Sacred Space: A Resource for Small-group Ministry

Transcription

1 Sacred Space: A Resource for Small-group Ministry Year B Focus: Ordinary Time Scripture: Mark 10:46 52 NRSV Gathering Welcome Prayer for Peace Ring a bell or chime three times slowly. Light the peace candle. May the holy flame of Creator s peace now be felt and lived in our needy world. Amen. Spiritual Practice Confession The practice of confession is to examine one s heart and to bring into the light things that hide in the dark recesses of our being. This enables us to give them to God, ask forgiveness, and be made new in God s mercy and grace. Place your hands in your lap, palms up in a posture of openness. I will read the psalm three times, pausing after each reading. In the moments of silence reflect on those things you wish to bring into the light and give to God in an act of confession and repentance. I will close the last period of silence with an Amen. Today s scripture and prayer of confession is from Psalm 130:3 7 NRSV: If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.

2 O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. Moment of silence If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. Moment of silence If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. Moment of silence Amen. Sharing Around the Table Mark 10:46 52 NRSV They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, Jesus, Son of David, have

3 mercy on me! Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, Son of David, have mercy on me! Jesus stood still and said, Call him here. And they called the blind man, saying to him, Take heart; get up, he is calling you. So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, What do you want me to do for you? The blind man said to him, My teacher, let me see again. Jesus said to him, Go; your faith has made you well. Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. Mark s Gospel is the shortest of the four and is thought to be the first one written. It is full of metaphors and symbols that illustrate Jesus plain and simple power as the miracleworking Son of God. In the Gospel of Mark, people get to know Jesus early in his ministry as the one with power to cast out an unclean spirit from the man in the synagogue. We go on to read of Jesus healing Simon s mother-in-law in her house. Then the whole city gathers at the door of the house to have Jesus heal its sick. One story of healing after another in this Gospel reminds us Jesus power is God s power. These stories also remind us of God s power in our lives today, and that God s power is shown in acts of mercy. Mark s emphasis on Jesus healing ministry also alerts us to the need for spiritual healing. Even if we do not have a withered hand or are not physically blind, we need Christ to bring healing into our lives. This text calls us to think about physical illness or impairment in Mark s Gospel as a symbol of all that is wrong in our lives and in the world. Jesus has the power to complete us, to make us whole again through faith. If we ll just trust in the Divine, God s power and desire to heal us spiritually are unceasing. God s mercy never ends. Blindness is particularly symbolic in poetry and scripture. In the Gospel of Mark, blindness may represent a failure to understand or grasp the meaning of Jesus ministry. Scholars find meaning in studying larger sections of Mark s Gospel together. Though Mark s Gospel is shorter and generally more concise than the others, Mark tells two stories about blind men being healed (Mark 8:22, 10:46). These healings mark the beginning and end of a lesson to the reader. Between these demonstrations of his merciful power, Jesus works at teaching his disciples through word and deed about the nature of discipleship and the purpose of his ministry. The message is one of powerful love, mercy, and self-sacrifice for others. But repeatedly Jesus disciples fail to understand. They turn away people who need help. They argue about which one of them is the greatest. By the time Jesus heals Bartimaeus in Jericho, readers are almost at the end of the Gospel journey and are nearly all the way to Jerusalem. One might think the disciples had by then plenty of time to understand and see Jesus message. But even Bartimaeus is told to be quiet when he asks for healing. It might be significant that Bartimaeus is healed instantly by Jesus while the blind man from Bethsaida in chapter 8, who is not named, was harder to heal (see Mark 8:24 25). Peter also is said to have been from Bethsaida, so the first blind man may represent the disciples and how difficult it was to get the disciples to see. Questions 1. When have you seen God s mercy at work? 2. When have you been blessed by trusting in God s ways? 3. When have you been healed or seen others healed through God s power and mercy?

4 4. How does spiritual healing differ from physical healing? 5. How do we try to get God to do powerful favors for us rather than seeing that God wants us to serve others with mercy? How can we become symbols of God s mercy at work in the world? Sending Generosity Statement Sharing for the common good is the spirit of Zion (Doctrine and Covenants 165:2f). We receive God s grace and generosity. The offering basket is available if you would like to support ongoing small-group ministries as part of your generous response. This offering prayer is adapted from A Disciple s Generous Response: God, May we be a generous people in response to your boundless grace and unending love. Bless and magnify our gifts and our service to others. Let generosity become part of our nature, we pray. Amen. Invitation to Next Meeting Closing Hymn CCS 197, Lord, Have Mercy Closing Prayer Optional Additions Depending on Group Sacrament of the Lord s Supper Thoughts for Children

5 Prayer for Peace Ring a bell or chime three times slowly. Light the peace candle. May the holy flame of Creator s peace now be felt and lived in our needy world. Amen.

6 Spiritual Practice Confession The practice of confession is to examine one s heart and to bring into the light things that hide in the dark recesses of our being. This enables us to give them to God, ask forgiveness, and be made new in God s mercy and grace. Place your hands in your lap, palms up in a posture of openness. I will read the psalm three times, pausing after each reading. In the moments of silence reflect on those things you wish to bring into the light and give to God in an act of confession and repentance. I will close the last period of silence with an Amen. Today s scripture and prayer of confession is from Psalm 130:3 7 NRSV: If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. Moment of silence If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. Moment of silence

7 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. Moment of silence Amen.

