The Gathering after breaking the AirPod

This weekend I went to the board games night hosted by the anime club.

It was a good time, mostly played games that I brought.(wait nope I only played games I brought)

And then went to dinner afterwards, and after dinner I noticed I lost an AirPod, and I found it, take a look.

Yeah it’s rough, 

Rip Apollo(R), you will be missed.

Now The Gathering.

Announcements:

Bible study tonight,

Speaker: Rick Rowland

Beauty in small things matter 6:5-15

“Prayer”

The smaller you go you still see beauty and design and structure.

God is lavish with his creation.

We are impressed by immensity, but more impressed by gods attention to what should be obscurity

Story about his small home town school, and his smal hometown united church

The difference between small communities and big communities.

In prayer we merge our small needs with gods infinite provision for us.

Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the lord my soul to keep

And _______ I be a child of thee?

Learning about informal prayers, everyday language, etc

When you pray do you like spontaneity or a set prayer

Do you ask god for things or do you think he will provide

Do you think prayer strengthens your relationship with god and other people

Mr Dallas philosophy prof at Southern California university

Wrote the divine conspiracy

“Prayer is talking to god about what we are doing together.”

Jesus wasn’t against people being seen praying..

He was against people praying to be seen.

The Lord’s Prayer broken down:

Informal but respectful

Provision and protection

Giving god the glory. (Thine is the kingdom...)

Things that we cannot see are still real.

Heaven is very near to us

God is our father

Small is not a bad thing

God will provide and protect if we rely on him.

We have free will.

‘The Three Essential Prayers’

Help me, thank you, and wow

Story about riding a bike and dozing off.

Meal

Small group bible study

Acts 2:1-13

The Gathering after Cuba

Well that’s ends my vacation,

Overall it was very relaxing, a good chance to reconnect with my Bro’s and see who their current friend group is.

South America/Oceania was very enjoyable. Still quite touristy, but I enjoyed my time there.

I need to conglomerate my friends pictures soon

Announcements:

Something happening Dec 12,

Small group studying Acts later tonight

Speaker Georgiana Stewart

Do not worry?!? Matthew 6:25-34

Story, disaster befalls a town 

Pat did not leave the town.

I sent a car, boat, and helicopter to save you

Do not worry is a commandment, similar to ‘“love your neighbour’

Context to the passage,

What’s going on, previously? Afterword?

Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is teaching crowds and crowds and crowds about the kingdom of heaven, who gets in and how.

Earnings about hypocrisy, self deception, etc

No one can serve two masters, hate one, love the other, or be devoted to one and disloyal to the other.

Priorities.

What matters most in our lives?

Where do we look for security and sense of worth.

A grade, a degree, a legs status, a relationship etc

These are not bad or undesirable.

But, when we put something ahead of God in our list of priorities, it is not pretty

How do we tell we are striving for the kingdom?

Doing God’s will and not falling into deception?

Aside from full contrary things to the gospel we can’t.

Don’t we want exact gps coordinates, neon signs, etc

Striving for the kingdom feels like stumbling along, two steps ahead and it’s vanished.

Thomas Mertons Prayer

 Humility and uncertainty,

Our desire will hopefully please you, and I will trust you always

Discussion:

Think of something that might get in the way of striving for the kingdom of God for you.

The Gathering before Cuba

Announcements,

Regular gathering on 2 Dec, something else on 9 Dec

Normal Gathering on the 16th?

Today is all-saints day (the day/Sunday after Halloween) 

Speaker Sylvia Keesmaat

The law and the Kingdom: was Jesus joking?

Matthew 5:17-20

I’ll talk about the law! How thrilling...

I have not come to abolish. The law and the prophets.

- the whole story of who Israel was. The law embedded in that story.

It’s purpose is to shape us into a certain community and what that looks like as followers of Jesus

An idea of what the kingdom looks like on earth

The sabbath laws.

-traditions of not using money on a Sunday

The purpose of that in the sabbath is that it gives everyone a rest from labour and economic transactions

Historical Israel and obeying laws

Leaving for the widow the orphan and the poor, the refugee the immigrant and the alien

You don’t squeeze everything you can from your land

Leaving for nature as well.

Deuteronomy 22, don’t just leave your neighbours ox out. Build a parapet around your roof, don’t let people fall off the roof

Don’t wear clothes with wool and linen, it will fall apart know the limits of creation

Tassels on the prayer cloak

They are all about the health of community, about the vulnerable

Given the world/culture in which we find ourselves,  what kind of laws would create a community that demonstrates hope and _______ for the vulnerable.

Supper and discussion time

That’s all for now.