The Hunger for Relationship - Jason Wilson

Jason provided me with his notes from Sunday, for your reflection:

“The Hunger for Relationships”
Within the series “Communicating the Gospel”
For The Gathering at Grace Long Beach
By Jason Wilson


Connecting story on beauty: “Come Celebrate Jesus” (Klamath Falls, Oregon) vs. St. Peter’s Cathedral (New York, New York)


SESSION I
I. Simply Christian (N.T. Wright)
a. “echoes of a voice” SC p. x (top)
i. God-shaped instincts that, if followed to their ends as a whole, will either lead us into perplexity or into the heart
of God himself
1. the longing for justice (Eric Balmer)
2. the quest for spirituality (TBA)
3. the hunger for relationships (Jason Wilson)
4. the delight in beauty (John Anderson)

II. What are relationships?
a. “Under the Bridge” (The Red Hot Chili Peppers)
b. SC p. 31 (top)
c. Do you hear the “hunger for relationships” echo? In what ways?
d. What kind of relationships do we long for?
e. What do we want out of each type?
f. What are relationships for?
g. SC p. 33 (middle)

III. Relationship gone wrong (cut off from God)
a. original sin and the four separations
i. ourselves
ii. others
iii. God
iv. nature
b. co-dependence
c. unfulfillment (not filling the God-shaped hole)
d. abuse
e. divorce
f. gossip
g. Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee)

IV. Relationships under the rule of Christ
a. How are relationships an echo of Christ?
b. How does the gospel address this echo?
i. the pluralism of one God
1. Genesis 1:26: Let us make man in our image
2. Throughout the gospels: “I do as my father instructs”, “Father, why have you forsaken me?”,
“ Take this cup from me,” etc.
3. Acts 1:8: I am sending you the Holy Spirit
ii. Genesis 2:18: It was not right for man to be alone
iii. OT: The twelve tribes of Israel
iv. the gospels: the twelve disciples
v. the letters of the NT: The churches of the New Testament
vi. Revelation 21:10-11: the New Jerusalem as the new city
c. The future kingdom can break in now (if we want it to).
d. Kingdom-purposed relationships lead to diversity and largeness whereas natural ones lead to sameness and smallness
e. SC p. 200 (all)
f. SC p. 201 (top)
g. SC p. 210 (top)
h. SC p. 211 (bottom)

posted by Christina @ 6:56 AM