‘Twas good to hear from Spanky last Sunday. He confronted us with the question, how is the good news actually good FOR YOU?
He highlighted three things that young people tend to grapple with today:
Emotional insecurity
Loneliness
Numbness
I wonder, which of these, if any, speak to you? And does the gospel provide hope in response? It’s this we’ll be contemplating in devotion this week.
Stranger in a Strange Land series (part 6)
“Investing in ‘Real’ Estate”
Devotional notes
Readings to reflect on throughout the week:
Jeremiah 32:36-41
Revelation 21:1-5
Matt 28:16-20
Next week’s readings:
Jeremiah 29:1-9
Titus 3:1-7
John 1:14-18
Personal/group study:
Pray alone or as a group. If you like, use the Franciscan blessing we used on Sunday. It can be viewed here.
Spanky began with this humorous haiku:
“Young adult Christians
You clicked ‘attend’ on Facebook…
…But will you show up?”
How true is this in general? How true is it for you specifically? How do you experience FOMO — and is it a bad thing?
Spanky invited people to respond if they felt:
- emotionally insecure, nervous, anxious or had low self-esteem, OR
- lonely or isolated in an ever connected, word-saturated world, OR
- numb to others and to the problems in the world, overwhelmed by all the bad.
You may not have responded on Sunday night, but reflect (either alone or as a growth group): which of these ring true for you? How do they affect you?
Read Jeremiah 32:36-41 and/or Revelation 21:1-5
Reflect on the Christian hope of a world made new. In what ways is this good news in general?
In what ways is this good news for you personally? How does it speak into the 3 maladies above?
Spanky talked about the good news beginning in the heart, into the community, and out into the world:
HEART –> COMMUNITY –> WORLD
Which of these do you need to work on? Practically, how could you do this?
Jeremiah went a bought a piece of land on the verge of being captured by the Babylonians. He bought it in the hope that all will one day be restored by God (cf. Jer 32:36-41). What might it mean for us to claim Hornby (or wherever you live) in the same way?
Close by praying for God to help you in the areas you’ve identified. If you’re in a group you might like to pray for one another or even make a faith commitment as a group.