8 Sharing Around the Table Mark 10:46 52 NRSV They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, Son of David, have mercy on me! Jesus stood still and said, Call him here. And they called the blind man, saying to him, Take heart; get up, he is calling you. So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, What do you want me to do for you? The blind man said to him, My teacher, let me see again. Jesus said to him, Go; your faith has made you well. Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. Mark s Gospel is the shortest of the four and is thought to be the first one written. It is full of metaphors and symbols that illustrate Jesus plain and simple power as the miracleworking Son of God. In the Gospel of Mark, people get to know Jesus early in his ministry as the one with power to cast out an unclean spirit from the man in the synagogue. We go on to read of Jesus healing Simon s mother-in-law in her house. Then the whole city gathers at the door of the house to have Jesus heal its sick. One story of healing after another in this Gospel reminds us Jesus power is God s power. These stories also remind us of God s power in our lives today, and that God s power is shown in acts of mercy. Mark s emphasis on Jesus healing ministry also alerts us to the need for spiritual healing. Even if we do not have a withered hand or are not physically blind, we need Christ to bring healing into our lives. This text calls us to think about physical illness or impairment in Mark s Gospel as a symbol of all that is wrong in our lives and in the world. Jesus has the power to complete us, to make us whole again through faith. If we ll just trust in the Divine, God s power and desire to heal us spiritually are unceasing. God s mercy never ends. Blindness is particularly symbolic in poetry and scripture. In the Gospel of Mark, blindness may represent a failure to understand or grasp the meaning of Jesus ministry. Scholars find meaning in studying larger sections of Mark s Gospel together. Though Mark s Gospel is shorter and generally more concise than the others, Mark tells two stories about blind men being healed (Mark 8:22, 10:46). These healings mark the beginning and end of a lesson to the reader. Between these demonstrations of his merciful power, Jesus works at teaching his disciples through word and deed about the nature of discipleship and the purpose of his ministry. The message is one of powerful love, mercy, and self-sacrifice for others. But repeatedly Jesus disciples fail to understand. They turn away people who need help. They argue about which one of them is the greatest. By the time Jesus heals Bartimaeus in Jericho, readers are almost at the end of the Gospel journey and are nearly all the way to Jerusalem. One might think the disciples had by then plenty of time to understand and see Jesus message. But even Bartimaeus is told to be quiet when he asks for healing. It might be significant that Bartimaeus is healed instantly by Jesus while the blind man from Bethsaida in chapter 8, who is not named, was harder to heal (see Mark 8:24 25). Peter also is said to have been from Bethsaida, so the first blind man may represent the disciples and how difficult it was to get the disciples to see.

9 Questions 1. When have you seen God s mercy at work? 2. When have you been blessed by trusting in God s ways? 3. When have you been healed or seen others healed through God s power and mercy? 4. How does spiritual healing differ from physical healing? 5. How do we try to get God to do powerful favors for us rather than seeing that God wants us to serve others with mercy? How can we become symbols of God s mercy at work in the world?

10 Generosity Statement Sharing for the common good is the spirit of Zion (Doctrine and Covenants 165:2f). We receive God s grace and generosity. The offering basket is available if you would like to support ongoing small-group ministries as part of your generous response. This offering prayer is adapted from A Disciple s Generous Response: God, May we be a generous people in response to your boundless grace and unending love. Bless and magnify our gifts and our service to others. Let generosity become part of our nature, we pray. Amen.

11 Communion Statement We come together to share in the Lord s Supper as a visible witness of loving Christian fellowship and shared remembrance of Jesus Christ s death and resurrection (Doctrine and Covenants 164:4a). All committed followers of Christ are invited to partake, but no one should feel pressured to receive the emblems. We share in Communion as an expression of blessing, healing, peace, and community. In preparation let s sing from Community of Christ Sings (select one): 515, In These Moments We Remember 516, Coming Together for Wine and for Bread 521, Let Us Break Bread Together 525, Small Is the Table 528, Eat This Bread

12 Thoughts for Children Materials: mercy bracelets (see below), small whiteboard or posterboard with the words, You have been healed by faith. In your current struggles, do not forget to get up and follow Jesus Christ. Invite the children to sit in a circle. Give each child a mercy bracelet. Explain that each bead has a special meaning. The first bead represents a time you struggled with something, and you felt like God helped you. The first bead represents God s mercy. The second bead represents something that is hard for you now, and you need to feel Jesus helping you. The second bead represents Jesus mercy. The third bead represents someone you have a hard time being kind to. The third bead represents someone you need to treat with mercy. Ask the children to help each other tie the mercy bracelets around their wrists. You may need to help them do this. Invite them to touch the beads and listen quietly as you lead them in meditation. Touch the first bead (say the color). Think of a time God helped you with a challenge. Say: Thank you God for your mercy. Touch the second bead (say the color). Think of something that is hard for you now. Say: Have mercy on me, Jesus. Touch the third bead (say the color). Think of someone you have a hard time being kind to. Say: Jesus, please help me be kind and show mercy. Wear this bracelet as a reminder that God s mercy is always with you. Try your best to respond to God s mercy by being kind and merciful with others. Activity designed by Joelle Wight, adapted for use with children Mercy Bracelets Three beads, each a different color, are strung on a cord. Use the same three colors on each mercy bracelet. For example, each bracelet has a yellow bead, a green bead, and a blue bead. String them in the same order on each bracelet. Tie a knot next to the first bead and another knot after the last bead so the beads will not slide off while the children are putting them on. Leave plenty of cord on each side so the bracelets easily can slip onto the wrists of the children.