to live — in your community, and that they've got clothes on their backs. If you're helping to ensure that the sick & those in chains are being cared for, and if you're involved in their lives — that's how you tell who's following his voice. Tim was careful to say that these ideas aren't concerned with a personal checklist, but rather with the slow patient trajectory of our community.  Getting distracted by “should” and guilt isn't necessary or helpful. So please try to mindfully avoid self reproach or shame as you consider the following:  In which ways does your life feel in alignment with these priorities? Are they priorities? What does that mean for mean for you? What does it look like? What does it mean to you to be a part of a community (if you feel that you are) that is committed to the priorities for justice and care that Jesus spoke about?

1. One idea that Cole worked with during his sermon today was the way in which the travelers on the road to Emmaus were kept from recognizing Jesus. Framed within the larger message and emphases of the book of Luke, Cole asserted that it was not, as many think, God who kept the men from recognizing Jesus. How have you previously understood that part of this story? If it had been God blocking them from seeing, why might God have done so? How has Cole's positioning and contextualizing impacted your ideas about this same question. If it wasn't God, how would you articulate the reason for the not-seeing? How do you imagine the dynamics playing out for the travelers, and for Jesus, in light of Cole's teaching?What, then, are your thoughts about the story itself and how you might allow your present understanding to shape and influence you?2. One of Cole's slides read as follows:“The Resurrection is not just a miracle; it is a political act of defiance. It proves that the community formed by Christ is not disbanded by the Empire's violence, but is actually solidified by it.”Take a moment to reflect on this. What responses arise in you? How does this idea speak to you? What do you hear it saying? What does it mean? 3. In Cole's closing prayer, he prayed about the ways in which the story did not go the way we thought it was going to go. He attributed this, in part, to the fact that our imaginations and expectations are shaped by something else, something(s) outside of this story. Reflect on places and ways within yourself in which you have found this idea to hold true. Where, in your life, have you realized that your expectations and conceptions blinded you, and that those expectations were shaped by something you might not want to be influenced by any longer?Share about the difficult parts and the beautiful parts of this process. How did you come to that awareness? Where did they lead you? What has it helped to unfold within you and within your life?

1. One idea that Cole worked with during his sermon today was the way in which the travelers on the road to Emmaus were kept from recognizing Jesus. Framed within the larger message and emphases of the book of Luke, Cole asserted that it was not, as many think, God who kept the men from recognizing Jesus.  How have you previously understood that part of this story? If it had been God blocking them from seeing, why might God have done so?  How has Cole's positioning and contextualizing impacted your ideas about this same question. If it wasn't God, how would you articulate the reason for the not-seeing? How do you imagine the dynamics playing out for the travelers, and for Jesus, in light of Cole's teaching? What, then, are your thoughts about the story itself and how you might allow your present understanding to shape and influence you? 2. One of Cole's slides read as follows: “The Resurrection is not just a miracle; it is a political act of defiance. It proves that the community formed by Christ is not disbanded by the Empire's violence, but is actually solidified by it.” Take a moment to reflect on this. What responses arise in you? How does this idea speak to you? What do you hear it saying? What does it mean?  3. In Cole's closing prayer, he prayed about the ways in which the story did not go the way we thought it was going to go. He attributed this, in part, to the fact that our imaginations and expectations are shaped by something else, something(s) outside of this story.  Reflect on places and ways within yourself in which you have found this idea to hold true. Where, in your life, have you realized that your expectations and conceptions blinded you, and that those expectations were shaped by something you might not want to be influenced by any longer? Share about the difficult parts and the beautiful parts of this process. How did you come to that awareness? Where did they lead you? What has it helped to unfold within you and within your life?

