SESSION 5
OPENING: Spend time going round the group and hearing from each member - how their spiritual practices have been going - whether they would like to commit to be part of the mini-order, and -what their "frontline" is - the place or group of people they spend most time with, whether it is a workplace, place of study, family grouping or leisure activity. ACTIVITY: Shaped to serve God's purposes The Body of Christ is an image that indicates our interdependence and the need for every part to fulfil its role - but it also suggests diversity: different gifts; different ways to make a difference. Everyone can complete a spiritual gifting questionnaire - a starting point to think about what and where God might be calling us to. There are lots of these spiritual gifting questionnaires freely available on the internet. The following link is one example: www.umc.org/what-we-believe/spiritual-gifts-online-assessment Personality and passions; skills and interests are important considerations too. There are other courses that group members may wish to undertake at another time to help prayerfully unlock God's lead and direction for their lives. The course “Your SHAPE for God’s Service” is an excellent course. Group members may wish to complete it at another time. The author, Revd Canon Amiel Osmaston, makes it available free to download from the website of the Diocese of Carlisle www.carlislediocese.org.uk/our-faith/learning/shape-course-exploring-gifts.html INPUT: Two kinds of missional. As the questionnaire that the group has just completed suggests, the group is made up of individuals with their own unique contributions and particular frontlines. As a mini-order, the group can pray for, encourage and equip one another when they are together, for the times when they are apart. But the mini-order itself may also be intentionally missional. You will need four voices: one person to be the narrator, a second to be Richard Medcalf, a third to be Neil Hudson and a fourth to be Mark Greene. Apologies the characters are so male this week. NARRATOR: Near Paris, a group of English-speaking Christians called Engage has been on a journey. RICHARD MEDCALF: In 2010 our home group felt called to something more outward-focused and to learn what being an extended family on mission together might look like. This was really something God had bubbled up amongst us; it wasn’t a church programme and frankly missional communities weren’t on the radar of the leadership at all. We obtained permission to experiment, but apart from that we were left to figure things out ourselves! The first thing we did was agree on our “mission vision”: who we are looking to reach out to. Our group consisted of a couple of families with young children and a couple of slightly older ladies from our church. We felt our calling together was to internationally-minded young families in the local area. We started with a flurry of outward activity that ended up being unsustainable. We had a complicated monthly diary of social, “spiritual” and service events which, frankly, was too much burden for a small core group. People got tired and it all became complicated to manage. So we dialled back on the programme and spent a considerable period of time encouraging the team to see themselves as missionaries to their neighbourhoods and networks and we have seen people really switch mindset. It has taken much trial and error to find rhythms that are both missional and sustainable. We have found monthly community meals (where we invite friends) and a monthly “core team” night of prayer, planning and Scripture to be foundational elements. When the kids were very young we found that hanging out in the local toy library on a Saturday morning was a great place to build relationships. Now we have switched to Sunday afternoons in the park, where we bring snacks and increasingly include a small spiritual component: praying for the kids before school term, or bringing and blessing food in winter before giving it to the local food bank. Our wider circle of friends has responded well to this. We have also established some traditions such as a Christmas party where we bring a clear Jesus-focus amongst all the mince pies and mulled wine, and it has been encouraging to see our friends looking forward to such fixtures. Over time, relationships have led to deeper engagement. A couple of us organise a monthly beer and curry night for anglophone guys in town, which has proved popular and met a real need for community amongst hard-working professionals. This has given rise to smaller discussion nights in the same bar, where conversations are getting deeper and bigger questions raised. Similarly, the women in the group found some of their friends eager to engage with a monthly Bible study. So how does a home group become a missional community? I would say: with time, persistence, many mistakes and lots of encouraging words from mentors on the way! NARRATOR: Some mini-orders will be called to this sort of joint missional activity. Others will not - but that does not mean they have nothing to do with mission, it's just that each group member will be on mission in a different place! Here are some words from Imagine Church by Neil Hudson (IVP 2012 - quoting pp16-18): MARK GREENE: The overall mission strategy of the church is to recruit the people of God to use some of their leisure time to join the mission-initiatives of church-paid workers. NEIL HUDSON: But what might happen if we change this? If all of God's people recognised that all of their lives matter to God, and these ordinary lives can be directly involved in God's mission? What would happen if they realised that their lives are of real significance specifically because of God's desire for the whole world to be reconciled to himself? What would happen if the 98% of Christians who are not in church-paid work were engaged in mission not for three to ten hours a week, but for 100% of their waking time? At the very least, it would change their morning prayers, wouldn't it? MARK GREENE: The UK will never be reached until we create open, authentic, learning and praying communities