Sacred Space – Small Group Resources

Year A, Letters

Ordinary Time Proper 17

Romans 12:9–21 NRSV

Gathering

Welcome

Ordinary Time is the Christian Calendar period from Pentecost to Advent. This time 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 by Community of Christ Sings 560, “How Many Times We Start Again,” by Thomas H. Troeger

But greater than the cost we find is our expanded view of what it means with heart and mind

To trust and follow you…

God of starting again, today is no special day by the measures of the world. Simply another day. Not a Holy Day with capitalized letters. Not a Day of Importance, also capitalized. An ordinary day in ordinary time. The perfect day to follow your voice in pursuit of peace.

Stir in us a passion to pursue peace, even as we are settled in our comfortable daily routines. Our hearts long to follow you. Our minds yearn for your expanded view. Disturb our peace so we might be brave to follow and disturb the un-peace in our societies.

May we start again to meet strangers.

May we start again to trust and follow you.

In the name of Jesus, who is with us in the ordinary Amen

Spiritual Practice

Loving Kindness Blessing

Today we are focusing on the Enduring Principle of Worth of All Persons. The definition of this principle states, “We seek to uphold and restore the worth of all people individually and in community, challenging unjust systems that diminish human worth.” By practicing the Loving Kindness Blessing we remind ourselves of the Worth of All Persons.

I’ll say a phrase, and I invite you to repeat the words after me in your mind. Give the words time to resonate in your heart and mind:

May I be blessed with loving kindness. May I be blessed with health. May I be blessed with true happiness. May I be blessed with peace. Pause

Think of someone who is beloved to you. Visualize the person as you pray:

May my beloved be blessed with loving kindness. May my beloved be blessed with health. May my beloved be blessed with true happiness. May my beloved be blessed with peace. Pause.

Now think of a close friend. Visualize the person as you pray:

May my friend be blessed with loving kindness. May my friend be blessed with health. May my friend be blessed with true happiness. May my friend be blessed with peace. Pause.

Think of someone with whom you are in conflict or has harmed you. Visualize this person. Breathe deeply and lovingly pray this blessing:

May the one who harmed me be blessed with loving kindness. May the one who harmed me be blessed with health. May the one who harmed me be blessed with true happiness. May the one who harmed me be blessed with peace Pause

Think of Mother Earth and all creation. Visualize all creation. Breathe out love to all of creation as you pray.

May the Earth be blessed with loving kindness. May the Earth be blessed with health. May the Earth be blessed with true happiness. May the Earth be blessed with peace. Pause.

Invite people to share the thoughts, emotions, and images they experienced in this time of blessing.