The Church of the Epiphany

Read Romans 8.

Questions for Reflection:

(1)  Most of us know someone who has adopted children or was adopted themselves.  How did that process affect the people involved?

(2)  Verses 8:22-23 talk about groaning with expectation, not only us, but all of creation.  What is it about the world that makes you groan in frustration, anger, or desperation for something to change?

(3) vv. 27-28 talk about the Spirit interceding for us and through us.  When you remember that, does it change your perspective on the world?  Does it change the way you think about prayer?

(4)  This chapter holds us in tension between "already" and "not yet."  We have the first fruits of the spirit, but not the full expression.  We are already in the family of God, says Paul, but we are not yet living in the perfected world of God's design.  What do you rejoice about in your Christian life "already," and what do you long for in yourself that is "not yet" completed?

Read Romans 6-7.

Questions for Reflection:

(1) It's been said that "God HAS TO forgive us--it's his job!"  (I forget who first said that, but you've probably heard it before.)  How would *you* answer the question Paul asks in 6:1--should we continue to sin so that God's grace might be even greater?  Don't use Paul's words, use your own.

(2) In 6:13, Paul encourages us to offer the parts of our bodies to God as instruments of righteousness.  Take that simply and literally.  What would that look like in your life?  What parts of your body would you offer?  How would you use them?

(3) Towards the end of Chapter 7, he says "what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do."  and, later, "I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out."  Where have you seen this play out in your own life?

(4) With at least three attorneys normally in the room each week, this one might be fun:  What's the difference between "law" as Paul uses it in these chapters and the modern understanding in America?  Read carefully: does Paul think the law is a good thing or a bad thing?

Read Romans 5.

Questions for Reflection:

(1)  This section opens with: therefore, we have peace with God.  What does peace look like to you?  What does it feel like?

(2)  How are vv.3-5 difficult for you in living out the Christian life?  Also, how are they hopeful?

(3)  Think about an area of your life, or something in our community, that demonstrates the brokenness of sin, where "sin exercises dominion in death" as v. 21.  What would a 'dominion of grace' look like in that situation instead?

(4)  Paul seems to see the truly justified life, the life lived in right relationship with God and our neighbor, as flowing from a well of gratitude for our reconciliation. What are your own practices of gratitude?  (both gratitude for human things and for divine things)

Read Romans 4 and Genesis 15.

Questions for Reflection:

(1)  Describe an experience of God’s power in your life – bringing newness of life to a seemingly hopeless situation – that increased your confidence in God’s faithfulness. How did it increase or strengthen your own faithfulness going forward? Be specific.

(2)  What aspects of your life seem “dead” and in need of divine renewal? Can you identify situations where God may be calling you to respond faithfully in ways that give you hope for new life? Can you identify a time when you may have wavered in your faithfulness and distrusted God’s promises because of what seemed to be overwhelming odds against you?

(3)  Think about the point in your life when you were deepest in financial debt.  How did that feel?  How did it affect your lifestyle and the stress level in your family?    Paul has spent the first three chapters of Romans convincing us (maybe even belaboring the point overmuch) that we are all morally ruined, sinful, unable to resolve the debt of sin on our own.    What would it feel like (or what would it have felt like) to get a letter from your creditors saying that someone else had paid the bill in full?  How would you respond?

(4)  In Rom 4:16-17 (and elsewhere) Paul tells us that we are children of Abraham, children of the covenant promise.  Think about the various organizations, groups, or institutions that you are a member of.  What are the signs of membership?  What are the expectations?

Read Romans 3:9-3-31.

Questions for Reflection:

(1) Paul pieces together the poem in verses 9-19 from references to Psalms 5, 14, 140, 10, and 36, plus Isaiah 59.  He wants us to hear the wider context in these passages, not just the specific snippets.  If you feel like a challenge, look these up, and see if you can see a common thread.

