Matt Zainea Rockford Campus September 3, 2023
Making Creation Work
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE
REMINDERS
Group Status Updates – It’s that time of year when we are looking to know: how is your group shaping up for fall? Please let us know with an update either via an email, call or text what your group is planning on for Fall 2023.
Group Leader Development Class (new) – Beginning this fall, we will be hosting an ongoing series of Leader Development Classes that will help you be effective and grow. Whether you’ve been leading for 30 years or are just curious about leading, this class will be helpful to your journey. More information will be posted to the ‘Groups’ site soon, but mark your calendars for class number 1 beginning on Sept. 10, 5:45pm at the Rockford Campus.
TOGETHER IN LIFE
Work is a part of everyone’s life—and sometimes we even get paid for it! Go around the room and briefly share your first, best, and worst jobs (paid work). How did you get your first job? What made your best and worst particularly good and bad? If this is a topic you’ve already discussed in your group, you may choose instead to share a work story that you haven’t told before.
TOGETHER IN THE WORD
THIS WEEK’S KEY PASSAGE: Proverbs 18:9
Note: We encourage you to read the text together as a group out loud.
Big Idea
Work is a good part of the way God made us. As children we learn the character and skills that prepare us for work; as adults we labor in one job or another, whether at home or for money; and in our later years we contemplate retirement and decide where to invest our wisdom and energies. As followers of Jesus, it’s important that we understand the way He designed us and the role work plays in His plan for the world.
Warm Up Questions
- Describe your relationship with work in five words or less, then ask each other about the answers given. Overall, do you like work in general and the kind of work you do?
- Where do you hope to be professionally in 5 years?
- If you’ve heard Matt preach on this topic in previous years, reflect on the impact it’s had on your life. Has it made a difference in the way you think, speak, or act? Is there anything going on now that you would like to change about your relationship with work this year?
Vocation
Being a Christian means more than simply sharing the good news of the Gospel. Christ is not only our Redeemer, but our Creator. Following Him includes believing and obeying what He has said about the way the world is and our role in it. This includes a sense of vocation when it comes to everyday work.
Sometimes we use the word “vocation” interchangeably with “job” or “work,” but it has a deeper meaning. The idea is closer to a calling—can you hear how the word is related to speaking or being “vocal”? As we will see, God has called out and summoned each of us to labor in one form or another, using whatever skills and knowledge He has given us to be productive. (The question of whether or not God tells us which job to pursue is a thorny subject for another day. For now we’re focusing on the fact that God is pleased when you work hard at anything good.)
QUESTIONS
- What is your understanding of the work God has called you to do? It may be general or specific; that’s ok! You may not know yet, and that’s ok, too.
- Read Proverbs 16:8 aloud and reflect on the limits of work. How does this verse put your vocation in perspective?
Activity: The Cycle of Biblical Flourishing
Without looking at your notes or any helps, see if you can work together to fill in the blanks on the diagram below.
Stuck? If you need a hint, try looking up the Bible verses related to items 1–5: Genesis 1:27; Genesis 1 & 2; Proverbs 14:23; Proverbs 11:1; and Jeremiah 29:7.
How did you do? To check your answers, see the diagram at the end of this guide.
QUESTIONS
- Are there any items on the diagram that you feel unsure about? Reflect on the Bible verses and discuss.
- Which of these items is most exciting to you? Which has been most difficult for you?
- Take a moment and think about how the diagram reflects God’s nature and character. Which of these things does God do, too? What impact should that have on our perspective?
- Some of us do work that is more obviously creative than others; some of you may think you’re not creative at all! Any time we solve a problem, craft something, or come up with an alternative way of doing something, we’re being creative in a basic way. So how are you creative in your work?
- Matt said “work is where you find your place in community.” How has that played itself out in your life?
- What’s the best trade you’ve ever made? How did it come about? What was the result? What does it say about the power of free exchange?
- Are there other Bible verses that have impacted the way you think about work? Share them with the group.
Outside the Cycle
Take a moment and reflect on the three items that fall outside the cycle but are still crucial to its functioning. (They correspond to the blanks marked A, B, and C above.) Remember, in order to flourish, we need to participate in the cycle that begins with our design as human beings and ends with our life together. The three items in the middle are not a step in that cycle, but without them the whole thing still falls apart.
- Name the person or people who invested the most in you as you grew up and share one way they helped shape you.
- If they are still living, is there something you could do or say to express your appreciation?
- How often do you give a gift without expecting something in return?
- Read aloud what Jesus says in Luke 14:12–14 about giving to those who can’t give back. Is there anyone in your life who fits that definition? Is there any way you could be a blessing to that person in the next few weeks?
- Americans are notorious for not using all their vacation time. Do you have leisure time somewhere in your schedule, where you can pursue activities that recharge you for work? What activities recharge you most?
Conclusion
Being “slack in our work” doesn’t sound too dangerous, but Proverbs tells us it is. Work isn’t just one more thing in God’s good creation, it’s an essential part of our lives and purpose—something we need for flourishing.
QUESTIONS
- Are you slack anywhere in your work? In your giving? Share that with the group and try to discern why.
- What’s one truth from today’s sermon or discussion that can help inspire you at work this week? Consider setting a phone reminder or writing a strategically-placed sticky note to keep it in front of you.
TOGETHER IN PRAYER & ACTION
Close by reading John 17:4. Jesus was no stranger to work; in fact, Jesus’s work is a recurring theme in the Gospel of John. In the end He could say that He did the work the Father had assigned for Him, and that it glorified God. Take some time in prayer to thank God for Jesus’s finished work that saved us. Pray for one another regarding the specific things that have been shared, and in general that your work—whatever that looks like right now—would glorify God, too. Whether at random or by volunteering, have each person in your group commit to praying for one of you throughout the week. Avoid pairing up or praying only for your spouse (if applicable).
Answer to the Diagram:
