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Legacy
The Gift of Home
Legacy Legacy: The Gift of Home is dedicated to the biblical theme of living and giving beyond oneself. The psalmist declares, “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts” (Psalm 145). In other words, God’s people are to continually rediscover the gifts and priorities of his kingdom and share them with future generations of the church. We look back with gratitude to those who came before us, and forward with hope as we dream of their blessings continuing through us. These gifts flow, not only to our children as they share in God’s gracious promises, but also to our neighbors as they come to experience the gospel for the first time. This 21-day guide is built around four weekly topics: Legacy, Place, Mission, and Generosity—the core building blocks of our Legacy Initiative. As you study—individually and communally—two themes should emerge: the need for a new church home, and the need for renewed hearts. Both of these needs are important, but we believe the latter will drive the former. When our hearts desire the things of God, our priorities and values will be shaped in turn. You’ll notice each day follows the same five-fold pattern: a Scripture passage to read, a reflection to meditate upon, questions to provoke thought, a prayer prompt, and a specific call to action. During this Legacy season, we’re asking everyone to personally set aside 15–20 minutes per day to complete the above. Communally, the guides will also be used for Community Group discussion. There are resources for families and children as well. It’s our desire, as we study, pray, and seek the Lord’s face together, that God will be kind, hear our requests, and reveal himself in our midst. I am reminded of John Newton’s hymn “Come, My Soul, Thy Suit Prepare.” It’s a song of bold petition. Here’s the second verse: Thou art coming to a King, Large petitions with thee bring; For his grace and power are such, None can ever ask too much; None can ever ask too much. Let’s boldly go and ask of our great and faithful King. Grace, Pastor David Richmon
Week 1
Legacy
“One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.”
PSALM 145:4Week 1: Legacy Week 2: Place Week 3: Mission Week 4: Generosity
Week 1; Day 1
Covenant Genesis 12 and 15
Ref lection
The calling of Abram is a remarkable story. What
makes it remarkable, however, is there was little
that was remarkable about Abram himself. He
was a pagan man who went about his pagan life
in a pagan city. Yet in his grace God called Abram
to himself and established a relationship—or
covenant—with him. The purpose of this covenant
was to make Abram an instrument of blessing to the
families of the world.
This did not take the Lord by surprise, nor did it
affect the established covenant. Why? Because the
Lord is faithful to his promises and people, despite
their unfaithfulness to him. The covenant ceremony
of chapter 15 bears this out as one reads about the
mysterious smoking fire pot and burning torch—a Questions
proxy for the Lord—that make their way between
1/ How has the Lord demonstrated his
sacrificed animals. This entire process may sound
faithfulness amidst your unfaithfulness?
quite odd to our ears, but to the ancients one thing
would stand out: Why is only one party proceeding
2/ How does the Lord’s promise to be a blessing
through the sacrificed animals? What is reflected in
to the families of the earth encourage you in
this aberration of standard covenant protocol is
your daily life?
that the Lord took upon himself the cursings if the
covenant be fractured. The covenant was established
3/ What are some ways you might help carry
and rooted in his character, not in humanity’s
out God’s work of being a blessing to those
ability. In so doing, God would use Abram for the
around you?
benefit and blessing of many peoples: the elderly,
the middle-aged, the youth, and the young.
Pray
That the Lord would use you in small and
large ways to train, encourage, and mature the
coming generations of the people of God.
Do
Reflect on the Lord’s work in your life by
which he called you from darkness to light. For
those who are married and/or have children,
consider specific ways you might nurture the
faith of those in your family.
Green Lake Presbyterian ChurchWeek 1: Legacy Week 2: Place Week 3: Mission Week 4: Generosity
Week 1; Day 2
Generations Deuteronomy 6:5-7; Psalm 78:4
Ref lection
Investing in our own children, as well as the children
of those in our body of believers, to the extent the
Deuteronomy passage calls us to can undoubtedly
feel like a daunting task. After all, we are commanded
here to teach them diligently when we sit, when we
walk, when we lie down, and when we rise. That
leaves no time unaccounted for, no moments or
exceptions when we can relax on this calling! Questions
There are clues in these verses, however, that
1/ In what practical ways can you perpetuate
move us from feeling the weight of the task to its
the building of bridges from the present to
joy. When we love God with all our heart, soul,
the past?
and might, speaking of him becomes utter joy. We
see his deeds as glorious, we’re amazed at his
2/ Has your faith been influenced by the
might and overwhelmed by the wonders he’s done,
generational faith of those who have gone
and we can’t keep ourselves from talking about
before you? Share stories.
him. God uses that to capture the hearts of the
next generation.
3/ Think honestly about how freely you talk
In this age we have often lost the significance of
about how amazing God is, or recount how
the generational heritage of faith, and the important
good he’s been. If it’s hard for you, what are the
role that played in the perpetuation of Christianity
barriers? What might help you get past them?
from its beginning. As Barna says in Transforming
Children Into Spiritual Champions, “the result is
that each generation feels as if it is reinventing Pray
Christianity—and a lot of spiritual wisdom and For God’s love to flow through you to the
truth gets lost in the process.”1 Imagine the power of next generation, both to your own family
a collective and unified body of believers who place and to the covenant children of those in our
a high priority on not only living out their faith, congregation. Ask him in what ways you could
but utilizing the tools available to them—namely more intentionally influence the children of
prayer, formal and informal instruction, mentoring, Green Lake to love God with all their hearts.
discipline, and the like—to encourage the next
generation of worshipers to truly understand and Do
embrace God’s mission for their life: to love him Map out a family tree of your faith. If you
with all their heart, with all their soul, and with all became a Christian later in life, or were
their might. not surrounded by believers in your youth,
consider the ways the faith of the spiritual
champions of the Bible (Abraham, Moses,
David, Esther, etc.) helped to develop and shape
your faith.
1 Barna, George. Transforming Children Into Spiritual Champions. Ventura:
Regal Books, 2003.
