Feb 28 2024
1. The central theme of Mandy’s sermon today centered on what it means for us to “take up our cross[es]” and follow Christ.
How clear is this concept for you? What about it seems easiest to grasp? What seems hardest? Has any of that changed for you over time? Are there elements that are shifting for you currently in your life as you learn to more and more embrace this idea?
If a child asked you “what does that mean?,” what would you say?
If a child asked you, “how do you do it?,” what would you say?
2. Mandy juxtaposed the idea of a “theology of glory” with that of a “theology of the cross.” She noted emphases on things like prestige, winning, and domination as hallmarks of a theology of glory. On the other hand, selflessness, serving others, and losing our lives were noted characteristics of a theology of the cross.
Looking back on the story of your own life, are there different times in which you’ve seen one or the other as more prominent in your life?
Are there different situations, relationships, or contexts in which one seems more likely to be a default for you? Do you see any themes or patterns as you consider these different theologies and ways of engaging in the world and how they may ebb and flow in your own life?
3. Mandy closed her sermon by leading us all in reading the Prayer of St Francis of Assisi together. The closing section reads as follows:
“For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”
Which of these three idea seems easiest to embrace and to live? Which seems hardest? Share about any experience you may have pursuing these ideas as realities in your own life. What has that looked like? What has it felt like?
As you listen to one another, what ideas, themes, or words are jumping out to you? What’s capturing your imagination as you listen to and learn from these friends around you?