Week of March 19

Welcome.

We are a Family

As the family of God, we take time each week to eat together, pray together, and share life together. It is in this ordinary rhythm of life in community that we become transformed to look like Jesus.

Following the Path of Jesus

As disciples of Jesus, we make it our aim to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what Jesus did. Through teaching, practice, community, and the Holy Spirit, we are learning what it means to be a disciple, or apprentice, of Jesus.

In greater Providence

As missionaries to our city, we demonstrate and announce the Gospel. As we live and work in the city and share life, we join with God to see the Kingdom of God come in Providence as it is in heaven.

We believe that to be follower or apprentice of Jesus is to order your life to journey in 4 directions:

Upward Direction / learning to be with Jesus
Inward Directions / becoming like Jesus
Outward Direction / doing what Jesus did
Withward Direction / following Jesus in community
*read more about our directions here

It’s here in HomeChurch where we walk these paths together by engaging in spiritual practices. We don’t want to be people who just hear the Word without putting it into practice, allowing deception into our lives. Our dream is that in becoming a faithful church we would live by faith, be known by love, and be a voice of hope for our region.

Announcements

Prayer Rooms: new in-person & online prayer rooms

ALL LINKS HERE

NOTE: Make sure everyone is following along with the guide this week: sanctuaryri.org/guide

The One You Long For*

**Below is an* introduction to our new collection of talks. Feel free to skip or refer to it for new folks to read on their own.

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” (AW Tozer) In this new collection of talks we are going to explore and behold who God is by taking a close look at The Trinity.

When it comes to understanding God, the Christian faith has historically taught that the Christian God is the Trinity, one God in three persons. It is important to note that this word is not actually found in the Bible, but is used to describe what is taught in the Scriptures about the divinity of the Father, Son, and Spirit. The Father is God (1 Cor. 8:6, 1 Pet. 1:3). The Son is God (1 Tim. 6:15, John 8:58, Heb. 1:8). The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3– 4, John 3:5–8). This view of God actually sets us apart from all other views of God in the world.

Millard Erickson writes, “In the doctrine of the Trinity, we encounter one of the truly distinctive doctrines of Christianity. Among the religions of the world, the Christian faith is unique in making the claim that God is one and yet there are three who are God.”

But what does this really mean,
and why is it so important that we understand this mystery?

The doctrine of the Trinity means that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons — the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Stated differently, God is one in essence and three in person. These definitions express three crucial truths:

1. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct persons.

2. Each Person is fully God.

3. There is only one God.

3.19 GOD THE FATHER IS HOLY

Opening Thought: “How little people know who think that holiness is dull… When one meets the real thing, it’s irresistible.” — CS Lewis

Read out loud Hebrews 12:1-3, 14-15

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart….

14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

Spend a few minutes in quiet with Hebrews 12 and then read this reflection:

God’s holiness also affects our discipleship. In the Old Testament the foundation of the moral code was built on holiness. Leviticus 11:44–45 reads, “I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground. I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.”

God’s people were to refect this otherness and distinctiveness in every area of their lives: their worship, work, sexuality, fnances, vocation, and family. And Paul reaffirms and expands on this in the New Testament when he writes in Ephesians 4:24 (NIV), “put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Becoming a disciple is learning to worship and live in a way that refects and resembles the holiness of our great God. We need to keep this vision of God’s holiness central in our lives. When humanity was created, we refected God’s perfection.

But as soon as we sinned, we were no longer holy or perfect. From then on, God’s holiness became frightening and dangerous to us because we no longer refected His perfection. It is our broken sinfulness which separates us from Him. This is why it was not safe for Moses to see God’s face and why Isaiah needed to be touched with burning coals (Ex 33:20, Is 6). As the writer of Hebrews explains, “without holiness no one will see the Lord” (12:14).

But even in the Garden, God began His plan to make us holy, once again, so we could see His face and live.

Jesus’ life and death — His full atonement for our sins — transform God’s holiness from a threat to a delight, and make our walk of holiness a joy instead of a duty. We are invited into God’s presence once more to worship Him, enjoy Him, and reflect His holy image to our world. In reflecting Him, we become holy as He is holy — we put on the righteousness and purity of Christ, we live compelling lives of love and beauty, and we become the unique, distinct, individual selves that God created each of us to be. It’s in His holiness that we find the source of all Joy, Love, Peace, K indness, Beauty, Goodness, Truth, Wisdom, and everything else our heart irresistibly longs for.

“Holy” is one of the words that has slowly and by perpetual mishandling been drained of its meaning. The most common way we hear this word used today is when it is followed by a swear word. Jesus’s own name is only ever mentioned in secular society as an exclamation of frustration. We live in a culture that profanes almost everything that has traditionally been considered sacred. We have become disillusioned with human authority and have reacted by elevating the Self and then trivializing the transcendent, so we can become our own source of authority and divinity.

