Table of Contents. To be completed from Feb To be completed from Feb. 25-Mar. 2. To be completed from Mar. 4-9

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2 Table of Contents A Guide to Lectio Divina 3-4 Jesus Studied 5-6 To be completed from Feb Jesus Prayed 7-9 To be completed from Feb. 25-Mar. 2 Jesus Dined To be completed from Mar. 4-9 Jesus Retreated To be completed from Mar Jesus Sang To be completed from Mar Jesus Submitted To be completed from Mar

3 A Guide to Lectio Divina for Small Groups Lectio Divina (Latin for holy reading or sacred reading ) is a method of reading God s word with the intentional purpose of hearing God s voice. It is a classic method used throughout the centuries of Christian tradition, originally used by the monastic tradition as a way of listening to God through the Word.Lectio Divina is not Bible Study. The goal is not to study the text, but to listen what God might be saying through the text. It is about receiving from God the personal illumination and wisdom needed for very personal and truly transforming application of God s Word. One caution with this kind of reading: avoid interpretations that go beyond what the biblical authors intended to communicate. God will not say anything to anyone in your group that goes beyond what He has already revealed in His Word. As a leader, you are responsible for ensuring that your group stays within the boundaries of Scripture. Step One: Prepare (Silencio) Quiet preparation of the heart. Sit in silence for 1-2 minutes, gently turning your attention to an awareness of God s presence. Slow your thought processes, release the chaos and noise in your mind, relax, and prepare yourself to hear from God. Step Two: Read (Lectio) Select a person to read the Word of God for the first reading. Read the selected passage of Scripture slowly and out loud. Pronounce the words clearly and let the words resonate in your mind and heart. Provide enough pauses in your reading to allow the group to read reflectively. If done alone, make sure to pause after words or phrases that resonate with you, allowing them to sink deeply into your soul. Do not analyze or judge the word. Simply listen and wait. Allow about 1-2 minutes of silent reflection after the first reading, then have a second person read the passage out loud. 3

4 Step Three: Meditate (Meditatio) Read the Scripture silently to yourselves the third time. Savor the words. Enjoy them. Listen for God s voice in the words. What is He saying to you? How is he inviting you to reflect on the words? What is His invitation to you? Focus specifically on the words that stand out to you. Gently exphlore the ramifications of these words for your life. Pick out a word, idea, or phrase that strikes you in a personal way. After giving a few minutes for each member of the group to spend their time silently with the text, take some moments to share in 2-3 sentences the phrase or word you picked out and how God might be speaking to you through it. Explain why it stood out to you. Share the story of why you paused there. Feel free to pass if you want. Do not elaborate too long. Step Four: Pray (Oratio) Take any thoughts, reflections, observations you made and spend time entering a dialogue with God. Allow time for each group member to pray if they want. Praise God for who this passage has revealed Him to be. Share with God the feelings this passage has drawn out of you. Share possible places where you are resistant to its message. Become aware of where you feel invited into a deeper way of being with God. Step Five: Contemplate (Contemplatio) Spend a few moments of silence to let all the reflections of the group to sink in. This is space to simply be with God and let Him continue to speak. Finish with a final reading of the Scripture. Have someone in the group close in prayer. 4

5 01 i Jesus Studied We re starting a series at Legacy called Habits of Jesus. Over the next few weeks, we ll examine the shape of Jesus life and how it can be a model for us. More specifically these Habits of Jesus have been called Spiritual Disciplines. Habits is a very interesting word, because it implies repeated behaviors that over time become subconsciously routine and shape us to look more like Jesus. What is your intuitive reaction when you hear the word discipline? What are some areas of your life where you are extremely disciplined? (i.e. What are some great habits that you ve developed?) What are some areas of your life where you lack discipline? What are some bad habits you have? At Legacy we value Spiritual Formation, which is the process of being transformed into the image of Jesus. The New Testament authors claim God s purpose for us is to be transformed into his image (2 Cor. 3:18; Rom. 8:29; 2 Cor. 5:17; Rom. 12:1-2; 1 John 3:2-3; James 1:22-25), but many Christians are unaware that it is even possible. From what you know of Jesus, what are some of his habits or things that he consistently did? Why do you think a lot of Christians neglect discipline in the area of their spiritual life/relationship with God? READ Lectio Divina (see guide on pgs. 2-3): Romans 12:1-2. Take a minute to read the following Scriptures one-by-one as a group and answer the question: what is this verse or passage saying about our spiritual transformation in Christ? 2 Cor. 3:18 Rom. 8:29 2 Cor. 5:17 Rom. 12:1-2 1 John 3:2-3 Jam. 1:22-25 Ps. 42:1-2 Gal. 5:

