WEEK 2 - TRINITY
In Christianity God is not an impersonal thing nor a static thing – not even just one person – but a dynamic pulsating activity, a life, a kind of drama, almost, if you will not think me irreverent, a kind of dance… . [The] pattern of this three-personal life is … the great fountain of energy and beauty spurting up at the very centre of reality.
-C.S. Lewis, “The Good Infection,” in Mere Christianity
PRIMARY TEXT:
LUKE 3:21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
SECONDARY TEXTS:
EXODUS 3:14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.
JOHN 8:57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” 58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
2 CORINTHIANS 3: 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.6 For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
1 PETER 1:2-3...according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood.
ROMANS 8:11... If the Spirit of Him (The Father) who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Discussion
OPENING QUESTION:
Close your eyes for 10 seconds. Try to Picture God. What images/ ideas come to mind. Why do you think these images or ideas are dominant?
Optional: Watch ‘God’ video above.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS.
Read Primary and Secondary Texts
What things stand out to you from these readings?
Would you prefer God to be easy to understand or hard to understand? Why?
What can we learn about how God relates within himself from Luke 3:21-22?
How does the Doctrine of the trinity Help with the following objections to Christianity.
”The Father sending Jesus to die on the cross is divine child abuse”
”God is a selfish being in the sky”
Go through the following table in groups of 3 or 4 then report back.
Application:
1. Is there a person of the trinity you tend to think about/ relate to less? Why?
2. What are some ways this week that you could spend more time communing with and worshipping God in his fullness.
Weekly Challenge:
This week create a Spotify playlist to help you reflect on the Character of God. To stir your heart to respond in worship.
Consider making a shared playlist as a group