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5 Now, behold, Saul was coming from the field behind the oxen. And Saul said, “What is wrong with the people, that they are weeping?” So they told him the news of the men of Jabesh. 6 And the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled. 7 He took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of the messengers, saying, “Whoever does not come out after Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen!” Then the dread of the Lord fell upon the people, and they came out as one man.  11 And the next day Saul put the people in three companies. And they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.  12 Then the people said to Samuel, “Who is it that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring the men, that we may put them to death.” 13 But Saul said, “Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the Lord has worked salvation in Israel.” 14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingdom.”…    And Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, I have obeyed your voice in all that you have said to me and have made a king over you. 2 And now, behold, the king walks before you, and I am old and gray…3 Here I am; testify against me before the Lord and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Or whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? Testify against me and I will restore it to you.” 4 They said, “You have not defrauded us or oppressed us or taken anything from any man's hand.”  6 And Samuel said to the people, “The Lord is witness, who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. 7 Now therefore stand still that I may plead with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous deeds of the Lord that he performed for you and for your fathers….10 And they cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. But now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, that we may serve you.’ 11 And the Lord…delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and you lived in safety. 12 And when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the Lord your God was your king. 13 And now behold the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; behold, the Lord has set a king over you….16 Now therefore stand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes. 17 Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call upon the Lord, that he may send thunder and rain. And you shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking for yourselves a king.” 18 So Samuel called upon the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day, and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. 19 And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king.” 20 And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. 22 For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself. 23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. 24 Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. 25 But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.” 1.     We can face two opposite pulls: wanting a good day to mean “we’ve finally arrived — now we can coast,” or running like Saban, where nothing’s ever good enough. Which of those two do you lean toward, and what does it cost you? 2.     Do you keep a version of the spiritual health scorecard? What’s on it? And when the recent numbers look good, what does it let you avoid looking at? 3.     Can you look back on a “storm” that was actually God getting your attention? Does seeing conviction as love rather than condemnation change how you’d respond to it? 4.     Where might God be asking you to start taking something seriously? 5.     Where do you most need to hear that your worst failure doesn’t put you past God’s grace? 6.     How might this week look different if you got off the performance treadmill and were actually able to rest in Christ’s finished work?

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” 10 So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.” 19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. 22 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.” 17 Now Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah. 18 And he said to the people of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ 19 But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, ‘Set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands.” 20 Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21 He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was taken by lot; and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found. 22 So they inquired again of the Lord, “Is there a man still to come?” and the Lord said, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.” 23 Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. 24 And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!” 1.     Where do you feel the pull to stop being distinctive — as a Christian, a family, a worker — in order to keep up or feel safe? What does “being like everyone else” promise you? 2.     Our idols take and take and take. What have you been looking to in your life that is now only taking? 3.     Have you experienced God letting you have something — or letting consequences run — to grow a deeper longing in you? What did that teach you? 4.     Does it reframe an unanswered prayer to see God as shaping your appetites rather than ignoring your request? Is that comforting, frustrating, or both? 5.     Do you see Jesus as the king who gives and gives and gives? Can you name a longing for God himself that you’d ask him to grow in you?

And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord and brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the Lord. 2 From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord. 3 And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only. 5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” 6 So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. 7 Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8 And the people of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9 So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. 10 As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car. 12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.” 13 So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14 The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites. 15 Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 And he went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all these places. 17 Then he would return to Ramah, for his home was there, and there also he judged Israel. And he built there an altar to the Lord.  After twenty years of loss, Israel finally turned back to God, weeping and holding onto him. When life falls apart or plans don't work out, what do you instinctively reach for to feel better? How well does it actually work?Israel kept other gods around "just in case," hoping they might bring a good harvest or children. What "just in case" things do people rely on today for security, worth, or control? Is there one you'd find especially hard to let go of?Samuel set up a stone and called it Ebenezer, meaning "stone of help," so Israel would remember how they'd been rescued. Is there an object, place, or moment in your life that reminds you of a time you were helped through something hard? Who or what do you credit for that help?Michelangelo carved the David from a block of marble that other sculptors had given up on. God does something similar with people, taking the flawed and written-off and making them into lasting testimonies of his faithfulness. What's appealing about that idea? What makes it hard to believe, either about people in general or about yourself?

