Unity in Community – Psalm 133
Psalm 133 is a short Psalm, in fact it is only 3 verses. But in this Psalm are some valuable truths about the power of unity and the impact of being connected to each other. Join us in August for this 4-week series as we unpack Psalm 133 and unlock the power of unity in community.
Week 2: Psalm 133:2 = Holy and Sacred
It is good, pleasant and blessed when God’s people dwell together in unity. So why is it so elusive? Unity is a holy and sacred place where God is at work in us and through us, and it is only by the work of Jesus that we can truly experience unity.
DISCUSSION/REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
- What is something good that you experienced this past week?
- What is something tough you experienced this past week?
- What is one of your favorite ways to spend a Friday night?
- READ: Psalm 130:1-2. Spend some time SOAPing this passage. You can either spend time SOAPing individually and documenting for a several minutes and then spend time sharing with each -OR- SOAP in real time with each other. Either way make as many observations as you can.
- OBSERVATIONS: What stands out to you from Psalm 130:1-2? What are your observations?
- Doug gave us the context of Psalm 133:2 by connecting it to Exodus 29:7 and Leviticus 8:12. What is Psalm 133:2 referring to?
- What does “holy” mean? And how does that inform how we view unity in community?
- Why would God’s people living together in unity be like oil running down on Aaron’s beard?
- Doug said that Psalm 133:2 highlights that unity is good and pleasant, and it is also holy and sacred. How do the following verses point to the holiness and sacredness of unity on community? Read each one and discuss how it informs how God’s people dwell together in unity:
- READ: 1 Peter 1:15-16
- READ: 1 Peter 2:9-10
- READ: Psalm 127:1
- READ: John 15:5
- READ: 1 John 1:7
- READ: Ephesians 4:1-6
- Doug said that to experience unity in community that is holy and sacred requires two mindsets: Humility and Holiness. HUMILITY has the mindset of “it is not about me” and HOLINESS has the mindset that “I am set apart for Him”. Which of these is toughest for you? How could you practice these two mindsets this week?
- Doug said that we often approach seeking unity by looking for common ground. He went on to say that “seeking common ground helps us get along but won’t ultimately lead to Christ centered, God empowered community. We need to go beyond seeking common ground and we need to be on holy ground.” How could you view your relational world with others as “holy ground” this week?
- Eugene Peterson said that “Important in any community of faith is an ever-renewed expectation in what God is doing with our brothers and sisters in faith.” Doug called it having a “holy curiosity” in community. What would it look like for us to practice holy curiosity with one another?
- What else stood out from this week’s sermon?
- APPLICATION: What is your big takeaway from this week’s sermon? Be specific.
NEXT STEPS:
Everyone has a next step to apply what we’ve learned. What’s your next step? Be specific.
MEMORY VERSE: *Challenge yourself or your group to commit this verse to memory:
1 Peter 2:9-10 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
PRAYER: Close by praying for each other but also spend some time praying for unity in community in your life, in your small group, in our church and in our nation.
John 17:20-21 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
Scripture References:
Psalm 133; Exodus 29:7; Leviticus 8:12; Leviticus 11:45; 1 Peter 1:15-16; 1 Peter 2:9-10; Psalm 127:1; John 15:5; 1 John 1:7; Ephesians 4:1-6; Acts 2:42-47; Acts 2:1-41