CONTEXT and GOSPEL

Now that I have spent significant time describing the many levels of my context and demonstrating how its needs match the themes Luke offers, I will develop a presentation of my discoveries within the Dwelling in the Word community in which I participate on a weekly basis.
The “Habitantes da Palavra” (Portuguese translation for “Dwelling in the Word”) comes together as a group every Sunday evening. We meet in the home of Zacca and Alessandra, a very simple and small house that we overcrowd with fourteen people, food, and great conversation. The composition of this community offers a variety of life stories and ages (ranging from 9 to 42) which brings much depth to our discussions centered on Luke 10:1-12.
I chose to involve this group in the conversation about the Lukan themes and my context for a couple of reasons. First, these friends have grown intimate with this particular gospel. For six weeks now we have made parallels of Luke to our personal lives and contributed our ideas to each other. We find this gospel invading our conversations outside of our meeting time and recognize the relevance and truth in the issues the text brings forth. Each person will have much to consider and offer on the topics of social justice, hospitality, compassion, and simplicity seen in Luke and how to put these into action in our surroundings. The second reason to involve this particular group lies in the beauty of the representation of every layer of my context as seen in the following: a couple of teenagers from our youth group, five of the local church leadership team, all of my home-mates, and one of our homeless friends. Using this focus group pulls us out of theory and into application.
I will conclude our eight weeks of reading Luke 10 on November 7th, offering this material with a similar format to our ongoing conversations, which consist of many questions, inviting personal experience, and communal discernment through the Spirit. I want to open each topic by referring our group to exemplary passages in the gospel that deal with the theme, asking them to reflect on Jesus’ interaction with the theme, and encouraging them to imagine how the theme can apply to a specific layer of my previously described context. I do not want this to emerge as a one-sided presentation- such as a sermon- but a time and place for the community to exchange practical ideas of implications and applications of the challenging themes. This implies the need for a fluid outline, with room for spontaneous interactions and my honest acceptance of answers and opinions shared that evening.
OUTLINE FOR CONVERSATION ON LUKE & CONTEXT
For opening group discussion:
- What are big themes we notice in Luke 10?
- Where do we see these themes repeated throughout the gospel?

Focused thoughts from Luke:
- 4 themes emerging repeatedly:

1. Social Justice→1:26-28; 4:40; 8:1-3
(emphasis on Eduardo’s participation – our homeless friend)
• How do we see this theme relevant in our culture and country?
o Discuss how Brazilian history created “guilty until proven innocent” attitude towards humans, distorting our ability to interact with everyone, specially underprivileged and marginalized.
• What can we learn from Jesus in Luke about this theme?
o Highlight the topics of inclusion of women, the corrupt, and the poor in his life story.
• How can we represent Jesus in our culture and country in relation to this theme? Give practical examples.
o Suggest speaking to municipal authority, sharing our perspective on the lack of social justice movement in Brazil, and proposing a city-wide seminar to expose community service initiatives that exist in Itu.

2. Compassion → 10: 25-37; 15:11-32
(emphasis on church leadership participation)
• How do we see this theme relevant in our local church?
o Highlight benevolence ministry – how can we expand to demonstrate more compassion? (Connect this theme to the situation with the gypsies next door…)
• What can we learn from Jesus in Luke about this theme?
o Connect compassion extended to enemies and to people who share their stories (encourage the sharing of stories as a way to teach compassion to the church).
• How can we represent Jesus in our church in relation to this theme? Give practical examples.
o Propose the purchase of basic food items for the gypsies and the delivery of this food to them.
o Encourage personal testimonies as a part of Sunday communal worship.

3. Simplicity → 9:10-17; 10:4; 12:32-34
(emphasis on youth participation)
• How do we see this theme relevant to our youth?
o Mention the adolescent fever towards new cell phones, clothes used to establish identity, and the media’s influence on our definition of “need.”
• What can we learn from Jesus in Luke about this theme?
o Read Jesus’ radical statements about material simplicity.
• How can we represent Jesus in our youth in relation to this theme? Give practical examples.
o Speak of our personal decision to simplify clothing/house/car.

4. Hospitality → 9:4; 10:38
(emphasize Nossa Casa participation)
• How do we see this theme relevant to our home?
o Discuss the following phrases Randy Harris uses to define hospitality: there is no one else I’d rather be with; there is nothing else I’d rather be doing; there is nowhere else I’d rather be; I will remember this.
• What can we learn from Jesus in Luke about this theme?
o Explain the apparent reversal of hospitality through being welcomed instead of hosting and the transformational conversations that happen in the home setting (10:5; 11:37-52; 24:44-49).
o Expand on the following thought: when we rely on the hospitality of others, we ultimately rely on God to provide for our needs.
• How can we represent Jesus in our home in relation to this theme? Give practical examples.
o Advocate 1) spending time with friends one-on-one to exercise a hospitable spirit, and 2) accept invitations into people’s homes as a demonstration of hospitality, simplicity, and reliance on God.

As I consider the depth and quantity of the material, I recognize the potential need to divide the themes into two separate conversations so as not to overwhelm people. I look forward to these discussions with the representatives of my different contexts, and I expect the culture of this group to facilitate a highly interactive conversation regarding each theme and anticipate practical changes we can initiate.