4:3 And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.”… 10 So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. 11 And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died. 12 A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head. 13 When he arrived, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God…And he said, “How did it go, my son?” 17 He who brought the news answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great defeat among the people. Your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.” 18 As soon as he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years. 19 Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant, about to give birth. And when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed and gave birth, for her pains came upon her. 20 And about the time of her death the women attending her said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you have borne a son.” But she did not answer or pay attention. 21 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel…for the ark of God has been captured.” 5:1 When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon. 3 And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place. 4 But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. 5 This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day. 6 The hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory. 7 And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god.”… 11 They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. The hand of God was very heavy there. 12 The men who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven. 6:1 The ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place.”… 7 Now then, take and prepare a new cart and two milk cows on which there has never come a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. 8 And take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart and put in a box at its side the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as a guilt offering. Then send it off and let it go its way 9 and watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence.”… 12 And the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one highway, lowing as they went. They turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh… 19 And he struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the Lord. He struck seventy men of them, and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with a great blow. 20 Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?” 21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to you.” And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord and brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the Lord. 2 From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord. Sermon Questions 1.     Where are you most tempted to run a technique on people instead of knowing them? Where in your life do you rely on your management skills or leverage?  2.     Have you ever caught yourself trying to manage or leverage God? Falling back on technique and competence? What was the outcome of that for you and others? 3.     If God doesn’t need you to win, is that good news or bad news? Which way does it land for you — freeing, or unsettling — and why? 4.     How does it change your sense of being loved by God to know he's never cornered into it? Does free love feel more secure to you, or less? 5.     Everywhere the ark goes, people die. Does seeing the danger of God's holiness deepen what the cross actually accomplished for you? 6.     Can you point to a time you came to the end of yourself and found you wanted God himself, not just his gifts? Where do you most need to "receive him on his terms" right now — trusting you can't manage or leverage him, but you can have him?

Jonah 3:10 - 4:11 3:10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that 3he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it. 4 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. 2 And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” 4 And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?” 5 Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. 6 Now the Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. 7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” 9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” 10 And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?” Sermon Questions Read Jonah 4:1-4. Jonah's surface anger was at Nineveh, but the real anger was at God ("for I knew..."). When you get angry, what is usually underneath it? What did you snap at this week, and was it really about that?God asks Jonah, "Do you do well to be angry?" and doesn't hand down a verdict. Why might God have chosen a question? When has a question, not a rebuke, exposed something in your own heart?The sermon said anger is like a root that becomes a shoot and then a tree, and that we tend to dismiss it as a small flesh wound. Where have you seen your anger grow over time, and how has it affected people you love?Who are your "Ninevites," the people you've decided don't deserve grace? What makes it hard to want mercy for them?The sermon said that "you will never give grace to your Ninevites until you realize that, before a holy God, you were a Ninevite yourself." Jonah rested on a hill to watch judgment, while Jesus was lifted up on a hill to take it. How does the cross change the way you see the people you're angry with?Optional challenge to close: Name your Nineveh this week, and do one small, deliberately kind thing for them, not because they've earned it but because you didn't earn what Jesus gave you. Check in on how it went next time you meet.

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. 2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” 5 and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. 6 And the Lord called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” 11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12 On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” 15 Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16 But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” 17 And Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him.” 19 And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord. 21 And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord. And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. 1.     Have you been through a season (or perhaps your whole life) where God felt silent? Looking back, what did you assume that silence meant about you? 2.     If you have ever heard from God, what was that like, how did you experience it? 3.     What tends to drown out God's call in your life — the buzz of busyness, the fog of scrolling, the race to succeed — or where do you catch yourself hearing his call but crediting it to "somewhere else" (your appetites, hurts, goals)? 4.     "Do you want to hear what God has to say?" Is there something you suspect God might be asking of you that you've quietly avoided asking a follow-up question about? 5.     Do you see in yourself more of an Eli posture or a Samuel posture? 6.     Do you see Jesus’ life, death and resurrection as a full and sufficient word from God?