Legacy: The Gift of HomeWeek 1: Legacy Week 2: Place Week 3: Mission Week 4: Generosity
Week 1; Day 3
Children Luke 18:15-17
Ref lection
This passage is one of the quintessential “shutdowns”
in Scripture. Right before this event, Jesus tells a
parable about the Pharisee and the tax collector in
which he finishes with the statement: “For everyone
who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one
who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14b,
ESV). It is not random that Luke follows up this
parable with the story of Jesus and the children.
What the disciples are missing here is ironic, that
not only are children readily included in God’s
covenant, but that children in particular are special
recipients of God’s covenantal love and favor.
Acts 2:38-39 again makes it clear that God’s
promise is generationally inclusive: “Repent and
be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus
Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise
is for you and for your children...” The emphasis on
children included in the covenant further highlights
the truth that it is God’s grace, not our own merits Questions
or favor, that bind us to God through Jesus Christ.
1/ How have you, like the disciples, hindered a
Again and again throughout the Gospels, Jesus calls
child from coming to Christ?
his followers to receive the kingdom of heaven as a
child (Matthew 11:25, Matthew 18:2-4, Mark 10:15).
2/ In what ways can you participate in enabling
When we hinder a child from coming to Christ, as
the children of Green Lake to know and draw
the disciples’ example shows us, we are in danger
near to Christ? What are the blessings you can
of allowing our pride to become a roadblock to our
see from following that pursuit?
entrance into the kingdom of heaven. Conversely,
when we joyously participate in leading a young
one to Christ, as we see from this same story of Pray
Jesus and the children as told in Mark, the fruit is of For opportunities to extend God’s grace and
eternal importance and results in a personal touch covenantal love to future generations of
and blessing from the Lord himself (Mark 10:16). believers.
Do
Meditate on the ways that pride excludes, and
humility invites and includes. Confess your
pride and ask God to give you a childlike heart.
Green Lake Presbyterian ChurchWeek 1: Legacy Week 2: Place Week 3: Mission Week 4: Generosity
Week 1; Day 4
Inheritance Proverbs 13:22; Ephesians 1:11-14
Ref lection
Context is everything. Words can evoke entirely
different thoughts and emotions depending on
how they are used. Picture an aged mother, full of
years, explaining to her daughter all the financial
and material details regarding the inheritance
she’s going to receive. When the mother says
“inheritance,” what’s in her mind? What does she
feel? Perhaps the cost? Maybe a world-weariness
remembering all the labor and planning required
to accumulate such wealth? Conversely, when
the daughter hears “inheritance,” what does she
imagine and feel? Probably joy? Likely a sense of
Questions
anticipation around all the ways her life will be
1/ In terms of the individual’s perspective,
impacted in receiving such a gift?
what’s the difference between a giver and a
The very different roles the mother and daughter
receiver? How would my current life change if
play as giver and receiver can help us understand
I looked beyond my own provision?
inheritance in a fuller way.
In Proverbs 13, the giver is in view. He has
2/ Explain the intersection between the
proven himself “a good man” for leaving behind
inheritance we have in the gospel (forgiveness
an inheritance not just for his children but even
of sin, eternal life, etc.) and the material things
his grandchildren. How did he get to a position
we might leave for those yet to be born.
with such capacity for generosity and provision?
No doubt through daily, faithful work; but, more
3/ What would a church community that lived
importantly, by having a vision of the future—even
out of the inheritance of the gospel look, sound,
a view of children yet to be born. He looked beyond
and feel like?
his own well being in a way that animated his labor
and inspired his sacrifice. At the end of his days he,
like the mother, would know well the costliness of Pray
the given inheritance. For a heart and mind to see beyond yourself
In Ephesians 1, the receiver is in view. Paul begins and your immediate family. For creativity and
his letter with unfettered praise for the blessings intentionality in living out of the inheritance of
God has poured out, enumerating the riches we the gospel.
have in Christ. We, the receivers, are shown all that
the inheritance of eternal life contains: adoption, Do
redemption, and forgiveness of sins. We have Find a friend and do a thought exercise around
labored for none of these things. But to open, empty inheritance: Ask each other, “Spiritually and
hands they come by grace and grace alone. God, the materially, what are the things you would want
great giver, initiates, while we receive. to inherit from me?”
Legacy: The Gift of HomeWeek 1: Legacy Week 2: Place Week 3: Mission Week 4: Generosity
Week 1; Day 5
Testimonies 1 Samuel 7:2-14
Ref lection
Even the greatest minds among us fail in their
ability to remember from time to time. Throughout
Israel’s history, the people erected monuments,
whether intricate or simple, whose main purpose
was to provoke the question, “Why is that here?”
It was a prompt for the older generations to recall
stories of the past, stories of the Lord’s provision
and care for his people. This was to happen
because humanity is a forgetful creation. It reshapes
past narratives to suit its present perceived needs
or desires.
Many of us have sung the hymn, “Come, Thou
Fount of Every Blessing,” and come to those obscure
words, “Here I raise my Ebenezer.” What’s an
Ebenezer? A simple translation is a “rock of help.”
For ancient Israel, this rock itself did not help
them in any physical way. But it was a reminder,
a monument, a testimony that the Lord was their Questions
helper. During fierce battles with the Philistines,
1/ What are some milestone, or markers,
Israel, in their helpless state, could only cry out to
you use to recall ways that the Lord has cared
the Lord. He heard their plea and he—he alone—
for you?
came to their aid. He was their help in time of
trouble.
2/ How do you share the stories of God’s love
Now that we live in the modern era, few of us
and care for you with others in your spheres
have built an “Ebenezer” of our own, whether with
of influence (e.g. your family, coworkers,
our church, our family, or individually. But there
neighbors)?
are other markers that you might identify in your
life, other points of remembrance you may use to
recall what the Lord has done for you, your family,
Pray
the church. We all need to be reminded of the That the Lord might continually remind you of
Lord’s provision and care for his people, for his care, and prompt you to share stories of his
without these reminders, we risk inverting John’s care to others around you.
beautiful confession: “He must increase, but I must
decrease” (John 3:30). Do
Figure out a simple way to create your own
“Ebenezer.” This could be a picture, a letter, or
a physical object that stands as a reminder and
testament to the Lord’s work in your life.
