B-Sides

Scripture: Genesis 18:12-15

So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?” The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’
Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son.” But Sarah denied, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. He said, “Oh yes, you did laugh.”


Questions
What?
1) How’s everyone doing? Check in with the group.
2) Do you have a favorite comedian? Or what’s your favorite funny movie that you know will get you laughing no matter how many times you’ve watched it?

So What?
3) Dawn says that Sarah “laughs to conceal her real feelings.” Have you ever used humor to deflect from your real emotions?

Now What?
4) Dawn talks about how humor is in the “DNA of DOWNTOWN CHURCH.” Do you agree? Why or why not?
5) Dawn says “We value humor because it has a way of connecting to one another. It’s a way of exposing our vulnerabilities and asking God to be with us in our pain.” Have you ever connected with a stranger over humor? Tell us about it.
6) Has humor ever helped you heal?
Prayer

Loving God.
You laugh with us. You laugh at us. We laugh at ourselves. We laugh at your will. We laugh at what you call us to do; Because what you call us to do is hard. Love is hard, but we thank you for your love. Equip us to laugh with this world, to love this world as fiercely and unconditionally as you first loved us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

And God isn't just inviting Sarah into a new chapter of her life. God is asking her to be vulnerable with him.
God wants to meet Sarah in her fear, and her anger, and her sadness, and her disbelief. God welcomes all those symptoms of her humanity.
—Rev. Dawn Hyde

B-Sides | Scripture: Psalm 24.

The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it;
for God has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.
Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the LORD, and vindication from the God of their salvation.
Such is the company of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.
Who is the King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory.

Questions

What?
1) How’s everyone doing? Check in with the group.
2) Take time to name any saints who have died. If you’d like, share what you imagine heaven to be like for that particular person.

So What?
3) What does it mean to you that “the earth is the Lord’s and all that’s in it”?
4) What gets you through times of sorrow? Has there been a time when someone carried you through the loss of a saint?

Now What?
5) Where do you find hope amidst death?
6) Are there ways you can embody hope for someone else?


“When that hole in your heart is too raw to be mended by a theological promise, look around and know that this community, this church, the Body of Christ is there to sit with you in your doubt.”
—Rev. Lucas Jones

Scripture: Matthew 8:23-27

 And when Jesus got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but Jesus was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”

Questions

What?
1) How’s everyone doing? Check in with the group.

2) What does the word “save” mean when you use it in a daily way? What does it mean to you when referring to Jesus? How are those different or similar?

So What?

3) Jesus and his disciples are caught in a pretty nasty storm. It is there where they realize their dependence on Jesus as their savior. Have you ever learned something in a metaphorical or literal storm that you couldn’t have realized on a calm day? 

Now What?

4) The disciples probably tried for a while to keep the boat from being “swamped” by waves on their own to no avail. Where in your life are you trying but realizing that your control has run out? Where is it that you ask for God to walk beside you? To save you?

5) How does Dawn’s story of Sherryl resonate with you? Has there been a time where you were afraid and Jesus acted through a stranger or friend? 

6) As most people know, there are times when we ask for God’s salvation and it does not come in the manner of how we ask it. The cancer isn’t healed, the child doesn’t live, the marriage doesn’t last…. What does this reveal about who God is and how God might view salvation?

Prayer

Lord, Save us. It is the simplest prayer we can utter. It is the most necessary prayer we ought to say. Save us in our weakness. Save us in our anger.  Save us in our anxiety, our fear, our failure. Remind us that you are in our boat, feeling our feelings, knowing our thoughts, and calming the storms of our lives and this world before we are even aware. Thanks be to God. Amen. 

“Faith is something we profess. It’s what we sing. It’s what we pray. It’s what we exhale in moments of crisis or in the moments of relief right afterwards..”

—Rev. Dawn Hyde

Scripture: Galatians 3:23-29

 Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore, the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.

What?
1) How’s everyone doing? Check in with the group.
2) Share a bias or prejudice that you once held but no longer do. Be honest. 

