This is a companion to Highrock’s Centered: Moving Toward What Matters Most sermon series. It is best used collectively with a small group. Within the companion you will find space each week for notes on the sermon and Scripture text, reflection questions, prompts to discuss your reflection with others, and a closing prayer. 

A key resource will be the Covenant Affirmations which are a vital part of our congregational identity and denominational mission. They articulate the theological foundation on which our history and our future are formed. In the introduction to the 2005 Covenant Affirmations, we read: “The Evangelical Covenant Church seeks to form and nurture communities that are deeply committed to Jesus Christ and passionately engaged in Christ’s mission in the world. The purpose of the Covenant Affirmations is to make clear the values and principles that have guided the Evangelical Covenant Church since its founding in 1885.”

When considering the reflection questions, notice those that resonate with you and spend some time considering them. The goal is not to answer everything or have all the “right” answers―instead, let these questions serve as a starting point for curiosity in your conversation with God and others. Some of the discussion questions have been adapted from the Covenant Church’s resource Exploring Covenant Affirmations. These questions will be noted with an asterisk. See the Appendix of this guide for more resources and opportunities to engage with this study. See the Appendix of this guide for more resources and opportunities to engage with this study.

We hope that all small group discussions are lively and enriching, but sometimes tough topics will be discussed. The Conversation Covenant* is an agreement to hold respect and grace toward all participants within a small group, no matter the conversation. Please adhere to the Conversation Covenant, or think about how to create one that fits your context.

I pledge: 

• To act in good faith, with curiosity. I will assume the best about my conversation partners when entering into our groups. I will give the benefit of the doubt, recognizing that they may know something I don’t. 
• To show respect. I will show respect. I will be polite and give due regard for the feelings and traditions of others. I understand that I do not have to agree with someone to show them respect.   
• To speak the truth. I won’t use rhetorical tricks to try to win an argument. I will speak what I genuinely believe is the nuanced truth. 
• To aim to discover the truth. I will not enter into a conversation with the purpose of changing the mind of anyone to my way of thinking. 
• To focus on what we can change. I will focus on what we can do differently in the future since we cannot change what we did in the past.   
• To take responsibility for the conversation. I will take responsibility for the quality of the conversation and the abidance of the rules both in principle and in spirit.   
• To follow the covenant even when others fail to do so. I will abide by the rules regardless of whether another person breaks them.
• To lighten up and approach the conversation in good humor. I recognize that humor is a hallmark of a constructive, generative conversation and take the conversation in good humor.

*Adapted from https://conversational-leadership.net/conversation-covenant/

Listen

Find sermons on Highrock Online's YouTube channel.

• What are your initial reactions to the sermon? Note any curiosities, questions, or interesting points. (Anything surprising? controversial? mysterious? life-giving?)
• The Covenant uses the phrase “Where is it written?”. What are the ways that we in our congregation try to understand the scripture together?*
• Do you agree that “being biblical is not easy”? Why or why not?* 

Read

Do On Your Own.

• Read Romans 8:16-17. What truth about our identity is found here? How might that affect how we see our own individual value?*
• Read Isaiah 55:11; 2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12. How do the Holy Spirit and the Word relate to each other?*

Reflect

Discuss 3-4 of the prompts below with your small group.

• Discuss with your group the observations, curiosities, and/or questions that came up during the Listen and Read sections. 
• Are there connections between this scripture and your life today? 
• Have you had experiences of reading Scripture in community where people interpret or apply biblical truth differently? How has that stretched you or affected your understanding of the Bible?* 
•  In what ways are we demonstrating that the Word of God is central to our life as a church?*
• How might the centrality of the Word of God become more evident in our life together?*

Relate

Conclude your small group time with these questions.

• What might God be inviting you to do, pray, or consider through this week’s reading? A next step might be: ______________
• What is the implication of this Affirmation’s posture for our lives? How do we think, feel, and act in light of it?
• ​Someone (else) I’d like to talk about this with is ______________________

Pray

Leader: Wise and giving God, we thank you for revealing yourself through the story of your Word, 

People: and in the life, death, and resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ. 

Leader: We thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit who leads and guides us, 

People: to faithful understanding, passionate conviction, and needed encouragement. 

Leader: We thank you for the gift of the body of Christ, the community of the church, 

People: that helps us access truth in the Word, read truth into our own lives, and be the truth in the world. 

