Feast People (part 1): Welcome Home

TO START
To get in the spirit of things, watch these videos of folks celebrating...enthusiastically. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlteEPh6G2s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aA4_CGzmFw

Do you remember celebrating anything as a child? Could be a personal celebration or a family celebration, spontaneous or planned. Share with the group.

SCRIPTURE

Read Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

DISCUSSION

What are the challenges involved in obeying God’s command to rejoice? Is it hard for you to rejoice right now? Why? Share that with the group. Then consider this together: Why might God insist on our rejoicing, even when he knows that sometimes times will be hard?

What’s involved, according to this passage (Phil. 4:4-7), in this posture of joy? What, according to this passage, does it seem we must pursue to attain joy?

How might you incorporate more intentional celebration into your life?
-Put one thing on your calendar--schedule it for sometime within the next 3 weeks.

PRAYER

Make a list of things in your life worth celebrating; list as many as you can in 2 minutes; share highlights.

Take a few moments to thank God together as a group for those things.

TO DO

Plan a feast together as a group. Figure out ways to make it meaningful. Remember, celebration doesn’t require extravagance. It’s more about purposeful cultivation of joy and communal reflection on what God’s done than it is about anything else.

What will you celebrate?
What will you eat?
What will you intentionally discuss? How do you make sure that happens? What will you wear?