Begin with prayer BLESS Listen Eat Serve Story BLESS BIBLE STUDY
Begin with prayer Listen Eat Serve Story BLESS Content BLESS ONE Begin with Prayer 3 BLESS TWO Listen 7 BLESS THREE Eat 10 BLESS FOUR Serve 13 BLESS FIVE Share your Story 15 BLESS SIX Conclusion 17
Welcome and opening prayer Introductions of one another (5 mins) BLESS ONE Begin with Prayer To open your discussion and get to know one another more, go around the group and share your name, and what food you like to eat with oats? Share one thing about which you feel blessed from today or this week. Introduction to BLESS (15 mins) God s heart has always been to bless people. Read Genesis 12:1-3. What is distinctive about the blessing God promised to Abraham? BLESS is a set of simple practices that help us to share blessing with those around us. Watch 5 ways to Bless Your Neighbours by Dave Ferguson at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=bmpusdkpu4s What is your response to BLESS? Do you have any questions or comments about it? Which aspects of BLESS do you think you would find natural and would come easily to you, and which are more challenging? Sometimes God calls us to bless people in our existing networks and neighbourhoods. Sometimes God sends us to a new neighbourhood or calls us to get involved in a new network in order to be a blessing. What existing neighbourhoods, networks or relationships are you a part of where God may be inviting you to be a blessing? What new neighbourhoods, networks or relationships might God be inviting you to or sending you to in order to be a blessing? 3
Begin with Prayer Bible Study (20 mins) Read Luke 10:1-11 and then read verse 2 again. Why do you think Jesus began his instruction to his disciples by urging them to pray? What else do you notice in this passage that resonates with BLESS? What do you learn about how Jesus would have you follow him from this passage? BLESS begins with prayer praying for our friends, families, colleagues and neighbours we relate to, and listening in prayer for God s dreams for our neighbourhoods and how we can cooperate. We want to pray God s blessing for people around us, but also ask, God how do you want me to work with you to bless the people and community around me? Beginning with prayer reminds us that any mission is not firstly up to us, but about discerning what God is doing in people s lives. As a model for how to pray and for what, read Matthew 6:9-13. Select a line of this prayer and explain how you could use it to Begin with Prayer for your neighbourhood or network. Pray with Someone (20 mins) Our goal this week is to begin with prayer for our neighbourhoods, networks and relationships. Praying for people is foundational to following Jesus example of blessing people, foundational to inviting God to bless people and foundational to opening ourselves up to be a blessing in cooperation with God. What do you find easy and/or hard about praying for others and for your neighbourhood? Where in your church life and neighbourhood activity might you create space to begin with prayer? 4 BLESS Bible study
Who and where and what might God be inviting you to pray for in the week ahead? How can we help one another in beginning with prayer? Prayer (10 mins) Pray with one another about the people and situations on your heart, and about the neighbourhoods, networks and people where God has placed you or is sending you. Close by praying the Lord s Prayer together and thinking about the situations on your heart. Use one or both of these: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, pain-bearer, life giver, Source of all that is and that shall be, Father and mother of us all, Loving God, in whom is heaven: The hallowing of your name echo through the universe! The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world! Your heavenly will be done by all created beings! Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth. With the bread we need for today, feed us. In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us. In times of temptation and test, strengthen us. From trials too great to endure, spare us. From the grip of all that is evil free us. For you live in the glory of power that is love, now and forever. Amen. (From Night Prayer, A New Zealand Prayer Book: He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa (Auckland: The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia), 181. Accessible at http://anglicanprayerbook.nz/167.html. Adapted from Jim Cotter s prayer. Copyright The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. Used with permission. 5
Exercise before the next session: Over the coming week take a prayer walk around your neighbourhood. Pray for your neighbours, the people who serve you in shops and deliveries, the people who serve your community in other ways. Seek to discern how God views your neighbourhood and what God is doing in your neighbourhood. Pray that God would help you be a blessing where God has placed you. In order to be a blessing I want to commit to. Begin with prayer. I will pray (how often?) for 6 BLESS Bible study
