What is the American Dream?
Are you living it? Striving for it? Struggling against its demands?
For some, the American Dream of success and prosperity has become their great American Destiny. For others, the American Dream has, at times, been more like their American Disappointment. We are in the midst of a presidential election year, which means our leaders and politicians are taking extra care to promise a gilded American destiny while offering various solutions to the very real American disappointments that have generated one of the most polarized voting bases in history. But whether destiny or disappointment, the American Dream holds enormous influence over the way many of us see the world.
The book of Deuteronomy, on the other hand, shows us God’s guidelines for Israel to live as an ideal nation reflecting his heart in the land. In that sense, it provides a “Deuteronomic Dream” for God’s people. And this dream continues to echo and resonate with us today.
This week, as we read Deuteronomy 22-25 together, I believe God’s word may help us redefine destiny and disappointment in light of God’s dream for his people.
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(Weekly Community Group Discussion Guide)
Date: June 5, 2016 // Title: Promised Land Living: The Deuteronomic Dream
Scripture: Deuteronomy 5:18-20 // 22:9-25:4
ARRIVAL / SOCIAL TIME 15-20 minutes
Spend the first 15 minutes or so of your time together catching up and socializing with one another. Also find time to catch up together on how the assignments from last week turned out.
SERMON REVIEW 5-10 minutes
The American Dream holds enormous influence over the way many of us see the world. The book of Deuteronomy, on the other hand, shows us God’s guidelines for Israel to live as an ideal nation reflecting his heart in the land. In that sense, it provides a “Deuteronomic Dream” for God’s people. This dream continues to echo and resonate with us today. We live in the midst of many “tricky mixtures” in our culture, where our kingdom perspective bumps up against the selfishness, selfish ambition and self-deception of our culture. How should we then live?
THE MAIN THOUGHT Keep this in mind as you facilitate discussion.
Live well by holding on the the tassels of God’s commands.
SEE IT Questions :: 10-15 minutes
Picture (what is the story saying?): What’s the significance of the tassels? (see Numbers 15) What is at the core of the Deuteronomic Dream? (Word 7) What is the idea of “stealing” in Word 8? What’s another way to explain “false witness”? (Word 9)
Mirror (where am I in the story?): ADo I equate success/the American Dream with blessing? Hard work with success? What is God’s plan for my path to joy (happiness)?
Window (How does the story change how I see the world around me?): How can we view the American Dream through the lens of the Deuteronomic
Dream? How do we display the light of God in the darkness of our nation/neighborhood?
BE IT – Practice
Change UP // Hold onto the Tassels 5 minutes
Spend time in prayer together. Invite the Father to show you any areas of tricky mixtures in your life. Have the leader lead through these individual considerations: Choose to let go of selfishness and hold onto your commitment of marriage and family. Let go of selfish ambition and hold onto generosity. Ask God to help you let go of self-deception and hold onto truth.
Change IN // / Pass the Tassel 15 minutes
Before group time, find something that has a tassel. Have cards available for individuals to write on. For the exercise, have each person write a command of God that they are choosing to hold onto. Then take turns passing the tassel around the group, as each person reads his declaration.
Change OUT // Piece of Heaven for Others 5 minutes
Talk about this together. Who is someone you are connected with that has fallen on hard times (economic or emotional)? How can you reach out to them and bless them this week? Make a plan.
CLOSING PRAYER 5 minutes
Take a few minutes to gather any prayer requests and pray for each other to SEE IT and BE IT this week.