1. What was the baseline or core of the story you were told about Easter as you were growing up, or growing up in your faith spend some time exploring in discussion the ways your understanding of the story shape your view of the Christian short story, of God, of yourself, of the church, and of the world. 2. Tim shared the quote, if you don't doubt the claims of Easter on at least some level, then you're probably not taking them seriously enough.”Share about how you approach and hold the story of the resurrection. What does doubt look like and where does it show up as you conceive of and contemplate the story of the resurrection?How do you feel about acknowledgment of doubt when it comes to the Easter story? How comfortable is it to explore the story, its veracity, and the various doubts that might be a part of that story for you and/or for others? Now consider how you first learned, understood, and digested the story of “doubting Thomas.” How were you taught to understand his doubting statements? How was he portrayed? In what ways did or does your understanding of Thomas and his voiced skepticism influence your own relationship to doubt in your faith? Or in the faith of others??3. Tim shared several powerful quotes about forgiveness:“Forgiveness is giving up all hope of having had a better past.” Anne Lamott“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” Mark TwainWhat is the hardest forgiveness you've ever been able to give? In which way was it hard? How do you feel now about the forgiveness you granted?Tim also said: “Forgiveness is harder than almost anything, except the absolute torture of unforgiveness.” & “The only boundaries that exist around the kingdom of God are the ones we've placed there by our own unforgiveness.”Share about a difficult forgiveness you have not yet been able to grant. What are the barriers? Is it a forgiveness that you want to give, even if you're not yet able?

1. What was the baseline or core of the story you were told about Easter as you were growing up, or growing up in your faith spend some time exploring in discussion the ways your understanding of the story shape your view of the Christian short story, of God, of yourself, of the church, and of the world. 2. Tim shared the quote, if you don't doubt the claims of Easter on at least some level, then you're probably not taking them seriously enough.” Share about how you approach and hold the story of the resurrection. What does doubt look like and where does it show up as you conceive of and contemplate the story of the resurrection? How do you feel about acknowledgment of doubt when it comes to the Easter story? How comfortable is it to explore the story, its veracity, and the various doubts that might be a part of that story for you and/or for others? Now consider how you first learned, understood, and digested the story of “doubting Thomas.” How were you taught to understand his doubting statements? How was he portrayed? In what ways did or does your understanding of Thomas and his voiced skepticism influence your own relationship to doubt in your faith? Or in the faith of others?? 3. Tim shared several powerful quotes about forgiveness: “Forgiveness is giving up all hope of having had a better past.” Anne Lamott “Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” Mark Twain What is the hardest forgiveness you've ever been able to give? In which way was it hard? How do you feel now about the forgiveness you granted? Tim also said: “Forgiveness is harder than almost anything, except the absolute torture of unforgiveness.” & “The only boundaries that exist around the kingdom of God are the ones we've placed there by our own unforgiveness.” Share about a difficult forgiveness you have not yet been able to grant. What are the barriers? Is it a forgiveness that you want to give, even if you're not yet able?

Community Group Questions1. Tim used Muzafer Sherif's 1950s social psychology experiments at Robbers Cave and Middle Grove as a framework for discussing what he called The Big Lie & The Big Truth. He defined these two ideas like this:The Big Lie: the good life comes through winning, controlling, dominating, defeating through power, and violence.The Big Truth: the good life comes through cooperation, community, common good, neighboring, friendship, mutuality, interdependence, forgiveness, reconciliation, and fidelity over time. In other words, each other.What types of situations, settings, and scenarios are most likely to move you into a place that (unconsciously or otherwise) has you saying things or acting in accordance with “The Big Lie?”When you become aware of those inclinations and impulses, how do you respond to yourself? What helps you to recenter your thoughts, emotions, and actions on the way of Jesus?2. Tim gave some examples of groups of people who are sometimes used as tools for stoking fear in the populace, driving us toward conflict: Palestinians, trans kids, and undocumented immigrants.Many of us, however, might be more inclined to protect than blame those specific groups. If that's true for you, then spend a moment to ask yourself: who are the groups that you, whether publicly or privately, are likely to point the finger at? Who, for you, are the “problem people” that are causing and worsening the problems in our world today?What would it look like for you to take a Jesus-like posture of authentic inclusion and lovingkindness toward those people?How do you feel about that idea? If there are places of resistance (which there probably are), share about them and ponder how you engage with your own resistance. If you feel drawn to the idea, why do you think that might be? What does that mean for you?3. After he enters into the public eye, Jesus enters Jerusalem only once. As he enters, to shouts of praise and the embrace of the crowd, Jesus weeps. He weeps because, as he embarks on the final leg of a journey during which he has embodied “The Big Truth” at every turn, the crowd misunderstands him and rallies around him as a symbol of “The Big Lie.” He speaks to this, lamenting that if only his people had known the things that make for peace (Luke 19).How well do you think that you understand the “things that make for peace?” What are they?In what ways do you find it easiest to embody them in your own life? Why do you think that is?In what ways do you find it most difficult? Why do you think that is?When you see others missing the point and misunderstanding Jesus today, what's your likely response? To what extent does it mirror Jesus' weeping? In what ways is it different?

