St. James Bible Study for Sunday, October 12, 2025 Family & Friends Sunday with Study Guide and Daily Devotional

Bible Study Companion Guide
“Family, Faith, and the Work of Belonging”
St. James Presbyterian Church, Harlem, NYC
Family and Friends Sunday — October 12, 2025
 
Family and Friends Sunday is more than a celebration of kinship—it’s a sacred affirmation that God calls us into intentional community, wherever life places us. Each of today’s scriptures reminds us that belonging is not always easy, but always holy. Whether we are exiled like Israel, tested like Paul, or healed like the Samaritan leper, God’s Spirit forms us into a people who live, love, and labor together for the good of all.
 
1. Jeremiah 29:1, 4–7 — Building in Exile
“Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”
Jeremiah writes to Israelites living in Babylonian exile. They long to go home, but God instructs them to plant roots where they are—to build houses, plant gardens, raise families, and seek the good of the city around them.
This passage redefines ‘family and friends’ not by proximity or shared history but by shared purpose. Even in displacement, God commands us to build, bless, and belong. It’s a call to faithful presence—to become builders of community in Harlem, in our families, in every place where we find ourselves ‘sent.’
 
Discussion Questions:
What does it mean to “seek the welfare of the city” in our time and place?
How do we honor our past while building where we are now?
Who around us might be longing for belonging—and how might we invite them in?
 
2. Psalm 66:1–12 — Praise through Trials
“You brought us into the net; you laid burdens on our backs… yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.”
Psalm 66 is a communal song of thanksgiving. It acknowledges suffering—nets, fire, and water—but celebrates deliverance and renewal.
Family and friendship are tested through trial. The psalmist does not deny hardship; instead, they transform it into praise that remembers deliverance. The “spacious place” God leads us to may not be physical—it may be the peace of knowing that we survived together.
 
Discussion Questions:
How has God brought you “through the fire and water” this year?
What are the burdens your family or community has carried—and how have they shaped you?
What does your “spacious place” look like today?
 

 
3. 2 Timothy 2:8–15 — Endurance, Faith, and Trust
“The word of God is not chained… If we endure, we will also reign with him.”
Paul writes from prison, urging Timothy to stay faithful in teaching, endurance, and integrity. It is a letter of legacy—of faith passed through generations.
Paul speaks to Timothy like family—a mentor to a beloved child in faith. In our own faith families, we inherit not only stories but also the work of endurance. True kinship in Christ means standing firm together when the world tests our hope. We are not bound by fear, because “the word of God is not chained.”
 
Discussion Questions:
Who has passed faith on to you, and how are you passing it on?
What does endurance look like in your spiritual or family life?
How do we keep the gospel unchained in a world full of distractions and division?
 
4. Luke 17:11–19 — Gratitude and Restoration
“Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice.”
Jesus heals ten lepers, but only one—a Samaritan outsider—returns to give thanks. Gratitude becomes the doorway to wholeness.
Healing is both physical and relational. The Samaritan’s gratitude restores more than his body—it reconnects him to God and community. Gratitude is the glue of belonging; it transforms a crowd into a family. On this Family and Friends Sunday, we remember that every act of love, every return to gratitude, heals the body of Christ.
 
Discussion Questions:
Why do you think only one leper returned?
How does gratitude heal relationships in your life?
What would it mean for us, as a church family, to live as that “one who returned”?
 
Closing Reflection: Living the Work of Belonging
God’s message across these texts is clear:
- Plant roots where you are.
- Praise through the trials.
- Endure in the faith you’ve inherited.
- Return in gratitude, and live healed.

Family and Friends Sunday celebrates not only who we are but what we build together—a community of grace, perseverance, and praise in Harlem and beyond.
 
Prayer:
Holy God, root us in Your love. Bind us together across generations, friendships, and faith journeys. Teach us to seek the good of the city, to praise You through the fire, to endure in the Spirit, and to return with grateful hearts. In Christ’s name, Amen.


Daily Devotional Companion
Living the Work of Belonging — Week of October 12, 2025
St. James Presbyterian Church, Harlem, NYC — Family and Friends Week
 
 
This week, we live into the scriptures of Family and Friends Sunday through daily practices that root us in belonging, gratitude, and faith. Use this guide for prayer, journaling, or sharing with others.
Monday — Root Where You Are
Scripture: Jeremiah 29:4–7
Theme: Faithful Presence
Practice:
Take a walk through your neighborhood. Pray for your neighbors, schools, and local businesses. Write down one way you can 'seek the welfare of the city' this week—through kindness, volunteering, or advocacy.
Prayer Question:
Where is God asking me to plant deeper roots of care and presence right where I am?
 
Tuesday — Remember the Journey
Scripture: Psalm 66:1–12
Theme: Praise Through Trials
Practice:
Light a candle or play a song of gratitude. Reflect on moments when God brought you 'through the fire and water.' Name three challenges that shaped you and three blessings that surprised you.
Prayer Question:
What 'spacious place' is God leading me toward after struggle?

 
Wednesday — Honor Your Faith Lineage
Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:8–15
Theme: Endurance and Legacy
Practice:
Reach out to someone who helped shape your faith—or light a candle in their memory. Journal about their lessons and how you might pass them on.
Prayer Question:
What sacred stories am I carrying forward for the next generation?
Thursday — Practice Gratitude
Scripture: Luke 17:11–19
Theme: Healing Through Gratitude
Practice:
Keep a 'Gratitude Hour.' For one hour, pause every 15 minutes to name something for which you are thankful. Whisper a prayer: 'Thank you, Lord, for the wholeness You give.'
Prayer Question:
What healing is waiting for me in the act of gratitude?
 
Friday — Reconnect and Reconcile
Scripture: Jeremiah 29:7 & Luke 17:19
Theme: Belonging and Restoration
Practice:
Reach out to someone with whom you’ve lost touch or need to make peace. Offer presence and grace without expectation.
Prayer Question:
How might reconciliation open a new chapter of belonging in my life?
 
 
 
Saturday — Praise and Rest
Scripture: Psalm 66:1
Theme: Joyful Communion
Practice:
Take time for Sabbath rest. Share a meal with family or friends. Before eating, invite everyone to share one word of thanks or hope.
Prayer Question:
How can I let joy—not worry—be my act of worship today?
 
Sunday — Gather and Give Thanks
Scripture: Luke 17:15–16; Psalm 66:8–9
Theme: Family in the Spirit
Practice:
As you worship, bring one word from your week’s reflection before God. Let your worship be both thanksgiving and offering—of your story, your endurance, and your gratitude.
Prayer Question:
How is God weaving our individual stories into one family of faith?
 
Closing Benediction
God of roots and rivers, of homes and healing,
make our lives prayers of gratitude.
In our families, friendships, and communities,
let us live as builders of Your peace,
seekers of the city’s good,
and witnesses of Your unchained Word.
Amen.