The Church Jesus Builds: Is A Family 12/09/2010

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What is your experience of ‘family’? Is it a positive or negative word? What qualities or characteristics would you expect to find in a good family? Where have you found these, perhaps thinking beyond your immediate family?

Read Genesis 2:18-25 and consider this less about marriage and more about how people are made to relate to each other. Think about verse 25. Do you feel able to strip off your pretensions and posturing and be real with other people? How does it feel?

Read Genesis 3:8-10. We see that God and people were created to be together, but here it gets broken. Fear and shame have entered the story. How do you deal with fear and shame? How should you deal with them?

Now skip to the end of the story. Read Revelations 21:1-4 and 21:22-27. How does this make you feel?

Read John 1:12-13. How does it make you feel to think that everyone is invited to be part of God’s family – even people you might not like or want to spend time with! What does this tell you about God and about yourself?

How would you feel if someone at our Sunday service asked you if it was your first time here? Think about your reaction.

How easy do you find it to start up a conversation with a stranger at church? How could you practice and feel more confident?
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