CreatingCommunity is an email devotion to guide your preparation for worship next weekend. Imagine how much more clear and relevant God's Word will be if you have had an opportunity read, reflect, and dwell in the Word prior to worship. You may do this devotion alone, with others, as a family, or over Zoom as a small group.

This devotion is to be done in preparation for this coming weekend's worship.

Please follow these three steps:

1. Read through the text
2. Respond to the questions (select one of the sets of questions)
3. Offer a Prayer
Matthew 21:23-32
When [Jesus] entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.”
No Experience Necessary Questions:
  1. What scares, confuses, or challenges me in this text?
  2. What delights me in this text?
  3. What stories or memories does this text stir in me?
  4. What is God up to in this text?
Family Questions:
  1. In your own words tell the parable of the two sons. What do you notice about what you remember and what you may have omitted in your telling?
  2. Have you ever been asked or promised you would do something and did not do? Tell of a time.
  3. The parable seems to suggest that actions speak louder than words. Do you agree? Explain.
Advance Questions:
  1. This gospel speaks to how Jesus' ministry of transformation and reclamation offends those with a vested interest in reinforcing the status quo. Is that also true in our day? Explain.
  2. What makes you unwilling or unable to glimpse the “places” where God might be discovered among us, or the “places” where God’s intentions are being voiced? Respond without watching the video below. They respond after watching the video. What do you notice?
  3. Jesus then tells the chief priests and the elders of the people that the prostitutes and tax collectors would enter God's before they would. How do you think they will respond? Explain. Is that also true for us today?
Click here to listen to this week's CreatingCommunity video
"Why Work to Change the World?“ by Odyssey Impact
Prayer

God of love, you call your children;
Some say, "No!" and some say, "Yes!"
Lord, forgive us for our judging
Who will be among the blessed.
For your kingdom is surprising;
Some you call will not obey;
Those we find ourselves despising
May be those who seek your way.
Amen.

Carolyn Winfrey Gillette
‌