Macedonia UMC Connect Groups

This is My Body and Blood: Eucharist Week of February 25, 2018 Exodus 12:1-28, Exodus 16:1-36 Connect We continue this week in our series about Communion.   You may find it interesting that both of our stories are from the Old Testament—actually in the Exodus story.   The Hebrews were very good at recalling how past events shaped their current lives.   So we are going to learn from them and try to follow their pattern this week. As your group settles in, invite them to ponder this question together: What is your favorite part of the Thanksgiving table or a favorite story that you share about Thanksgiving? Pray Hopefully your groups know the measures well and have taken them to heart by this point.   This week, we recognize that talking together and sharing our lives is about being intentionally reflective .   What we do in these Connect Groups together is a lot like the Eucharistic table.   So reflect on the measures toget...

This is My Body and Blood: Communion Week of February 18, 2018 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 Connect We are entering a 5 week series that will take us through the close of this set of Connect Groups.   The series, This is My Body and Blood , focuses on 5 different vantage points of Holy Communion.   The 5 weeks are:             -Communion                -Eucharist             -The Lord’s Supper             -Mass             -This Holy Mystery Most likely, these are just different titles for the same thing to most people.   We are going to look at what each word points to, connect it with Scripture, and tie it to a certain phrase and practice of our communion liturgy. ...

Transfiguration Sunday: It’s Good That We’re Here 2 Kings 2:1-12, Mark 9:2-9 Week of February 11, 2018 Connect It’s hard to believe, but these groups mark the 5 th week you’ve been meeting and the halfway point.  This week is a transition week, sort of like Transfiguration Sunday.  We are in between series and in between the season of Epiphany and Lent.  As we prepare for the beginning of Lent, share ideas about giving up or taking a practice on for Lent .  Group members may choose to share about Lenten practices that they found helpful, or you may choose to share what you are considering giving up this year.  Pray We have been focused a lot on how we are doing God’s work during the past month.  During the season of Lent we tend to do some “inward work” of checking our hearts and how our relationship with God is doing.  To that end, your group may want to focus on the Measure of “Trusting” this week with its question: Where do...

Working for the Kingdom Week of February 4, 2018 Proverbs 11:10, Colossians 3:23, Luke 12:13-21, 32-34  Connect This is the last week of our series Me? Called?   It has been a fun one for me to develop as a pastor and have continued conversation with people in between the weeks.  Next week will be Transfiguration Sunday and then we begin Lent with a series about communion called “This is my body and blood.”  As your group gathers, invite them to consider this question together: How do you understand your calling differently after this series? Pray The Measure of being a disciple who is Active is extremely apropos for this week.  This measure asks the question: “How Am I Engaged with God’s work?”  Rather than being a question that asks how you are involved in church activities, this question seeks a deeper response about God’s Kingdom work.  Encourage your group to each reflect on this question together, and then pray tog...