1.20 And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.” 21 The man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord and dwell there forever.” 23 Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; only, may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. 24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. And the child was young…  21 And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord;      my horn is exalted in the Lord.  My mouth derides my enemies,      because I rejoice in your salvation. 2  “There is none holy like the Lord:      for there is none besides you;      there is no rock like our God.  3 Talk no more so very proudly,      let not arrogance come from your mouth;  for the Lord is a God of knowledge,      and by him actions are weighed.  4 The bows of the mighty are broken,      but the feeble bind on strength.  5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,      but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.  The barren has borne seven,      but she who has many children is forlorn.  6 The Lord kills and brings to life;      he brings down to Sheol and raises up.  7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich;      he brings low and he exalts.  8 He raises up the poor from the dust;      he lifts the needy from the ash heap  to make them sit with princes      and inherit a seat of honor.  For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's,      and on them he has set the world. 9  “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,      but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness,      for not by might shall a man prevail.  10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces;      against them he will thunder in heaven.  The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;      he will give strength to his king      and exalt the horn of his anointed.” 1.     The sermon contrasts Odysseus — take back what's yours, make your name known — with Hannah, who gives away the one thing she has. Which of those impulses do you feel more in yourself, and in what area of your life? 2.     Is it believable that Hannah, or anyone, could take the one thing they longed for most and give it over to God in worship, finding ultimate joy there? Can we be satisfied in giving to God? 3.     Hannah's song says God lifts the humble and brings down the proud. Do you believe that for your life and this world?  4.     How easy is it for you to know and own your need before God? What gets in the way? 5.     Can you see the Great Reversal of the death and resurrection of Jesus in Hannah’s song? Does that help you be willing to be low and humble that God might lift you high? 6.     What would our relationships and culture look like if they ran more on Hannah’s song and less on the Odyssey’s value system?

[In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.] There was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephrathite. 2 He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 3 Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord. 4 On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb. 6 And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. 7 So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. 8 And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?” 9 After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. 10 She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. 11 And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” 12 As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. 14 And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.” 15 But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. 16 Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.” 17 Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.” 18 And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. 1.     Have you ever been in a season where something you deeply wanted felt completely out of reach — and everyone around you seemed to have it? What was that like? 2.     The sermon described Hannah's worst torment happening at the feast — the very place meant for worship. Have you ever found that church or spiritual community has been a painful place for you? What did that do to your relationship with God? 3.     Is there something you are being silent with God about? 4.     Do you believe that God can change/refine/elevate your deepest desires? Do you want him to? 5.     What makes resting in God difficult for you? 6.     Do you allow people to speak God’s truth into your life? Does it make a difference?

And after Jesus had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” 1.     What fears are actually driving your decisions and habits right now — the mundane ones and the deeper ones? 2.     In hard or scary situations, what can you do to better see and hear Jesus say to you, “courage, I am, no fear”? 3.     Do you agree that what Jesus calls you to is like being called to walk on water? Could that change how you approach various aspects of your life? 4.     Where do you feel most pulled to look at the waves right now — news, finances, relationships, health? What does "looking to Jesus" actually look like for you in those moments, practically? 5.     "Jesus rescues before he rebukes." Does that match your picture of how Jesus responds when your faith fails? What picture do you tend to carry instead? 6.     The sermon suggests that what gets your ultimate fear is what controls you — and that the solution isn't to eliminate fear but to redirect it toward God in worship. Does that reframe anything for you about a fear you've been trying to manage or overcome on your own?

Lamentations 5 1 Remember, O Lord, what has befallen us;      look, and see our disgrace! 2 Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers,      our homes to foreigners. 3 We have become orphans, fatherless;      our mothers are like widows. 4 We must pay for the water we drink;      the wood we get must be bought. 5 Our pursuers are at our necks;      we are weary; we are given no rest. 6 We have given the hand to Egypt, and to Assyria,      to get bread enough. 7 Our fathers sinned, and are no more;      and we bear their iniquities. 8 Slaves rule over us;      there is none to deliver us from their hand. 9 We get our bread at the peril of our lives,      because of the sword in the wilderness. 10 Our skin is hot as an oven      with the burning heat of famine. 11 Women are raped in Zion,      young women in the towns of Judah. 12 Princes are hung up by their hands;      no respect is shown to the elders. 13 Young men are compelled to grind at the mill,      and boys stagger under loads of wood. 14 The old men have left the city gate,      the young men their music. 15 The joy of our hearts has ceased;      our dancing has been turned to mourning. 16 The crown has fallen from our head;      woe to us, for we have sinned! 17 For this our heart has become sick,      for these things our eyes have grown dim, 18 for Mount Zion which lies desolate;      jackals prowl over it. 19 But you, O Lord, reign forever;      your throne endures to all generations. 20 Why do you forget us forever,      why do you forsake us for so many days? 21 Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored!      Renew our days as of old— 22 unless you have utterly rejected us,      and you remain exceedingly angry with us. Have you ever felt so overwhelmed that you had nothing left to say — just a raw, wordless cry instead of a "proper" prayer or thought-out response? What did that feel like?The sermon points out that in Lamentations 5, the writer prays "remember" to God — not because God is forgetful, but as a way of asking God to act on what he's already promised. How does God’s track record of faithfulness help you face your suffering and difficulties?The sermon describes belonging to God's people as having "no gatekeeping" — you don't need to be successful, educated, from a good family, or a good person to be included. Do you find that idea appealing, hard to believe, or maybe even suspicious? What makes an offer like that easy or hard to trust?The sermon claims Jesus fully identified with human suffering — not staying distant from pain, sickness, or grief, but entering into it. Does that affect how you think about him? Does it draw you to him or repel you? Does it seem believable, appealing, hard to accept — or something else?The sermon says true peace isn't the absence of suffering or having it all figured out, but confidence that suffering doesn't get the final word because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Where in your life right now could you use that kind of peace — not answers, but confidence that the story isn't over?

