Weekly Podcast from Cornerstone Church, North Gower, Ontario.
www.knowgrowshow.ca
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Grapple and Grow
Family Discussion
The One Thing: Find God on the pages of your life
The Passage: Esther chapters 1-10
Know
- K1 Would you have gone back to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel, Ezra or Nehemiah, or would you have stayed in Susa? What would have helped you decide?
Grow
- G1 Think about the series theme “Carving a legacy out of chaos”. Like Esther it can feel like so much of our life is out of our control. How can we go about creating a legacy when it feels like so much of life is chaos?
- G2 Read God’s promise in Jeremiah 29:13 “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you”. This promise was given BEFORE they were taken into exile. How essential was exile in creating a “seeking heart” in God's people?
- G3 Dan said that Esther was the step mum of King Artaxerxes who allowed Nehemiah to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild. Though scripture does not make this connection, how might Esther have had an influence on Artaxerxes?
- G4 During the exile the Jews were in captivity to 3 successive empires (Assyrians, Babylonians and Persians), none of which still exist today. How does knowing this affect how we view the big news stories of today?
- G5 Esther was part of the group who chose not to return to Jerusalem. How do you think they worshipped God if they could not access the temple or sacrificial system (representing God’s covenant with them)? What do you think “being a Jew” meant for these people?
- G6 What do you think of the fact that God is not mentioned in Esther? What do you think God might be trying to say through the complete absence of His name in this book?
Show
- S1 Take time to look at your life and see how God has been at work in the “just happened to” moments in your history. Look at your current situation: why might God have placed you where you are “for such a time as this?”
