Within the first hundred hours of the war he had already come back from the border three times, and when someone tried to stop him he simply said: my church family is waiting there. This thanksgiving service is built out of stories like that, buses driving into the war zones to bring people out, a family crisis centre, camps for children from Ukraine, a mission trip to Zimbabwe, all lit by one sentence from Colossians 3: let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, and be thankful. There is no cheap optimism here, only the honest question of whether celebration is even fitting in a time of war. Listen to the testimonies of people who answered it with their own lives.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In Colossians 3:15, the peace of Christ, living as one body, and thankfulness all appear side by side. Why do you think these three things are so closely connected?
- The first Christians lived in a time of persecution and uncertainty. What might the call to let Christ's peace rule in their hearts and to be thankful have meant to them?
- The sermon pointed out that believers are united not by age or shared interests but by what Christ did on the cross. How do the stories of helping refugees in Zakościele and Tomaszów show this?
- Beata lost her job at the start of the year and later saw that God was preparing something else. How do you look for reasons to be thankful when things in your life don't go your way?
- Those who went to Zimbabwe talked about people who have very little yet share even their last bowl of porridge and constantly thank God. What does this attitude teach you about where gratitude comes from?
- The sermon ends with a call for us as a community to bring peace and gratitude to people in chaotic times. To whom and how can you show this this week, including through service no one sees?
