Cannot Be Shaken

Fellowship – Snacks or a Meal (10 minutes with snacks; longer, obviously, if there is a meal).

Gathering Time (5-10 minutes). In pairs or groups of three, have participants answer, "Have you ever stood somewhere that made you feel small or in awe— a mountaintop, a vast ocean, or a historic cathedral? What was that experience like?"

Group Dialogue (Approximately 30 minutes). Hebrews 12:18-29.

• How did the people feel at Mount Sinai (verses 18–21)? [They were full of fear and trembling. Even Moses was afraid.]
• Why do you think the writer of Hebrews contrasts fear (at Sinai) with joy and community (at Zion)? What do these images say about God’s nature and how God wants to relate to us now? [At Mount Sinai, the people experienced God's holiness through terror, fire, darkness, and distance. Mount Zion represents the new covenant—a place of joy, intimacy, and inclusion.]
• What does the passage say Jesus has done for us, and how should we respond to him? [Jesus established a new covenant through his blood, which brings us forgiveness and access to God (verse 24). In response, we are warned not to refuse or ignore God when God speaks to us (verse 25) but to listen and respond with faith and obedience.]

“Once we claim faith and say yes to Jesus, we believe we shouldn’t have to endure hardship anymore. But that is never the promise. The promise is presence, and the promise is access. …It isn’t difficult to look around us and see that the world we experience isn’t the world that is described as kingdom or kin-dom, either one! There is still work to be done, things that need to be shaken out and shaken up until we begin to resemble that inheritance the prophets describe, the eternity that Jesus presents. And what we hold onto during the shaking, when things seem bleak and broken, when God’s people are hurting and hungry, is the promise of an unshakeable future, and then we work to build that foundation every day, even here on shaky ground.” (Preaching Notes for August 24).

• The quote says the promise of faith is not comfort but presence and access. What does it mean to you that God promises to be present during the "shaking"? How does that change the way you understand suffering or struggle?
• What is one way you can live into God's unshakable kingdom this week through your words, actions, or spiritual practices? How can the group support or pray for you as you take that next step?

Prayer (10 minutes). Share prayer requests and respond appropriately.

Sending Forth (2 minutes). End with the following prayer, a similar prayer, or the Lord’s Prayer: Loving God, we give thanks that we do not stand alone or in fear but in your holy presence, surrounded by your grace. Help us live each day with reverence and joy as your beloved children.