Community Group Questions 1. Tim used Muzafer Sherif's 1950s social psychology experiments at Robbers Cave and Middle Grove as a framework for discussing what he called The Big Lie & The Big Truth. He defined these two ideas like this: The Big Lie: the good life comes through winning, controlling, dominating, defeating through power, and violence. The Big Truth: the good life comes through cooperation, community, common good, neighboring, friendship, mutuality, interdependence, forgiveness, reconciliation, and fidelity over time. In other words, each other. What types of situations, settings, and scenarios are most likely to move you into a place that (unconsciously or otherwise) has you saying things or acting in accordance with “The Big Lie?” When you become aware of those inclinations and impulses, how do you respond to yourself? What helps you to recenter your thoughts, emotions, and actions on the way of Jesus? 2. Tim gave some examples of groups of people who are sometimes used as tools for stoking fear in the populace, driving us toward conflict: Palestinians, trans kids, and undocumented immigrants. Many of us, however, might be more inclined to protect than blame those specific groups. If that's true for you, then spend a moment to ask yourself: who are the groups that you, whether publicly or privately, are likely to point the finger at? Who, for you, are the “problem people” that are causing and worsening the problems in our world today? What would it look like for you to take a Jesus-like posture of authentic inclusion and lovingkindness toward those people? How do you feel about that idea? If there are places of resistance (which there probably are), share about them and ponder how you engage with your own resistance. If you feel drawn to the idea, why do you think that might be? What does that mean for you? 3. After he enters into the public eye, Jesus enters Jerusalem only once. As he enters, to shouts of praise and the embrace of the crowd, Jesus weeps. He weeps because, as he embarks on the final leg of a journey during which he has embodied “The Big Truth” at every turn, the crowd misunderstands him and rallies around him as a symbol of “The Big Lie.” He speaks to this, lamenting that if only his people had known the things that make for peace (Luke 19). How well do you think that you understand the “things that make for peace?” What are they? In what ways do you find it easiest to embody them in your own life? Why do you think that is? In what ways do you find it most difficult? Why do you think that is? When you see others missing the point and misunderstanding Jesus today, what's your likely response? To what extent does it mirror Jesus' weeping? In what ways is it different?

1. The story of Lazarus is very well known, especially in Christian circles. Hearing it framed today in the larger context of John's narrative and the timeline of Jesus's approach to Jerusalem, were there new things that struck you in the way that you understood it or how it resonated?Tim preached and discussed the nature of Jesus‘s tears in the John 11 narrative. He talked about common interpretations that say that Jesus is weeping for loss and empathy, but he also pointed out the mention in the passage of a deep anger that welled up in Jesus. Tim also talked about his tears being tears of anger and frustration essentially “at death.” Tim also said that Jesus knows he's about to raise Lazarus, and that in the end, the result will be his death.How do you see this? What do you think Jesus‘s tears were about? What makes you say so?2. Tim gave multiple examples of the kind of impact the Christian community can have when it stops fearing death, and works to enact goodness as its people lay down their lives in numerous small and big ways. He juxtaposed this willingness to get dirty and be vulnerable with a fear of death. Tim also said that the story of Lazarus dares us to remember that we are not powerless because death is not the end.With all of this context in view, consider your own relationship to death and the fear you may have of it. How much does the fear of death impact you? Don't think only of actual final earthly death, but of the small deaths that many of us can die throughout the course of our lives, and sometimes throughout the course of our days.Take some time to slow your mind, and think of someone that you know personally, and whose life seems, to you, to not demonstrate much fear of that personal type of small (or not-so-small) death? Or perhaps even of true physical death in the typical sense? What do you think it is about them that brings them to mind? Is it personality traits? Stories of their choices and history? Simply from being in relationship with that person? How might you describe that person to a stranger outside of the context of this story and discussion? What characteristics stand out in them?What kind of impacts or outcomes seem, to you, to have resulted from that person's way of being in the world? Most likely, most of those outcomes are small and personal - not necessarily the stuff of news stories. Can you make a connection between those outcomes and the idea of not fearing death? In that person, does it feel like a Christian characteristic (whether that person would call themself a Christian or not)?After reflecting on this person, and how you understand their own relationship to the fear of death, reflect on your own orientation to death in the way we're discussing it today. What feelings or thoughts surface in you as you consider yourself in this context as well?3. In his closing prayer, Tim asked that God “help us see that in our powerlessness, there is something we can do: we can lay down our lives in boring mundane ways.”What are some of the places in life where you feel most powerless? Where you, perhaps, are most powerless?Think about applying Tim's prayer to those areas. In that powerlessness, what does it look like to lay down your life in boring mundane ways? What might that mean? What could it mean?If you were to take some of the actions identified in relationship to your own powerlessness in the previous question, what do you think some of the outcomes could be? How does this thought process make you feel? What surfaces for you as you contemplate these ideas in your own life today?

