For Reflection – Being UnCertain

 

1)      Where do you see the dangers of certainty in your own life and faith?  Which of your certainties has begun to feel rigid and counter-productive?

 

2)      For millennia, Christians have understood Jesus death as a sacrifice to appease God, and assumed that some will be within the saving power of his death and others will be outside.  Where have you seen this theology expressed?  What are its implications for your own faith and that of the community where you see it lived out?

 

3)      In the film American Beauty, the protagonists are isolated and incapable of relying on other people for support, even when they are falling apart.  When have you experienced this challenge to need others and attempted to “pull yourself together” rather than reveal your struggle to others?

 

4)      In his poem “The Place Where We Are Right,” Yehuda Amichai presents the hope that we can draw near to God and each other via our pain, failure, and doubts.  Recall a time that you experienced failure but found yourself closer to God and others.

 

Prayer:

            Gracious God, save us from the hardness of heart that blocks our knowledge of you.  Open our eyes to the fullness of this world, and our hearts to the abundance of your love.  Amen