CreatingCommunity is an email devotion to guide your preparation for worship next weekend. Imagine how much more clear and relevant God's Word will be if you have had an opportunity read, reflect, and dwell in the Word prior to worship. You may do this devotion alone, with others, as a family, or over Zoom as a small group.

This devotion is to be done in preparation for Sunday, July 19, 2020, The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost.

Please follow these three steps:

1. Read through the text
2. Respond to the questions (select one of the sets of questions)
3. Offer a Prayer
Matthew 13:24-30
24 [Jesus] put before [the crowds] another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away.  26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well.  27 And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’  28 He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’  29 But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them.  30 Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ ”

No Experience Necessary Questions:
  1. What scares, confuses, or challenges me in this text?
  2. What delights me in this text?
  3. What stories or memories does this text stir in me?
  4. What is God up to in this text?
Family Questions:
  1. Parables often tell us something important about the kingdom of God. What does this parable say about the kingdom, rule, reign, dominion of God?
  2. Why do both the wheat and the weeds need to grow together, according to this parable.
  3. How does knowing the wheat will be separated from the weeds at the harvest help you today?
Advance Questions:
  1. According to this parable, who would you say is the sower? the enemy? Where do you see examples of such sowing today? Make a list.
  2. There is references to "slaves" in this parable. Does that mean that having slaves is sanctioned by the bible, by God? Explain.
  3. What is another way to talk about the "harvest"? If you believe that evil and good will be separated at the harvest, how does that help you today? Explain.
Click here to listen to this week's CreatingCommunity song
“ Restore Us O God " by Don Thomas
Prayer
Lord God, you have declared that your kingdom is among us. Open our eyes to see it, our ears to hear it, our hearts to hold it, our hands to serve it. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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