SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

About 10 minutes after worship ends, we’ll gather together for Aftertalk. We hope you’ll join us! Bring your questions, stories, insights, musings, imaginings and whatever else you need to Aftertalk. Join us for some food, fellowship, laughter and ample space for reflection and real questions to help us make the transition from worship to world.

Themes for this week:
Acceptance, Peacemaking, Health Community, Courage, Vulnerability

38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 

42 “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me…"

• John seems to want to place boundaries around the exercise of compassionate ministry.  Are there ways that we do the same thing?
• Jesus seems to imply that we must guard against factors from within the community that might cause little ones to stumble. Who are the little one? What might those factors be?

Esther and others in her story lend their voice and their power to those who are under threat of violence – “little ones” perhaps in her context.

• Esther is often held up as a model of courage. Is she?
• What does courage look like?  Do you picture big or small acts?
• How does vulnerability play a part in courage? What does it mean to be vulnerable? 
• How do courage and vulnerability help us in making broken situations better?
• What acts of courage do you remember from your own family stories?

Additional Reading:

On Courage

Lectionary Texts:

Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22 | Psalm 124 | James 5:13-20 | Mark 9:38-50

(...for further consideration):