Welcome and opening prayers BLESS TWO Listen What happened last week? (15 mins sharing around the room or in small groups) Last week we made the commitment to begin with prayer. Where did you focus your prayers? How was your experience of beginning with prayer? How did beginning with prayer help you understand your neighbourhood and networks and what God is doing there? Introduction (10 mins) Watch Michael Frost Adopt a Posture of Listening at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=v2ttyiq3ous After talking with God, BLESS intentionally talks with and especially listens to people. There is nothing better for fostering meaningful relationships. If you are serious about listening, be encouraged to: ask curious questions listen to people s stories and struggles listen for challenges and opportunities listen for what people are proud of and what they are working through. If we want to understand people, it takes more than observing them from a distance. As we listen to people, let s listen also to for what God is doing, and where God might want us to cooperate. How might you be able to make time and space for the opportunity to listen to people like this as you seek to BLESS? Listen Bible Study (15 mins) Read Luke 18:35-42 through twice. On the second reading imagine yourself in the scene. What do you like about this story? What do you learn about Jesus and his approach to listening and mission in the passage? What do you learn about how Jesus would have you follow him in this approach? Share your ideas with one another 7
Listen to your Neighbourhood and People (20 mins) Our goal this week is to listen to someone outside of your immediate family group. Listening to people is what Jesus did and an important part of developing a missional rhythm of life. What do you find easy/hard about listening? What principles and skills can help us listen well to people? In what ways can we also listen to God as we listen to people in our neighbourhood? Who might God be inviting you to listen to in the week ahead? Listening also may even change us and our perspectives. Alan Alda (famous as acting Hawkeye in MASH) wrote in his book Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I ve Learned:How might listening to your neighbourhood change you and your church? Prayer (10 mins) Pray with one another about the people and situations on your heart, and about the people you will listen to in the next week. Pray that we will all be able to create spaces that make people feel loved and understood. Exercise before the next session: Over the coming week look for and make the most of opportunities to listen to people in your neighbourhood and networks. Seek to talk to and listen to at least two different people. Ask curious questions to get to know them and how they see the world. As you listen to people, be attentive and seek to listen also to God. In order to be a blessing I want to commit to. Listen I will seek to listen to 8 BLESS Bible study
Jesus, preserve us from the trappings of church life, From endless discussions, About things that have no weight Or relevance in your kingdom. Jesus, protect us from distractions and trinkets That blur your vision in us. Jesus, deepen in us a love for the rhythms that surround us; The cultural joys of our streets and parks and homes And places of refuge. Raise up among us Men and women, Young people and children With the gifts needed to build your kingdom here Give us the sight to spot the gifts already here That need to be encouraged, And given oxygen, light, compost whatever it takes for these gifts to grow! Make us muck-loving gardeners in your kingdom! Lord, in your mercy, Let your kingdom come! (from Sian Murray-Williams, in Juliet Kilpin s Urban to the Core) 9
Welcome and opening prayers BLESS THREE Eat What happened last week? (15 mins sharing around the room or in small groups) Last week we made the commitment to listen to at least a couple of people. How was it? What was the best story you heard? Or what did you learn that surprised, saddened or inspired you? How did the people who you listened to respond at the end of your time together Introduction (10 mins) Watch this story of someone who was profoundly converted through being offered bread and wine at a church in San Francisco, Sara Miles, author of City of God, on her Faith & Background, accessible at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pehz43a73cy Sarah Miles went on to become the priest of the church and to feed 400 families a week through establishing a food bank. Her food and spirituality are deeply linked. What does food mean in your life? Is it just fuel? Do you sit down to eat regularly with others around a table, or do you mainly eat in front of the TV or in your own room? Think of one of the best meals you ever had. What made it so special? In what ways is food and eating connected with your faith in God? Is God interested in what we eat and how we eat? As follower of Jesus should we have a distinctive approach to food, to eating and to hospitality? Bible Study (20 mins) Jesus was always sitting at tables with people and often profound things happened when he was eating with friends, but his approach often upset people. In Luke 5:27-32 the religious people at the time disapproved of the way he had dinner with disreputable people. At other times they accused him of being a glutton and a drunk. He received hospitality from all sorts of people, and he gave hospitality to people in miraculous ways (Luke 9:10-17) and in very ordinary ways (John 21:1-14) Break up into smaller groups and choose one of the 3 scripture passages above - Luke 5:27-32, Luke 9:10-17 and John 21:1-14. What do you learn about Jesus and his approach to food and eating in the passage? 10 BLESS Bible study
