The Promise of Rest

In one paragraph

Before Brian Hunter preached, a trustee named Bob walked the congregation through the history of how Tribe got its building and where the church is headed next. Brian then opened Luke 1 and Leviticus 23 to begin a short Advent series called "Hope Is Here," looking at how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament feast of Sukkot as the promised source of rest and provision. Bob, one of Tribe's five...

Read together

1. Luke 1:1-20 read aloud by congregation members as the main passage for the sermon
2. Leviticus 23:33-44 read to describe the feast of Sukkot and its prescription for rest after harvest
3. Philippians 4:19 cited as a promise that God will supply all needs from his glorious riches in Christ Jesus
4. Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus invites the weary to come to him and he will give them rest
5. Matthew 12:21 congregation member cited it saying Jesus will be called the hope of the world

Talk about it

1. Bob described how Tribe kept praying for a permanent home for years while God seemed quiet, and then the answer came in a completely unexpected way through Mark. Have you ever been in a season where God felt unresponsive, and how did that season eventually resolve?
2. Brian pointed out that when the angel appeared to announce the coming Messiah, he went to the high priest of Israel in the holy of holies, not to any king or ruler of another nation. Why do you think that detail matters for how Christians understand their connection to Jewish faith and to Israel?
3. Brian described how the people of Israel under Roman occupation were looking for a warrior liberator, a Rambo type figure, and instead the Messiah arrived as a helpless baby. Where in your own life have you been expecting God to show up one way and he showed up in a way you did not expect?
4. The feast of Sukkot was described as an annual invitation to stop working, build a shelter, and rest while remembering how God had provided. What does it actually look like for you to practice that kind of rest and remembrance in your everyday life right now?
5. Amanda added that we need to let Jesus define what provision means, rather than deciding ahead of time what it should look like. Is there an area of your life right now where you are holding tightly to a specific outcome, and what would it mean to surrender the definition of provision in that area to God?