Green Lake Presbyterian ChurchWeek 1: Legacy Week 2: Place Week 3: Mission Week 4: Generosity
Week 1; Day 6
Witnesses Hebrews 12:1
Ref lection
The writer of Hebrews says that we are surrounded
by a great cloud of witnesses. Who exactly are these
witnesses? They are the various Old Testament
figures described in the chapter preceding this verse.
They are people like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham,
Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, the people of
Israel who were slaves in Egypt, and Rahab. In one
way or another they all exercised faith in the Lord—
an assurance of things hoped for and conviction of
things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). The picture being
painted here is one where all the heroes of our
faith are watching us run a race that they once ran
themselves, and they are cheering us on.
However, in order to run this race—the Christian
life—we must do two things. First, we must lay
aside our sin, which is compared to a weight that Questions
slows down a runner. Second, we must run with
1/ Who is someone from the Old Testament who
endurance. The Christian life is not a short sprint.
demonstrated faith in a way that is particularly
It’s a marathon; and marathoners have many
inspiring to you?
opportunities to stop or even quit. We must not do
either of these. Instead we should look to Jesus, the
2/ Still considering this hero of the faith, how
founder and perfecter of our faith, who endured
does Jesus perfectly encapsulate what inspired
the cross because it gave him joy to make peace
you about him or her?
with us (Hebrews 12:2). By remembering the heroes
of our faith and looking to Jesus, we can find the
power and motivation to cast aside sin and run with Pray
endurance the race that is set before us. For the humility and wisdom to see what
“weights” would slow you down. What would
prevent you from running the race with
endurance? Ask the Lord to help you to begin
overcoming these obstacles.
Do
Take one practical step to lay aside any weights
that slow you down, or one step to develop
endurance in walking faithfully with the Lord
for a lifetime. Tell someone what this step will
be and ask them to help hold you accountable.
Legacy: The Gift of HomeWeek 2
Place
“My dwelling place shall be with them,
and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
EZEKIEL 37:27Week 1: Legacy Week 2: Place Week 3: Mission Week 4: Generosity
Week 2; Day 1
Cities Jeremiah 29:7
Ref lection
The grand narrative of Scripture begins in a garden
where creation was very good (Genesis 1:31; 2:8),
but it ends in a city (Revelation 21:10) where
creation is perfect and complete. Growth, develop-
ment, and flourishing are natural themes along
this story arc. Adam was not supposed to let the
garden become unwieldy or even just let it remain
the same. He was commanded to work and keep the
garden (Genesis 2:8).
Abraham was told that all the families of the
earth would be blessed through his offspring
(Genesis 12:3). Staying true to this calling, the people
of God are commanded to be a blessing to the
places they live in, even when they are surrounded
by those who do not know the Lord. This was the
case in Jeremiah’s day, when many were living as
exiles in Babylon. God commanded them to seek the
welfare of that city and to intercede for it in prayer.
This call remains today: Christians are to bless the
cities they live in. Questions
The goal, then, is for Christians to make the cities
1/ What is the current state of your area of
they live in more and more like the heavenly city
Seattle and what is your dream for its future?
described in Revelation. We seek a city where there
is no more pain and suffering, where injustice has
2/ In what ways do you currently contribute to
been eradicated. The buildings and the structures
the welfare of your part of the city?
should be both beautiful and useful. But most
importantly, we want our city to be one where God
is glorified and people commune in his holy presence.
Pray
For the welfare of Seattle, that God would carry
out justice and restrain the power structures
that perpetuate injustice.
Do
Commit to beautifying Seattle. That might mean
planting a garden, engaging in local elections,
attending community events, or supporting our
church’s mercy ministries that bring shalom to
our neighborhoods.
Green Lake Presbyterian ChurchWeek 1: Legacy Week 2: Place Week 3: Mission Week 4: Generosity
Week 2; Day 2
Church
Ref lection
From the beginning of the church’s history, church
buildings have served not just as places of worship,
but focal points for the communities they serve.
Early on, of course, churches met in homes. But
individual homes did not meet all the needs for
fulfilling the mission given to the church, so by
the end of the 3rd century, buildings for Christian
worship began to be constructed. By the Middle
Ages, cathedrals and smaller parish churches
became widespread throughout Christendom.
These buildings prioritized Christian worship, but
they also benefited the surrounding community by
providing space for events like banquets, meetings,
and plays. They also met practical needs, like
making room for threshing and storing grain.
Often the only questions we ask about a
church’s building relate to how it can benefit the
congregation. Those are important questions,
especially as we consider the needs of often- Questions
overlooked groups, like children or the elderly. But
1/ What are some ways our church building at
we also must reflect on ways the church building
Green Lake has served our neighborhood?
can benefit members of the neighborhood, even
those who do not share the same faith. What
2/ In what tangible ways would you like to see
are the needs of the community? Who are our
our new church building used in the future for
neighbors? How could this building add value to
the common good?
all living nearby? Imagine a church building that
the neighborhood viewed as a community center
with a worship space: It’s where people meet their Pray
neighbors; it belongs to the whole neighborhood. It For the Lord to give you eyes to see the needs of
serves the common good. Ballard and the surrounding communities. Ask
him for wisdom to understand specifically how
those needs could be met by a church building.
Do
Try to have a conversation with someone—
preferably someone who does not currently
attend a church—about the ways a church
building can bless the surrounding community.
Legacy: The Gift of HomeWeek 1: Legacy Week 2: Place Week 3: Mission Week 4: Generosity
Week 2; Day 3
Sanctuary 2 Chronicles 6:18-21
Ref lection
Sanctuary is a vague concept in our culture today.
For some, sanctuary has a positive association, such
as a place of safety; and for others, it brings up
negative thoughts of legalistic religion.
In 2 Chronicles, we see the concept of sanctuary
explained as a physical place for God’s people to
come into his presence. This physical place—the
temple—is unique from other locations in Israelite
culture. Today we have a similar experience of
sanctuary when we come to meet God in our
Sunday morning worship services. There are
several things we can expect to occur in the
sanctuary according to this passage. Questions
First, the sanctuary is a place for the people to
1/ When you enter a sanctuary for Sunday
come in contact with God’s “name.” In the Old
morning worship, what are your expectations?