6 DISCUSS How would you respond to someone who said this: I thought Christianity was all about grace. Isn t all this talk about spiritual disciplines kind of legalistic? How do you find the balance between legalistic discipline and God s grace? Consider this quote from the classic book The Celebration of Discpline by Richard Foster: God has given us the disciplines of the spiritual life as a means of receiving his grace. The Disciplines allow us to place ourselves before God so that he can transform us by themselves the disciplines can do nothing; they can only get us to the place where something can be done they are the means by which we place ourselves where he can bless us. Do you agree with this statement? Consider the discipline of prayer (which we ll talk about more in the coming weeks). How does prayer place ourselves before God so he can transform us? Can a person that never prays expect transformation in their lives? What do you think is a healthy way to approach a disciplined spiritual life without it becoming legalistic? PRAY Pray for God to give your group grace as we seek to listen to His Word more deeply and attentively. Pray for God to remove barriers that prevent us from believing that He wants to transform us. Thank God for sending Jesus not as an example, but as a Savior who dies for us even when we don t deserve it. Ask God to help us stay focused not on what we can do but what He has done as the power and motivation for the disciplined life. 6

7 02 i Jesus Prayed READ This week s Lectio Divina passage is Luke 11:1-4 (NLT). Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples. Jesus said, This is how you should pray: Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don t let us yield to temptation. The disciplines are ancient tools, used for cultivating the interior world, in order to serve the exterior world by the grace of God. Perhaps the most ancient of those tools is the discipline of prayer. As early as Genesis, we see people calling upon the name of the Lord and throughout the Old Testament we see many examples of prayerful people (Moses, Deborah, and Daniel to name a few). The book of Psalms is full of prayers, many of them from the mountains and valleys throughout the life of King David. Moving into the New Testament, we see Jesus emphasize the priority of prayer. From his 40 day fast in the wilderness at the beginning of his ministry to the night of his betrayal, Jesus maintains a rhythm of withdrawing to pray. We see the first church in Acts committing themselves to prayer and the importance of prayer repeated throughout the New Testament letters. In The Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster writes, Of all the Spiritual Disciplines prayer is the most central because it ushers us into perpetual communion with the Father. When we pray, we come faceto-face with the Creator of the Universe, and his presence changes us. DISCUSS Why do you think prayer has been a central habit of God s people since Genesis? What has been your experience with prayer? How has the presence of the Lord transformed you? 7

8 EXPERIENCE The Zúme Project has put together an incredible tool called the Prayer Cycle. It breaks down an hour of prayer into 12 five-minute segments. PRAISE: Start your prayer hour by praising the Lord. Praise Him for things that are on your mind right now. Praise Him for one special thing He has done in your life in the past week. Praise Him for His goodness to your family. WAITING: Spend time waiting on the Lord. Be silent and let Him pull together reflections for you. CONFESSION: Ask the Holy Spirit to show you anything in your life that might be displeasing to Him. Ask Him to point out attitudes that are wrong, as well as specific acts for which you have not yet made a prayer of confession. Now confess that to the Lord so that you might be cleansed. READ THE WORD*: Spend time reading in the Psalms, in the prophets, and passages on prayer located in the New Testament. PETITION: Make requests on behalf of yourself. INTERCESSION: Make requests on behalf of others. 8