We cannot and should not forget that God is a Holy God. There is a fundamental otherness to Him that sets Him apart from all that He has made. Being made in God’s image and without any fault or sin, our frst ancestors enjoyed communion with the Holy God; but even in that perfect state, God deserved their worship. He has always been other, distinct. Holiness is God’s burning perfection. Even our most poetic words can’t get at it, and even the best descriptors of our limited language fall short. God’s holiness frames all of His other attributes, and rightfully exults Him above all others in the universe. We must learn to be holy, as He is holy, and this should fll our hearts with both reverence and awe.

– Suzy Silk, Jon Tyson

Split up into triads and discuss (15min)

discuss some or all of the below. the point is to have some meaningful conversation about the passage and commentary.

Did God use something from this past Sunday’s sermon to “stir your soul”
What verses, ideas, phrases, or concepts stood out to you in this passage?
What questions do you need to further explore?
What do you need to claim, turn from, respond to, or pray into from this passage?
What phrase or verse could you imagine carrying through your week?

Large Group Discussion

Jesus says “blessed are the pure in heart (holiness) for they will see God” – and Heb 12 connects Holiness with seeing God. Andrew spoke at length about this on Sunday

Talk about the connection. Has there been a time where you’ve seen your lack of holiness in your own life contributing to a disconnect from God?

Better question: Where have you seen the opposite — have you felt closer to God, seen God more clearly, in seasons of greater holiness?
We live in a time when tolerance is held up as the supreme value. Yet the Scripture says that God is too holy to tolerate evil.

Are there things in your life that you have learned to tolerate from the world that might not be pleasing to God?
The Christian’s mind is to be set on the things which are pure (Phil 4:8); Our thoughts are to be so holy that they line up with God’s nature – with how things are supposed to be.

What things do you give attention to (media, books, gossip, feeds, relationships) in your life are, or have the potential to, corrupt your thinking.
Jesus said that He would return for a church that was “holy and without blemish” (Eph 5:27). Keep in mind that one of the primary things Jesus is wanting to do in your life is to make you holy (more like him).

How does your heart, mind, and soul respond to Jesus’ desire to make you holy?

Talk Through This Week’s Practice

Inwards / we journey inwards, learning to become like him in his wholeness, as we walk the Path Of Jesus

A.
Psalm 139 says: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any ofensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Set aside some time to ask God to reveal any areas of your life where you have intentionally or unintentionally allowed anything offensive to God into your life.

Entertainment?
Sexuality?
Finances?
Friendship?
Your Work?

Invite God to teach you how to live in obedience and holiness in each. Take time to journal about it.

B.
Fast from something above for the next month and pay attention to what God does when you find yourself craving that thing.

Close in Prayer

Before you end your time together, pray, asking the Spirit of God to fill and empower you to pray as you can. Take some time to pray for other prayer requests as they come up.

ALTERNATE LENT HOMECHURCH GUIDE

Search Me & Know Me

Read This Overview Aloud And Follow Along Together

On Sunday Dexley reminded us that the coming of Jesus, his life, death and resurrection are an invitation to all of us to open
the gates of our hearts and joyfully receive Him! God is inviting us to live under his good reign. He wants us to draw near and Psalm 24 helps us to know how to do it.

We the church are the body of Christ a temple we are meant to joyfully receive the presence of God as he inhabits his people! 1 Cor 6 says “do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

THIS teaching naturally leads us to THE practice of the church season we are entering into this week – LENT.

That practice is confession.

_____________________

Overview

Confession is good for the soul, but it can be very hard to do. It is also a terrifying gift, which should sound like a contradiction because it is. We live in a world that is invested in looking like good, moral people. After all, appearing good is one way of dealing with the notion that something is wrong with us. We can put a great deal of energy into maintaining that image, but this very appearance of goodness can be a way we defend ourselves against our sin. When we can’t see our sin we have nothing to confess. The truth is that we all sin, and when shame, guilt, or fear consume our minds, we tend to hide. We’ve somehow universally agreed to sort out our issues in private and keep up appearances in public, which is a tragic mis-step because hiding is an agonizing lie.

So, what’s the only alternative to hiding? It’s the refusal to hide, the terrifying insistence on exposing ourselves to God. That’s the only way to open ourselves up to unconditional love. The curse of sin doesn’t have to define us, even when we make the most massive mess. It’s in that moment of realizing what we’ve done, that we get to run to the Father. The gift from our Creator is that grace, not sin, defines us. And that’s the power of confession. God takes our worst moments and turns them into our triumphs.
In the practice of confession, we excavate down into the layers of our life, uncovering beyond what is obvious on the surface and deeper into the story of our own history.

The reward of believing in grace and practicing confession is that the parts of our stories we most want to edit or erase all together become the very parts of our stories we’d never take back and never stop telling. That’s the kind of author God is: Not an editor, but a Redeemer. He only works with rough drafts, but he only writes redemption stories.

Discussion

What has your experience or practice with confession looked like? Where has it been difficult or not used well? Where have you seen it bring joy, compassion, or even greater self-awareness?
What would help create a safe space or person when it comes to confession? What would take away from a space or person being safe when you think about confessing.
At the heart of God is the desire to give and to forgive. What might God want to give you through the practice of confession? What would you want to receive? (e.g. greater intimacy with God, greater compassion for others, greater knowledge of self, etc.)