Testament, God’s “name” speaks of his character
What are you seeking?
and includes his supreme greatness, his perfect
holiness, and his faithful lovingkindness. The
2/ How has coming into God’s presence and
people of God learn about his character not in the
participating in the worship service changed
marketplace, not in the home, not in the fields, but
how you see yourself, the person of God, and
in the sanctuary.
his forgiveness?
Second, the sanctuary is both a place of grace
and a place for people to reach out to God. When
the Sovereign God reaches down to be known by Pray
imperfect humanity, he comes with great grace. We For a renewed desire to be in God’s presence,
are all recipients of that grace when we come to the overwhelmed by his character, basking in his
sanctuary. In his gracious character, God is pictured faithful love for you. Ask him to reveal areas in
with his “eyes open day and night” listening to the your life where you need his forgiveness.
individual pleas and prayers of his people as they
reach out to him from the sanctuary. Do
Finally, the sanctuary is a place for forgiveness. Come to Sunday morning worship—to the
In his presence, the eyes of God’s people are sanctuary—ready to meet with God: to hear
open to see themselves and their world as he of God’s faithful promise-keeping to his
sees them. When we are stripped bare of our people (you included); to meditate on his
illusions, we recognize our need and willingly uncontainable character and person; to see
accept forgiveness. Forgiveness brings cleansing, your sin and receive forgiveness; to experience
restoration, hope, and relationship. God alone has his “eyes (and ears) open day and night” for
the ability to forgive, and he chooses the sanctuary your pleas and prayers.
to be a place to receive this gift.
Green Lake Presbyterian ChurchWeek 1: Legacy Week 2: Place Week 3: Mission Week 4: Generosity
Week 2; Day 4
Homes Acts 18:1-4, 24-28
Ref lection
In Acts and the Epistles, we see the apostles and
other teachers speaking in synagogues, city centers,
and homes. In the safety and comfort of these homes,
the early Christians hosted churches (Romans 16);
refreshed and encouraged traveling preachers, like
Paul (Acts 18:1-4); showed true hospitality; and
continued welcoming children into God’s covenant
(2 Timothy 1). Doctrine could be discussed and
clarified (Acts 18:26), and newcomers could ask
tough questions. Without these homes and their
faithful residents, the gospel may not have spread
as it did. Expert on the early church, Michael Green,
writes: “The sheer informality and relaxed atmosphere
in the home, not to mention the hospitality which
must have gone with it, all helped to make this form
of evangelism particularly successful.”1 Questions
Our society in North America bears a resemblance
1/ When has someone’s home been a place of
to the pluralistic community in which God first
renewal, learning, and challenge for you?
placed Jesus’ followers: Religion is tolerated but
not honored; seekers still have reasons to fear
2/ Are there reasons you give yourself for why
ostracization or derision for coming to Jesus;
your home cannot be a place God would use?
misunderstandings about who Christians really
are and what they really do abound and create
barriers between the world and the church. Our
Pray
homes are just as important now as in those early Thank God for the forever home and family he
days! By allowing God to possess and use the has brought all of us into as adopted children!
comfort and safety of our homes, we too participate Ask him to give you opportunities to show
in the coming of God’s kingdom. What begins as hospitality, a desire to share the gospel, and
warm conversation over dinner or coffee can end discernment as to how and for whom he wants
in people next door or across the world knowing, to use your home.
understanding, and sharing the way of Jesus.
Do
If you aren’t in the habit already, take a chance
and invite someone into your space! Whether
you are a seasoned host or a beginner, listen for
the opportunity to speak of your church, your
God, and your Savior to the people who come
into your home.
1 Green, Michael. Evangelism in the Early Church. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company, 2004.
Legacy: The Gift of HomeWeek 1: Legacy Week 2: Place Week 3: Mission Week 4: Generosity
Week 2; Day 5
Tables Acts 2:42-47
Ref lection
When we think of the early church and read Yet our tables are not ends in themselves; they
passages like this, we can easily miss “the breaking are to be faithful signposts pointing to the Table,
of bread” and communal eating, passing it by as the (uppercase) Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. At
an incidental detail. But when we stop and see it that Table, the entire world is turned upside down:
in the bigger picture, meals are spread all through the welcome more radical, the food more rich, the
Scripture. From manna in the wilderness (Exodus company more unexpected than we ever dreamed.
16) to Jesus declaring himself the Bread of Life (John
6); from this account in Acts to the wedding feast of At thy table, I find a feast;
the Lamb (Revelation 19), we have a veritable feast At thy table, I find a feast;
of literal and metaphorical references to food. Here come the poor, the lame, the least;
And where there is food, there are tables. Tables— At thy table, I find a feast.
and the food they offer—represent at least three
things, either named or implied, in this passage.
First, common community. When everyone pulls
up a chair, we have the first, most basic movement
toward one another. As image-bearers of the
triune, relational God—Father, Son, and Spirit—
we only begin to rightly understand ourselves as
individuals when in relationship. Disparate persons
look around at those seated at the table and see Questions
themselves in relation to one another.
1/ Who’s at your table presently? Who could be
Second, common need. Without food, we die.
at your table in the future that should be?
When we come together for a meal, each person
makes the unspoken, almost primal statement, “If I
2/ In terms of character, how might the table in
don’t do this, I will literally cease to have being.” No
your home reflect the Lord’s Table?
matter our ethnicity, education, or economic status,
we must have food to survive.
Third, common delight. Who doesn’t like to eat?!
Pray
Music might arguably be the only thing that rivals For the Lord to enlarge your heart for those not
food in terms of universal appeal. When we share yet at your table, as well as not yet coming to
a good meal, there is a joyous bond that forms: “Do his Table. (Often these are the same people.)
you taste the cinnamon in here? Amazing!”
These realities help us see the (lowercase) Do
sacramental nature of our tables, be they at church With your friends or family, make as nice a
or in our homes. There is so much more happening meal as you can muster and invite a discussion
than merely a group of people eating, things more along these lines. Help them to see beyond the
wonderful and mysterious than we assume. The food and all that is possible in reflecting the
more we recognize these realities, the richer our heart of Christ through our tables.
meals will become.
Green Lake Presbyterian ChurchWeek 3
Mission
“And Jesus came and said to them,
‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...’”
