The Lord is About to Pass By

1 The Nourishing Vocation Project Near and Now: Encountering God: Elijah Warm-up Question When have you seen ordinary objects used in extraordinary ways? "Water" by CeresB is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Discussion Questions 1. What do you see in this image? 2. What do you feel looking at this image? 3. What stories from your own life does this image bring to mind? 4. What stories of the world does this image bring to mind? 2 The Lord is About to Pass By Read I Kings 19:11-18 Bible Story Reflection We often look for God to appear in known ways, people, and places. In the Hebrew Scriptures, earthquakes, wind, and fire often signify the presence of God. In this passage, however, a great wind appears but God is not in the wind. An earthquake erupts, but God is not in the earthquake. A fire breaks out, but God does not appear in the fire. It is only in the sheer sound of silence that Elijah knows that God is passing by. God comes to Elijah in this unexpected way—not in a vigorous act, but in the ordinary silence. In our own lives God often appears to us in the ordinary and in the unexpected, too. God comes to us in ordinary water, bread, and wine. God comes to us through unexpected people and places, in the form of an unexpected Savior. It is in the ordinary and unexpected that God speaks to us. It is in the ordinary and unexpected that God speaks through us. This story is an invitation for us to take regular moments to pause from our hectic, fast-paced-lives in order to encounter and recognize God in both the ordinary and the unexpected. Prayer is one way that we can speak to God, but silence, on the other hand, is a profound way we can listen for God. As we consider the ordinary and unexpected in our own lives, we are reminded of how the power of God has no limits and God continuously draws near to us. We are called in our regular, daily, everyday lives to remind others of the ordinary and unexpected ways God is drawing near to them. Discussion Questions 1. How do you experience silence? 2. How do you hear God’s voice in the silence? 3. How do you listen for the voice of God? 4. Where are some of the unexpected places in which you have found God? 5. Who are some of the unexpected people in whom you have seen the presence of God? 6. Who in your life has helped you see God in the unexpected? 7. What are some signs you’ve witnessed that has helped you see that God is near? 8. How is God calling you to encounter God in a new way? Written by Deaconess Lindsay Fertig-Johnson 3 Activity Suggestions Close your eyes and take a deep breath while counting to four. Hold the breath for four seconds and release it for four seconds. Repeat this several times and listen to the way God speaks to you through your breathing. On a blank piece of paper write down all the ways you have seen God in your life this week. Take five minutes to sit in complete silence and reflect on what God is saying to you in the silence. Prayer Concerns Seeing God in the Unexpected, Wonder, Awe Closing Prayer Fill me with anticipation, O God, that I might recognize you where I least expect to find you. In the name of +Jesus, Amen. Written by Deaconess Lindsay Fertig-Johnson