Monday, March 14, 2011

Leaving Home

Study Guide for “A Geography of God: Exploring the Christian Journey”
Prepared by Rev. Dr. Rob Erickson for First Presbyterian Church, Jefferson City, Mo.

Class One “Leaving for Home” Chapters 1-5
Genesis 12:1 “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.”
In Chapter One Michael Lindvall writes about faith as a journey and entitles the first section “Leaving for Home”.
Share a little bit of your spiritual journey with the person next to you. Share with the group what you hope for in this spiritual journey and what are you a little bit nervous about.

Why get up in the morning? That’s the question Michael introduces in Chapter 2.
Do you know people like Albert Camus who are searching for purpose in their lives? (pg. 8)
What does the question from the Westminster Shorter Catechism have to say about this whole question of purpose?
Q.1. What is the chief end of humanity?
A. 1. Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy God forever.

What’s so irresistible about Grace? That is the sub-question in Chapter 3 “Finding or Found”. C. S. Lewis describes man’s search for God as a mouse searching for a cat (pg. 10). Why might it be scary or inconvenient to seek God? Or is it?
Read Francis Thompson’s poem “Hound of Heaven”. Does it speak to you?
How did God find you or how is God finding you? Have you ever been lost and found by God as the song “Amazing Grace” implies?

Chapter 4 grapples with the “delicate balance between the sovereign power of God on one hand and human freedom on the other.” Why is that balance so important to God…to us?

The Greek word for faith is “pisteuo” which means “to believe or to trust. Explore as a group the difference between trusting someone or something and believing in someone or somethings. Why does Lindvall call this risky?

No comments: