UALC Free! Series Journal

Spring 2024

© 2024 Upper Arlington Lutheran Church

Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®

Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica, Inc.TM

All rights reserved worldwide.

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Dear UALC family,

Our relationship with money is often difficult. It can be the source of worry, shame, guilt, and tremendous conflict. The only thing more stressful than talking about money is talking about money at church! Nothing about this feels freeing.

And yet the Bible talks about money all the time. Jesus talks about money to his disciples, his opponents, and even strangers who ask him questions. Are we doomed to experience even more burden about money from the Bible?

Or what if we’ve been listening wrong? Can the Word of God give freedom after all?

God’s Word comes to us in two forms: Law and Gospel. Both of these are good words of God, but they do different things. When God speaks law to us, he’s teaching us. The law tells us what to do and what not to do. That’s really important! But the law runs into some real limits too. For one thing, we never get it totally right. So even while the law is teaching us, it’s also constantly exposing our failure. It’s also limited by the complexity of our lives. We’re all different, and we have different questions. It’s impossible to write laws that don’t need interpretation for the unforeseen circumstances for all our different lives.

God’s other word to us is Gospel. The Gospel is the good news of what God does for us in Christ. It tells us that there’s hope for us in spite of our failures to do what God teaches and commands. And in the Gospel of Jesus, God gives us his Holy Spirit to make us wise and free. And in the Holy Spirit God guides us and empowers us to make good and godly decisions in all the complicated circumstances of our lives.

I invite you to receive and learn freedom in this series. We’re all different. Our financial situations are different. And we have different needs and questions. But God has a freedom word to speak to all of us.

As we work through this series together, God’s Word (both law and gospel) will lead us to three kinds of freedom:

• Freedom in our hearts and souls. This is an internal freedom that we feel instead of worry and stress.

• Freedom from the things that control us. Think of this like non-obedience to a slave master. We don’t have to keep doing things that ultimately hurt us.

• Freedom for a life of goodness and joy. Christian freedom isn’t anarchy. It’s about being free to live together with God as God intended, for good.

If the Son sets you free you shall be free indeed. For where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

In Christ,

How to Use this Journal

This journal will help you dig deeper into our teaching series as you tie together the areas of our Gathered Worship, personal time with God (Daily Worship), and Small Groups. It also shares information about UALC to help you connect with others as you grow in your faith. Bring your journal to Gathered Worship and use it throughout the week as you identify the next steps God is calling you to during this series.

Gathered Worship

Write whatever you find encouraging, compelling,or challenging from the Sunday services.

Daily Worship

Write prayers, things you are thankful for, and areas of spiritual growth as you invite God into your day.

Small Groups

Write big ideas, prayer requests, and areas of application from your small group discussion.

Series Introduction

Money is one of the Bible’s biggest topics. God speaks to our relationship with money in many different places and many ways. In this Free! series, we’re going to draw on multiple passages and try to keep the whole Biblical picture in mind.

One reason that’s important is because we’re all in different situations. God’s word will apply to each of us differently. Before reading some key passages, start by asking yourself a few questions:

• How much do you involve God in making financial plans or decisions?

• What financial questions are you most trying to answer? For example: Are you wrestling with debt? Do you wonder if you’re saving enough? Are you thinking about legacy and future generations? Do you aspire to greater generosity?

• Everyone wrestles with some kind of baggage – what are your biggest worries?

• What heart strings does money pull on for you: security, happiness, control, love, or something else?

• If you suddenly came into a ton of money, what would do with it? What do you think that tells you about yourself?

Here are three key passages that we will return to throughout the series. You might want to read and pray through these passages multiple times. As you read and pray, make notes about the themes you see and how you think God might be speaking to you and your circumstances through them. Some suggested themes and reflections are printed after the readings.

Each week in our series we will draw from these passages and themes to speak to different areas of our lives.

Matthew 6:19-34

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Luke 12:13-21

Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

1 Timothy 6:6-11, 17-19

But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

Scripture Questions

1. These readings speak to the theme of what we “treasure” or what we “store up.” Why do you think that’s an important topic? How is this topic relevant to you?

2. You may have noticed the language of seeking, pursuing, running after, or even fleeing. Go back and try to find those themes. And take some time to reflect prayerfully: What do you think you are seeking or pursuing? What are you fleeing?

3. Topics like worry, grief, pain, traps, and uncertainty appear throughout these passages. Do any of those descriptions fit your own experience somehow? What might God be saying to you and your own experience through these topics?

4. Each passage says one or more specific things about “life.” What warnings and promises about life do you hear?

NOTES & PRAYER

WEEK ONE

What me, a prisoner?

Jesus often treats money as if it were an obstacle in the Christian life. And most of us experience at least some level of frustration and difficulty in our financial lives. But what’s the real problem? What kind of bondage are we actually in? And what kind of freedom does Jesus give us?

DAILY WORSHIP

What God is bringing to my attention this week as I read and pray:

Notes and prayer:

GATHERED WORSHIP

What I found encouraging, compelling, or challenging from the Sunday service:

My major takeaway from this week’s sermon:

DAILY WORSHIP

What God is bringing to my attention this week as I read and pray:

Notes and prayer:

NOTES & PRAYER

NOTES & PRAYER

WEEK TWO

The Gospel for Debtors

Debt of some kind is extremely common. It can also be extremely tricky. If you have a lot of it, it can be crippling. And if you struggle with it, it can feel embarrassing and shameful. The Gospel of Jesus can help us understand our experience of debt and set us free.

