Call to Worship

Fellowship – Snacks or a Meal (10 minutes with snacks; longer, obviously, if there is a meal).

Gathering Time (5-10 minutes). In pairs or groups of three, have participants answer, “Is there anything you do to prepare for worship?” [Pray, be silent, read the Bible, etc.]

Group Dialogue (Approximately 30 minutes). Read 2 Samuel 7:1-14a.

• What did David want to do for God according to 2 Samuel 7:2? [David wanted to build a house (temple) for God.]
  • Why do you think David wanted to build a house for God?
  • What does this reveal about David’s character and relationship with God? How can we examine our motives in serving God?

• Nathan initially told David to proceed with his plan to build a house, as the Lord was with him. Then God told Nathan to tell David that he was not the one to build a house for God.
  • Imagine you are tasked with communicating God’s message to David today. How would you convey this promise in a way that is relevant to contemporary believers? What elements would you include to ensure the message is clear and effective?

• 2 Samuel 7:12-13 states that God will have David’s offspring make a house for God.
  • Knowing how willing David was to build the house, how do you think David felt hearing that he was not the one to build the house for God?
  • Reflect on a time when your plans didn’t align with God’s plans. How did you respond? What did you learn from the experience? How can we better align our actions with God’s will?

• “When we gather for worship…we gather with our multitude of stories and experiences and particularities. We gather with our certainties and our doubts, with our faith and our questions, with our hopes and our fears. This is the wholeness, as messy as it is, in which we gather. When we are called into worship, we are invited into a new perspective, a new way of seeing and being in the world. It’s not that we leave all with which we gathered aside, ready to be picked up again when we leave the worship experience. We don’t leave anything aside when we come to worship. But we are called into this new (or renewed) way of seeing ourselves and our connections with God and with the wider community as we worship. We are invited into a relationship of support and acceptance and worship is the arena where we experience this first.” (The preaching notes for July 21.)
  • What are your thoughts about this paragraph?
  • What specific action will you take this week to deepen your relationship with God and trust in God’s plans for you? How will you ensure you stay committed to this action?

Prayer (10 minutes). Share prayer requests and respond appropriately.

Sending Forth (2 minutes). End with the following prayer, a similar prayer, or the Lord’s Prayer:

Holy One, we thank You for the promises You made to David and for the ways You guide us in our lives. Help us to trust in Your plans and to serve You with pure hearts. May we always seek to align our actions with Your will and find strength and purpose in Your love. Amen.