The Peace that Jesus Gives
Weekly Reading
Monday: Exodus 13:17-15:26
Tuesday: Luke 13
Wednesday: Deuteronomy 14:22-16:17, Luke 14
Thursday: Luke 15
Friday: Luke 16
Saturday: Psalm 47-49, Proverbs 11
Sunday: 1 Chronicles 9-22
Tuesday: Luke 13
Wednesday: Deuteronomy 14:22-16:17, Luke 14
Thursday: Luke 15
Friday: Luke 16
Saturday: Psalm 47-49, Proverbs 11
Sunday: 1 Chronicles 9-22
Discussion Questions
3DQ - 3 discipleship questions to ask each other: What is God saying to you? What are you going to do about it? How can I help?
Sermon Notes
Key Passage: John 14:25-31
Mark 5:24-34
Mark 4:35-41
Luke 12:29-31
John 20:26-31
"We humans thrive on boundaries. We need freedom, to be sure. But we need boundaries to create the right kind of spaces for the different parts of our lives. The boundaries can be spatial: this venue is for baseball; that one, for football. Both games can be played simultaneously, but not on the same field. They can be temporal: these hours are for sleeping; these are for working; these are for play. Sleeping in the middle of the work day or playing in the middle of the night is seldom for our good. They can also be related; it’s not okay for strangers to touch my body, but this stranger can touch my body in this way because she is my doctor. If we listen closely to the Bible’s sexual ethics we find that it’s clear boundaries create both a safe space for sex and a whole arena for different kinds of intimate connection.
Within a Christian framework, opposite-sex marriage is set apart as the only place for sexual intimacy. This boundary cuts off the possibility of sex with anyone else. It is highly restrictive and, in some respects, against our inclinations: few married people never have the desire for sexual intimacy with someone other than their spouse. Thus, every Christian is called at times to sacrifice his or her desires. But marriage also creates immense freedom and security for loving, sexual intimacy without fear of critique or abandonment. The boundaries of friendship fall in a different place: they prohibit sex, but they create space for intimacy with multiple people who will touch our hearts, minds, and bodies in different ways." -Rebecca McLaughlin, Confronting Christianity
Mark 5:24-34
Mark 4:35-41
Luke 12:29-31
John 20:26-31
"We humans thrive on boundaries. We need freedom, to be sure. But we need boundaries to create the right kind of spaces for the different parts of our lives. The boundaries can be spatial: this venue is for baseball; that one, for football. Both games can be played simultaneously, but not on the same field. They can be temporal: these hours are for sleeping; these are for working; these are for play. Sleeping in the middle of the work day or playing in the middle of the night is seldom for our good. They can also be related; it’s not okay for strangers to touch my body, but this stranger can touch my body in this way because she is my doctor. If we listen closely to the Bible’s sexual ethics we find that it’s clear boundaries create both a safe space for sex and a whole arena for different kinds of intimate connection.
Within a Christian framework, opposite-sex marriage is set apart as the only place for sexual intimacy. This boundary cuts off the possibility of sex with anyone else. It is highly restrictive and, in some respects, against our inclinations: few married people never have the desire for sexual intimacy with someone other than their spouse. Thus, every Christian is called at times to sacrifice his or her desires. But marriage also creates immense freedom and security for loving, sexual intimacy without fear of critique or abandonment. The boundaries of friendship fall in a different place: they prohibit sex, but they create space for intimacy with multiple people who will touch our hearts, minds, and bodies in different ways." -Rebecca McLaughlin, Confronting Christianity
Resources
Confronting Christianity, by Rebecca McLaughlin
Audio book available for free through Hoopla at the Charleston County Library
https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/12464487
Audio book available for free through Hoopla at the Charleston County Library
https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/12464487
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