1. The story of Lazarus is very well known, especially in Christian circles. Hearing it framed today in the larger context of John's narrative and the timeline of Jesus's approach to Jerusalem, were there new things that struck you in the way that you understood it or how it resonated? Tim preached and discussed the nature of Jesus‘s tears in the John 11 narrative. He talked about common interpretations that say that Jesus is weeping for loss and empathy, but he also pointed out the mention in the passage of a deep anger that welled up in Jesus. Tim also talked about his tears being tears of anger and frustration essentially “at death.” Tim also said that Jesus knows he's about to raise Lazarus, and that in the end, the result will be his death. How do you see this? What do you think Jesus‘s tears were about? What makes you say so? 2. Tim gave multiple examples of the kind of impact the Christian community can have when it stops fearing death, and works to enact goodness as its people lay down their lives in numerous small and big ways. He juxtaposed this willingness to get dirty and be vulnerable with a fear of death. Tim also said that the story of Lazarus dares us to remember that we are not powerless because death is not the end. With all of this context in view, consider your own relationship to death and the fear you may have of it. How much does the fear of death impact you? Don't think only of actual final earthly death, but of the small deaths that many of us can die throughout the course of our lives, and sometimes throughout the course of our days. Take some time to slow your mind, and think of someone that you know personally, and whose life seems, to you, to not demonstrate much fear of that personal type of small (or not-so-small) death? Or perhaps even of true physical death in the typical sense? What do you think it is about them that brings them to mind? Is it personality traits? Stories of their choices and history? Simply from being in relationship with that person? How might you describe that person to a stranger outside of the context of this story and discussion? What characteristics stand out in them? What kind of impacts or outcomes seem, to you, to have resulted from that person's way of being in the world? Most likely, most of those outcomes are small and personal - not necessarily the stuff of news stories. Can you make a connection between those outcomes and the idea of not fearing death? In that person, does it feel like a Christian characteristic (whether that person would call themself a Christian or not)? After reflecting on this person, and how you understand their own relationship to the fear of death, reflect on your own orientation to death in the way we're discussing it today. What feelings or thoughts surface in you as you consider yourself in this context as well? 3. In his closing prayer, Tim asked that God “help us see that in our powerlessness, there is something we can do: we can lay down our lives in boring mundane ways.” What are some of the places in life where you feel most powerless? Where you, perhaps, are most powerless? Think about applying Tim's prayer to those areas. In that powerlessness, what does it look like to lay down your life in boring mundane ways? What might that mean? What could it mean? If you were to take some of the actions identified in relationship to your own powerlessness in the previous question, what do you think some of the outcomes could be? How does this thought process make you feel? What surfaces for you as you contemplate these ideas in your own life today?

