Untethered: Week 2

Untethered: Part 2
Week of August 28

Welcome!

We are so happy to be together in fellowship and growing in faith this week! Core Groups are structured a little differently this year. Each week our groups will use the same scripture as the sermon to unpack and discuss. The guide is based on the scripture not the sermon.; We will use that scripture as our basis for discussion in learning (the head) , personal growth (the heart) and real world application (the hands) creating our new outline: Head, Heart, and Hands (you can also consider it this way, think, feel, act)..

We will also encourage each group to enjoy an ice breaker each week, especially early on as your group comes together. This will give all group members the chance to think in a new way, possibly be silly, laugh, and get to know one another on a new level; we think even the longest standing Core Groups deserve the chance to grow in this way.

Opening Prayer: Dearest God, we thank you for bringing this group of individuals together to grow together in your word. We pray that you be with us as we laugh, learn, and grow together tonight and in this core group season. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Ice Breaker: What’s something that you liked as a child but grew out of?

The Head: 
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13

Verses 8-13 read: “8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
This week we’re reading from Paul’s letter to the people of Corinth. To set the scene: Paul spent the previous chapter of Corinthians, (chapter 12) talking about spiritual gifts, which is why we see him now explain that even these spiritual gifts will eventually pass away. He is trying to convey that we are only seeing part of the picture right now. It’s like having all the pieces of a puzzle scrambled out in front of us, ready to create a larger picture that we cannot yet see fully. Paul uses the imagery of a child to further explain this idea to the people of Corinth, the idea that we are always growing, forming, and changing in our faith. We will never reach complete understanding in this life. And that is okay, even freeing.

• Why do you think Paul relies heavily on the child imagery? Does this affect your understanding of the phrase “child-like faith”? 

Verse 13: “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

• These are the pillars we need, rather than that of knowledge, answers and clarity. Why does Paul emphasize these three things? Why would love be the most important?
• There are other places in scripture ( Matthew 18, Mark 10, Luke 18)  that highlight the importance of the faith/understanding/importance of a child. Does Paul negate that here, or emphasize it?

The Heart: 
Verse 12: “Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”

• Think of someone who knows you the best. Even this person cannot know you fully. What do you think it would be like to be fully known?

It can be frustrating to not have a complete understanding of our faith, or to have questions all the time. Sometimes we just want answers, we want clarity, because those things allow us to be more in control. However, Paul lets us in on the fact that we will never reach full knowledge and understanding in this life.

• Instead of viewing this idea through a lens of frustration, in what ways could this be seen as a freeing gift? 

We live in a society that demands answers and even shames a lack of answers. There is little room for ambiguity or gray area.

• How can we re-frame what it means to not have all the answers?

The Hands - A Call to Action:
Something to connect with your inner child:
We talked a lot about child-like faith and what that means. As adults, we can often disconnect from our younger selves, and this isn’t always to our benefit. This week you’re encouraged to do something to reconnect with your inner child. You could: Play a game you really liked when you were little…Re-read your favorite childhood book… Draw with some crayons…Go outside and make something with things you found in nature… etc.

• While you do one of these things, think of the scripture we read, the pillars of faith, hope and love. How does this influence your experience?

   
Something to Journal: 

1. What are times in your life when you’ve wanted to haven’t fully understood something? How did that feel?
2. In what ways does your faith look like that of a child’s?
3. What are some things that you’re currently questioning?