MATTHEW 28:18-19aWeek 1: Legacy Week 2: Place Week 3: Mission Week 4: Generosity
Week 3; Day 1
Kingdom Matthew 28:16-20
Ref lection
Here we see Jesus speaking to his disciples one last
time while he is on earth. What does he tell them?
All authority in heaven and on earth belongs to
him. He is in charge. He is the King. How, then,
should Christians live within this kingdom, under
the reign of Christ? By making Christian disciples
of all nations. Making disciples includes baptizing
them and teaching them everything that Jesus has
commanded. It is both about membership within
the kingdom community and obedience to the King.
There is a bit of recursion in this direction from
Jesus. Of course Christian disciples themselves
should be obedient to Jesus, but they should also be
making more disciples. That means evangelism and
helping new believers live obediently to everything
that Jesus has commanded, including the command Questions
to make disciples. So, we see that the kingdom
1/ What difference does it make to you to know
of God is about more than becoming disciples
that Christian disciples before you, and from
ourselves, and it’s even about more than making
other nations, obeyed this command so that
disciples. Jesus wants members of his kingdom to
there would be Christians in your nation?
make disciple-makers: disciples who are able to
make disciples, who are able to make disciples,
2/ What is the most difficult part about
and so on. This is Jesus’ plan to build his kingdom
obeying this command from Jesus? How does
throughout the earth.
Jesus provide what is necessary to overcome
that difficulty?
Pray
For disciples to be raised up in every nation,
and for God to reveal how he has positioned
you to make disciples.
Do
Take one step of faith toward making a disciple.
Pray for a friend who does not follow Christ,
share about your faith in Jesus with someone,
or help a younger believer walk obediently
with Christ.
Green Lake Presbyterian ChurchWeek 1: Legacy Week 2: Place Week 3: Mission Week 4: Generosity
Week 3; Day 2
Sent Romans 10:14-15
Ref lection
Paul writes here to the Romans about the path that
leads someone to call on the name of the Lord.
Before they can call on him, they must believe.
Before they can believe, they must hear. Before they
can hear, someone else must preach to them. Before
someone can preach, the preacher must be sent
by others. For Paul, it is clear that the normal way
someone comes to call upon the Lord for salvation
is through hearing the good news of the gospel.
Those who proclaim the gospel are sent by others.
We can participate in this sending in a couple
ways. First, we can participate as senders by
supporting missionaries or church plants. Second,
we can participate by being sent. Obviously that
could mean that God calls you to the mission field.
But even if he doesn’t, we are still sent into the
world to proclaim God’s kingdom and gospel. That
might be through our vocation, our family, or our
significant relationships. Questions
1/ How does Jesus model sending and being sent?
2/ How do you think God might be calling you
to send preachers of the good news? How might
God be calling you to be sent?
Pray
For God to reveal the beauty of Jesus being
sent to earth, and for him to remove obstacles
and fears that prevent you from participating
in sending.
Do
Evaluate your openness to God calling you to
the mission field. Consider how much of your
giving helps send others. Resolve to be a light
through your vocation and consider specific
ways you might do that.
Legacy: The Gift of HomeWeek 1: Legacy Week 2: Place Week 3: Mission Week 4: Generosity
Week 3; Day 3
Desire Acts 2:38-39
Ref lection
Much of Acts 2 is a sermon delivered by the apostle
Peter to Jews at Pentecost. A large portion of
this sermon presents Christ as the Messiah who
fulfills several Old Testament passages (2:22-36).
This culminates in his audience experiencing
tremendous conviction and asking the apostles,
“[W]hat shall we do?” (2:37). Peter answers that
they must experience what he already has: the
forgiveness of sins through Christ and the receiving
of the Holy Spirit. And he doesn’t stop there. He
immediately casts a vision for future generations to
also receive these things. The promise is for their
children and those who are far off. What we love and
enjoy about Christ should be our desire for others.
As a believer in Christ, you have received
tremendous grace from the Lord Jesus. As a
recipient of this grace, your desire ought to be for
others to experience the same blessing. Your life
was headed for disaster until God radically changed
its course and forgave you of your sins. Many living Questions
around you remain on a trajectory toward destruction,
1/ Do you truly long for your non-believing
living with no hope of forgiveness or reconciliation
friends to know Jesus?
with God and others. You know the key to being
made right with God: an understanding that Jesus
2/ In what ways are you tempted to rationalize
is the Messiah, followed by the proper response
your apathy toward others’ unbelief?
of repentance. This can be a difficult message to
proclaim. Many will reject it, but it is necessary that
we desire for others to come to know Christ.
Pray
For the Lord to soften your heart to the reality
that many people you know do not know him.
Ask him to open their hearts so they see their
need for God and a Savior.
Do
Reflect on what your life might look like right
now had God not called you to himself. Thank
God for how different your life is because you
know him.
Green Lake Presbyterian ChurchWeek 1: Legacy Week 2: Place Week 3: Mission Week 4: Generosity
Week 3; Day 4
Hospitality Hebrews 13:2
Ref lection
Have you ever been at an event where you didn’t
know anybody else? Maybe you were invited to a
party but the friend who asked you to come was
late. Or perhaps you were checking out a new
church for the first time. What made the difference
between a positive or negative experience? It was
likely how the people with established relationships
treated you, the newcomer.
Here the author of Hebrews is exhorting the
readers of his letter to show hospitality to strangers.
This was especially important in antiquity because
travel was much more difficult than it is today.
If you were on a journey, you depended on the
generosity of the people in the town you stopped in.
Just like then, it is vital that Christians show
hospitality to strangers. That often means actively
looking for the outsider in your midst. Seek out
the people who are unfamiliar with the norms or
unspoken rules of your group. Don’t wait for the
newcomer to initiate a conversation with you, but Questions
instead recognize that your established position in
1/ What are some ways that you have
the group gives you comfort that you can steward
experienced practical hospitality from others?
to bless those who feel awkward or uncomfortable.
This is the essence of what Jesus did for us: He
2/ What are some contexts in which you could
abandoned his comfortable position in heaven and
actively seek to be hospitable to others?
became uncomfortable (to say the least) so that we
could be comforted and belong in his family.