9 PRAY THE WORD**: Pray specific passages. Scriptural prayers as well as a number of psalms lend themselves well to this purpose. THANKSGIVING: Give thanks to the Lord for the things in your life, on behalf of your family, and on behalf of your church. SINGING: Sing songs of praise or worship or another hymn or spiritual song. MEDITATE: Ask the Lord to speak to you. Have a pen and paper ready to record impressions He gives you. LISTEN: Spend time merging the things you have read, things you have prayed and things you have sung and see how the Lord brings them all together to speak to you. PRAISE: Praise the Lord for the time you have had to spend with Him and the impressions He has given you. Praise Him for His glorious attributes. *Don t know where to start? Here are some suggestions: Ps. 23; Jn. 17; Phil. 4:6-7 **Don t know where to start? Here are some suggestions: Ps. 51; Ps. 139; Mt. 6:9-13 If time allows, separate around the room. Go through the Prayer Cycle. If time does not allow, spend some time in prayer as a group. Praise the Lord for what He has done in your lives, thank the Lord for His blessings, spend some time in silence listening to Lord, and intercede for one another s needs. TAKE IT HOME Memorize Eph. 6:18 this week as a reminder to make a habit of prayer. Set aside one hour this week to go through the Prayer Cycle and challenger yourself to put this into your calendar each week to help make it a habit. LOOKING AHEAD Next week, we will talk about living in table fellowship with one another. The experience portion of the group will be sharing a meal together. So, take a few minutes to coordinate how that may happen (e.g. potluck, take out, dining out). 9

10 03 i Jesus Dined FOLLOW UP Take a few minutes for everyone to say the memory verse from last week (Ephesians 6:18). If you could use one word to define your Prayer Cycle experience, what word would you use? What specific ways are you planning to make prayer a habit? READ This week s Lectio Divina passage is Acts 2:42-47 (NIV). They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. The devotion to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer is what characterizes the life of a believer. All beginners start off with the building blocks of understanding before deeper learning can occur. It is impossible to thrive in anything without the foundational characteristics that form the basis for success. The Christian faith is no different. And evidently, these foundations are built around a dinner table. They are built on the dedication of the Christian to remind one another of biblical truth within a context of community. It s easy to make a casserole for the young couple who lost their baby due to complications in their pregnancy. It is a much different to make a casserole each week and go 10

11 have dinner with that couple in their home, sharing their struggles, feeling their hopelessness, and being devoid of any Sunday school answer capable of diffusing the tension. Time is different. It demands of you the parts of yourself that go deeper than the stray coins in your wallet. Understand that these people in this context ate together every day (v. 46). There was no poor or needy among them. Time and resources were not their own. Eating together is more than just that. It is a dedication of time and resources. No one goes hungry (resources) and no one is excluded (time). It is holistic. It covers the physical needs that our stomachs crave and the spiritual fueling station that community and the reminder of gospel truth provides. The same can be said of Jesus who holistically heals the body and soul. He heals our bodies in the heavens and the promise of the New Earth to come, and he heals our souls of guilt and sin as we are sanctified into new life as His children a community of believers persevering together. DISCUSS Do you believe that this kind of community is possible to attain? Why or why not? Are we watering down our call to share our time by submitting to God and others only that which tests our bank accounts? Are there spaces we must give up our time to pursue true community? EXPERIENCE Take the remainder of your time this week to share a meal together. This is not a structured time, just enjoy fellowship with one another. As things wind down, take a few minutes to share in a time of communion with one another with bread and juice. Remember what Christ did on the cross, recognize what He is doing in your lives, and give thanks. 11

12 TAKE IT HOME Memorize 1 Corinthians 11:24-26 this week. This week, set aside a block of thirty minutes to take a life inventory. Create a list of all the activities you participate in such as church, clubs, work, hobbies, sports, parenting, school, etc. Given a scale from 1-10 (with 1 illustrating the least successful), rate how well you believe that you bring God s presence into each setting. Do not be discouraged if you find the results lacking. Change takes time, and the first step in that direction demands that we acknowledge the places where we ignore God s presence. Pray over these specific areas of your life, asking for God s persistent consistency, discipline, and courage to seek Him where He is currently overlooked. In addition to this, ask God to reveal to you the spaces in your life that have become non-negotiables. Whether unconsciously or deliberately, these are the spaces which have reached to the brink of idolatry and have prevented you from pursuing the kind of community God has made you for. Understand that idolatry is rarely made from a strictly evil origin. Family, education, and work all have the potential to reach a point of absolute necessity. God is then ignored and one s contentment with life becomes based on one of these good gifts from God instead of God Himself. What needs to change in your life for the sake of pursuing the community God is calling you to have? Develop an action plan for these areas and share them with your group next week. 12

