Mosaic Study Guide

For Personal Reflection or Smaller Group Encounters
The Week of 2 November 08

Rev. 7.9-17:
⁹After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰They cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!” ¹¹And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, ¹²singing, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

¹³Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” ¹⁴I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. ¹⁵For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. ¹⁶They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; ¹⁷for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Hebrews 12.1,2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, ²looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

Questions for Everyone: Do you have a ‘saint’ you would like to tell us about, that is a person who shaped your life toward Jesus either living or dead?  If you had to dress up for a Halloween party who/what would you go as? 

The celebration of “All Saints” finds its origin in early Christian history.  Our brothers and sisters from the first and second century thought it important to remember and give thanks for those who had been martyred for their faith in Christ.  As the number of Christian martyrs increased it became necessary to celebrate all the martyrs on one day rather than remembering them individually.  The point was made on Sunday that the celebration of “All Saints” is due to the fact that our early sisters and brothers were persecuted and murdered for their faith. 

Questions: What do you know about Christians persecuted today?  How might we respond to those persecuted for their faith today?  Have you ever thought of yourself as being ‘persecuted’ for your faith?  Why are Christians in our country often ‘dissed’ by non-Christian folk?

Drew, Greg, and Rob presented their favorite saint.  Drew introduced us to Deitrich Bonhoeffer, Greg introduced Teresa of Avila and Rob introduced Henri Nouwen. 

Questions: Do you have a famous Christian writer, thinker, theologian that you would like introduce?  What Christian author do you find especially helpful in nurturing your life in Christ?

We were introduced to Henri Nouwen on Sunday.  Henri was a Dutch Catholic priest who wrote over 40 books on the spiritual life.  Henri taught in Ivy League schools, ministered among the oppressed in Latin America and finally found his place among the very broken in a L’Arche community in Toronto.  Here is a quote from Henri: “My hope is that the description of God’s love in my life will give you the freedom and the courage to discover . . . God’s love in yours”  (Here and Now).   Rob told us that one of his favorite books by Nouwen is Life of the Beloved.  Perhaps the greatest source of brokenness for Christians and non-Christians is their inability to fully embrace the love of God in Christ for them. 

Questions: Do you agree with this last statement? Why? Why not?  Do you consider yourself as one beloved by the Father?

 

 

 

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