Hey Riverside Family! Benji and Ila are joining you today from the
Potato Creek Home Group—if you don’t know, we are a group with lots
of married couples and lots of children! Benji and I went to Navarre
Middle and Washington High School just a year apart. We became close
friends toward the last years of high school and got married smack-dab
in the middle of college. By the grace of God, we now have 4 daughters
and over 17 years of doing this life as best friends. By now in this little
story, some of you may be feeling warm and fuzzy while others may feel
uncomfortable, sad, or be rolling their eyes. Yep, I know marriage and
“love stories” are complex, emotional topics to talk about.

Oh, marriage. It’s difficult to say or think about this word without
emotions attached. People can romanticize or demonize marriage, try
to save or escape from marriage, shun it purposefully or celebrate it
joyfully, and grieve losing it or never attaining it. Today’s passage just
so happens to give us one of Jesus’ most direct recorded conversations
on marriage. Let’s dive in to how Jesus responds when the Pharisees
come to test him about the complicated realms of marriage, divorce,
and sexuality.

• Read Matthew 19:1-12

Consider the following questions:

• What was Jesus doing when the Pharisees came to test him? (v. 2)
• The Pharisees ask Jesus if divorce is okay in what situations under the law? (v.3)
• How does Jesus respond about the nature of marriage and divorce? (v. 6 & 8)
• The disciples recognize that committing to marriage is hard and even comment that it’s better not to marry if divorce is so against God’s will. How does Jesus respond to choosing singleness? (v. 10-12)

Hi, we are Denny and Jen Shay. We have been attending Riverside for
the past two years since we moved here from Pennsylvania. We have 3
teenage boys and we belong to the Potato Creek Home Group.

• Please read Matthew 18:15-35.

In verses 15-20, we see that as sinners, we will offend one another, and
Jesus acknowledges that it will be hard and it will be a process to work
through. In verses 21-23, Peter (so like us) thinks that we are good and
merciful to forgive a repeat offense. Jesus takes it so much further. He
points to the forgiveness we’ve received—an immeasurable grace. We
are tempted to nurse an offense and we want to be paid back in some
way for the offenses we’ve received. In verse 35 Jesus makes it clear
that, as His followers, we are commanded to forgive and to be merciful.
As difficult as it is when we are sinned against, we are called to forgive as
Christ forgave us. As we work through these things, we can take comfort
in the mercy He’s shown to us.

• Take the time to pray and search your heart. Is there anyone from whom you have been withholding forgiveness?

Hello, we’re David and Jenna Beebe. We’re part of the Potato Creek
Home Group, led by Greg & Megan Colvin. We’ve been married for 17
years and have four kids, ages 16-9 yrs. David is an electrician with KW
Services and Jenna is a stay-at-home mom and homeschools one of our
kids.

• Take a moment to stop and read Matthew 18:1-14.

I love how Jesus compares us to children in this passage, and how
you can really see his love for children. Jesus calls us to “change and
become like little children” (His child), and he tells us right here how to
do it. Lowering ourselves to the “position” of a child. He wants to guide
us on the safe path to live with Him eternally. He sees this world we live
in for what it is and knows it’s not always easy. We face many trials and
temptations. I feel like he’s so clear in this passage on how we need to
turn from sin and temptation, and how violently we need to cut it from
our lives.

Sometimes our sins seem small and sometimes they seem so huge that
it’s hard to believe God would still want us. The devil would sure like us
to believe that lie. And it is a lie, straight from the devil—don’t believe
it! God’s word tells us that he will always leave the 99 following him to
chase down the 1 that has fallen away from him. That is how important
each person on this earth is to him, that is how important YOU are to
him. Every single one of us, no matter our faults or sins. If we will be
humble and turn from sin, God will welcome us with joyful, loving arms.

Reflect on the following question as you go about your day today:

• Do you feel like it’s easy or challenging to humble yourself before God?

Hey all, Greg and Meg Colvin here. We lead the Potato Creek Home
Group with Benji and Ila Woolet. Our group loves to laugh, eat, go down
endless rabbit trails, engage in great discussion, read scripture, cry
together, drink coffee & tea, and just hang out with one another! We
truly love this small community within our Riverside family body and
are so grateful for fellow believers to walk with through this life.

• Take a few minutes and read Matthew 17:1-13 (and then read it again because it’s THAT good!)

This passage is about Jesus’ transfiguration. When Jesus asks Peter,
James and John to go with him on a walk, I wonder if they knew
something special was going to happen? The scripture says that Jesus’
appearance changed and his face shown like the sun and his clothes
became white like light. Jesus was radiating from within. What was
showing on His outside is the Glory that was within Him. They were
witness to their friend, teacher, mentor, transform or metamorphose
into a glorious being and then at the same time got to watch Him talk to
Elijah and Moses! Incredible.

