Grow Guide | Nov 5, 2023

Together for Good

Reading: Psalm 116:1-8

Connecting Questions

Who is the best listener in your life?

Prayer for Illumination

Let us pray, Loving God, we pause today grateful for this next breath. We are grateful for the chance to connect with others today for we all carry such hurts and hope. Open your Word to us. Open our hearts to let your word speak to us and change our lives. We pray in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Context

We are “Together for Good”; God is good! Our fall season we are exploring the way God builds relationships through the stories found in scripture. Come explore the many opportunities to grow in faith and carry on the work of Jesus Christ at Easter. So glad you are here!

Sermons can be found at Easter.org/worship.

From Pastor Fred Gaiser at EntertheBible.org:

The book of Psalms contains the prayers, hymns, and meditations of Israel, 150 of them now gathered in a collection that includes joyful songs of praise and thanksgiving as well as sad songs of lamentation and distress. The prayers and songs are addressed to God, usually either pleading for help or bearing witness to God’s gracious acts on behalf of God’s people, which is an important function of Israel’s praise. Because of the scope of human emotion and divine activity in the psalms, believers in every generation have found them applicable to their own life and worship.

Look at the Book

Open to Psalm 116. For a fascinating translation of the Psalms, Google “The Message Translation” by Pastor Eugene Peterson to have handy.

The psalms are divided into five “books.” There is some organization based on content and author—many written by King David. Psalm 1 and 2 serve as the front door for the entire book of Psalms. Read those first—what do you find?

Psalm 116 opens with a relationship between God and creation. What is the foundational word of this relationship? Does that surprise you?

What has God done that warrants love? Why is that so profound?

God hears two things in verse 1. How are they different and why do they matter?

Do you remember an early image you had of God. What about now? What body part is ascribed to God in verse 2?

Verse 3 names a powerful reality. What is it and how is it described?

This coming Sunday is All Saints Sunday. What does that mean?

Make a list of all the euphemisms we have for “death.” Why is it so hard to talk about death in our American culture?

In the Hebrew Bible “Sheol” was the place where people, both good and bad, went when they died. While it was a place that might cause sorrow and anguish, it was not necessarily a cause for despair, for, as the psalmist said, God was even there: there is nowhere one can go to escape the presence of God. (Enter the Bible)

Verse 4 is a prayer. What is the psalmist asking God?

Verses 5-6 describe God’s actions. What is God doing?

Verse 7 is self-talk. We all play “tapes” inside our heads about what we are doing right or wrong. Why should we “return to calm, center, shalom” according to the psalmist?

Verse 8 is a powerful word on what God has done for us. What are the three things? How is this Good News?

Our church has a unique name. What does it matter that we are defined as an Easter people?

Who is one name that you want to list on our collective All Saints list to be read in worship? Why is that name on your heart this year?

What do you want to talk about that has not been brought up yet?

Taking it Home

Give witness to the life of a Saint this week. Tell the story of a person who was an example of faith in your life.

Pick one saint to learn more about this week. May we suggest: Pastor Jehu Jones, Saint Lucy, Bishop Oscar Romero.