13 04 i Jesus Retreated FOLLOW UP Take a few minutes for everyone to say the memory verse from last week, 1 Corinthians 11: From your life inventory, what did you discover needs to change in your life for the sake of pursuing the community God is calling you to have? How are you going to do that? READ This week s Lectio Divina passage is Psalm 46 (NLT). God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High. God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed. From the very break of day, God will protect it. The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble! God s voice thunders, and the earth melts! The Lord of Heaven s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. Come, see the glorious works of the Lord: See how he brings destruction upon the world. He causes wars to end throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear; he burns the shields with fire. Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world. The Lord of Heaven s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. 13

14 With so many things commanding our attention, it seems next to impossible to find the time to have white space on our calendars. In today s culture, we all suffer from hurry sickness, and thus, the discipline of retreat is probably one of the most neglected disciplines of our age. vwhen we look at the life of Jesus we see him frequently getting away from the crowds; he worked from a state of rest. And when we take the time to slow down, we can truly be present to the One who is always present. Henri Nouwen said that solitude is the furnace of transformation. When we are intentional to set aside the time to truly quiet ourselves, we better opportunity to listen (and obey) the Spirit s promptings in our lives. Setting aside time for retreat, even just a few hours, allows us to push the reset button and reorient our lives. DISCUSS What symptoms would you equate with our world s inevitable diagnosis of hurry sickness? Is retreat part of your life s rhythm? If so, how does it impact your life? If not, what are some ways to incorporate it into your life s rhythm? If God only spoke in a whisper, would you hear Him today? Why or why not? EXPERIENCE One of the most difficult parts of practicing the discipline of silence and solitude (retreat) is finding the time in our busy lives to do so. Take the remainder of your group time to separate from one another and spend some time with the Lord. Re-read Psalm 46, reflect on what stood out to you from the lectio divina time, journal, pray, breathe. Resist the temptation to think about all of the unfinished tasks you may have and take the time to be still and know that He is God. 14

15 TAKE IT HOME Your memory verse for the week is Psalm 46:10. As you memorize your verse this week, allow it to permeate your life and practice being still. Here are some examples to help you get started: Turn off the radio and turn your drive time into a miniretreat with the Lord. Set an alarm and take a five-minute worship break in the middle of your morning. Limit your speech to an absolute minimum for one day. Take a pre-dawn walk. Read through The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. Set aside a block of time. Find a quiet place, away from distractions, turn off your phone, and simply spend time with the Lord. 15

16 05 i Jesus Sang FOLLOW UP Take a few minutes for everyone to say the memory verse from last week (Psalm 46:10). How did you practice solitude this week? What is your plan to continue to develop the habit of retreat? READ This week s Lectio Divina passage is Psalm 150 from the New International Version. Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. I need worship because without it I can forget that I have a big God beside me and live in fear. I need to worship because without it I can forget his calling and begin to live in a spirit of self-preoccupation. I need to worship because without it I lose a sense of wonder and gratitude and plod through life with blinders on. I need worship because my natural tendency is toward self-reliance and stubborn independence. John Ortberg God is worthy of worship simply because He is God. He is the ruler of the heavens, the creator of the stars and the planets, and His surpassing greatness is unrivaled. His superior nature demands worship, as does His immense grace and love for mankind. The One who is greater than the angels additionally loved us so deeply that He decided to come to Earth, humbling himself to the point enduring the same turmoil and temptations that plague us, and created a way that we might be made right with Him (Hebrews 1-2). By His own will and love, He created a way for mankind to be forgiven and be made inheritors of the Kingdom of heaven. 16

17 God is to be praised through all facets of life. In each aspect of every person, there is not a space in which the presence of God does not influence the character, the tone, or the specific actions of each moment. We praise the Lord with every breath, taking hostage each moment to recognize our lives are not our own. God directs his people not simply to worship but to sing his praises before the nations. We are called not simply to communicate the gospel to nonbelievers; we must also intentionally celebrate the gospel before them. Tim Keller DISCUSS What does it mean to worship? What happens when we worship? What keeps worship from being genuine? How can we worship God well? EXPERIENCE Option 1: Choose a worship song that everyone knows and sing it together, offering praise to God. Option 2: Prayer of Examen. What follows is a prayer list derived by Church history scholar St. Ignatius of Loyola. While there are several versions of this examen today, each contain five points used for prayerful reflection. This is a tool to help guide you as you orient each aspect of your day around Christ and the worship He deserves. GIVE THANKSGIVING: I begin by giving God thanks for all the things I m grateful for today. I allow my mind to wander as I reflect on the ways God has blessed me on this particular day. I allow big things and small things to arise everything from the gift of my faith, to the gift of my marriage, to the easy commute to work today. ASK FOR THE SPIRIT: Next, I take a look at the moments in my day when I did not act so well. However, before doing so, 17

