11.29.20 Huddle

Zach Below   -   November 29, 2020

11/29/20 HUDDLE

 

  1. Compared to other years, what was one thing that was different about this thanksgiving?

 

  1. What was one thing about this thanksgiving that you were surprisingly thankful for?

Or . . . What turned out better than expected?

 

 

INTRO

This week we kick off our 2020 Christmas series, rightly titled, “Merry Christmas Anyways.” For week 1, we will continue our conversation on gratitude and begin exploring the idea of faith.

 

  1. What comes to mind when you hear that series title?

 

  1. As a group, come up with 10 things that are so routine or mundane we often overlook them, but should be thankful for.

 

If you need help getting started, on Sunday Bret mentioned being grateful for the fact that everything we think doesn’t automatically come out of our mouths.

 

 

WATCH UNDERGROUND CHURCH VIDEO

It’s not you, this video is a bit blurry 🙂

 

  1. What is your reaction to the video?

 

 

SCRIPTURE ENGAGMENT—LUKE 7:1-10

On Sunday, Bret gave us three principles of faith that we can learn from the story in Luke 7. As you read the story, keep in mind the following points . . . 

  1. Great faith is FOR anyone
  2. Great faith is ROOTED in humility
  3. Great faith is confident belief in JESUS’S authority

 

 

The Faith of the Centurion

7 When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 2 There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this,5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” 6 

 

So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

 

9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” 10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

 

 

SCRIPTURE ENGAGMENT QUESTIONS

  1. What stands out to you from this text?

 

  1. What is interesting about the fact that the person in this story is a Roman Centurion?

 

Note: Israel was occupied by the Romans. Roman Centurions were the Roman military presence in the towns/provinces of Israel. It would be like if China defeated the US in a war and decided to set up rule here. Then, Chinese soldiers were deployed in every city to make sure US citizens were not getting out of hand. This Roman Centurion was a symbol of everything they hated about the Roman government and to a Jewish culture, a far cry from people of faith or even people who God loved.  

 

  1. How does this story illustrate the point, “Great faith is for anyone?”

 

  1. Where is the idea that “great faith is rooted in humility” evident in the story?

 

  1. Respond to the following quote from C.S. Lewis. Is this your experience with people characterized by humility?

 

“Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call ‘humble’ nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, swarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.”

 

  1. Humility is tied to one’s recognition of who God is. It is said that humility brings one’s mind UP. How does this connect humility to gratitude?

 

  1. One final point from Sunday was that “great faith is confident belief in Jesus’s authority.” Where is this point evident in the story?

 

  1. Often times, we think of the faith as something we either have a little of, none of, or a lot of. How does it change our understanding of faith if we remember that faith is about its object, not us as the subject?

 

 

APPLICATION

  1. What is one way that you can apply the lessons from this story in Luke 7 into your own daily life?

 

  1. If one’s level of humility is tied to their understanding of who God is, what is one practical thing you can do this week to enlarge your vision of God?

 

CLOSE IN PRAYER