1. Early in her sermon, Mandy talked about a natural phenomena in which ants can get stuck following one another's trails and end up walking unceasingly in continuous loops; they get stalled out as the blind following the blind and the death spiral ends only with their deaths. What examples exist in your own life in which you have followed someone that you believed to be leading you down a clear path, only to discover you were in a kind of endless-circular march of your own? How were you able to exit the spiral? Was there a type of death that was needed as a part of that process? Whether they were minor or major parts of you life, share about what these experiences were like - as you marched, as you realized that you were in a type of spiral, and what it was like to break out of the ongoing march, experiencing whatever deaths you may have had to encounter. 2. Mandy pointed out that, in the story from John 9, shortly after the blind man receives his sight, the religious leaders try to use him for their advantage & eventually declare him “steeped in sin from his birth.” She pointed out that the blind man becoming sighted had the potential to allow for his upward social movement; by assigning him the blame for his original blindness, the religious could reassign him back into a lower place in the social order. Additionally, even before the miracle, Jesus' disciples ask questions trying to understand where to assign blame for the man's blindness. “Good religious folks,” Mandy said, “have a hard time handling” the idea of a world where anyone could suffer and experience tragedy at any time for no discernible reason.Take a moment to thoughtfully sit with the natural discomfort of a world where you or someone you love could experience painful realities for no apparent reason and at any moment. Maybe examples of that very truth are coming to your mind. Consider the parts of yourself which might also long to assign blame or use other strategies to alleviate this discomfort. What surfaces for you as you sit with the tension? How difficult is it to just sit with that reality? What resistance arises? How strong is the impulse to assign blame or the illusion of predictability to these types of circumstances? Where might elements of these responses show up in your every day life? Particularly in the face of public or private pain?3. As she closed her sermon, Mandy said, “one of the most dangerous things we can do is delude ourselves into thinking we're fully sighted.” She also quoted Oliver Sacks, saying, “One must die as a blind person to be born again as a seeing person. It's the interim, the limbo, that is so terrible.” Take some time to absorb and ponder each of these statements. What wisdom can you find amidst these ideas that might offer something valuable for you at this moment in your life? How inclined are you to think of yourself as “fully sighted?” Are there areas or circumstances in which that tendency is more or less pronounced? How hard is it to come up with specific places in which you are aware of your lack of “full sight?” Do you see any patterns or commonalities in those areas? What insight might be available for you as you reflect on how well you navigate a world that encourages us to ignore the very idea of our blindness, yet, if we're looking, has so much potential to reveal it?

1. Early in her sermon, Mandy talked about a natural phenomena in which ants can get stuck following one another's trails and end up walking unceasingly in continuous loops; they get stalled out as the blind following the blind and the death spiral ends only with their deaths. What examples exist in your own life in which you have followed someone that you believed to be leading you down a clear path, only to discover you were in a kind of endless-circular march of your own? How were you able to exit the spiral?  Was there a type of death that was needed as a part of that process? Whether they were minor or major parts of you life, share about what these experiences were like - as you marched, as you realized that you were in a type of spiral, and what it was like to break out of the ongoing march, experiencing whatever deaths you may have had to encounter. 2. Mandy pointed out that, in the story from John 9, shortly after the blind man receives his sight, the religious leaders try to use him for their advantage & eventually declare him “steeped in sin from his birth.” She pointed out that the blind man becoming sighted had the potential to allow for his upward social movement; by assigning him the blame for his original blindness, the religious could reassign him back into a lower place in the social order. Additionally, even before the miracle, Jesus' disciples ask questions trying to understand where to assign blame for the man's blindness. “Good religious folks,” Mandy said, “have a hard time handling” the idea of a world where anyone could suffer and experience tragedy at any time for no discernible reason. Take a moment to thoughtfully sit with the natural discomfort of a world where you or someone you love could experience painful realities for no apparent reason and at any moment. Maybe examples of that very truth are coming to your mind.  Consider the parts of yourself which might also long to assign blame or use other strategies to alleviate this discomfort. What surfaces for you as you sit with the tension? How difficult is it to just sit with that reality? What resistance arises? How strong is the impulse to assign blame or the illusion of predictability to these types of circumstances? Where might elements of these responses show up in your every day life? Particularly in the face of public or private pain? 3. As she closed her sermon, Mandy said, “one of the most dangerous things we can do is delude ourselves into thinking we're fully sighted.” She also quoted Oliver Sacks, saying, “One must die as a blind person to be born again as a seeing person. It's the interim, the limbo, that is so terrible.” Take some time to absorb and ponder each of these statements. What wisdom can you find amidst these ideas that might offer something valuable for you at this moment in your life? How inclined are you to think of yourself as “fully sighted?” Are there areas or circumstances in which that tendency is more or less pronounced? How hard is it to come up with specific places in which you are aware of your lack of “full sight?” Do you see any patterns or commonalities in those areas? What insight might be available for you as you reflect on how well you navigate a world that encourages us to ignore the very idea of our blindness, yet, if we're  looking, has so much potential to reveal it?