So What?
3) What interrupted your bias/prejudice and caused you to change your mind?
4) Paul’s letter to Galatia challenges the deep divisions that existed within the early Christian community of Galatia: specifically 

Now What?
5) Charles talks about how God’s love exceeds our labels. How do you feel about God loving people who you have a hard time loving?
6) How can faith be an interruption in your own life? Can those interruptions be painful or humbling?

Prayer
God free us of our love of labels. Free us of our desire to call people “others.” Interrupt our lives with faith in a God who was ultimately an outsider. Interrupt our fear, interrupt our hatred, interrupt our ignorance and walk with us as we learn to be more like you.  Amen

Luke 19:1-10

Jesus and Zacchaeus

19  Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2 A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 7 All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” 8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” 9 Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

What:

(1) Check in with yourself. How are you doing?
If you're up for it, ask someone how they're doing or share with your home group.
(2) What nicknames can you think of for Zacchaeus?

So What:

(3) Zacchaeus is seen for his role in the community and for his net worth. How do you think you are seen by others?
(4) What would Jesus comment on in your home if he came to eat dinner with you?

Now What:
(5) What potential do you think Jesus sees in you that no one else sees?
(6) Who in your life sees something in you that you don't quite see yet?
(7) What might you try in response to what Jesus sees in you?

Prayer
Jesus, you interrupt us. You interrupt our identity and the stories we tell to reveal who we can be through you. Help nudge us to live into the callings you have given each one of us. Help us support each other as we try new things. Amen.

"Jesus sees him for his potential. Not for what he has done, but for who he will become."

B-Sides
Scripture: Luke 8:42b-48

As he went, the crowds pressed in on him. 43 Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years; and though she had spent all she had on physicians,[a] no one could cure her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his clothes, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. 45 Then Jesus asked, “Who touched me?” When all denied it, Peter[b] said, “Master, the crowds surround you and press in on you.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; for I noticed that power had gone out from me.” 47 When the woman saw that she could not remain hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before him, she declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. 48 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

Questions

What?

1) How’s everyone doing? Check in with the group.

2) 12 years is a long time. What types of things have you done for 12 years? 

So What?

3) Despite all her reasons not to, the woman decided to touch Jesus’ cloak. Can you think of any reasons why she shouldn’t have? What do you think her internal dialogue was like immediately before she reached out for Jesus?

Now What?

4) Dawn talks about how Jesus’ grace is free, but it encourages a response from us. How do you feel called to respond to the gift of grace? Is this something you have ever considered?

5) Physical touch is a complex issue. When wanted, it can be so positive for our wellbeing. We need hugs from friends. However, when not wanted, it causes deep emotional, spiritual, and physical pain. Talk with your group or someone else about the importance of boundaries in our shared lives as followers of Jesus. 

6) The woman reached out. What does this look like in your life?

Prayer
God you saw the woman. When no one else wanted to see her, to acknowledge her pain, to heal her, you did. Empower us to be like the woman: to be bold and determined. Empower us to be like you: to heal and love even when it the world tells us not to. Amen.

“It happens quietly, but when it does, it requires a great deal of us.

When we receive God’s grace, we must make changes in response..”

—Rev. Dawn Hyde

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B-Sides | Dropped Stones

Scripture: John 8:2-11

Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them,  they said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery.  Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”  They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”  And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground.  When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.  Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, sir.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.”]

Questions

What?

1) What’s the weirdest question you’ve been asked or asked recently?
2) At first glance, who do you identify most with in this story (no wrong answers). Why? 

So What?
3) How do you feel when you get interrupted with a question? 

Now What?
4) Rather than judgment, Jesus gives this woman and this crowd grace. Where in your life are you most needing grace? Where in your life is it most difficult to give grace?

5) Lucas talks about the complicated nature of being human. He mentions how maybe some of the crowd didn’t want to stone the woman. He borrows Lutheran language saying we are simultaneously “sinner and saint.” How does that definition match up to your own understanding of who you are? 

