Table Talk: The Common Good-Week 1
The Common Good
Here’s a short description of our current sermon series.
Our life for the Common Good grows out of the Common Life we share in Christ, where we gather and are shaped together. Like grapes in a cluster, we are joined to one another, so that what God forms among us is carried into every place he sends us. In our everyday work, we have opportunities to love our neighbors and participate with God in the renewal of all things. Working from the grace we have already received, our ordinary efforts can become glimpses of the world God is making new, for the good of his world and the renown of Jesus’ name.
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE - Vocation
We believe that Jesus’ teaching is more than just knowledge for our minds (though it certainly includes that). It transforms us from within and flows outward into our actions. By practicing the ways of Jesus, we are being shaped into a people who look more and more like Him.
We commonly think of work as a job or career, but our work is everything we put our hands to. Throughout this series, we’ll discover that work was God’s idea! When He created the very first humans, he invited them to partner with him in the good stewardship and management of His world. Part of growing in spiritual maturity is learning to view our vocation from this perspective. In the next few weeks, take some time to consider how your daily work–whether at home, in the marketplace, in the church, at school/university, or somewhere else–contributes to the Common Good. Here are some questions to prayerfully consider:
Where does my work (everything I put my hands to each day) bring order, clarity, or beauty to something that is disordered, confusing, or neglected? How does my work make something better, healthier, safer, more useful, or more beautiful?
Who benefits from the work I do, and in what ways does it contribute to their well-being? How does my work contribute to a healthy community, organization, family, or neighborhood?
What problems does my work help solve? What burdens does it help carry? Where does my work protect, preserve, restore, or repair something valuable?
What resources—time, money, knowledge, materials, land, technology, or people—am I responsible for stewarding well?
Where does my work reflect God’s character (His creativity, generosity, order, justice, wisdom, beauty, or care)?
ENGAGING WITH THE TEXT
Read the listed passage individually or as a group. Use the questions below to explore the passage together. The conversation starters are typically applicational questions that can be used to further your discussion during mealtimes or other connection points throughout the week.
What stands out to you in this passage? (a word, phrase, image, or idea that caught your attention)
What does this passage reveal about God? (His character, heart, actions, or promises)
What questions does this passage raise for you? (anything confusing, challenging, or unresolved)
What response does this passage invite from us? (a way of seeing, trusting, living, or hoping differently)
PRAYER
Creator God,
You made us to partner with You, to rest in You, and to delight in You. As we consider our own work–everything we put our hands to–help us to see it through your eyes. Holy Spirit, give us a sense of sacred purpose and satisfaction in the role you have given us in this season. Equip us to bring order, clarity, and beauty to spaces and places that are disordered, confusing, or neglected. Show us how our work can contribute to a healthy community, organization, family, or neighborhood. Protect us from frustration, exhaustion, and disappointment. Please draw us to Yourself; help us to work faithfully as we look to the day when Your resurrection and renewal will come in full.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
October 4th: "Made to Create" (Genesis 1:26-2:15)
SERMON SUMMARY: Work begins before the fall. Humanity is made in the image of a God who creates, orders, cultivates, and brings life from what he has made. When God places humanity in the garden to develop it, work becomes one of the ways we reflect His image in the world. Whether we build, teach, repair, or design, our work participates in God’s purposes as we take the “raw material” he has entrusted to us and partner with Him to cultivate His world, all in His strength. Work is part of what human beings were created to do for God’s glory and the common good of His world.
CONVERSATION STARTERS:
Kids
What is something you are good at making, fixing, organizing, drawing, growing, or figuring out? That’s part of the good work that God made you to do! (Consider sharing other gifts, talents, or abilities that you see in your kids. Encourage them to continue cultivating these talents, showing them how they contribute to your family and community.)
What do you want to be when you grow up? What makes that role interesting to you?
Students
Which do you enjoy more: starting something new, improving or maintaining something that already exists, or fixing something that's broken? Why?
What does Genesis 1 tell us about God? What characteristics of God do you see in His creative work? How do humans image (or reflect) God in our own work?
What happens when we treat our abilities and responsibilities as things that exist only for our own success? What has God placed in your hands right now (abilities, opportunities, relationships, resources, responsibilities) and how might you cultivate those things for the good of others?
Adults
What is something in your home, neighborhood, workplace, or community that someone has made better through their work? (This can be their job or career, but it doesn’t have to be. “Work” is everything we put our hands to.)
How does human work both resemble God's work and remain distinct from it?
What kinds of work are easy to recognize as meaningful? What kinds can be overlooked even though they contribute significantly to human flourishing?
How might this passage change the way you evaluate or appreciate your own work? How might it change the way you look at the work of someone whose daily responsibilities look very different from your own?
