Sacred Space – Small Group Resources

Year A Letters

Ordinary Time, Proper 25

I Thessalonians 1:2–8 NRSV

Gathering

Welcome

Ordinary Time is the Christian calendar period from Pentecost to Advent. This part of the Christian calendar is without major festivals or holy days. During Ordinary Time we focus on our discipleship as individuals and as a faith community.

Prayer for Peace

Ring a bell or chime three times slowly. Light the peace candle

Today’s Prayer for Peace is inspired Community of Christ Sings 314, “When the Darkness Overwhelms Us” by Jim Strathdee.

...Free our minds for dreaming of a time when war shall ever cease, Free our eyes for vision that leads us to the ways of peace.

Freeing God, our shoulders are sore. Our eyes are strained. Our backs ache. Time feels heavy. Darkness overwhelms us. Grayness suffocates us. Light eludes us. Peace seems impossible and a foolish pursuit. And yet…

We come together and share our stories: stories of communities overcoming apathy; stories of friends sharing heavy loads; stories of the Spirit breathing life into our bodies. These stories light a small flame in our hearts.

Today, we pray that you would feed those flames of peace and that we would carry them carefully, yet boldly, to all corners of darkness. And in doing so, justice will prevail, and peace will cover the earth.

In the name of Jesus, who frees us and leads us. Amen.

Spiritual Practice

Body Prayer

Today we are focusing on the Enduring Principle of Sacredness of Creation. Our bodies are amazing! Sometimes we don’t feel fully connected to our bodies. Our bodies often know things before we allow our mind to think them. Sometimes, when we pray with the movement of our whole body instead of our normal prayer stance, we can receive different insight. Read the following to the group: I will show you the movements with some explanations. Then we will repeat the movements three times silently together.

We start with our hands in prayer pose (hands pressed together in front of you). This centers us.

We raise our arms high. This opens us to the all-encompassing love of God. We put our hands on our hearts. This reminds us to listen to the voice within. We open our hands in front of our bodies. This offers our love to others. We lift our hands to the sky. This reminds us to open to all. We bring our hands down. This helps us gather and bring all to our heart. We bring our hands back to a prayer pose. This brings us back to stillness and peace. Repeat the movements three times. Then read the following to the group: Bow to one another and say, “Namaste.” (I bow to you.)

Sharing Around the Table

I Thessalonians 2:1–8 NRSV

You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, but, just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God, who tests our hearts. As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.

In this day and age of televangelist and Internet preachers, the text for today is quite poignant. Within the Christian tent a disciple can find those who preach a gospel of prosperity (God wants you to be rich) or a message of guilt and shame (be good or go to hell). Paul is casting shade on this kind of preacher. In his day some traveling philosophers (no Internet yet) would gather people to teach or debate. They would do this to gain money and status. Some folks think that the text for today is Paul blowing his own horn, but most scholars believe he is trying to remind the readers that when he came to town, he came as a humble servant and asked for no more than his keep. Paul’s sole motivation was sharing the good news that God had visited humanity in Jesus. He reminds the Thessalonians that he did not strong-arm, flatter, or coerce them Rather, he came to then gently and led them into a life-giving faith.

Questions

1. Recall a person who epitomizes for you the image of servant minister. Share the traits that cause you to think of this person in this way.

2. Share a time you were able to offer selfless service for no other reason than that it was the right thing to do. What feelings were associated with that time?