GATHERED WORSHIP

What I found encouraging, compelling, or challenging from the Sunday service:

My major takeaway from this week’s sermon:

DAILY WORSHIP

What God is bringing to my attention this week as I read and pray:

Notes and prayer:

SMALL GROUPS

Something I’d like to discuss from the sermon or my personal time with God:

My group’s prayer requests:

Small group conversation notes:

NOTES & PRAYER

NOTES & PRAYER

WEEK THREE

The Gospel for savers

Most people would rather be savers than debtors, but the Biblical picture of saving is a difficult one, with lots of warnings against storing up treasure on earth. What are the temptations and spiritual risks for Christians, and what does the message of Jesus mean for us in our saving?

GATHERED WORSHIP

What I found encouraging, compelling, or challenging from the Sunday service:

My major takeaway from this week’s sermon:

DAILY WORSHIP

What God is bringing to my attention this week as I read and pray:

Notes and prayer:

SMALL GROUPS

Something I’d like to discuss from the sermon or my personal time with God:

My group’s prayer requests:

Small group conversation notes:

NOTES & PRAYER

NOTES & PRAYER

WEEK FOUR

The Gospel for Spenders

All of us are spending something – our time, talent, treasure, and opportunity costs. But what are we buying? And why? What freedom and direction does Jesus give us for the spending we do everyday?

GATHERED WORSHIP

What I found encouraging, compelling, or challenging from the Sunday service:

My major takeaway from this week’s sermon:

DAILY WORSHIP

What God is bringing to my attention this week as I read and pray:

Notes and prayer:

SMALL GROUPS

Something I’d like to discuss from the sermon or my personal time with God:

My group’s prayer requests:

Small group conversation notes:

NOTES & PRAYER

NOTES & PRAYER

WEEK FIVE

The Gospel for Givers

Everybody wants to be generous, but nobody likes being guilted into it. In a world full of GoFundMe’s, donation buckets, and “opportunities” to roundup at the check-out, the idea of generosity can get pretty foggy pretty quickly. What does the Bible say about sacrifice, sharing, worship, and generosity. And what could it possibly have to do with freedom?

GATHERED WORSHIP

What I found encouraging, compelling, or challenging from the Sunday service:

My major takeaway from this week’s sermon:

DAILY WORSHIP

What God is bringing to my attention this week as I read and pray:

Notes and prayer:

SMALL GROUPS

Something I’d like to discuss from the sermon or my personal time with God:

My group’s prayer requests:

Small group conversation notes:

NOTES & PRAYER

NOTES & PRAYER

WEEK SIX

Law and Gospel Freedom

The Bible is full of examples, wisdom, and instruction – for our use of money and for many other things. In this final message, we’ll learn how all these instructions lead us to Jesus who not only sets us free but keeps us and guides us in a lifelong journey of true freedom.

GATHERED WORSHIP

What I found encouraging, compelling, or challenging from the Sunday service:

My major takeaway from this week’s sermon:

DAILY WORSHIP

What God is bringing to my attention this week as I read and pray:

Notes and prayer:

SMALL GROUPS

Something I’d like to discuss from the sermon or my personal time with God:

My group’s prayer requests:

Small group conversation notes:

NOTES & PRAYER

NOTES & PRAYER

Resources & Info

Gathered Worship

We gather each week to worship God and encourage one another in the faith. We hear from God’s Word and participate in the sacraments of communion and baptism.

Lytham Road Campus

9:00 am (Traditional), 11:00 am

2300 Lytham Road

Columbus, OH 43220

Mill Run Campus

9:00 am, 11:00 am

3500 Mill Run Drive

Hilliard, OH 43026

Daily Worship

ualc.org/worship

Our daily pursuit to grow in relationship with God typically looks like daily Bible readings and prayer. However, it can also include disciplines like fasting, confessing, journaling, simplicity, solitude, and stewarding talents and resources. Scan the code to access our Daily Worship blog, which includes daily scripture readings and a reflection written by members and staff of UALC.

ualc.org/dailyworship

Small Groups

A small group is a band of brothers and sisters in Christ where you can know and be known, love and be loved, care and be cared for, and grow in Christ together. Small groups meet 3–4 times per month all across town. This is the primary experience of Christian community.

New small groups continue to form at UALC and several of our existing groups would love to have you join them. Learn more and get connected today.

ualc.org/smallgroups

Stay Connected Online hub with current information for our UALC community. Search for current and upcoming announcements and ministry opportunities.

ualc.org/stayconnected

Care & Support Ministries

Prayer, care, and support ministry information

ualc.org/care ➤

Giving

Giving to the general fund makes ministry possible at UALC. 20% of your giving goes directly to support mission partners, locally and around the world. The other 80% supports preaching the gospel and the ongoing work of this church.

ualc.org/give ➤

Next Gen & Family Resources

Kids’ Ministry: Infant–PreK

Partnering with the church to engage children with the Gospel in ways that are caught and taught.

ualc.org/prek

Kids’ Ministry: Kindergarten–5th Grade

Partnering with the church to engage children with the Gospel in ways that are caught and taught.

ualc.org/elementary

Middle School Ministry

Affirming our identity as children of God and learning to take greater ownership of our faith.

ualc.org/middleschool

High School Ministry

Pursuing the way of Jesus as a community of believers, committed to putting our faith into action.

ualc.org/highschool

The mission of UALC is to be and to make disciples of Jesus Christ. We believe that God has called us to be an Oasis of His kingdom for a dry and thirsty world. We envision a future where we are so well-watered in the love and truth and Spirit of Christ that it transforms our life together, and people who encounter our church community would say, “see how they love one another,” to the glory of God.

Hilliard Mill Run Campus

3500 Mill Run Drive

Hilliard, OH 43026

Upper Arlington Lytham Road Campus

2300 Lytham Road

Columbus, OH 43220

www.ualc.org