Before It Happens - On Letting It Happen (Focus 2 of 4)

Is there anything of which you're "unreasonably" scared?

Bad things happen, and they'll keep happening. How do we keep from translating that reality into worry?

Now that you've answered the icebreaker question, here's another to consider - this one about worry and realistic faith: 

See what this Spotlight is focused on.
Tap on the words "Focus 2" in the image below to read this Spotlight's summary.

Hopefully that makes enough sense to get you going. Say this prayer together as you transition into the Worship portion of this Spotlight:

Lord,
There is plenty to be concerned about.
There are real, predictable, affect-able things that we can do about some of them. 
For those things we cannot predict or affect,
give us humility and calm in trusting
that you endure them with us
and carry us through.
Amen.

Read the story of the prophet Elijah and the widow.

1 Kings 17:7-24
7 Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 Then the word of the Lord came to [Elijah]: 9 “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” 10 So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”

12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”

13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”

15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.

17 Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. 18 She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”

19 “Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. 20 Then he cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?” 21 Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!”

22 The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived. 23 Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, “Look, your son is alive!”

24 Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.”

Reflect on the story with this video.

Pray this prayer that is based on the story. Choose one person to read the prayer.

Hear us as we pray for those who are thirsty,
places where there is drought,
or a lack of a clean water supply.
And for those who have to carry water for miles to keep everyday life feasible.
We pray for those who are hungry,
places where the harvest has failed,
or some disaster or accident has affected the crop yield.
For those who are struggling to find employment
and so struggling to afford to put the food they would like on the table.
We pray for those who are struggling because they are widows or widowers,
for those who are bereaved
having experienced the death of someone important to them
whom they loved and still love.
We pray for those who are ill or near death,
those known to us
and those unknown to us but known to you.
Move your people to reach out to those who suffer in circumstances they cannot control,
as evidence of your love for each of us.
Amen.

Begin by reviewing notes from a University District meeting of ministries that are working to assist the unhoused. You'll use this review for a discussion/activity.

If you ask people working with the unhoused in the University District, one thing is clear: most of the time, ministry doesn’t always look like fixing crises on the spot. It usually looks like building consistency.

• The Friday Feast and People's Breakfast happen every week, so people know they’ll be fed. That’s one less thing to worry about.
• The med team shows up again and again on Fridays — so people begin to trust and know they’ll be cared for. That’s one less thing to worry about.
• The Companionship Workshops give people tools so they’re not paralyzed by fear when they interact with the unhoused — that’s one less thing to worry about.
• Even something as small as the attitude with which a ladle is held when serving soup either adds to or takes away dignity. When love is consistent, dignity becomes one less thing to worry about.

When life is full of unpredictable, uncontrollable events, faith shows up in faithfulness by making sure people can count on small, reliable things. Consistency becomes a ministry of reducing fear.

Here's a way to practice finding consistent solutions to daily worries. Try to do at least 5.

• Identify Worry Points:
  • As a group, brainstorm everyday things that cause low-level worry for people in a neighborhood or community. (Examples: “Will someone watch my kids if I’m late from work?” “Will the neighbor’s sidewalk be shoveled when it ices?” “Will there be someone to check in when I’m sick?”)
• Name a Consistency Practice:
  • For each worry point, write down one small practice of consistency that could give someone “one less thing to worry about.”
  • Example: “Every month I check in with my elderly neighbor.” “Every week I send a text of encouragement to my friend who lives alone.”

Feel free to submit a prayer request by filling out the below form.
(If you choose to make your request public, you'll see it display in the Current at the end of the Spotlight along with anyone else who did the same.)

Pray through your requests—together—as a group.
After submitting your requests in the above form, take some time to share with your group whatever requests the group might have for this week.

Close with the song, "All Glory Be to Christ" by Kings Kaleidoscope.

Let's wrap things up by taking a look at what's Current at Illume.
Tap on the buttons in the frame below to see what’s currently happening at Illume—information on everything from current and upcoming online content to live events and opportunities to serve in the community can all be found here.