Pray
For the Lord to give you a spirit willing to
sacrifice your comforts and preferences in
order to show hospitality to the outsider.
Do
Look for someone who is effectively a stranger
in a group setting. Take a small step to engage
with them, like asking them about themselves
or seeing if they have any questions about what
is going on.
Legacy: The Gift of HomeWeek 1: Legacy Week 2: Place Week 3: Mission Week 4: Generosity
Week 3; Day 5
Servants Mark 10:35-45
Ref lection
Jesus was never cagey about the conditions and
benefits of his kingdom. James and John boldly ask
Jesus to appoint them places of honor, and
he patiently corrects their thinking while also
assuring them of their belonging. To be citizens of
Jesus’ kingdom means to participate in Jesus’ life,
a life that included suffering and was defined
by servanthood.
The disgruntled disciples are told that the world’s
kingdoms promise honor but deliver oppression.
Jesus’ kingdom is different. He frees the oppressed
by submitting himself to God, by being the servant
of all. Philippians 2 lauds Christ for humbling
himself, taking on the nature of a servant, and
obeying even to the point of death. “Therefore,”
Paul writes, “God has highly exalted him.” If we
hope to join with Jesus and receive honor from God,
a servant’s life is the way. Questions
1/ Whose honor concerns you most? Are you
like James and John, ready to participate but
misunderstanding the goal?
2/ In what areas of your life are you behaving
like one who should be served, rather than
serving others?
Pray
For the grace to live as a servant in Jesus’ kingdom.
Do
Evaluate your heart attitude by listing
your opportunities to serve. Are you taking
advantage of these ways to be like Jesus? To
what could you say, “Yes! It may be tough,
but I am in.”? “Our church leadership and your
Community Group can help you find real ways
to serve God, his people, and our city.
Green Lake Presbyterian ChurchWeek 4
Generosity
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth…
but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
MATTHEW 6:19-21Week 1: Legacy Week 2: Place Week 3: Mission Week 4: Generosity
Week 4; Day 1
Treasure Matthew 6:21
Ref lection
We all invest our resources in something that is directly related to the kingdom of God. This does not
valuable to us. If we are into sports, we might invest mean we forsake all “worldly” responsibilities, for
our time and money to join a local league. Or, at such are given by God to us. But we ought to keep in
the least, purchase our team’s jersey and dedicate the forefront of our mind “where your treasure is,
the day to watching the game. If we value personal there your heart will be also.”
happiness above all else, then we will spend all
our resources on ourselves in an attempt to find
happiness that lasts. If we value the marketplace
or our career, we will devote substantial time, both
on and off the clock, to ensuring our projects are
completed on time and done well. These scenarios,
and many others, serve to illustrate that we spend
our time and resources on things of value to us—
whether that is a conscious decision or not. We
invest in the things we treasure. But all of these,
good or ill, are treasures that lie at the “mercy” of
our sin-stained world. There may be some good in
them, but none of them are objects of lasting merit.
Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 is Questions
rich with instruction on what it means to be counted
1/ Based on where you invest your time, what is
a follower of God. It is not merely following a list of
the thing you treasure and value most?
do’s and don’ts. There is a relationship that exists
between creature and Creator that is marked by the
2/ What would it look like for you to exchange
inclinations of the heart. In Jesus’ perceptive way,
some things that “moth and rust will destroy”
he points out that the majority of things that you
for that which “moth and rust will not destroy,
and I value will succumb to rot and decay. Yet not
and thieves cannot break in and steal?”
all things will succumb to this degradation. There
are a great many wonderful things in which we might
invest that have eternal value. And so we are Pray
instructed to invest our resources, time, and talents That the Lord, through the Spirit, will help you
in these things for two reasons. First, investing in discern the things your heart values, especially
these things will result in an eternal reward; death those that “moth and rust will destroy.”
will not negate the terms of the investment. Second,
Jesus points out that the thing we treasure captures Do
our heart. This is a wonderful diagnostic for our Evaluate those things that draw your heart and
lives. The thing we value most will also have our capture its affections. Are they things related
heart. Since our heart is to be enthralled with God to the kingdom of God, or things that will
himself, we ought to invest in the things that stoke deteriorate throughout the course of time?
the affections of this fire and the things that are
Green Lake Presbyterian ChurchWeek 1: Legacy Week 2: Place Week 3: Mission Week 4: Generosity
Week 4; Day 2
The Giver John 3:16
Ref lection
This verse is one of the most well known summaries
of the gospel message, and understandably so. The
message would have begun to open the eyes of the
initial readers to something incredible. What was so
astounding about this statement in John’s Gospel?
God was not seeking to redeem the people of Israel
alone. He was seeking to redeem whoever believes.
That means even non-Jews—Gentiles—could be
protected from perishing and have eternal life.
What led to such a wide scope of God’s plan
for salvation? His love for the world. He created
everything and everyone in it after all. Of course,
his love wasn’t just a feeling he had toward people.
It was more than that. He demonstrated his love
by graciously giving his only Son, Jesus Christ, as
a sacrifice to die on a cross for the forgiveness of
sins. Because of this great gift, anyone who believes
will be saved and experience first-hand how God is
a generous giver. He does not withhold from those
who believe.
Questions
1/ How does receiving a gift complement being
told that you are loved?
2/ In what ways are God’s love and generous
giving intertwined?
Pray
Express your thankfulness to God for
everything he has given to you: your salvation,
your significant relationships, and even the
practical needs he has met.
Do
Make an effort to acknowledge throughout your
day the different little things that God has given
you that you are prone to take for granted.
Legacy: The Gift of HomeWeek 1: Legacy Week 2: Place Week 3: Mission Week 4: Generosity
Week 4; Day 3
Stewardship Matthew 25:14-30
Ref lection
Nothing is ours by right. The notion that our life’s
work, and even our pennies and minutes, are to be
spent for the glory of another is scandalous in our
post-Christian world. That such living results not
only in personal blessing, but brings over-the-top
joy, is seen by the world as laughable.
Given that this is our cultural climate, we must
meditate often on Jesus’ view of stewardship.
