Meditate
Week 2
The Christian faith centers on God saving the world through Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection, a story revealed in the Bible that Jesus himself treated as authoritative. Therefore, following Jesus means taking Scripture seriously and allowing God’s Spirit to shape us as we study, meditate on, and memorize His inspired words.
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’s 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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We will take a moment in quiet to reflect on our actions this past week. Then, 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.
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.
–Psalm 1:1-3 (NIV) -
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. -
An introduction to scripture.
The Christian faith is built on the belief that God is saving the world through Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. That story of God’s work in human history is detailed in a library of works we call the Bible. Jesus himself, a teacher of the Bible, viewed these writings as authoritative. Therefore, any serious attempt to follow Jesus demands that we take the Bible seriously and let it play a central role in our lives and communities. As we encounter that story through study, meditation, and memorization, we let God's Spirit shape us through his inspired words.
This week, we will reflect on the role of meditation in reading the scriptures.
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Let us open the scriptures and learn the story of Christ.
To practice meditation, take your time reading this passage. Take the time to read the passage twice in different translations. And for those listening, consider putting your phone away, closing your eyes, and letting the spirit lead your imagination.
These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
–Deuteronomy 6:1-9 (NIV) -
Let’s take a moment to talk through what we have heard, reflecting on what it is saying to us.
What can we learn about this week's practice through this passage?
Where did I feel a sense of peace, joy, or anticipation as I engaged with Scripture?
How does the practice of meditation differ from the way you normally read Scripture?
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Let us consider how to follow Jesus in our everyday lives.
Take time to settle into God’s presence and engage in a meditative practice called Lectio Divina.
Lectio Divina is done by selecting a passage (John 15 is a great starting place), and slowly working through 5 movements.
Read (lectio): Read the passage slowly and pay attention to each line. Take your time. As you move through the text, pay close attention to the words and ideas that catch your attention. When your heart is drawn to a word, phrase, or idea, pause and let it expand in your mind.
Reflect (mediatio): After your first reading, return to the beginning and read it again. On your second reading, focus even more on the words or phrases that resonate with your heart, life, or whatever you’re wrestling with today. Listen for what God is saying to you through the text.
Respond (oratio): Talk to God about what you’re hearing.
Rest (contemplatio): Pause to sit in God’s presence before you return to the noise of life. Express whatever is in your heart to God—wonder, angst, awe, sadness, joy, pain, hope, or despair.
Incarnate (incarnatio): Ask the Spirit to illuminate our mind with a clear action step to act out the passage we’ve just sat with.
Experiment with this meditative style of reading this coming week.
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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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