What do you learn about how Jesus would have you follow him in this approach? Share your ideas with one another Eat with Someone (20 mins) Our goal this week is to eat with someone outside of your immediate family group. Note the aim is not to throw a huge elaborate banquet as this is not sustainable as a life rhythm it s about sharing a simple meal sitting at a table, where there is time to relax and talk. Eating with people was what Jesus did and is part of developing a missional rhythm of life. What do you find easy/hard about offering hospitality? What do you find easy/hard about receiving hospitality? How can we help one another overcome any fears or difficulties? E.g., Could a few people join together in being hospitable? Could we share recipes that work? Would it be easier to meet someone at a café? Who might God be inviting you to eat with in the week ahead? Prayer (5 mins) Pray with one another about the people and situations on your heart, and about the tables we will be sat around in the next week. Pray that we will all be able to create spaces that make people feel relaxed and loved. 11
Exercise before the next session: Take the opportunity this week to enjoy eating and sharing hospitality with someone. In order to be a blessing I want to commit to. Eat I will eat (how often?) With 12 BLESS Bible study
Welcome and opening prayers BLESS FOUR Serve What happened last week? (15 mins sharing around the room or in small groups) Last week we made the commitment to eat with someone outside our immediate family. How was your experience of eating? What did you most enjoy? What was difficult? What did eating together help you learn about God/others/yourself? Introduction (10 mins) Watch the Bless YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewhupsuuyx8 Discuss where seeking to Serve fits within BLESS. Why is it important to seek to serve? Listen to the song Brother, Sister, Let me Serve you from someone in your group or on YouTube There is mutuality in serving and being served that strips away power dimensions and opens us up to each other. Which do you find harder: Serving? Or being Served? Why? After listening to each other, reflect upon and discuss what does this say about your condition, your culture, your calling? Bible Study (20 mins) Read aloud Philippians 2:1-11. Reflect in silence for two minutes. No words. No comment. Now read Jeremiah 29:4-7. What do you think these words would have meant for the original hearers? What does it mean to embrace the community in which you live? What does it mean to seek the shalom/the welfare/the peace of your community? 13
What is your favourite bible passage/story about Serving? Why? (Tell the person next to you and then summarise for the larger group.) Living the Practice of Serving (15 mins) Our goal this week is to position ourselves so that we intentionally serve and are served, and then reflect upon what that means as a missional practice. Reflect as a group on some of these questions: What do you find easy/hard about receiving service? In what ways can you position yourself to receive the grace of someone serving you this week? What do you find easy/hard about serving? Who can you serve in your local community this week? Think about something that has caused you concern/compassion. How can you respond? How can you be the change you want to see? How can we help one another overcome any fears or difficulties in serving? Share your ideas with one another Prayer (10 mins) Pray with one another about the people and situations on your heart, and about the places where you may find yourself in the next week. Pray that we will all be able to create spaces that enable us to serve and be served. Exercise before the next session: Seek an opportunity this week to serve someone. In order to be a blessing I want to commit to. Serve I will serve (name) by (doing what?) I will serve by I will serve by 14 BLESS Bible study
BLESS FIVE Share your Story Welcome and opening prayers What happened last week? (10 mins sharing around the room or in small groups) Last week we made the commitment to serve and be served. What did you experience in serving and being served? What did you learn about God/others/yourself? Introduction (10 mins) When did telling the good news about God, and about God at work in our lives, become something to be embarrassed about? Why is sharing faith sometimes cringe worthy, awkward, difficult, embarrassing? After all, this is Good News! Think about your BEST EXPERIENCE of someone sharing with you the Gospel, God s story, their story of God at work in their life. What resonated with you? What inspired or impacted you? Why? What effect did this have on your life? Briefly share this best experience with the group. Bible Study (30 mins) Read John 4:5-42. What aspects of BLESS do you see in this encounter? Both Jesus and the woman stepped beyond what was customary and safe in their culture. What is one thing from their encounter that encourages you in your faith sharing? Read Acts 26:1-29 Paul engaged with King Agrippa with grace and charm (v 2, 3, 25-29), and then spoke of his life before he became a follower of Jesus (v 4-11), how he became a follower of Jesus (v 12-18), and how his life has changed since that time (v 19-23). Few of us have such a dramatic story, but all of us have a story. Think about your life in these three sections: before you became a follower 15
