Me? Called?: Does Everyone Have a Calling?

Genesis 18:10-15, Exodus 4:10-17, Colossians 3:17

Week of January 14, 2018

Connect

Here we are again!  Hopefully some of your groups have new faces in them.  Take some time to get to know one another and catch up in your groups. 

As your group gathers together, take some time to share your covenant once again.  If there are new people in your group, have them read and reflect on the covenant.  If your group wants to adapt or amend it, go ahead.  Remind your group that each group gathering is divided into 3 parts: Connect, Pray, Reflect

When your time to connect is finishing up, ask this question:

How did you decide what you were going to be when you grew up?

(we’ll circle ‘round to this question towards the end of our time together.)

Pray

Groups were shyest or least happy about how this section of their time went.  I’d encourage your group to do 2 things to help make this time better and more meaningful:

1. Decide as a group ahead of time one measure that you want to talk about for the next week.

2. Get into a “prayer rhythm” together.  Maybe each week during this time you break into prayer partners or trios and they just share and pray together.  Or, go around in a circle and then have each person pray for the person on their left.

The point of this time together is not to memorize the measures or to pray for people’s family members with sickness.  The purpose is to hold the measures up to our lives and honestly have time to reflect.  This time should take 20-30 minutes in even a 1 hour group meeting.  This is not “social time”, but is intentional reflection on these measures to see how we are growing as a disciple. 

Here are the measures once again so you have them.  If you’re going to cover one each week, simply remind your group in a weekly email to them so they remember which one.  It might help people to keep a journal so that they can remember their experiences and bring them with them to the Connect Group.

Passionate: Where did I see God today?

Accepting: How am I building diverse relationships?

Invitational: Who am I connecting with God’s family?

Trusting: Where does God rank?

Active: How am I engaged with God’s work?

Reflect

In this section, hopefully you have some great discussion that trails off from the “path.”  That’s OK!  You don’t have to “cover every question” and there won’t be a test at the end.

Pastor Kevin talked about vocation as “where your spark meets the world’s need.” 

-What is your spark?  Have you ever been encouraged to think about your spark?

Parker Palmer writes this:

“Vocation at its deepest level is, ‘This is something I can’t not do, for reasons I’m unable to explain to anyone else and don’t fully understand myself but that are nonetheless compelling” (Let Your Life Speak, 25). 

*Have you ever had an experience like Parker Palmer is describing?

Look at Colossians 3:17 together. 

-What does this verse mean to you as you think about calling or vocation?

Think about Sarah in Genesis 18:10-15 and Moses in Exodus 4:10-17. 

-When have you been like either of these characters?

            *Pastor Kevin said that Sarah was like a “practical atheist” and Moses was an “excuse

            master.”  How does that speak to your life?

Circle back to that first question.  If you had the ear of an 8^th grader and could share with them something about how they think about what they’ll be when they grow up, how would you advise them?