1. Tim taught about Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, explaining how radical his intentional choices to both be in Samaria, and to ask for water from the Samaritan woman were in his time. Tim said, “If Jesus is going to travel through Samaria, it's for theological and relational reason - not logistical ones.”What social divides and imaginary partitions exist in your social circles or environments that might serve as modern parallels to the taboos that divided the 1st century Judean & Samaritan children of Judaism? Spend some time thoughtfully considering and discussing the nuances of possible parallels. What's aligns? What's different? How do those things impact your experience of the divides you identified? Having identified & explored possible modern analogs to the enmity and division between the Jews & Samaritans of Jesus' time, consider now what possible analogs exist to the idea of Jesus' journey into Samaria, his exchange with the woman, and the days he ended up staying there with the Samaritan people. What might possible equivalents be in your own social spheres and world? What might it be like to cross into one of those areas or take some of those taboo steps? How do you feel about the idea? Where and why do you feel resistance? Where are there places of openness to the idea?2. Tim talked about some possible symbolic interpretations of the fact that the woman leaves her water jar at the well while she goes to tell the townspeople about Jesus and her encounter with him. One interpretation centered on the idea of the woman leaving behind the social structures and strictures that had abandoned her to a life that required her to make off-hour, solo trips to the well. Another interpretation centered around water and her thirst for love, community, belonging, safety, and so much more. “Her inner thirst for the good life,” Tim said. When you think of this scene as the woman, who has been outcast, leaving any number of symbolic things behind, what resonates most? Are there ways in which you feel or have felt at times that connecting with and receiving from Jesus enable you to leave behind some of your own burden? In those moments are you ever, like the woman, then impelled to share about the living water and how it's changing you?3. Tim's also spent some time addressing an inevitable question: why isn't God doing something about all the mess and chaos and injustice of the world? The answer John presents in this story, Tim said, is that he has done something. And that something was, in short, Jesus. How do you respond to the idea that when we might sometimes her the sentiment that, “God has a plan,” the truth as presented in this story, might be “we are the plan,” or even, “you are the plan?” What feelings and thoughts surface for you? Explore the idea, and spend a little time discussing its practical application and the reality of it in our world today. Tim said early in his sermon that this answer might be both comforting and unsettling. How is it for you?

1. Tim taught about Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, explaining how radical his intentional choices to both be in Samaria, and to ask for water from the Samaritan woman were in his time. Tim said, “If Jesus is going to travel through Samaria, it's for theological and relational reason - not logistical ones.” What social divides and imaginary partitions exist in your social circles or environments that might serve as modern parallels to the taboos that divided the 1st century Judean & Samaritan children of Judaism? Spend some time thoughtfully considering and discussing the nuances of possible parallels. What's aligns? What's different? How do those things impact your experience of the divides you identified? Having identified & explored possible modern analogs to the enmity and division between the Jews & Samaritans of Jesus' time, consider now what possible analogs exist to the idea of Jesus' journey into Samaria, his exchange with the woman, and the days he ended up staying there with the Samaritan people. What might possible equivalents be in your own social spheres and world? What might it be like to cross into one of those areas or take some of those taboo steps? How do you feel about the idea? Where and why do you feel resistance? Where are there places of openness to the idea? 2. Tim talked about some possible symbolic interpretations of the fact that the woman leaves her water jar at the well while she goes to tell the townspeople about Jesus and her encounter with him. One interpretation centered on the idea of the woman leaving behind the social structures and strictures that had abandoned her to a life that required her to make off-hour, solo trips to the well. Another interpretation centered around water and her thirst for love, community, belonging, safety, and so much more. “Her inner thirst for the good life,” Tim said. When you think of this scene as the woman, who has been outcast, leaving any number of symbolic things behind, what resonates most? Are there ways in which you feel or have felt at times that connecting with and receiving from Jesus enable you to leave behind some of your own burden? In those moments are you ever, like the woman, then impelled to share about the living water and how it's changing you? 3. Tim's also spent some time addressing an inevitable question: why isn't God doing something about all the mess and chaos and injustice of the world? The answer John presents in this story, Tim said, is that he has done something. And that something was, in short, Jesus. How do you respond to the idea that when we might sometimes her the sentiment that, “God has a plan,” the truth as presented in this story, might be “we are the plan,” or even, “you are the plan?” What feelings and thoughts surface for you? Explore the idea, and spend a little time discussing its practical application and the reality of it in our world today. Tim said early in his sermon that this answer might be both comforting and unsettling. How is it for you?