(2) In v. 20, if no one will be declared righteous by obeying the law, why bother paying any attention to it at all?  Think about both your own answer to that question, and also what you think Paul would say in response.

(3) Verses 21-26 are densely packed with theological terms.  Define each of these, in your own words (try it first on your own, then look them up):  righteousness, justified, grace, redemption, atonement, redemption.

(4) Verses 23-24 have played a HUGE role in Christian theology.  How have you seen these two verses played out in your own journey with God?

Read Romans 2:17-3:8.

Questions for Reflection:

(1) Recall a time when you were given a responsibility that didn't work out very well, or you didn't perform well at it.  How did you come to the realization that you were failing in your task?  Did you figure it out yourself, or did someone have to mention it to you or reprimand you?  What did you do about it?

(2) The quotation in v.2:24 is probably from Is 52:5.  God's name is blasphemed because of the unfaithful behavior of the people.  Spend a few minutes in honest reflection (allow yourself both positive and negative), and then answer this: What do people say about God because of your words and actions?

(3)  In v.2:19-25, Paul is talking about Israel's calling to be a light to the nations.  Read the first half of Isaiah chapter 42.  (Remember, before Jesus, the people read this as though "my servant" in v. 42:1 represented the whole of Israel)  Paul basically makes the argument that the covenant people have utterly failed in their covenant obligation to be the light to the world.  In v. 2:25-29, Paul responds, talking about circumcision, which was the mark identifying the covenant people.
What do you think Paul means when he talks about a "circumcision of the heart?"  Try to put that in your own words.

Now, having made the argument that the people of Israel had failed in their covenant obligations, and that physical circumcision (your physical heritage and marking) counts for nothing, Paul begins to answer the next question: what's the point of being a Jew?  What benefit is there?

While we might be tempted to immediately respond "none at all," Paul gives us the exact opposite answer--much in every way!  Paul does not think (and I don't either) that the covenant God made with Abraham has been negated, or overwritten, by Jesus. Instead, he says, that in Jesus those promises have been fulfilled, and by the Holy Spirit they will be fully and finally kept!

A key word in v.3:1-8 is "entrusted."  The people were given something precious, but it was not theirs to keep.  It was instead to be given away, given to all the nations.

(4)  Do you understand yourself to be entrusted with the good news?  How are we (both individually, and collectively as a community) doing at fulfilling the calling to be a messenger?

(5) Verse 3:8 is one of the commonly quoted (or joked about) verses in Romans.  How would you react if someone told you "I'm glad that I screwed up so badly, fell so far into sin.  It only shows how great God is, and how much God will forgive?"

Read Romans 1:18-2:16.

Questions for Reflection:

(1) Paul talks about the corruption of the world, distorted from God's intention.  What have you seen, this week, (either in your personal experience, or on the local or national news) that is an example of 1:29-31?
 
(2) If Paul were writing to the church in Corpus Christi in 2010, what do you think he would choose as his first example of God's intent for creation gone awry?

(3) Referencing the first few verses of Chapter 2, what does our modern world say about people who have 'double standards,' judging others for what they practice themselves?

(4) When was the last time you talked with an openly gay or lesbian Christian?

(5) Who has had the most influence on your understanding of human sexuality?  (Parents, teachers, childhood friends, sexual partner(s), the Bible, other literature?)  How has your understanding of your own sexuality changed over the years?

Read Romans 1:1-17.

Questions for Reflection:

(1) Paul says that he is set apart for the gospel, a word that means "good news."  What *is* the good news?  Try to frame your personal understanding of the gospel in five sentences or less.  (no fair using run-on sentences)

(2) Paul describes the "obedience of faith" in v.5.  What does obedient faith look like in your life?

(3) Paul writes to a church (i.e., a group of people) who were different from the city and the society around them.  This was true because of their faith in Christ, and it may have been accentuated by ethnic differences (because the church had many ethnically Jewish members).  How does Epiphany Church compare to the cities in which we live?