of Jesus (brief); how you became a follower of Jesus (can you share this in such a way that the hearer would know how to become a follower of Jesus?); what has changed in your life since you followed Jesus (brief). In groups of two or three, practice giving a brief presentation of your own story to one another and give helpful feedback to one another. Share with someone (10 mins) Our goal this week is to Begin by prayerfully seeking to Listen to someone s story, perhaps particularly someone you have recently Eaten with and Served, discern how it intersects with God s Story and your Story, and share briefly with them so that their story, God s story, and your story intersect meaningfully. What do you find easy and what do you find hard about sharing your story? Who might God be inviting you to Share with in the week ahead? Prayer (5 mins) Pray with one another about the people on your heart. Pray that you may be filled with the Spirit to speak the word with boldness (Acts 4:29,31; 9:27; 13:46; 28:31). And pray that God will give you words of wisdom and knowledge as you simply share Story. Exercise before the next session: Seek an opportunity this week to listen to someone s story and share something of your own and potentially God s story. In order to be a blessing I want to commit to. Share my Story I would like God to help me share my story with by with by with by 16 BLESS Bible study
Welcome and opening prayers BLESS SIX Going Forward What happened last week? (15 mins sharing around the room or in small groups) Last week we were hoping to share our story with someone what happened? How did it go? What was your biggest surprise? What was your greatest joy? What didn t quite work out as you had expected? Summarising our theme (15 mins) Re-watch the Bless YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewhupsuuyx8 In small groups of 2 or 3s, discuss what rhythms do you have in your life already? What patterns of activity work for you? What do you do that you really miss if you are not able to do it one day/ week? E.g., Going to the gym; having a coffee at your favourite café on the way to work; catching up with a friend; regular social time or date with a friend or partner? What do you find easy or hard about establishing rhythms? In what ways do you find rhythms help you or hinder you? BLESS is all about trying to build simple missional rhythms into our lives, so that mission is not something we have to think about doing, but rather something that naturally flows out of our relationship with Jesus. There is a story about one of the Anabaptist martyrs Dirk Willems who was imprisoned for forming a faith community and studying the bible outside of the formal Catholic church structures in the Netherlands. One day his jailor accidently left his cell door open and Dirk escaped across the frozen canals. His jailor ran after him, and was catching up when suddenly there was the sound of the ice cracking and the jailor fell through into the icy water. What would you have done? Was this God s way of letting you escape? Or should you help a fellow human being? Dirk turned back and pulled his captor out of the water. Sadly he was reimprisoned and eventually burned at the stake, but the Anabaptists and Mennonites honour his memory as someone who had embodied the rhythms and ways of Jesus even in the most dire circumstances. They talk of re-reflexing our lives training our reflexes to be those of Jesus. That is what BLESS is all about building in rhythms of practice so that our reflexes are missional. How do you react to this story? 17
Bible Study (15 mins) Read Hebrews 10:23-25 and Galatians 6:9-10. What do you hear God saying to us? Can you think of any stories that Jesus told about having good rhythms in place in our lives? These verses talk about keeping going in doing good, and establishing good habits. What do these verses say about the invitation to make the rhythms of BLESS a regular part of our lives? Waiting on God exercise (15 mins) Set aside a few moments of silence to consider how BLESS might become a more regular part of your life. What might God be inviting you to do? What do you want to implement on a regular basis daily, weekly or monthly? Write your response on the sheet on the next page, or on a blank sheet of paper. Share your intentions with one another and discuss how you might help one another in BLESSing. Prayer (10 mins) Pray with one another about the people you are BLESSing and seeking to BLESS, and that we would be faithful and fruitful in putting our promises into action. 18 BLESS Bible study
In order to be a blessing God is inviting me to.. (Can you express rhythms that would be helpful for you?) Begin with prayer. I will pray (how often?) for Listen I will seek to listen to Eat I will eat (how often?) With Serve I will serve (name) by (doing what?) I will serve by I will serve by Story I would like God to help me share my story with by with by with by 19
www.buv.com.au/resources/bless