Leader: Teach us to love your Word, oh God, and to trust it, 

People: even as we struggle to understand it, are surprised by its living power and are still learning how to share it with the world. 

Leader: Teach us to listen for and return to Your Word, again and again, 

People: so that we find our identity in your truth, hope, and love. 

Leader: Help us to turn away from the loud voices in this world, 

People: to reject voices of selfishness, short-term gain, and despair. 

ALL: Remind us that, “only the church that hears and responds to the Word will be able to be a prophetic voice in this wilderness, and bring healing to a confused and troubled world.” Amen. 

From The Covenant Affirmations Study Guide, pg. 12

Listen

Find sermons on Highrock Online's YouTube channel.

• What are your initial reactions to the sermon? Note any curiosities, questions, or interesting points. (Anything surprising? controversial? mysterious? life-giving?)
• How does our church teach that new life in Christ changes our relationship to others, our family, our community, our nation, our world? 
• What does the statement “new birth in Christ is not about what we give up, but what we accept” mean to you?

Read

Do On Your Own.

• Read John 3:3; 2 Peter 3:9; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Ephesians 4:13, 22-24; Galatians 3:3. Note how we receive new life and the results of receiving new life*
• Read Philippians 2:12-13. How would you describe the balance between the Spirit’s role and our own actions on the journey of spiritual growth? What metaphor or image might be helpful in describing this balance?*

Reflect

Discuss 3-4 of the prompts below with your small group.

• Discuss with the group the observations, curiosities, and/or questions that came up during the Listen and Read sections.
• Where is God guiding you on the journey of discipleship right now? Are you in a posture of listening in order to hear God’s call?
• What does it feel/look like when you have a balanced/biblical understanding of your role and God’s role in your faith walk?
• Check the words below that you associate with the act of becoming a Christian. Then briefly explain why you chose each word. (Feel free to add words to this list if needed.)
  • Private 
  • Dramatic 
  • Born-again 
  • Gift 
  • Sanctification 
  • Baptism 
  • Logical 
  • Creeds 
  • Everyday 
  • Accepting 
  • Jesus 
  • Rebirth 
  • Personal 
  • Surprising 
  • Sacrifice 
  • Insurance 
  • Sin 
  • Eternal life 
  • Public 
  • Familiar 
  • Inherited 
  • Confirmation 
  • Choice 
  • Absorbed 
  • Prayer 
  • One-time Event 
  • Guarantee 
  • Saved 
  • Confession 
  • Guilt 
  • Non-specific 
  • Holy Spirit 
  • Guided 
  • Change 
  • Insecure 
  • Conversion 
  • Kingdom of God 
  • Discipline 
  • Daily Growth 
  • Gradual 
  • Process 
  • Family 
  • New life 
  • Communal 
  • Emotional Journey
  • Repentance 
  • Decision 
  • Persecuted 
  • Mystery 
  • Costly 
  • Celebration 
  • Testimony 
  • Dependent 
  • Home 
  • Unknown

Relate

Conclude your small group time with these questions.

• What might God be inviting you to do/pray/consider through this week’s reading? A next step might be:
• What is the implication of this Affirmation’s posture for our lives? How do we think, feel, and act in light of it?
• Someone (else) I’d like to talk about this with is ___________________

Pray

Leader: When we gather to worship God, we remember that we are people who have preferred our own wills to God’s will. Let us confess our sins to God in the presence of each other. 

ALL: Eternal God, we confess that we have failed to be your obedient servants: We have not done your will; we have broken your law; we have rebelled against your love; we have not loved our neighbors; we have not heard the cry of the needy. Forgive us, we pray. Free us for joyful obedience, through Christ our Lord. Amen. (Bow for a moment of silent confession and reflection.) 

Leader: Hear the Good News: “Christ died for us while we were yet sinners; that is God’s own proof of his love toward us.” In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven! 

People: In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven! Thanks be to God! 

From The Covenant Book of Worship, 1981, pg. 68

Listen

Find sermons on Highrock Online's YouTube channel.

• What are your initial reactions to the sermon? Note any curiosities, questions, or interesting points. (Anything surprising? controversial? mysterious? life-giving?)
• When have you personally experienced the Holy Spirit?*
• ​How does our church consciously put this Affirmation into practice?*

Read

Do On Your Own.