Think of the best leader you've ever been under — a boss, coach, teacher, parent, officer, anyone. What specifically did they do that made you willing to follow them?Most of us have been on the receiving end of bad leadership. Without naming names, how did you suffer under their leadership? What did it actually cost you? An opportunity, a friendship, your confidence, something else?Ancient Israel had three kinds of leaders, each with a different job: prophets told the truth even when it was unwelcome, priests represented people before God, and kings were supposed to rule justly on behalf of the most vulnerable. Which of those three leaders do you long for now, given your current life circumstances?When was the last time you felt genuinely seen by someone — not flattered or managed, but actually noticed? What did they do? Why do you think that's so rare? How are you comforted by the fact that Jesus sees you?Lamentations 4 ends with the confidence that what was lost would be restored. Is there something in your life you'd want restored — not fixed or replaced, but made new? What would that look like?

The sermon says suffering can become so overwhelming that "it begins to set the narrative for our lives"—shaping how we see our value, our identity, and even how we treat others. Have you ever noticed a hard season changing the way you saw yourself or the world around you? What was that like? How does the steadfast love of the Lord affect that narrative?Jeremiah says that in his deepest despair, he "called to mind" something that gave him hope. What are the things people typically turn to for hope or stability when life falls apart? Which of those have you leaned on, and how well have they held up? Why is the steadfast love of the Lord a better thing to turn to?The sermon uses the illustration of turning away from something harmful as part of healing, not just a hurdle before healing. What things give you a false sense of identity, purpose, or value that you need to turn from? What would it look like to turn from them and turn to God?The sermon quotes Phil Ryken saying, "There are times when the only thing a sufferer can do is wait." What's your honest reaction to being told to wait during a hard situation? When has waiting for something ever been worth it?

