Awaken Community

Matt 13:10-23 Micah explores the Parable of the Sower found in Matthew and what it means to truly listen/hear & understand.

2 Corinthians 8:1 -2: Paul urges the church in Corinth to follow the lead of the Macedonians, who’s desire for goodness was matched by their willingness to give so that the work would be seen through.

1 Kings 19:11-18 - Elijah flees to the mountains for his life, desperate to hear God's voice. God shows up in ways he does not expect, as a whisper of care and provision in the midst of hardship. Micah walks us through the heart of listening and the significance of its practice.

2 Sam 12:1-13, David listens to Nathan the prophet and repents when confronted with the reality of his sin. Are we listening and willing to HEAR correction when it comes to us? What does it take to be a person who is willing to sit in the discomfort of being wrong and repenting instead of defending?

Guest speaker Jim Bear Jacobs sheds light on the complexities of Galatians 3 and Paul’s vision for a kingdom of God that does not recognize difference. How does this vision, written by someone within the dominant culture, impact those who find themselves outside of it? Jim Bear illustrates the difficulty of this passage with powerful stories of the realities of indigenous life and how Creator God shows up.

1 John 4:7-12, John says "no one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." Multiple times in John's gospel he says that no one has seen the father and has this idea of the "invisible" God that is made known in Jesus. In so far as we love one another, the image of God lives in us and in the world. It's like an atom...no one has ever seen an atom, but we have this picture that carries the idea.

1 John 3:11, 16-18, 4:18-19 - We begin in love, we don't work for it or earn it or attain it...IT IS. Because this gift is ours to receive/participate in, we should love others which begs the question: what is love and who gets to define it?

1 John 1:5-10, 2:7-11, God is light and that light has appeared. If God is trustworthy and true, then following and seeking after them should lead us to a love and light that illuminates the world around us. How do you know when you’ve seen and experienced it?

The book of 1 John taken outside of it's context can sometimes be counter productive to the heart of the gospel. Micah discusses the fundamental differences in our understanding of 1 John if God's revelation to humanity is limited to what's in the Bible and not also open to the continuous work of the Spirit in us.