Resisting the Rut

In one paragraph

On August 26, Tribe met outside in Miller Park for their Sunday gathering. Brian Hunter preached a message called "Resisting the Rut," built around two Bible stories read back to back and opened up through conversation with the congregation. Brian started by pointing out that meeting outside in the park, like meeting in a bar, is the kind of thing that throws people off their normal expectations....

Read together

1. Exodus 3:1-12 read aloud in full as the first of two Bible stories anchoring the sermon
2. Exodus 3:3 singled out and read in multiple translations to highlight Moses turning aside toward the burning bush
3. Mark 6:45-52 read aloud as the second Bible story, the disciples encountering Jesus walking on water
4. Romans 13:1 quoted briefly during the offering prayer to say there is no authority but that which God has established

What was said

• When something disrupts your plans this week, pause before reacting and ask Jesus out loud, 'Where are you in the middle of this?'
• Pick one disruption you have been grumpy about and deliberately move toward it instead of away from it, the way Moses turned aside toward the burning bush.
• Keep your heart open to a new or unexpected side of who Jesus is rather than assuming he can only show up in the ways you already expect.
• If a disruption makes you want to shut down, do the one physical thing that Brian described as step one: pick your head up.
• Spend a few minutes this week talking to God about whatever rut you have been stuck in, and then stay quiet long enough to let him talk back.

Talk about it

1. Brian talked about how Moses could have looked at the burning bush and thought 'what a pain' instead of 'this is amazing.' Think of a disruption in your own life right now. What word would honestly describe your attitude toward it?
2. Several people in the group noticed that Jesus intended to walk right past the disciples, and Moses had to turn aside toward the bush. Neither encounter was forced on them. What does it look like in practical terms to turn aside toward something instead of away from it?
3. Brian described two ditches: one where everything is a spiritual battle, and one where you never look for God in disruptions at all. Where do you tend to land, and what pulls you toward that ditch?
4. The group landed on the idea that the disciples had been with Jesus constantly and still had hearts too hard to take in what he was doing. Is there a way that familiarity with Jesus or with church has made it harder for you to notice something new he might be doing?
5. Brian offered three practical responses to disruption: pick your head up, open your heart and mind to the Holy Spirit, and lean into the growth opportunity. Which of those three is hardest for you, and why?