Sunday Backwards & Forwards / The Common Good
Each week we want to give you a chance to look back at what we discussed the previous Sunday as well as look ahead at what we will be talking about this coming weekend. The hope is that it gives you a sense of how these texts come together and allows you to prepare your heart and mind for what you will be hearing as we move forward.
January 16th
First, let's look back through the verses we read and a few quotes that came up. Then you can go watch our YouTube or check out our podcast to dive deeper.
Verses
Psalm 36:7-9 - "They are filled from the abundance of Your house"
John 2:1-11 - "“Fill the jars with water,” Jesus told them. So they filled them to the brim."
1 Corinthians 12:1-11 - "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good."
Key Quotes or Ideas
We discover in our Psalm and John reading that God is a God of abundance. That in him we are filled to the fullness. His miracle at the wedding in Cana was not simply a cool miracle, but a sign (the first of seven in the Gospel of John) of who He was and what His kingdom would look like. It would be a kingdom that is full and overflowing. He will fill us to the brim.
"What John did mean to say is that when the grace of Jesus comes to men there is enough and to spare for all. No wedding party on earth could drink one hundred and eighty gallons of wine. No need on earth can exhaust the grace of Christ; there is a glorious superabundance in it." William Barclay
Jesus performs the water to wine miracle in response to need. He sees a party that will end and a bride who will be embarrassed and he responds to meet the need of others. Our verse in 1 Corinthians speaks to a similar thought. He fills us with uncommon gifts of the spirit for the common good of people. The gifts God gifts are always intended to be beneficial for all.
"The visibility of the spirit is the common good." Bonhoeffer
In John and 1 Corinthians we see a similar idea… display and demonstration. When we delight in him, we become a demonstration of him in the earth.
January 23rd
Now, let's take a second to look ahead. You'll find the verses we'll be reading this Sunday along with a few questions to consider as we prepare to gather in worship and word.
Verses
Consider This
When you read the whole of 1 Corinthians 12 which we will finish this weekend, what is the primary focus of Paul? Is this chapter really just about the gifts of the Spirit?
The first verse of our text in Luke this week we see a the following line: “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit.” When you hear that, what do you discover about Jesus? What dod you discover about your relationship with the Holy Spirit?
What resonates with you as you read Luke 4:18-19? As one author says, “It is Jesus’ manifesto for the work ahead.”
Can't wait to see you this weekend church! Invite a friend and let's see Jesus together!