Weekly Teaching
Reflection
October 4th Reflection
Discussion Questions
What was your initial reaction to Leviticus 11–15? What parts of these chapters felt strange, uncomfortable, or difficult to understand? Did anything in the teaching change the way you see them?
The teaching suggested that “clean does not mean morally good, and unclean does not mean morally bad.” How does that distinction change the way you think about the passages concerning childbirth, illness, menstruation, or bodily fluids?
Leviticus repeatedly calls God's people to distinguish and create boundaries. Where do you see healthy boundaries creating the conditions for life and flourishing in your own life, family, church, or community? Where can boundaries become unhealthy or harmful?
The teaching described Leviticus as “heightening your senses to the elemental forces of life.” What are some ordinary things in your life that you tend to overlook or take for granted? (ie. your body, food, relationships, health, creation, work, money) What might it look like to pay closer attention?
“In sustaining life, you can be brushing up against death.” Where do you see that tension in your own experience? How does the conviction that “this God is about life” shape the way you understand God's holiness?
The teaching says, “There is no such thing as a ‘neck-up’ spiritual life.” What areas of your everyday life are easiest for you to separate from your spiritual life? What might change if you began to see those areas as places where God is forming you?
The teaching asks, “What kind of people was God forming?” Based on these chapters, what characteristics would you add to the list? What would it look like for Restoration to become a community of people who embody those characteristics?
Where do you see Jesus carrying this vision of holiness forward? Think about the way Jesus interacts with sickness, exclusion, bodies, meals, shame, and people considered “unclean.” What does this reveal about what holiness looks like when it moves toward people?
For Practice This Week: Pay Attention to Life
For one week, choose one ordinary part of your life (food, your body, your use of technology, your relationships, money, work, or creation) and intentionally pay attention to it as a place where God is forming you. Each day, pause for a minute and ask:
What is giving life here?
What is diminishing life?
Where might God be inviting me to protect, participate in, or restore life?
Then choose one small action in response.
It might be:
eating one meal slowly and with gratitude rather than distracted by your phone
taking better care of your body
setting a boundary around technology
reaching out to someone who has become isolated
paying attention to where your consumption affects others
repairing a strained relationship
spending time outside and noticing creation
making room for someone who is vulnerable or overlooked
The goal isn't to add another religious task to your week. It's to practice seeing ordinary life as holy space.
Every detail is spiritual. Every detail matters. And perhaps the question to carry throughout the week is:
“What is God teaching me to notice?”
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Leviticus Series Practice
Read Leviticus slowly and ask a different question.
As we move through this series, don't worry about understanding every rule or finding an immediate application for every passage. Instead, each week ask:
“What kind of people is God forming?”
Then take a few minutes to consider:
What does this passage reveal about the character of God?
What kind of community is God forming?
What kind of person would I become if I practiced what this passage teaches?
The goal isn't to conquer Leviticus or check it off our Bible-reading list. The goal is to “hear the music and learn to dance with it.”
Practice: Read the assigned Leviticus passage each week with curiosity rather than defensiveness. Write down one thing you notice about God, one thing you notice about God's people, and one way God might be inviting you to become more like Jesus.
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