Take time to READ this CHAPTER 9: p142-176

Much of this is taken from the talk by JOHN MARK COMER: Sabbath: Stop, Rest, Delight, & Worship

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REFLECT | 'What is going on in our life right now?’

Discuss

• Did you manage to implement the ONE THING you said you were going to do differently this week? Why/Why not? (Not supposed to be condemning, just an acknowledgement)

• How did your Sabbath go this week? What worked? What didn’t? Why/Why not?

ENGAGE | ‘How do we engage with what God is saying to us?

• What is it to be an Apprentice of Jesus?

  • Alexander Venter (Vineyard National Gathering 2021) comments it is to …….‘live with, to learn from, and to be like’

  • What do you think it would look like in Hemel for people to live this way!?

• Read Luke :1-11 (CLICK HERE)

  • Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

    • What did Jesus require of Peter?

    • If we were to do as Peter did in our context, what might our life be like?

• What makes you aware of God’s presence?

• Is there a way of learning to be aware of it more effectively?

• When was the last time you were aware of his presence?

Exercise #4: Worship

Overview

The Sabbath is a day for rest and worship; it’s not simply a day to relax and sleep, but also to connect with God. The aim of this final exercise is to cultivate intimacy with God through a variety of practices, but specifically through what ancient followers of Jesus called the “daily office,” a simple practice of pausing at set times throughout the day to set your heart on God in prayer. Traditionally, there are three offices: morning, noon, and night.

1. Begin your Sabbath morning in awareness.

• Immediately upon waking, do something to set your heart upon the goodness of your life in God.

• Here’s a few recommendations:

• Read a Psalm (like Psalm 23, 37, or 92) or favorite Scripture.

• Give thanks. Be specific, leisurely, and genuine.

• Step outside and (depending on where your live), breathe in fresh air, listen to the birds, plant your feet on the ground, and appreciate the goodness of God and your life in his world.

• Praise God. You can do this with or without music, alone or with a community, simply set your attention and adoration on God and his goodness.

2. At some point in the day, spend leisurely time reading Scripture and listening to God’s voice over your life.

• Think of Sabbath-like a mini-retreat day once a week. See the previous exercise on retreat for ideas.

• Depending on how tired you are, you might want to save this exercise for the latter half of your day, after your soul has had time to catch up to your body and come to peace.

3. Practice the daily office 2-3 times throughout the day.

• After your morning time, pause a few more times to come back to the moment, and savor the goodness of your life in God.

• Here’s a few recommendations for how to do this:

• Take a prayer walk.

• Read a psalm, poem, or liturgy.

• Do some spiritual reading, something devotional that warms your heart to God’s goodness.

• Put on a worship song.

• Practice breathing prayer, listening prayer, or any other kind of contemplative prayer that comes easily for you.

• List your gratitude’s out to God in prayer.

• Think about how you connect with God and just do that.

4. End your Sabbath in awareness.

• Find a ritual or tradition that you love and engenders grateful worship of God in your heart. End your Sabbath in thankfulness to God.

INSPIRE | - 'How do we inspire change in each other? What are we going to do / change / do differently this week?'

Discuss

• What ONE thing am I going to take the opportunity to do differently this week?

• How can we INSPIRE each other to add worship to our sabbath routine?

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