• Read John 14:15-21, 25-27; Acts 1:8; Philippians 1:27. Where does the Spirit come from?*
• If the Holy Spirit is a gift, not something to be grasped, what does our response need to be?* 
• How does the Spirit make a difference and work toward transforming the world?

Reflect

Discuss 3-4 of the prompts below with your small group.

• Discuss with the group the observations, curiosities, and/or questions that came up during the Listen and Read sections. 
• How can we be conscious of the Holy Spirit’s work? What encourages our being dependent on the Holy Spirit’s work?*
• How can you live out the freeing truth that God dwells within you?*
• Does this week’s scripture, sermon, or discussion shift/expand/change your picture of God? of others? of yourself? If so, how?

Relate

Conclude your small group time with these questions.

• How do we believe and act out the truth that only God’s Spirit can bring about unity? Where in our communal life do we need to depend more on the Spirit for healing, reconciliation, and unity?*
• What is the implication of this Affirmation’s posture for our lives? How do we think, feel, and act in light of it?
• Someone (else) I’d like to talk about this with is ___________________

Pray

Closing Prayer

ALL: Come, O Holy Spirit,

A: Come as Holy Fire and burn in us,

B: Come as Holy Wind and cleanse us within,

A: Come as Holy Light and lead us in the darkness,

B: Come as Holy Truth and dispel our ignorance,

A: Come as Holy Power and enable our weakness,

B: Come as Holy Life and dwell in us,

ALL: Convict us, convert us, consecrate us, Until we are set free from the service of ourselves, to be your servants to the world. Amen.

From The Covenant Hymnal: A Worshipbook, 1996, #918

Listen

Find sermons on Highrock Online's YouTube channel.

• What are your initial reactions to the sermon? Note any curiosities, questions, or interesting points. (Anything surprising? controversial? mysterious? life-giving?)
• What is the function of the Church and who is it for?
• ​What dreams do you have about what the Church could be in our world today?

Read

Do On Your Own.

• Read the following passages and try to write one sentence for each that summarizes the main point: Galatians 3:23-29, Ephesians 4:11-16, 1 Peter 2:1-10.*
• In what ways is diversity necessary for the body of Christ?*
• How are we shaped to be similar or united?*

Reflect

Discuss 3-4 of the prompts below with your small group.

• Discuss with the group the observations, curiosities, and/or questions that came up during the Listen and Read sections. 
• List some words or phrases you most often use to describe “the Church” and why. What do you notice agrees or conflicts with how the Church is described in scripture?
• Share experiences or information that have been formative to your understanding of the role of the Church. If you attended church when you were young, what was your impression of the role of the Church then?
• Reflect individually and then discuss: Do the calls to unity or diversity make you uneasy? Why or why not? Why might someone feel resistant to those things?
• How is the fellowship of believers interdependent within the body of Christ at a variety of levels: local, regional, and denominational?

Relate

Conclude your small group time with these questions.

• How might God be guiding you to practice deep and trusted fellowship with other believers and not to “go it alone”? 
• What is the implication of this Affirmation’s posture for our lives? How do we think, feel, and act in light of it?
• Someone (else) I’d like to talk about this with is ___________________

Pray

Have three people read a verse as a prayer

Verse 1: Thank you God for sisters, brothers, keeping faith with us and you. Joining heart to heart with others, as your call to us comes true. With the cross our only standard let us sing with one great voice. “Glory, glory, yours the kingdom, churches in your Church rejoice.”

Verse 2: God be praised for congregations by the love of Christ set free! Many tongues of many nations sing the greater unity. Sweet the psalm and sweet the carol when our song is raised as one: “Glory, glory, yours the power, as in heav’n your will be done.”

Verse 3: May your name be honored ever, heal our differences of old. Bless your churches new endeavor for your kingdom, make us bold. One our Christ and one our Gospel – make us one we now implore: “Glory, glory, yours the glory, through the ages evermore.”

“Thank You, God, for Sisters, Brothers” from The Covenant Hymnal: A Worshipbook, 1996, #578

Listen

Find sermons on Highrock Online's YouTube channel.

• What are your initial reactions to the sermon? Note any curiosities, questions, or interesting points. (Anything surprising? controversial? mysterious? life-giving?)
• What is the Great Commandment and the Great Commission and why are they significant?
• How do you relate to evangelism and mission? What is unique about the Covenant’s approach?