Through this parable, Jesus reveals what he wants
for our hearts with regard to our resources. He
shows how central our relationship to our money
is to our relationship to him. He doesn’t need our
money; all the world is his. He wants our joy—the
joy of being free from the love of money, the joy
that comes when we can wholeheartedly say, “All
I have belongs to Jesus. My good and my joy are Questions
inextricably bound up in using all he has entrusted
1/ What is the most difficult area for you to turn
to me to expand his kingdom and shine the light on
over to God for his use and glory? Your time?
his glory.”
Your money? Your stuff? What makes that area
Yet even as believers, living this way is unnatural.
hardest for you?
We love our stuff, and want the glory and pleasure
it brings. Let these words from Paul Tripp encourage
2/ Have you had experiences when you were
us toward honesty before God: “… admission [of our
surprised by the joy you found in giving up
brokenness] is the doorway not to despair, but to
your money, or time, or possessions for Christ’s
hope. God knew that in your sin you would never
sake? Share stories.
live this way, so he sent his Son to live the life you
couldn’t… He did this so that you would not only
be forgiven for your allegiance to your own glory, Pray
but have every grace you need to live for his.”1 Ask God to help you release to him those things
So let’s take hold of God’s grace to live in faithful to which you hold most tightly, and give you the
stewardship of all he’s given us, use it all for his joy that comes from generosity.
kingdom and glory, and enter into our Master’s joy.
Do
Take time to read Matthew 24:42-51, Jesus’
teaching that leads into this parable. Write
down several steps you can take this week to
move towards more faithful stewardship in an
area that’s particularly hard for you.
1 Tripp, Paul. New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional. Wheaton: Crossway,
2014, January 1.
Green Lake Presbyterian ChurchWeek 1: Legacy Week 2: Place Week 3: Mission Week 4: Generosity
Week 4; Day 4
Motive 2 Corinthians 8:8-9
Ref lection
In this passage, Paul uses two examples to inspire
generosity in the Corinthian church: the people of
God and the Son of God. Over and over, generosity
is called an “act of grace;” it is, Paul says, “the
favor of taking part in the relief of the saints”
and is equated with other spiritual gifts given
to all believers, like knowledge and love of God.
Rather than a compulsion—something forced—our
generosity is a grace, an evidence of God’s blessing
in our hearts.
At Christmas, we sing, “Thou who wast rich
beyond all splendor all for love’s sake becamest
poor.” We know, as Paul reminds the Corinthians,
that God’s grace is administered to us through
the sacrificial generosity of Jesus Christ. He gave
up not only his human life for ours but also the
riches of his divine kingship! Our own generosity is
motivated and animated by Christ’s life at work in Questions
us. Grace-filled giving flows straight from the heart
1/ What motivates your generosity? How
of God himself.
do your motives compare with those of the
Macedonians and Jesus?
2/ What has God’s grace enabled in you? What
might you enable in your relationships, church,
and city when you show genuine love through
generosity?
Pray
For a heart moved by Christ to excel in this act
of grace: generosity.
Do
Confess your wrong motives to God and
ask how your style of giving might need to
change. Brainstorm some ways that you could
give “even beyond” your means, like the
Macedonian saints.
Legacy: The Gift of HomeWeek 1: Legacy Week 2: Place Week 3: Mission Week 4: Generosity
Week 4; Day 5
Security Job 31:24-28; 1 Timothy 6:17-19
Ref lection
Job is under no illusion that gold has the ability to
become his confidence: its quantity looks formidable,
its glitter catches the eye, and its presence promises
rest. Why else does something like a mutual fund
commercial look so compelling? In slow motion,
the model family plays at a park as a calming
voiceover speaks of the future and we think,
“With smart planning, I can guarantee safety and
comfort!” While Vanguard and Fidelity certainly
have their place, Job’s perspective—and indeed, all
of Scripture—remind us we live in a fallen world Questions
where thieves break in and steal, prices inflate,
1/ What does the word security evoke in your
and stock markets crash. This is half the battle:
mind? What images or metaphors does our
admitting that wealth can, in fact, masquerade as
culture use to convey its meaning?
the foundation of our security. Though sobering to
face, when it becomes our deepest confidence we
2/ How does wealth promise the same things
are being “false to God above.”
as God?
But it’s not enough to just inventory our trust. If
this understanding of security is to be transformed,
3/ Why can it be difficult to admit the allure of
our wealth must be marshaled for the good of
promised security, especially around wealth?
others. Paul says we “are to do good, to be rich in
good works, to be generous and ready to share.”
Genuine reflection and self-examination will result
Pray
in action! We evaluate our trust and then work out Consider the place and time in which God has
that trust with—in this case—generosity, a material placed you, one of unprecedented material
movement toward others. And what awaits us? A blessings, and praise him! But also ask the Spirit
different kind of wealth and a redefined security. to reveal the ways in which you have sought
We’ll have “treasure … as a good foundation for the security in these things over the Lord himself.
future, so that [we] may take hold of that which is
truly life.” Do
Make a “top ten” list of the things you tend
to find security in. At the end of the list write
Psalm 40:2, “He drew me up from the pit of
destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet
upon a rock, making my steps secure.”
Find a fresh or creative way in which your
wealth could be mobilized outward.
Green Lake Presbyterian ChurchFamily Pages
Week 1: Legacy
Week 2: Place
Week 3: Mission
Week 4: Generosity
Legacy: The Gift of HomeWeek 1 Family Page
Legacy
Key Themes: Read: Deuteronomy 6:5-7
• God makes promises to his people,
not just as individuals, but for
Reflect: Has an older relative ever given you something really special?
generations—to their children’s
Maybe something that was theirs that they wanted you to have? Do
children.
your parents tell stories from their childhood? Do you have special
• One generation has the responsibility
to equip the next to know and serve
family traditions? All these things—special treasures, gifts, stories, and
God. traditions—are what’s known as a legacy. A legacy is something that you
• Children, in particular, are special leave behind, something that lasts beyond your life.
recipients of God’s covenantal love Did you know a legacy travels two ways through time? When we think
and favor. of the traditions, stories, and gifts left to us by our grandparents or
• An inheritance is something that ancestors, we are thankful for the past and these things given to us from
lasts beyond your life. the past. But, we also send our own legacies into the future!
