Sukkot Series Week 2： Remember His Goodness

In one paragraph

This sermon was week two of a multi-week look at the Feast of Sukkot, the biblical feast of shelters. Pastor Brian walked the congregation through what the feast is, why God instituted it, and what it is meant to produce in the people who observe it. Tribe fam was also invited to build their own sukkah at home during the week of October 9 and use a devotional guide to experience the feast together...

Read together

1. Zechariah 14:16-19 read aloud to establish that the feast of Tabernacles will be celebrated by all nations when Jesus returns and establishes his earthly kingdom
2. Leviticus 23:42-43 read aloud by a student from the back to describe the command to live in temporary shelters for seven days so descendants would remember God's rescue from Egypt
3. Deuteronomy 7:6 quoted by Brian to show how God received Israel as his own special treasure after revealing their hearts in the wilderness
4. Psalm 73:25-26 put on screen and read aloud as a closing meditation on desiring God above all things even when health and spirit fail

What was said

• Start planning a simple sukkah you can build in your backyard or outdoor space for the week of October 9, even if it is just a few branches and a tarp.
• Spend time outside this week, whether it is your morning coffee or an evening meal, and use that time to recall specific ways God has been faithful and good to you.
• Read through the Exodus story this week to refresh your memory of what God did for Israel in the wilderness, so you have something concrete to meditate on during Sukkot.
• If you have kids or a family at home, pick one evening this week to sit together somewhere uncomfortable, read a passage from Exodus, and talk about what it means that God rescued and provided for his people.
• The next time something disrupts your routine this week, pause before reacting and ask the Lord what he might be doing in that disruption rather than just pushing through it on your own.

Talk about it

1. Brian talked about God removing the distractions of Egypt before revealing Israel's own heart to them. What distractions in your own life might be making it harder for you to see what is actually in your heart?
2. The sermon pointed out that Israel had the visible presence of God with them every day and still made a golden calf. What does that tell you about how deeply the patterns and appetites of Egypt had gotten into them, and where do you see something similar in yourself?
3. Brian described three movements in what God did for Israel in the wilderness: he removed distractions, revealed their hearts, and received them as his own special treasure. Which of those three is hardest for you to personally receive from God right now, and why?
4. Several people in the room pushed back on the idea that disruption can be a gift. How do you personally tell the difference between a disruption that God is using to draw you back to him and a distraction that the enemy is using to pull you away?
5. The group landed on the idea that practicing chosen discomfort, like actually building a sukkah and spending time in it during the week of Sukkot, builds resilience for times when discomfort is not optional. Does that framing change how you think about the invitation to participate? What is your honest resistance to it, if any?