Read

Do On Your Own.

• Read Matthew 28:19, 20; John 15:13-15; Luke 4:16-21. What do these verses say about preaching and living the Good News? Where is this to take place?*
• The Luke passage is Jesus’ first “sermon”. How does this passage describe good news?
• What other teachings of Christ in the New Testament can you think of that link having a personal relationship with Christ (loving God) with outward mission (loving others)?*

Reflect

• Discuss with the group the observations, curiosities, and/or questions that came up during the Listen and Read sections. 
• How can the Church embody and proclaim the good news of the Gospel? What might be important things to consider when talking about your faith with someone else?
• Can you name some of the ways Highrock is on mission locally or globally? 
• What are ways you can be involved in mission as a small group? What are some roadblocks you face personally? As a group, what are some creative ways you might find to serve and be on mission if the roadblocks can’t be changed?

Discuss 3-4 of the prompts below with your small group.

Relate

Conclude your small group time with these questions.

• How would our spiritual lives be strengthened by involvement in mission and service work? What might that look like? 
• What is the implication of this Affirmation’s posture for our lives? How do we think, feel, and act in light of it?
• Someone (else) I’d like to talk about this with is ___________________

Pray

ALL: Gracious God, we come to you today in prayer for your church and for your world.

A: We praise you, Christ Jesus, for establishing the church as your body here on earth, to proclaim good news to the poor, release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind.

B: We ask that you keep the church faithful to your commands, oh Lord.

A: We praise you, Christ Jesus, for calling us your friends so that we too can share in your mission of befriending and redeeming the whole world.

B: We ask that you continue to befriend us in our lonely times, oh Lord, as we seek to befriend the stranger, orphan, and widow.

A: We praise you, Christ Jesus, for promising to reconcile the church and all of creation to Your goodness, as we go out into the world to baptize and make disciples of all nations.

B: We ask that you strengthen those active in outreach ministry and missionary service today, oh Lord.

A: We praise you, Christ Jesus, for being the good news and for showing us how to love God and our neighbors with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength.

B: We ask that you keep the church faithful to your commands, oh Lord.

ALL: Gracious God, we come to you today in thanksgiving for your church and for your world. Walk with us as we learn to be faithful to your commands, oh Lord. Amen.

From Covenant Affirmations Study Guide, pg. 22

Listen

Find sermons on Highrock Online's YouTube channel.

• What are your initial reactions to the sermon? Note any curiosities, questions, or interesting points. (Anything surprising? controversial? mysterious? life-giving?)
• From what fears, lies, sins, or constraints might God be liberating our church? To what end?*
• What does freedom mean to you?

Read

Do On Your Own.

• Read John 8:31-36; Galatians 3:23-29, 5:1,13; Ephesians 1:7. What are we freed from?*
• What are we freed for?*

Reflect

Discuss 3-4 of the prompts below with your small group.

• Discuss with the group the observations, curiosities, and/or questions that came up during the Listen and Read sections. What is the implication of this Affirmation’s posture for our lives? How do we think, feel, and act in light of it?
• Read Galatians 5:13-14 together. Discuss this quote: “In essential matters, unity, in non-essentials, freedom, in all things, love.” How does our church embody this?*
• Ask yourself the following question: “Am I living like I believe I am really free through Christ’s absolute love? Do I need to be reminded of particular things that I am freed from?”*

Relate

Conclude your small group time with these questions.

• How would you describe the reality of freedom in Christ to someone not familiar with the Church or the Covenant Church? Share several ideas.*
• What is the implication of this Affirmation’s posture for our lives? How do we think, feel, and act in light of it?
• Someone (else) I’d like to talk about this with is ___________________

Pray

O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee.
I give thee back the life I owe,
that in thine ocean depths its flow
may richer, fuller be.

O Light that follows all my way,
I yield my flick’ring torch to thee.
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
that in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
may brighter, fairer be.

Hymn “O Love that will not let me go” from The Covenant Book of Worship, #438

Below are a few resources to look into if you are interested in diving deeper into some of the topics covered in this series. If you need resources that more specifically address your own experience, demographic, or faith journey, please reach out to a Highrock pastor or to smallgroups@highrock.org and we will be happy to help!