1. The story of Nicodemus and his nighttime approach to Jesus is fairly well known among Christians. How did Tim's teaching this week impact your understanding of Nicodemus, the story itself, its historical context, and/or the very famous John 3:16?What kinds of thoughts or questions arose for you after learning more about the origins of the Pharisees and their historical context? Does seeing them through a different frame provoke any new ideas when it comes to the way you may have understood them throughout the gospels? What might the takeaways be for that as a modern day Christian reading about an ancient civilization?2. Tim also talked about the limitations of the law. The slide he presented contrasting things the law could and could not provide for people is shown below. He also said something like, “if you're building your life on rules, there will come a point in time when the rules hamper your development.” How does this orientation toward the law and rules feel for you? Are you someone who's more or less inclined to embrace the rules when it comes to figuring out how to navigate life? How has that aspect of your personality impacted your journey as a Christian? What do you think about the idea that rules can become a hindrance as you mature as a person and a person of faith? Have you seen evidence supporting that idea in your own life? If so, share about it. If you feel skeptical about the idea, share about that too.3. Tim also talked about being “born again” as something more like a repeated process of letting go or giving up. He said it's a fall or a surrender, rather than a one-moment crossing from A to B. It's giving up the need to be in charge of our material lives. What surfaces for you when you think about being born again in this way? Is this a familiar idea? or one that challenges you and things you've been taught in the past? What surfaces for you as you sit with this idea? How does a clear understanding of the Greek behind John 3:16 impact or shift your understanding of both that verse and what it's telling us about being born again? Especially within its context as part of the story of Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus?

1. The story of Nicodemus and his nighttime approach to Jesus is fairly well known among Christians. How did Tim's teaching this week impact your understanding of Nicodemus, the story itself, its historical context, and/or the very famous John 3:16? What kinds of thoughts or questions arose for you after learning more about the origins of the Pharisees and their historical context? Does seeing them through a different frame provoke any new ideas when it comes to the way you may have understood them throughout the gospels? What might the takeaways be for that as a modern day Christian reading about an ancient civilization? 2. Tim also talked about the limitations of the law. The slide he presented contrasting things the law could and could not provide for people is shown below. He also said something like, “if you're building your life on rules, there will come a point in time when the rules hamper your development.” How does this orientation toward the law and rules feel for you? Are you someone who's more or less inclined to embrace the rules when it comes to figuring out how to navigate life? How has that aspect of your personality impacted your journey as a Christian? What do you think about the idea that rules can become a hindrance as you mature as a person and a person of faith? Have you seen evidence supporting that idea in your own life? If so, share about it. If you feel skeptical about the idea, share about that too. 3. Tim also talked about being “born again” as something more like a repeated process of letting go or giving up. He said it's a fall or a surrender, rather than a one-moment crossing from A to B. It's giving up the need to be in charge of our material lives. What surfaces for you when you think about being born again in this way? Is this a familiar idea? or one that challenges you and things you've been taught in the past? What surfaces for you as you sit with this idea? How does a clear understanding of the Greek behind John 3:16 impact or shift your understanding of both that verse and what it's telling us about being born again? Especially within its context as part of the story of Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus?