that are focused on making whole-life disciples who live and share the gospel wherever they meet people in their daily lives. GROUP DECISION: Which of these kinds of missional is this mini-order being called to? How can it involve more than talking about "spiritual" things like prayer and Bible-reading, and ensure it's involved in spiritual things like living our ordinary lives gloriously for Jesus? With all this in mind, what should the mini-order be called? PRAYERS: Everyone prays one word for the "frontline" of the person on their left - and then for the frontline of the person on their right. HOMEWORK: Next time we meet, we're going to decide what our 3-4 commitments are as a mini-order. Let's pray and reflect about that until then. SESSION 6: OPENING: What 3-4 commitments should we be making as a mini-order? Use paper and pens to write them down - often the group will find that they have effectively the same point made in different ways, and will amalgamate until they end up with exactly the right wordings. Make sure there's a balance of missional and devotional, and that everyone's ideas have been included in some way. To help explain this idea and to give an illustrative example, the following are the 4 principles that emerged for the Rule of Life of the mini-order that first completed this course in Autumn 2012: Unconditional love: this key idea emerged from the group’s overall vision statement and thoughts about how principles should be applied in our daily lives Gratitude: the motivation for our response to other people and God in terms of relationships, financial giving, service and mission Devotions for perseverance: a commitment to prayer and Bible study every day Practising the Presence of God: practices to keep us close to God throughout the day GROUP DECISION: What will our commitments be? INPUT: Acts 8:26-40 Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch 26 Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) 27 So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” 30 So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. 32 Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” 34 The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?” 38 He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea. Can you find evidence that Philip shows the things included in this mini-order's commitments? What does Philip give, and how has he received this? Do you see any evidence of spiritual devotions and missional priorities in Philip’s life? PRAYER For one another by name. Particularly pray for anyone who has come to the six sessions, but decided not to take the mini-order's vows. PREPARE Go over some practicalities for the group's retreat day or half day. See the tab on 'Retreat and Vows'.
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SESSION 3 OPENING: Use a "spiritual styles" questionnaire - there is a good one freely available at North Point Ministries. Or you could simply print the one on this site under the "resources" tag. Make sure everyone has time to talk through their own style. The key idea to draw out is that ‘one size does not fit all’. Each person needs to find ways of action, prayer and study that suits their individual personality and life rhythms. Then move on to talk about our reflections on living by "guiding principles" over the last month. Note: from now on the group may feel able to share more deeply what is happening in their lives. It is important that the group stops to pray and express concern, and that God's forgiveness is expressed when group members share that they have failed to live up to their ideals in certain ways. Hopefully it will become a natural part of group life that members declare "Jesus' work is finished. God has forgiven you. Go in peace" - or words to that effect. INPUT 1: Distribute the handout "4 Methods for Devotions" to the group. (See Resources tab). Don't spend too long going through it - but give an opportunity for people say whether they would find one or other of these methods more or less useful for them, given their spiritual style. INPUT 2: Distribute the handout "John 6" to the group (see Resources tab). Have someone in the group read John 6.1-14 out loud. Let the group decide how they would like to tackle it (there may be time to try two different approaches). a) Would they rather read it by themselves, mark the text and then discuss it? b) Would they rather have some pre-set questions to answer? or c) Would they like to be led in a meditation on the passage? If they'd rather read it by themselves, ask them to mark surprises with a !, things they have questions about with a ?, connections with the group's life and conversations with a & and things that connect with participants' everyday lives with a *. After 15 minutes, discuss what marks people have put on their sheets. If they go with the second option, here is a small selection of study questions on John 6:1-14: Look at verses 11 and 12. How much did the people eat? Did they have enough to eat? What does this tell us about Jesus’ miracles and provision? Have you ever experienced a time when God gave you more than you needed? Share stories. What is the faith lesson that Phillip and Andrew, along with the other disciples learnt that day? Is there a lesson for us to learn through the story of this miracle? If the group would appreciate a meditation, here is how it might go: Preparation Start with prayer: ask God to help you to be attentive and open to what He wants to show you. Then read the passage slowly and reflect on the story. Imagining the story Next spend some time imagining the scene of the story. Use all your senses to imagine being there. Notice the details - what do you see, hear, smell and feel? Place yourself in the scene – where do you feel drawn to? Is there something in the story that you identify with? Who are you? What do you see and hear? What is your response as the situation unfolds? Read the story again and reflect further. Encounter Jesus in the story Focus your attention on Jesus in the story: What is he doing? What is he saying? What are his attitude and expressions? Imagine your