I, (Greg) am a lot like Peter. Peter wanted to do something to mark this
moment as special. In that instant it wasn’t time to get distracted from
the significance of what was going on. Sometimes we need to keep quiet,
take it all in and learn from it. God spoke letting them know that Jesus
was the focus here. His son who brings Him great joy. Listen to Him.

We are both moved every time we read this momentous occasion in
history. Although Peter, James and John in this part of the story didn’t
know the full significance of the moment and what was to come, Christ’s
work on the cross, we do. When we fully surrender to God, and yield to
the Holy Spirit, we will be transformed and be made more like Him.

Sunday again brings us some relaxing conversation with our heavenly
Father.

We’ve been reflecting on how the shared rhythms of Advent, Christmas,
Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost root us in the redeeming story
of Christ, and live into the Biblical wisdom of the teacher that “there
is a time for everything” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Built into these annual
rhythms are the wide spectrum of our life with Christ: anticipation and
fulfillment, proclamation and response, lament and joy.

This Sunday we will reflect on Lent, a season of seeking repentance and a season of self-denial with the purpose of seeking a deeper connection to God.

• Spend some time reflecting on how you have seen your connection to the Father grow these past weeks.

• Also, spend some time confessing to the Father this morning. Sit quietly and ask the Holy Spirit to show you areas, or specific sin that you can confess and rejoice in His forgiveness.

• Read Matthew 16:13-28

My name is Amy Houghtaling, otherwise known as Josephine’s mom.
My husband Mike and I have been married six years and adopted
Josephine as an embryo. We lead the Beacon Home Group (which is
one of the only ones NOT meeting in the Beacon right now…oops). Mike
is the chaplain at Hope Ministries and I worked there until Josephine
was born in Feb. 2019.

Mike and I were both older when we got married–almost 40. In regards
to that long dry season before marriage, I often think about a line from
a Rich Mullins song, ‘It’s ok to be lonely as long as you’re free.’ My single
years were lonely, but they were full of adventure. At one point I found
myself living in Jordan for a couple of months and decided to hop on
over to Israel for a week with another American girl I’d met there. A
cousin of mine happened to be in the country at the same time and I
hitched a ride on her tour bus the day they went to Caesarea Philipi.
This region was known for its temples in Jesus’ time – one to the Roman
god, Pan, another to Caesar Augustus (a human worshiped as a god),
and others. It’s no coincidence Matthew makes sure to include location
name in his account.

Even as Peter was making his confession, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of
the living God,’ pilgrims were streaming in to worship at these temples.

Today, the pilgrims there may have never heard of Pan or Caesar
Augustus. They are only interested in Jesus. ‘…On this Rock I will build
my Church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.’ Pan, Augustus
and others have come and gone, but the faith of Peter and the Church
he built remain, and the gates of Hades will never overpower it.

Consider and reflect on the following questions:

• The disciples had been following Jesus for a while at this point. Why do you think Jesus had not told them He was the Christ? Why did He ask them what others thought before asking what they thought? Why did He ask them and not simply tell them?

• What attitude should we have towards ourselves and others knowing that this knowledge is not revealed to us by flesh and blood but by God the Father?

• Why do you think Jesus told the disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ? How does this contrast with His commands in Matt 28:19 and Acts 1:8?

• How do vs. 24 & 25 contrast with our American sense of rights? How might our American expectations be similar to expectations Peter held that inspired him to rebuke Jesus?

Hi, it’s Susan, but not bringing the announcements.

Some random things about me: I love tea, I love routine, alleys, and tall
tables to sit at. I love visual aides (our house is littered with pictures
of God’s faithful shepherding of us). I’m a 2 on the Enneagram and
understanding this has been an interesting study for me. I’ve spent a lot
of time the past couple years seeing the ways that shame has been used
by satan in my life, and am thankful for the ways that Jesus has made
Himself real to me.

• Stop and read Matthew 15: 21-28.

This story always makes me shake my head and then smile. I shake my
head at Jesus’ response about the crumbs and the dogs, and then smile
as he acknowledges the faith of this woman that was not esteemed
by most Israelites. Jesus has just left a heated conversation with the
Pharisees and Teachers of the Law where He calls them hypocrites
and blind guides. He heads straight into a territory filled with mostly
Gentiles (any one not Jewish), and is approached by this woman.

Ponder the following questions as you go about your day today:

• Why do you think Jesus first makes no reply, and then replies so cryptically?

• How does Jesus’ answer acknowledge that He knew He had a mission to accomplish while He was here on earth?

• How does the woman’s response demonstrate faith?

• Why do you think Jesus is so pleased with her faith?

• In what situation are you being challenged to respond in faith today?