summer investigations
This summer, Pastor Michael is challenging us to investigate and explore the world around and within us. Each week there will be something new to investigate, to learn about yourself, to explore God’s world and God in your life. To mark the memory for each investigation, please bring a small stone to each week’s worship to add to our heap of stones.
Week 1 – This week, the assigned investigation is to pay attention for God to provide. Whether God’s provision comes in the form of something new or another “installment” of God’s regular provision — or even if you find yourself presently grateful for some past provision — it all counts. You are investigating that connection between what you’ve received and God’s helping out.
Week 2 – This week, the assigned investigation is to pay attention to who you feel sympathy towards. What or who is it that prompts your compassion? Don’t judge, just notice when this happens and who it happens towards.
Week 3 – The assigned investigation is to pay attention to when you do NOT feel compassion/sympathy for a person/group of people. Once you have noticed you did not feel sympathy or compassion for them, take a few minutes and explore that: Who are they? What makes it hard for you to do so?
Don’t judge or be critical of yourself about this, just notice when this happens and who it happens towards. As with all these investigations, we are not looking for a “right answer”; we are only paying attention to what is true about us and God and the world around us.
Week 4 – The assigned investigation is to be open to learning something new. You may need to ask questions that you have kept to yourself for some time in order to accomplish this.
Week 5 – The assigned investigation is to pay attention to a voice. Some of us may need to involve a friend to conduct this investigation; others may surreptitiously study a family member or someone close to us. What do you notice about the quality, spirit, and content that is characteristic of the voice that you are studying this week? What is it that allows you to recognize this voice?
Week 6 – The assigned investigation is to pay attention to things you readily “give up” and those things that are harder to do so. What patterns do you notice?
Week 7 – The assigned investigation is to think on some times in your life when you took a big risk. How did you decide to take that risk? What did it cost you? Why did you do so? Looking back, was it worth it? Where was God in it?
Week 8 – The assigned investigation is to find a sign — a clue — that God is at work in the world. It doesn’t matter how seemingly small or large, or whether it is something you’ve never seen before or something you have seen a thousand times — any clue at all that God has been in the neighborhood recently.
Week 9 – The assigned investigation is to be on the lookout for a coincidence. Investigate it once it happens — so much as you are able and see fit. Questions you might ask could be: What did it take for these things to line up in the way they did? Looking back, do you see purpose in it? How much “coincidence” does it take before “purpose” seems obvious?
Week 10 – The assigned investigation is to pay attention to the different kinds of “hunger” around you and within you, focusing just on your individual part of the world — family and friends, local community, etc. What are the things that those around you are “hungering” for?
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