• God’s people celebrate and bear God designed his world to continue through generations of families that
testimony to God’s provision. keep growing through time. Children become parents, parents become
• Past saints watch and cheer us on as
grandparents, and grandparents become great grandparents. God made a
we run with endurance.
promise to Abraham and to all his children and their children after them
to love them and take care of them and to grow their families. God still
keeps that promise today with our families!
God not only loves us, but he wants us to love him, too. In Deuteronomy 6,
he instructed his people to share his love and think of the future by
teaching their children his words and his best ways. These generations
and these ways are the legacy God wants for us.
Right now, as you read this, your family is sharing in the legacy of God’s
love that he first gave long, long ago. Can you believe that you might be a
grandma or grandpa someday? You can begin to learn right now all the
things you will love to share with those grandkids someday!
Questions: What traditions, stories, and gifts have been left as legacies for your family? Are there new
traditions that you would add to the legacy? // Who are some of the people in your church family? What
are some of the church family legacies? // What about people who don’t have a family? How can you
reach out and share your own family with them? // How can our church family share God’s legacy of
love with everyone?
Pray: For God’s legacy of love to his people to fill your family and bring glory to him!
Do: Look at some family photos and talk about the people who came before you. // Plan a night to invite
someone new over to enjoy a family tradition with you. // Pray for people you may want to invite to
meet your church family, too!
Sing: For All the Saints; Steadfast (see the last pages for lyrics)
Green Lake Presbyterian ChurchWeek 2 Family Page
Place
Key Themes: Read: John 14:1-6, 12-14
• Christians are called to bless the
cities they live in.
Reflect: When you sit down to dinner, do you have a set spot to sit that is
• From the beginning of the church’s
yours and yours alone? That is your place at the table. Has your teacher
history, church buildings have
has assigned you a seat in class? That is your place in class. We learn in
served not just as places of worship,
but focal points for the communities
God’s word that he has a special place for us, too.
they serve. John 14 tells us a lot about what God’s place for us is. “Let not your
• Sanctuaries are places of worship hearts be troubled.” The first place God wants us to be is safe. He doesn’t
and rest. want us to be scared or afraid. The way to do that is to believe in him, to
• The homes of Christians have believe in his love, and to trust him completely. That may sound like a
typically been hubs of evangelism pretty hard task, but that is why God sent Jesus.
and outreach. Jesus made it so we can have a place in God’s family. “I am the way, and
• Table fellowship is the center of the truth, and the life.” Jesus has already done the hard things for us; he
Christian hospitality. has already made the way so that we can share a place as a child of God.
When we have a place in God’s family, just like in any other family, we
are given a job: We are to do the work Jesus did.
“Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do.” Can you
think of some of the things that Jesus did? He shared his story with other
people. He prayed for people. He served people who were hurt or sick. He
invited people whom others had ignored to join God’s family in worship
and to love and follow him.
And finally, as a part of God’s family, when we are done with our work
on earth, God has prepared a special place of rest where we will be
with him forever. What a comfort that is to have a place now—and then
forever!
Questions: Can you think of ways to help your city know about God? Maybe that’s too big—can you
think of a friend who doesn’t know about God that you can share with?
Pray: For God to help you love, trust, and follow him.
Do: Parents, invite your child or children to sit at your place at the table one day this week. Encourage
your kids to do the same, where applicable—maybe to let someone go in front of them in line at school, to
give someone a better place, just like Jesus did for us.
Sing: We Will Feast in the House of Zion; God’s Highway
Legacy: The Gift of HomeWeek 3 Family Page
Mission
Key Themes: Read: Matthew 28:16-20
• God’s kingdom is the calling of
Christian living and mission.
Reflect: Do you remember the first time you went somewhere by yourself—
• Christians are sent into the world to
perhaps your first day of school, summer camp, or a birthday party—and
proclaim God’s kingdom and gospel.
you didn’t know anyone at all? Do you remember feeling excited? Nervous?
• What we love and enjoy about the
church we should desire for others.
Hopeful that you would make friends? Imagine if, to your surprise, a kid
• Embracing the stranger in our midst your age sat down next to you and boldly proclaimed, “Let’s be friends!
is part of the gospel. I’ll show you around the classroom. You’re going to love it here.” There’s
• Kingdom living is marked by service a name for what the kid in this illustration was demonstrating: It’s called
and humility. hospitality, and it’s something we’re called to as Christians!
In Matthew 28:16-20—a passage we call the Great Commission
(commission means “instruction”)—God calls his disciples to go to all
nations of the world and to make disciples, or followers, of Christ,
and to baptize them in his name and teach them to obey all of God’s
commands. This is God’s mission for us in the Christian life. You might
remember a song we sometimes sing at Christmas called, “Go, Tell It on
the Mountain.” This song is about living out the Great Commission! God
wants us to love him so much that we can’t help but “boldly proclaim”
to everyone—our friends, our neighbors, the stranger you meet at that
birthday party who becomes your friend—the good news of Jesus Christ.
God also warns us that hearing and responding to this call might not
be the most comfortable life there is. Being hospitable and loving our
neighbor may mean making sacrifices. God says that in order to become
great in the kingdom of God, we must first become a servant. How can
you serve your neighbors, friends, and community? By telling them
about Jesus and inviting them into God’s kingdom! We live out the gospel
when we serve others and joyfully invite them to church, to fellowship
with our family, to VBS, or even into God’s family!
Questions: How has someone shown you hospitality? What’s a way you could show hospitality to
someone this week? // Jesus left his high place in heaven and came to earth as a lowly child, not to be
served, but to serve—to give his life as a ransom for many. Do you think that was a hard sacrifice for
Jesus to make? What might God be asking you to give up in order to serve him more fully?
Pray: For opportunities to follow the Great Commission and make disciples of God in your community.
Do: As a family, decide on a service project to do together. This could be as simple as making a card for
a neighbor or friend. Or consider other options: make a meal to contribute to R.E.S.T. (see The City); hand
out blessing bags; do a few random acts of kindness and leave a Bible verse with each act.
Sing: All the Poor and Powerless; We Sing as One
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