Posts with the category “liturgy-for-life”

The following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with, or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.LITURGIES: Gratitude, Hospitality, Secrecy, ReflectionOPENING QUESTION(S)Take a moment to think about 5 things in your life that you are thankful for...  Read More

ConclusionMatthew 11:27-30 (MSG)“The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I’m not keeping it to myself; I’m ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen. “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned...  Read More

Reflecting On The JourneyJohn 8:31-32 (NIV)To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”I love these words of Jesus from the Gospel of John. Jesus is so clear in His clarification of what the absolute truth is. The word ‘hold’ in this passage is the same word interpreted as abi...  Read More

SecrecyMatthew 6:1; 3-4 (ESV)Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven… But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”The spiritual practice of secr...  Read More

HospitalityLuke 22:17-19Then he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. Then he said, "Take this and share it among yourselves. [18] For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come." [19] He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of m...  Read More

GratitudeColossians 3:15-17 (NIV)Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it...  Read More

The following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with, or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.LITURGIES: Prayer, Fasting, Solitude, Silence, Statio/Stand StillOPENING QUESTION(S)When you pray, what do you picture or imagine? Do. you imagine a ...  Read More

StatioMatthew 11:28-30Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."“Hurry up!” Doesn’t just reading that statement stress you out? It seems like rushing ...  Read More

SilencePsalm 62:1-2I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.Psalm 62:5-6Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.Psalm 62:7My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enem...  Read More

SolitudeLuke 5:15-16But despite Jesus' instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases. But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.Mark 1:35Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.John 12:36After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from th...  Read More

FastingMatthew 6:16-18"And when you fast, don't make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. A...  Read More

PrayerLuke 18:9-14Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: "Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: 'I thank you, God, that I am not like other people-cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I'm certainly not like that tax...  Read More

INTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with, or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.LITURGIES: Confession & Forgiveness, Process and Patience, Bold Forgiveness, Forgiveness and ResurrectionOPENING QUESTION(S)What…HEAD & H...  Read More

Forgiveness And Resurrection2 Timothy 2:8-11Always remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of King David, was raised from the dead. This is the Good News I preach. And because I preach this Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained. So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those ...  Read More

Bold ForgivenessHebrews 4:14-16So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us...  Read More

Process And PatiencePsalm 32:1-5Oh, what joy for those   whose disobedience is forgiven,   whose sin is put out of sight!Yes, what joy for those   whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,   whose lives are lived in complete honesty!When I refused to confess my sin,   my body wasted away,   and I groaned all day long.Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.   My strength evaporated...  Read More

Confession1 John 1:5-10This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son,...  Read More

Confession and ForgivenessMatthew 6:9-14Pray like this:Our Father in heaven,   may your name be kept holy.May your Kingdom come soon.May your will be done on earth,   as it is in heaven.Give us today the food we need,and forgive us our sins,   as we have forgiven those who sin against us.And don’t let us yield to temptation,   but rescue us from the evil one.“If you forgive those who sin against y...  Read More

INTRODUCTIONThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with, or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.LITURGIES: Rest - Sabbath, Promised, Jubilee, An AttitudeOPENING QUESTION(S)What is true, reuse wanting rest for you? What does it take f...  Read More

Stop And ListenJeremiah 6:16-17This is what the Lord says:“Stop at the crossroads and look around.    Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.    But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’I posted watchmen over you who said,    ‘Listen for the sound of the alarm.’But you replied,    ‘No! We won’t pay attention!’As we finish this week...  Read More

Attitude Of RestIsaiah 30:15This is what the Sovereign Lord,    the Holy One of Israel, says:“Only in returning to me    and resting in me will you be saved.In quietness and confidence is your strength.    But you would have none of it.We have spent time so far this week talking about why we rest, the source, the frequency, and the discipline needed to stop. Today our text reminds us of two import...  Read More

Jubilee RestLeviticus 25:1-5While Moses was on Mount Sinai, the Lord said to him, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you have entered the land I am giving you, the land itself must observe a Sabbath rest before the Lord every seventh year. For six years you may plant your fields and prune your vineyards and harvest your crops, but during the seventh year the land must h...  Read More

Promised RestHebrews 4:1-2God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it. For this good news—that God has prepared this rest—has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God.This passage may be familiar to you if you have been on t...  Read More

Sabbath RestExodus 20:8-11“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in...  Read More

The following is a guide to help facilitate discussion between you and the person you’re studying with, or with your Connect Group. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.LITURGIES: Worship, Celebration, LamentOPENING QUESTION(S)What are some liturgies or practices that you use that help you draw nearer to God and put ...  Read More

LamentLamentations 3:21-24Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”Being that we as people don’t tend to lament very well, it is important we spend another day thinking about it. While...  Read More

LamentLamentations 3:17-20Peace has been stripped away, and I have forgotten what prosperity is. I cry out, "My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the LORD is lost!" The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss.Every human being experiences loss at various levels. If you have lived for any length o...  Read More

CelebrationEphesians 1:3-8All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. [4] Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. [5] God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus...  Read More

Psalm 8:1-9O LORD, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you. When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers- the moon and the stars you set in place- what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you shou...  Read More

WorshipRomans 12:1-2And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice-the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know...  Read More

Liturgy is not a word many of us are accustomed to hearing in our daily lives. It is not a term that my religious heritage growing up in the Seventh-day Adventist Church has ever used. However, when you study and realize that our very DNA as Christians is woven through various aspects and expressions of God’s activity in the history of humanity and the church, you will encounter this word, liturgy...  Read More