GATHERING / WORSHIP / PRAYER Take a few minutes to catch up with each other and build community. If you have new people present give time to getting to know each other. Possibly listen to ‘In God We Trust‘ by Hillsong Worship. Pray to invite the Holy Spirit to transform your emotions and use you as a witness of kingdom living. You may like to use the prayer of St. Francis as inspiration: Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; for it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. FOCUS Our series ‘The Good and the Beautiful’ is based on three books by James Bryan Smith. Our focus throughout June and July is from the second book 'The Good and Beautiful Life’. Jesus said he came to give life and give it to the full (John 10:10). What does that life look like? Through this second series of studies we will be encouraged to unpack Jesus’ narratives about life in the Kingdom of God. SETTING THE SCENE According to Bryan Smith, unrighteous anger is fueled by two ingredients, unmet expectations and fear, that, when united, ignite into a strong emotion. Often, it is when we are threatened in some way that we get angry. When it comes to anger, the narratives behind this emotion have a unique, imperative quality to them. Examples of false imperative narratives are: “I am alone.” “I must always be in control.” “Life must always be fair and just.” “Something terrible will happen if I make a mistake.” The good news is that Jesus has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit to aid us in living a good and beautiful life free from unrighteous anger. Unrighteous anger rarely happens when we are led by the Spirit. It is spawned by not seeing our situation in light of God’s kingdom. As we grow in seeing God as a loving and trustworthy Father rather than an angry and distant judge, we will become more loving and less angry ourselves. OPENING GOD’S WORD Warm Up Question: What would make you more “angry” - getting stuck in traffic or stubbing your toe? Read: Galatians 5:22-26 Have each member of your group read the passage aloud from a different translation. What did you notice about the passage when you read it in different translations? Which one gripped your heart the most? What is the challenge and encouragement offered to us as apprentices of Jesus in this passage? Think about three times you were angry in the last few weeks and identify the unmet expectations and fears that were at work. What is the ‘kingdom narrative’ for each of these situations? Discuss (as you are comfortable) with the group. In the chapter we read this definition for righteous anger: “Righteous anger consists in getting angry at the things that anger God, and then seeking a proper remedy to correct the wrong” (p. 78). Discuss examples of righteous anger in today’s world. What model does Jesus give us for acting on righteous anger? LIVING OUT GOD’s WORD “Jesus’ narrative is that God permits nothing to happen to us that he cannot redeem and use for good. In the kingdom of heaven God is always near. We are never alone and never need to be afraid. When I live with this reality deep in my mind and heart, anger cannot get a grip on me” (The Good & Beautiful Life, p. 77). How could fully internalising this kingdom narrative change the way you respond to people/situations this week? Keeping the Sabbath is a spiritual exercise that can help us better deal with our anger. Anger is about unmet expectations and fear; Sabbath is about trusting God and His ways. How will you practically seek to Sabbath this week? PRAYER Pray for a fresh revelation of God as a loving, patient, omnipresent, and trustworthy Father. Pray that the Holy Spirit would reveal to you areas where you have harboured unrighteous anger in your life and that He would help you to surrender it to the Father. Ask God to give you new insight and patience to handle challenging people and situations without reacting in unrighteous anger. Contacts If you would like more information or further help please contact: scott.button@hopevalleychurch.com.au