Prayer
God of interruptions, we are people filled with questions. We are people filled with love. We can also be people filled with hate. Help us to choose the former. Help us to ask questions that lead to transformation. Equip us to see your interruptions as holy experiences to both experience and pass on your selfless grace. Amen. 

“Questions interrupt. They interrupt our days, our slope-side lessons, and ultimately our lives. Questions interrupted both Jesus, this vulnerable woman, and this misguided crowd.“

—Rev. Lucas Jones

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B-Sides

Holy Interruptions

Scripture: Luke 5:17-26

17 One day, while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting near by (they had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem); and the power of the Lord was with him to heal. 18 Just then some men came, carrying a paralyzed man on a bed. They were trying to bring him in and lay him before Jesus; 19 but finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus. 20 When he saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 Then the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, “Who is this who is speaking blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 When Jesus perceived their questionings, he answered them, “Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? 24 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the one who was paralyzed—“I say to you, stand up and take your bed and go to your home.” 25 Immediately he stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went to his home, glorifying God. 26 Amazement seized all of them, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen strange things today.”

Questions

What?

1) What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen this week?

2) How do you feel about Holy Interruption at DTC? 

So What?

3) When was the last time one of your plans was interrupted? It could be big or small. How did it make you feel in the moment? Did those feelings change later?

Now What?

4) Dawn writes “When Jesus gets interrupted, healing happens… stuck things change” Where do you need healing? Where are you stuck?

5) The scripture and sermon finish with the phrase, “We have seen strange things today.” How would you define strange? Can it be a good thing? 

Prayer God of interruptions. You interrupted a blank void with creation. You interrupted an enslaved people with an exodus. You interrupted a world crying out in pain with a Savior. Equip us to be aware of the interruptions in our own lives: The strange moments where we might feel your love, learn to love you, and feel the call to love one another more deeply. Amen. 

“We are interrupting ourselves...from our own agendas;
from our own plan; from our own worries and fears.

—Rev. Dawn Hyde

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Title: That's a Honeybun!
Scripture: Exodus 16:2-4, 31-32 (NRSV)
16:2 The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.

16:3 The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

16:4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day.

31 The house of Israel called it manna; it was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, in order that they may see the food with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”

What
(1) How are you doing? Check in with your home group or call someone up and let them know what's going on with you.

(2) Dawn jokes about a picture of paradise including honeybuns that fall from the sky. What does paradise look like in your imagination?

(3) What do you think it was like to be an Israelite wandering in the wilderness for 3 months?

So What
(4) Manna is what feeds us spiritually. Dawn describes a few kinds of manna: communal worship, a baby coo, getting outside. What is manna for you?
(5) Why does it matter that manna direct you toward God?

Now What
(6) Now that you know what your manna is, where are you going to put it so you can see?
(7) What story will you tell when an unassuming stranger sees what is manna for you and asks you about it?

Prayer: God, you send manna for us today. May we get up in the morning and collect it. May it be our spiritual fuel for the day. May we not get confused about what is manna and what is a really great hobby. May we always return our thanks to you for providing not what we want, but very much what we need. Amen.

Quote: "For the person who has been cheated on, manna may be the cup of coffee shared in a breakfast nook. Not quite forgiveness, but a willingness to enter the day together." — Rev. Dawn Hyde

B-Sides | 9.5.21

Scripture: Ezekiel 37:1-6

The Valley of Dry Bones
The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 
He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 
The Lord said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 
Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 
I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

Questions
What?
1) How’s everyone doing? Check in with the group. 
2) Why do you think God leads Ezekiel through the dry bones of Israel?
3) Why do you think God asks Ezekiel if the dry bones can live?

So What?
3) What dry bones are you staring at? 
4) Why do they seem hopeless?

Now What?
5) What would it take to look at those dry bones with new eyes?

Prayer
Lord God, there are dry bones in our relationships, in our offices, and in our city. We need you to help us see them with new life. We need you to breathe among them and make us as flesh. Thank you for always surprising us with new life. Amen 

“I speak these words to you today not as a hopeful wish for our community, but because I have lived it.” 
— Rev. Dawn Hyde