MEET ME IN THE GARDEN.
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Thursday, November 27th - 1 PM
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Sunday, November 30th
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Sunday, December 7th
Icebreaker: “FOOD FIGHT”
If you had to ban one Thanksgiving food from ever being served again, what would it be? And why does it deserve to be canceled?
3 Garden Observations.
1. The Garden Brings Awareness.
Luke 22:41-42 [MSG], Hebrew 12:15 [ESV], Romans 8:26-27 [NKJV], Zephaniah 3:17 [NLT]
When Jesus entered the Garden, He didn’t hide how He felt. Instead, He knelt down and poured out the raw truth: “Father, remove this cup from Me.” In this moment, we see that the Garden is the place where God gently brings awareness to what’s happening beneath the surface. Like a reopened wound that needs proper care, God reveals what’s been festering, meaning unresolved hurt, stacked traumas, quiet fears, and the guilt we feel when we’re “not okay” in a season. It’s there, in honesty, that the Spirit steps in. Romans 8 shows us that when we don’t know how to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes to take over the parts of the battle we no longer have strength to fight. In the Garden, God brings things into the light not to shame us, but to heal us.
Reflection Questions:
What has God been trying to make you aware of lately — emotionally, spiritually, or relationally?
Where do you feel tempted to hide your pain instead of bringing it into the Garden with Jesus?
How have you experienced the Holy Spirit “interceding” for you in a season when you didn’t know how to pray?
2. The Garden Brings Alignment.
Luke 22:41-43 [NLT]
Jesus didn’t stop at expressing His will. He surrendered it. The Garden becomes the place where awareness turns into alignment and where honesty turns into obedience. But this alignment didn’t come easily. Jesus was overwhelmed, distressed, and under such internal pressure that His sweat turned into blood. Even Jesus longed for support and asked His closest friends to stay awake with Him. This shows us that alignment is shaped through community, honesty, and help from God, not in isolation. The reality is, not everyone can go where God is taking you. Jesus brought twelve disciples to the Garden, but only three went further. And as He prayed, God sent an angel to strengthen Him — a reminder that divine help meets us in the place of surrender. In the Garden, God realigns our desires, emotions, and plans with His purpose.
Reflection Questions:
What area of your life needs alignment with God’s will right now?
Where have you been trying to carry something alone that you need community for?
Who are the “three” you can bring further into your Garden season and who needs to stay at a distance?
3. The Garden Reveals Your Assignment.
Luke 22:46 [NLT], 1 Peter 5:8 [NLT]
When Jesus rose from prayer, He didn’t walk out of the Garden the same way He walked in. The weight was still there, the betrayal was moments away, and the cross was still ahead, but something had shifted inside Him. The Garden is where clarity comes and where our soul regains the strength to move forward. It’s where God reveals what we must confront, what we must walk toward, and what we must leave behind. The Garden reverses what Adam lost: where Adam hid, Jesus showed up; where Adam withdrew, Jesus entered in; where Adam broke relationship, Jesus restored it. Jesus steps into our human weakness, fear, shame, and loneliness so we can step into our God-given assignment. The Garden produces movement. It releases obedience. It awakens purpose.
Reflection Questions:
What assignment or calling has God been trying to bring into focus for you?
What “Garden moment” are you currently facing that feels like preparation?
What step of obedience is God asking you to “get up” and take?
THIS WEEK’S DECLARATION:
“This week, I choose to meet Jesus in the Garden. I refuse to hide what I feel or bury what hurts. In God’s presence, I believe I am safe to be honest, aware, and fully seen. I align my heart with God’s will. Not my will, but His be done in my thoughts, emotions, and decisions. I release the pressure to perform or pretend, and I receive the help God sends. I am not alone, and I will not isolate myself. In the Garden, I trust that God is revealing my assignment. Confusion becomes clarity and heaviness becomes purpose. I rise with courage and step into the calling God has prepared for me. Jesus meets me in the Garden — and with Him, I move forward — in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
