Resources for Discussion Class Hour on November 14, 2018

Sermon Title: Why We’re Here: A Worshiping Community

Text:Luke 24:28-35 (ESV)

Resources:

• Click here to listen to or watch the sermon
• Download tonight’s printable study guide

Brief summary (what’s the point of this text/sermon?)

This was the last of a four-part series under the heading, “Why We’re Here,” focusing on Luke’s description of the earliest Christians in Acts 2:42-47. The previous sermons have emphasized the church as a learning community, a sharing community, and an eating together community. Sunday we focused on the church as a worshiping community.

If you’ve traveled to Europe, you’ve noticed that what used to be the center of Christianity—as indicated by the large number of vast cathedrals—is now largely irreligious. Many of these cathedrals exist as little more than stopping points for tourists who marvel at their beauty and architecture.

Surveys suggest that we’re following in the footsteps of our cousins across the Atlantic. There’s a correlation between age and church attendance in America: younger people are less likely to attend religious services regularly than older folks. The least-likely-to-attend age bracket comprises those from 18 to 29. Many people do not see the value in taking time out of their weekend to worship.

Are worship services going extinct? Should they? Are they irrelevant to the coming generations? We reflected on these questions in the sermon time Sunday morning. We believe that corporate worship is a crucial part of spiritual formation in the lives of Christian communities, and we neglect them at our own spiritual peril.

How do I live out the implications of this passage?

Discussion starters to help with applying the sermon to our lives

1. Young adults (18-29) in America are the least likely to attend religious services regularly.
   1. Why do you believe this is true?
   2. What can the church do to change this trend?
2. Based on a 2006 study, of all Christian religious groups in America, Churches of Christ have the highest rate of church attendance among our membership (68%), followed closely by Mormons, Pentecostals, and Southern Baptists.
   1. Why do you believe this is true?
   2. Do you believe that is good or bad or some of both? Why?
3. On two occasions in Luke 24, Jesus shared the Word and sat at Table with his disciples. How do those meetings inform our own weekly gatherings?
4. How does worship serve to empower us for the week ahead? How does it commission us?
5. The sermon suggested that the weekly worship gathering serves as a kind of statement of protest to the world. How does worship—particularly gathering around the Table—protest the way the world views life, death, what’s important, etc.?