John 6:41-59
Week 7
The Gospel of John is one of the earliest accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus. The book embodies the eyewitness testimony and has a clear purpose in mind. The author John writes in chapter 20 v. 31, that he wrote the book “so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and that by believing, you may have life in his name." Thus, John's big idea is this: Jesus is alive and real, and his message can change individual lives and the entire cosmos forever.
Learn more about practicing the liturgy.
Leader prays. Group Prays.
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Let us share in the joys and sorrows of one another's life.
What has been the highlight of your week?
What has been the low of your week? -
Let us together prepare our hearts in worship.
Let us hear the record of God's saving deeds in history, how he saved his people in ages past; and let us pray that our God will bring each of us to the fullness of redemption.
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For a moment, let us sit in silence reflecting on our actions this past week and together, we will confess and be reminded that we are the forgiven community.
Most merciful God,
We confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart; We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent, for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name.
Amen.
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Let us hear the word of the Lord from the Psalms.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
those he gathered from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.Some wandered in desert wastelands,
finding no way to a city where they could settle.
They were hungry and thirsty,
and their lives ebbed away.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He led them by a straight way
to a city where they could settle.
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.–Psalm 107:1-9 (NIV)
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Let us affirm our faith with the words of the Apostles’ Creed.
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day, he rose again.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the global Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen. -
Let us open the scriptures and learn the story of Christ.
At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
“Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
–John 6:41-59 (NIV) -
Let us take a moment to talk through what we have heard reflecting on what it is saying to us.
What does this reveal about God or His Kingdom?
What does this reveal about human nature or yourself?
How can you live out this passage or who should you share this story with?
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At this time, if you have a prayer request we’ll hear those and conclude with the Lord’s prayer. What would you like to lift up in prayer?
As our Savior taught us, so we pray;
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours now and for ever.
Amen. -
Let us confess the Mystery of our Faith.
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again. -
May we go from this place prepared to reveal the Kingdom of Jesus, together.
Living God, draw us deeper into your love;
Jesus our Lord, send us to care and serve;
Holy Spirit, make us heralds of good news.Stir us, strengthen us,
teach and inspire us to live your love
with generosity and joy, imagination and courage;
for the sake of your world and in the name of Jesus,Amen.
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