All Scriptures are from The Message Version
It is helpful to use this blog as a discussion starter for two or more people but it will also stimulate some thoughts if used by one reader. The material is used by a Sunday Study Group at Hamilton Christian Church in St. Louis, Missouri.
An old Yiddish proverb – “We Plan – God Laughs” and Robert Burns’ “The best laid plans of mice and men/often go awry” both speak to the uncertainty inherent in the next year, the next month, even the next hour. The new year is a traditional time of evaluation and goal setting for many, but to what end, with what purpose will we build our to do lists and with what tools will we work?
First some reflection on your personal life:
• What are you really looking forward to this year, what are you excited about?
• What is the biggest challenge you are facing this year, what wears on you?
• What resources will you use to prepare for them? How will your faith life impact your preparations, where do you find strength and insight?
And some reflections on your faith community:
• What are you looking forward to seeing in the life of your community this year?
• What is the biggest challenge you are facing as a community this year?
• What strengths do we have and what spiritual resources can we rely upon as a faith community as we begin 2012?
We Plan – God Laughs - What meaning do those words have for you? As people of faith we count on God’s presence in our lives, do you think that God is cynical about our plans or is it something else? There are many scriptures which speak to planning, as you look at those below consider:
• Should we expend the energy to plan ahead? If so what are some essential things we need to include in the process? What do we need have as foundations to build our plans upon?
• How would you characterize God’s presence as we look into our individual and congregational futures – what should we be confident about?
Matthew 6:30-33 "If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
Luke 12:16-19 Then he told them this story: "The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop. He talked to himself: 'What can I do? My barn isn't big enough for this harvest.' Then he said, 'Here's what I'll do: I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I'll gather in all my grain and goods, and I'll say to myself, Self, you've done well! You've got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!' 20"Just then God showed up and said, 'Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods—who gets it?' 21"That's what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God."
God Plans
There is a conviction by many that God has a plan for our lives, what is your response to this theology? How do we discover what the plan might be? Is this a comforting thought for you? Are there events in your life that make you question the reality of this idea?
Paul’s thoughts on planning:
Romans 12:1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
• As you look at these words what must we do to know what God wants for us? What must we give up and what must we take up?
• How practical are these words for you, what questions do they raise?
• Will this way of living happen overnight? What will we have to practice letting go of and what must we learn to rely upon?
My Plans
After contemplating these ideas what are some plans you have for 2012:
Closing Prayer
O, Holy Spirit, giver of light and life, impart to us thoughts higher than our own, and prayers better than our own, and powers beyond our own, that we may spend and be spent in the ways of love and goodness, after the image of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Eric Milner-White, Oxford Book of Prayer
Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: Mark 1:4-11, Acts 19:1-7, Psalm 29, Genesis 1:1-5
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