1. Tim referenced David Foster Wallace's “This Is Water” speech, in which Wallace describes two fish swimming along when an older fish passes by and says, “Morning boys, how's the water?” The two young fish swim on, and eventually one turns to the other and says, “What is water?”Wallace's point — and Tim's — is that the most important realities are often the ones we're least aware of, because we're so completely inside them.Tim also cited Wallace's line: “Everything I've ever let go of has claw marks on it,” and suggested that the discomfort of fasting during Lent is meant to do exactly that — disrupt us enough to make the water visible.What water do you swim in that you often — or always — forget is even there? Have you had the experience of suddenly becoming aware of a reality you'd been living inside for years without ever seeing it as a reality at all? What was that like?Have you experienced any disruption in these early days of Lent? Or do you have past Lent experiences that managed to break through? How do you feel about disruption as a spiritual practice — is it something you're more likely to welcome or resist? Why?2. Tim drew on the first temptation of Christ and the Deuteronomy text Jesus quotes to make this point: the Israelites needed to remember that they were more than just mouths to be fed. They weren't simply a hungry people looking for provision — they were a priestly people. There was far more to freedom than leaving Egypt behind.What basic, ordinary needs tend to cloud your sense of who you really are? Do you find yourself thinking of yourself — even without meaning to — primarily as a mouth to be fed, a home to be maintained, a bank account to be replenished?What in your day-to-day life has the most power to quietly take over your deeper sense of identity? How do you push back against that — or do you? What do you think the long-term cost might be of never questioning it or letting it be challenged within you?3. Tim also taught that empires built through coercion or violence have to be maintained through coercion or violence. He said, “How you build a kingdom is how you have to sustain it.”What personal empires have you inadvertently built — or found yourself inside — that you've realized require something of you for their upkeep that you don't actually want to keep giving? How did you get there? What would (or did) it look like to stop maintaining it?Tim's closing reminder was that promise of the Lenten process is that we are not trapped. What comes up for you when you think about that idea? What do you most need to hear today that you are not trapped by?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​How do you respond to the idea of Lent as a possible step in the journey of freedom from that space? What do you think that means? What does it require of you?

1. Tim referenced David Foster Wallace's “This Is Water” speech, in which Wallace describes two fish swimming along when an older fish passes by and says, “Morning boys, how's the water?” The two young fish swim on, and eventually one turns to the other and says, “What is water?” Wallace's point — and Tim's — is that the most important realities are often the ones we're least aware of, because we're so completely inside them. Tim also cited Wallace's line: “Everything I've ever let go of has claw marks on it,” and suggested that the discomfort of fasting during Lent is meant to do exactly that — disrupt us enough to make the water visible. What water do you swim in that you often — or always — forget is even there? Have you had the experience of suddenly becoming aware of a reality you'd been living inside for years without ever seeing it as a reality at all? What was that like? Have you experienced any disruption in these early days of Lent? Or do you have past Lent experiences that managed to break through? How do you feel about disruption as a spiritual practice — is it something you're more likely to welcome or resist? Why? 2. Tim drew on the first temptation of Christ and the Deuteronomy text Jesus quotes to make this point: the Israelites needed to remember that they were more than just mouths to be fed. They weren't simply a hungry people looking for provision — they were a priestly people. There was far more to freedom than leaving Egypt behind. What basic, ordinary needs tend to cloud your sense of who you really are? Do you find yourself thinking of yourself — even without meaning to — primarily as a mouth to be fed, a home to be maintained, a bank account to be replenished? What in your day-to-day life has the most power to quietly take over your deeper sense of identity? How do you push back against that — or do you? What do you think the long-term cost might be of never questioning it or letting it be challenged within you? 3. Tim also taught that empires built through coercion or violence have to be maintained through coercion or violence. He said, “How you build a kingdom is how you have to sustain it.” What personal empires have you inadvertently built — or found yourself inside — that you've realized require something of you for their upkeep that you don't actually want to keep giving? How did you get there? What would (or did) it look like to stop maintaining it? Tim's closing reminder was that promise of the Lenten process is that we are not trapped.  What comes up for you when you think about that idea? What do you most need to hear today that you are not trapped by?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ How do you respond to the idea of Lent as a possible step in the journey of freedom from that space? What do you think that means? What does it require of you?