18 I ask God to fill me with his Spirit so that the Spirit can lead me in this difficult soul-searching. Otherwise, I m liable to hide in denial, wallow in self-pity, or seethe in self-loathing. REVIEW AND RECOGNIZE FAILURES: I look back at my day and ask the Lord to point out to me the moments when I have failed in big ways or small. I take a sobering look at the mistakes I ve made this day. ASK FOR FORGIVENESS AND HEALING: If I have sinned, I ask God to forgive me and set me straight again. If I have not sinned but simply made a mistake, I ask for healing of any harm that might have been done. I ask for help to get over it and move on. I also ask for wisdom to discern how I might better handle such tricky moments in the future. PRAY ABOUT THE NEXT DAY: I ask God to show me how tomorrow might go. I imagine the things I ll be doing, the people I ll see, and the decisions I ll be mulling over. I ask for help with any moments I foresee that might be difficult. I especially ask for help in moments when I might be tempted to fail in the way I did today. Take the remaining time to practice this as a group. Feel free to share as you are comfortable, and if you want to just pray silently to yourself, that is okay, too. TAKE IT HOME Memorize Psalm 100. Before you leave for work in the mornings this week, sing a song of praise to God. Set aside ten minutes each day to pray a prayer of Examen. Feel free to journal your experience and share with your group next week. 18

19 06 i Jesus Submitted FOLLOW UP Take a few minutes for everyone to say the memory verse from last week (Psalm 100). Describe your experience practicing Ignatian Examen in three words. What kind of things did God reveal to you during these times of Examen? READ This week s Lectio Divina passage is Philippians 2:1-11 (NLT) Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don t be selfish; don t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The discipline of submission is the most abused of the spiritual disciplines. This abuse comes from the grave misunderstandings and misconceptions that have been developed. Submission is not the act of becoming a doormat and letting people walk all over you; 19

20 it is learning how to say yes and no with confidence. It is only in submission that we are able to determine legitimate issues versus issues of stubborn will. Submission requires giving up naturally selfish motives, regardless of how harmless they may seem. Paul gets to the heart of the matter when he writes be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ (Eph. 5:21). Submission comes back to the response that Jesus gave when he was asked about the greatest commandment. We are supposed to love God and love people. This is a love that requires us to give up our own determined rights and gives us the freedom to actually value people for who they are without our ego getting in the way. DISCUSS In his book, Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster writes, Jesus calls us to self-denial without self-hatred. Self-denial is simply a way of coming to understand that we do not have to have our own way. Our happiness is not dependent upon getting what we want. What comes to your mind when you think of the phrase selfdenial? What does it look like to be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ? What is one area of your life where God is telling you to submit and you are refusing to obey? What needs to change in order for you to be submissive in that area? EXPERIENCE In Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster talks about the seven acts of submission. Each act builds on the act from before, starting with God and going out to the world. 1. Submission to the Triune God - an act of surrender to the work of God in our lives 2. Submission to the Scripture - hearing the Word, receiving the Word, obeying the Word 20

21 3. Submission to our family - a commitment to listen to one another and give grace 4. Submission to our neighbors (those who we do life with) - the submission of a shared life together 5. Submission to the believing community - serving in the church to help fulfill a need 6. Submission to the broken and despised - live life alongside those who are broken and in need of a Savior 7. Submission to the world - broaden your perspective and remember there are 7 billion other people on the planet Out of these seven acts, which one do you struggle with the most? What are ways in which you can live out these acts of submission in the next week? TAKE IT HOME Memorize Mark 8:34 this week and meditate on how you can live a life of self-denial. Ask God to give you opportunities to practice submission this week. Start each day with a prayer of surrender like this one: Loving God, I choose this day to be a servant. I yield my right to command and demand. I give up my need to manage and control. I relinquish all schemes of manipulation and exploitation. For Jesus sake, Amen. Thank you to Talon Wade and Marley Butler for their help in writing this material! 21

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