Lamentations 2 1 How the Lord in his anger has set the daughter of Zion under a cloud! He has cast down from heaven to earth the splendor of Israel; he has not remembered his footstool in the day of his anger. 2 The Lord has swallowed up without mercy all the habitations of Jacob; in his wrath he has broken down the strongholds of the daughter of Judah; he has brought down to the ground in dishonor the kingdom and its rulers. 3 He has cut down in fierce anger all the might of Israel; he has withdrawn from them his right hand in the face of the enemy; he has burned like a flaming fire in Jacob, consuming all around. 4 He has bent his bow like an enemy, with his right hand set like a foe; and he has killed all who were delightful in our eyes; in the tent of the daughter of Zion, he has poured out his fury like fire. 5 The Lord has become like an enemy; he has swallowed up Israel; he has swallowed up all its palaces; he has laid in ruins its strongholds, and he has multiplied in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation. 6 He has laid waste his booth like a garden, laid in ruins his meeting place; the Lord has made Zion forget festival and Sabbath, and in his fierce indignation has spurned king and priest. 7 The Lord has scorned his altar, disowned his sanctuary; he has delivered into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces; they raised a clamor in the house of the Lord as on the day of festival. 8 The Lord determined to lay in ruins the wall of the daughter of Zion; he stretched out the measuring line; he did not restrain his hand from destroying; he caused rampart and wall to lament; they languished together. 9 Her gates have sunk into the ground; he has ruined and broken her bars; her king and princes are among the nations; the law is no more, and her prophets find no vision from the Lord. 10 The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the ground in silence; they have thrown dust on their heads and put on sackcloth; the young women of Jerusalem have bowed their heads to the ground. 11 My eyes are spent with weeping; my stomach churns; my bile is poured out to the ground because of the destruction of the daughter of my people, because infants and babies faint in the streets of the city. 12 They cry to their mothers, “Where is bread and wine?” as they faint like a wounded man in the streets of the city, as their life is poured out on their mothers’ bosom. 13 What can I say for you, to what compare you, O daughter of Jerusalem? What can I liken to you, that I may comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For your ruin is vast as the sea; who can heal you? 14 Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes, but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading. 15 All who pass along the way clap their hands at you; they hiss and wag their heads at the daughter of Jerusalem: “Is this the city that was called the perfection of beauty, the joy of all the earth?” 16 All your enemies rail against you; they hiss, they gnash their teeth, they cry: “We have swallowed her! Ah, this is the day we longed for; now we have it; we see it!” 17 The Lord has done what he purposed; he has carried out his word, which he commanded long ago; he has thrown down without pity; he has made the enemy rejoice over you and exalted the might of your foes. 18 Their heart cried to the Lord. O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears stream down like a torrent day and night! Give yourself no rest, your eyes no respite! 19 “Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches! Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord! Lift your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint for hunger at the head of every street.” 20 Look, O Lord, and see! With whom have you dealt thus? Should women eat the fruit of their womb, the children of their tender care? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord? 21 In the dust of the streets lie the young and the old; my young women and my young men have fallen by the sword; you have killed them in the day of your anger, slaughtering without pity. 22 You summoned as if to a festival day my terrors on every side, and on the day of the anger of the Lord no one escaped or survived; those whom I held and raised my enemy destroyed. Sermon Questions: Think of a time you felt completely out of control — an illness, a job loss, a relationship ending. What did you do with that feeling? Did you try to regain control, or did you have to just sit with it?The sermon compares trusting God to trusting a pilot you've never met. Is there anyone or anything in your life you trust that way — where you don't need to understand every detail to feel secure? What makes that trust possible?Einstein's quote — "The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know" — got used to make a point about faith. Where in your own life have you had to accept "I don't know" as an answer, and how did you make peace with that (or not)?The sermon suggests that sometimes the best response to someone's suffering isn't a theologically deep explanation, just showing up. Can you think of a time someone's presence helped you more than their words did? What did they do (or not do)?Do you think personal pain can become part of something meaningful over time — a "bigger story," even if you can't see it yet? Or does that idea feel like wishful thinking to you?

I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, 2 that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well. 3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. 5 Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. 6 Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. 7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me. 8 Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. 9 Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. 10 Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. 11 Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. 12 Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. 15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. 16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you. 17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. 19 For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 21 Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen. 22 I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord.  23 Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you. 25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. 1.     The sermon opens with the "how's it going" that isn't really a question — quick, shallow, going nowhere. Do you experience much of that shallow interaction in your day-to-day life? 2.     Paul's list of greetings cuts across every social line Rome used to keep people in their place — status, class, ethnicity, gender. Where in your own life do you find it hardest to cross those kinds of lines (there are others in our culture)? 3.     Paul tells Apelles he’s "approved in Christ" — you've been through the fire and held on, and also, your approval was never in yourself to begin with. Which of those two do you need to hear more right now? 4.     Sometimes the same quality that makes a church warm and welcoming is exactly what wolves exploit. How do you hold those two things together — staying genuinely open and also genuinely discerning? 5.     If you are a Christian, what do you find to be your personal hurdles to engaging in free, full-hearted worship of God? 6.     Quartus — "Number Four" — a nobody with a slave's name, whose name ends up in the most important letter ever written. Is there someone in your life right now who feels invisible or nameless to the people around them, and what would it look like for you to do what Paul did?

I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. 15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, 21 but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see,      and those who have never heard will understand.” 22 This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. 23 But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, 24 I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. 25 At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. 26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. 27 For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings. 28 When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you. 29 I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ. 30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, 31 that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. 33 May the God of peace be with you all. Amen. 1.     The sermon opens with Viktor Frankl scribbling notes in a concentration camp — already living in a story that hadn't happened yet, for people he didn't know. When you're honest with yourself, what size is the story you're living in day to day? 2.     Frederick Douglass could have disappeared into a safe, quiet life after escaping slavery. Instead he gave up his anonymity for a story bigger than himself. Is there something you've already been given — a platform, a skill, an experience, access — that belongs to a bigger story than you've been using it for? 3.     "A story the size of your own comfort doesn't need a very big God." Does that land for you? Are there areas of your life where you suspect you're not experiencing much of God because you're not in any situation that you think requires him? 4.     Or- Is there something in your life right now that you need others to actually be striving in prayer with you over? Have you told anyone? 5.     What's your Spain? The godly ambition you keep circling but haven't let yourself pursue. What comes to mind — and what's kept you from taking a step toward it?