Week Two

Part 2: Under our soles

Conversation starter

How much do you know about the history of where you live? And what everyday experiences do you share with those who have walked the same ground hundreds or thousands of years ago? Are there certain landmarks or significant places of meaning that have remained the same for generations?

Read Proverbs 22: 1-2, 8-9, 22-23

This week as we think about history, let’s put our ears to the ground and listen to the heritage that is more precious than any inheritance of gold or silver that have been left behind by past generations....

What are the legacies of generosity and justice and goodness that you are thankful for — the people who have influenced your life?

Read Psalm 146

‘Princes’ ultimately return to the earth and their plans perish alongside them. When we walk through the present, we are also walking over history. With humility we turn our eyes to God and think about the eternal things that outlast our princely plans.

What are the lessons the church has learned from history? And what are the lessons we aren’t learning — but should be?

Read James 2: 1-7

When we study history, or tell stories about it, we tend to focus on the rich and powerful — those with the gold rings — at the expense of those in dirty clothes. Often we do so because there’s more written records available about them. But we miss so much human experience by neglecting to consider the lives of folk, the majority of us, who schlepped about in dirty clothes.

What do you think a history book of the last 2,000 years written by Jesus would be like? Who are the people he would choose to write about? What would be the most significant events?