character encountering Jesus and interacting with Him. What does Jesus do or say? Read the story again and reflect further. Responding to the prayer experience Respond to Jesus in prayer. Speak to Him honestly, from your heart and ask Him what He wants to say to you. Have a conversation with Jesus, making your response to him. In company with Jesus, consider what action this encounter might be encouraging you to take. Spend some time resting silently in the presence of God. Finish If you do an exercise like this individually you might want to write down some of your thoughts and decisions in a journal. In the group setting today, the group could spend some moments sharing some of their experiences. HOMEWORK: Each group member promises to attempt one of these devotional practices before the mini-order next meets - and come ready to share how doing so might start to effect their actions/mission. SESSION 4 OPENING: Get the big piece of paper from session 2 with the "guiding principles out". Now we've been looking at them for a while, do we want to change any of them? Which have we found most helpful? Has a "big idea" emerged for the group, and if so, does that suggest a group name? (We'll return to this next time) Let each group member say how they've done with the devotional challenge since the mini-order last met. Don't forget lots of forgiveness. INPUT 1: Use images to reflect on the idea of staying connected to God throughout our daily lives:
Look at the example of Brother Lawrence, a 17th Century Friar, who wrote a book called “The Practice of the Presence of God”. BROTHER LAWRENCE: The most holy practice, the nearest to daily life, and the most essential for the spiritual life, is the practice of the presence of God, that is to find joy in his divine company and to make it a habit of life. So how do we do this? How do we practise the presence of God throughout our day? BROTHER LAWRENCE: We ought to act very simply with God, speaking familiarly with him, and asking him for help in situations as they arise. God will not fail to give it as I have often experienced. Share ideas of practices you find work in keeping you close to God or help you to abide in Christ through the day. INPUT 2: If group members would value a discussion about fasting, point them to an online article on fasting for beginners. It's worth asking if group members would benefit from fasting from food (which may benefit the body, prayer, self-knowledge and obedience), but also exploring the dangers of fasting - it wouldn't be sensible for some people - and the possibility of fasting from something quite different from food (e.g. TV? Social media?) PRAYER: Distribute the handout "Stillness" (see Resources tab). Experiment with some silent prayer. HOMEWORK: Each group member promises to try one practice, whether it's something like fasting, stillness, or practicing the presence of God, or whether it's something like writing to an MP, campaigning about an issue they care about, or speaking to someone about their faith. They also promise to consider whether they would be willing to take vows (still to be written!) and commit to be part of the group for a 12-month period. SESSION 1 GROUP WELCOME AND ICEBREAKER: Ask each group member to write on a piece of paper three things about themselves which are not known to the rest of the group. Two are true and one is not. Taking turns, each person reads out the 'facts' about themselves and the rest of the group votes which are true and false. INPUT: You may wish to continue by reading the history of the Order of the Mustard Seed, as below. Maybe group members would be willing to read one paragraph each? 1. Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf was born in Saxony (eastern Germany) in 1700, the son of an aristocratic family. In 1715, he was part of a spiritual revival at his school, the Halle academy. He and four friends formed a prayer and accountability group which would later go on to become the “Order of the Mustard Seed”. The group had no “leader”. 2. The members of the Order had a sense of connectedness and were accountable to one another, but unlike a traditional monastic order, the members were people who had separate lives, families and careers. The simplest version of their core principles is: Be True to Christ; Be Kind to Others; Take the Good News to the Nations. 3. They developed specific ideas about how their core principles would be expressed in practice: the way they lived their everyday lives; the way they exercised their responsibilities; how they would reach out with practical care and prayer for the sick and the poor; speaking to others about Jesus; daily disciplines of prayer, “stillness” and Bible reading. 4. A sense of belonging to this group and its commitments were marked by outward signs: every member wore a ring carrying a Greek inscription meaning “None of us lives for himself”. They made a pledge of commitment to the Order and its aims and were accountable to one another. A Roman Catholic archbishop, the king of Denmark, a North American tribal chieftain and some German potters all joined the order as equals. The movement (whose descendants today include the renewed Moravian Church and the 24/7 prayer movement) was unusual in its day for being pacifist, having men and women as equals, referring to the Holy Spirit as female, and believing that diversity was a good thing: “the way two people, both filled with the Spirit, read the same passage of the Bible differently, is a result not so much of sin blinding our eyes as of the Creator God, who has chosen to give us different eyes” – Zinzendorf. But there is no sense in which forming a mini-order makes us "part of" the Order of the Mustard Seed, or the Moravian Church - what we're planning here is local, pop-up and of this place and community. 5. Inner commitment to the Order’s aims had its roots in grace and gratitude, not self-help and striving: Faith is a ‘thank you’, not a ‘please’. Doing good is not done to gain anything from God (because it’s already been given) and not out of fear or pride or guilt, but simply out of joyful, confident gratitude, enabled by the Spirit and assisted by the Word. ‘Jesus, the more sure I am of your mercy and love,’ said Zinzendorf, ‘the more I will be devoted to you, and cheerfully stand to comply with your every command.’ So writing a Rule of Life is just a way to show our gratitude. 6. Maybe we, as a group, could form a mini-order. In six sessions, we would write a rule of life committing ourselves to specific attitudes and action – some “spiritual”, some activist/political; then we could take vows; then we could meet monthly to see how we’re doing, encourage each other and forgive each other GROUP ACTIVITY Which organizations have the following mission statements? 1. Our mission is: -To refresh the world in mind, body and spirit -To inspire moments of optimism and happiness through our brands and actions -To create value and make a difference. 2. ____________ mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. 3. We save people money so they can live better. 4. Our mission has always been to save the world from mediocre coffee. 5. At ___________, we work to help people and businesses throughout the world realize their full potential. This is our mission. Everything we do reflects this mission and the values that make it possible. Does it help to say that these five organisations are Walmart/Asda, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Facebook and Costa Coffee - but not in that order? And churches often have mission statements too - see for example 1. Jesus, teach us all to love. (St Michael’s Galleywood, Essex) 2. Follow Jesus, in company with each other for the good of the world. (St Andrew’s, Chorleywood) 3. We are committed to love God with our whole being, be kind to our neighbours and take the good news to the nations (one way to summarise the mission of the Order of the Mustard Seed) 4. York Minster invites everyone to discover God’s love through our welcome, worship, learning and work. 5. Oasis is committed to working in an inclusive, integrated, empowering and comprehensive way so that all people experience wholeness and fullness of life. What might be the pros and cons of Mission Statements such as these above? Have you worked for organizations with mission or vision statements? How helpful or unhelpful did you find it? If you had a "mission statement" for your life, what would it be? HOMEWORK: Think about an idea for a ‘guiding principle’ to help motivate us as a group and help us to develop a ‘Rule of Life’ – bring ideas next time. Please bear in mind it should be an idea that: we can all agree to will be memorable and inspire should agree with biblical truth and be distinctively Christian will flow easily into the way we live our lives SESSION 2: OPENING ACTIVITY: Play "find someone who" - you will find an example sheet under resources. INPUT: 1. State the aim of the session: to see how we can start with a particular issue in our community, reflect on it theologically, and come to a new understanding of what is required in action. The example we will be using is a problem in the church in Philippi, to which the apostle Paul wrote in the first century. 2. Get someone to read out the following introduction to Philippians: Paul and his companions, Silas and Timothy, established the church at Philippi on Paul’s second missionary journey. It was the first European church to be founded (in Macedonia, part of modern day Greece). The Philippian church had sent a gift with Epaphroditus (one of their members) to be delivered to Paul. Paul was in a Roman prison at the time. He wrote this letter to thank them for their gift and to encourage them in their faith. Date c. A.D.61-63 Despite some concerns, Paul loves this church and rejoiced over its progress. The letter is very warm and positive. 2. Someone else could read Philippians 4:1-2: I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. How do you imagine Euodia and Syntyche? What is Paul saying to Euodia and Syntyche? From the sound of it, what is the specific issue the church at Philippi is facing?? 3. Then someone else again could read Philippians 2.1-11, which reflects theologically about this issue: Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very natureGod, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death-- even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. How would you summarise the big theological principle that Paul reflects on, in the context of the particular issues the church in Philippi is facing? What are the issues - in your own life, in church life or in the life of the wider community - that have led you to explore whether this mini-order might be the way forward? As you reflect on these issues, what theological principles have you brought with you? GROUP DECISION-MAKING: As each group member shares a "guiding principle" for life, don't evaluate, argue or reject any ideas (unless something is clearly hurtful). Simply write the ideas on a large sheet of paper to be returned to in future. The principles I live my life by will effect... My work/study My relationships with my boss/teachers My family life My relationships with my friends/peer group/romantic attachments My leisure activities My money My eating, travelling and sleeping My church involvement Even though we haven't yet agreed our "Rule of Life", is there one thing that emerges as the likely heart of it? Invite each member to identify two areas of their life which would change in the next month based on these specific guiding principles. CLOSING PRAYER: Come, O Spirit of God, and make within us your dwelling place and home. May our darkness be dispelled by your light, and our troubles calmed by your peace; may all evil be redeemed by your love, all pain transformed through the suffering of Christ, and all dying glorified in his risen life. Amen HOMEWORK: Each member considers their own contributions to the "guiding principles", and also everyone else's - it may help if everyone takes a picture of the piece of paper on which they are written. Imagine what it would be like to live by them - are some impossible? Which are most helpful? Do some need to be refined to make them more useful? |