Strange Lands
Opening Reflections.
Where have you seen God at work in your life this week?
Share any brief examples and encouragements.
Was there anything from Sunday’s message (from Pete Greig) which resonated with you or that you felt resistance to? Anything else you particularly noticed?
By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?
Psalm 137:1-4 (KJV)
Read 1 Peter 2:11-16 (CEV)
Dear friends, you are foreigners and strangers on this earth. So I beg you not to surrender to those desires that fight against you. Always let others see you behaving properly, even though they may still accuse you of doing wrong. Then on the day of judgment, they will honor God by telling the good things they saw you do.
The Lord wants you to obey all human authorities, especially the Emperor, who rules over everyone. You must also obey governors, because they are sent by the Emperor to punish criminals and to praise good citizens. God wants you to silence stupid and ignorant people by doing right. You are free, but still you are God’s servants, and you must not use your freedom as an excuse for doing wrong
1. Pete Greig reminded us that “The primary predicament of the people of God throughout history is not comfort but conflict – it is the disconcerting experience of exile. The things we are experiencing now – the sense of alienation, disappointment and doubt – are not unusual. God has not lost the plot.”
- In the week England went back into lockdown, and that we witnessed, what, by any measure, has been an unusual U.S. election, has anything in particular made you feel like an exile living far away from home?
- How are you coping?
2. We in the West inhabit a world still haunted by the memories of Christendom. To be English (and I use this example only because England is where Emmaus Rd Church is at least physically located) once carried with it the assumption that you were inevitably also Christian. We are pretty used to feeling at home in the world.
- What are some things that help you feel at home as a Christian living in England now? What do you take for granted?
- What things make you feel more like a stranger and a pilgrim? (2 Peter 2:11 KJV)
- What tips and tricks have you learned to help you and your family negotiate the culture?
- What values do you hold to which are being tested right now?
3. Pete introduced us to Kalervo Oberg’s ‘Acculturation Model’ of transition shock, suggesting that people tend to move from (1) a Honeymoon Period, which may feel exciting and heroic, to (2) a Transition Period, in which we first Negotiate (3 months), then learn to Adjust (6-12 months) to a new reality (the ‘new normal’). Finally embracing (3) a Bicultural Existence, in which we learn to live with two different realities.
- Where do you see yourself in this model as you think of the events of 2020? Do you think it is a helpful way of mapping our experience? Is there anything missing?
- Thinking about Psalm 137 and 1 Peter 2, the passages we read earlier, and perhaps also what you remember of the life of Daniel, how do you think the exiled people of God adjusted to their new reality of exile?
4. We have learned much in recent years about the debilitating effects of Post-Traumatic Stress. Pete spoke about the flip-side of this – Post-Traumatic Growth, that is, the possibility that even crushing trauma can lead eventually to an enhanced appreciation for life, a deepening relationship with others, awareness of new possibilities, increased resilience, and profound spiritual transformation. As John Mark Comer says, “2020 has the potential to make us or break us. To create trauma in our bodies that we carry ’til the day we die, or post-traumatic growth.”
- Does this time feel traumatic to you? Are you experiencing unusual stress?
- What new possibilities do you see?
Closing Reflections.
What will you take away from this study and discussion?
What has stood out that you can take into your week ahead?
Pray together (in pairs or small groups) for each other, in response to your answers.