Practice for Tonight

Remember that a healthy person is not a person with no sin, it’s a person with no secrets. As you spend time discussing tonight, use the following four layers of sin (used by the early church) as a framework to guide your process.

Blatant – These are sins universally recognized within both secular culture and the Kingdom of God. (e.g. acting on feelings of rage, lust, greed, etc.)
Deliberate — These are sins (usually outward, behavioral sins) recognized in the Kingdom of God, but not within the broader, secular culture. (e.g. lust, overindulgence of food or alcohol, consumerism, simplicity, etc.)
Unconscious — The sins are deeper thought patterns that lead or give birth to expressed sin. (e.g. prioritization of productivity over people, codependency, being defined by success, etc.)
Inner Orientations — This category reminds us that sin reveals who or what we really trust. Searching here reveals the motivations behind our actions. (e.g. security, power, control, affection, pleasure, approval, etc.)

Split up into same gender triads.

Use the next chunk of time to split into smaller groups and confess to one another the ways that you have failed to love God and others. This could be something you shared on Sunday when you came down for response time or something else. As a way of honoring one another’s privacy and comfort level, you may want to simply share one word or phrase that sums up what you’re wanting to confess (e.g. lust, jealousy, gossip, resentment, rage, over-indulgence, pride, etc.).

Keep in mind that this is not the time to provide counsel, advice, or share a connected personal story. Simply hear the confession, anything else they want to share about it, and then bless them in their honesty before God and others by praying a simple prayer over and with them. Your triad gets to host a space to offer grace, while God is the one who extends forgiveness.

Also, keep in mind that nothing that gets shared in your Triad should be shared outside of it. What is being shared is vulnerable and sacred, so please respect the trust being given by not sharing it with anyone else (even spouses or others in the HomeChurch). If something that is shared involves a threat of harm to self or other people, it is appropriate to privately share that concern with a HomeChurch or pastor.

Come back together and walk through the practice for the week ahead

Set aside some time for confession and self-examination. In the presence of God ask for light to pierce your defenses. Then consider asking, Who have I injured or sinned against through thoughtlessness, neglect, anger, or so on? As the Holy Spirit brings people to mind, confess your feelings to God. Ask God to forgive you and if need be to give you grace to forgive them. Write an apology, make a phone call or confess out loud, and ask God for help and wisdom to move forward.
Read through Psalm 139 or Psalm 51 or James 5. Be still before God and ask Him to breathe new life into you as you confess your need and dependence on him. Take some time to pray that God would help you desire honesty, which leads to confession, which leads to change.

Close in Prayer

Before you end your time together, pray, asking the Spirit of God to fill and empower you to pray as you can. Take some time to pray for other prayer requests as they come up.

______________

Communion Liturgy

RESOURCE: EXTENDED COMMUNION LITURGY

R1
We come to celebrate who you are, to acknowledge your greatness, and thank you for your love.

R2
Come to the table, not because you must, but because you may. Come to testify, not that you are righteous, but that you sincerely love our Lord Jesus Christ and desire to be his true disciple. Come not because you are strong, but because you are weak and that you stand in constant need of God’s mercy and help. Come not to express an opinion, but to seek God’s presence and pray for the Spirit.

R1
Hear the words of CONFESSION

“Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have “mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.”

R2
words of ASSURANCE:

If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.”

Therefore we proclaim our faith

Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.

We pray in the name of Jesus, who taught us to pray,

“‘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”

Hear the words of our Lord Jesus Christ as they are delivered by the apostle Paul: “For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’

Let us eat

In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’

Let us drink

For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

R2
May we, throughout our week remember Jesus Christ – given for the complete forgiveness of all our sins. May we Remember his presence with us. May we Remember his blessing upon us all.

BEGIN WITH PRAYER (5 MINUTES)

Gather together as a Community in a comfortable setting (around a table, on the couch, the floor of a living room, etc.). Have somebody lead a prayer asking the Holy Spirit to lead and guide your time together.

BREAK UP & DEBRIEF

If you are in a HomeChurch of seven or more, divide into small groups of 3–4 people each (ideally same gender). Spend a few minutes catching up on life…

Then talk through the following debrief questions:

Come back together

READ THIS OVERVIEW

As we continue this collection of talks on one of our church-wide commitments (Our Path), HOSPITALITY through Advent we want return again to Jesus words and actions towards others. Jesus said the second most important command in all of the Torah (the Bible of his day) was Leviticus 19v18: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

We usually generalize neighbor to mean anybody, and that’s fine. Jesus himself said the word is so wide it encompasses our enemy. But if our neighbor is everybody, then it’s kind of nobody.

What if Jesus meant our actual neighbor? As in the people who live on our street? In our apartment complex or condo tower? In our regular rhythms of life? What if he intended for them to be the primary recipients of our love?

In week three of our practice of hospitality, we explore the idea of recapturing the home as an outpost for the kingdom in our neighborhood and the table as a tangible expression of neighbor love.

WITHWARD PRACTICE (40 MINUTES)

Here’s the Practice for tonight and the coming week (you may not get to it all):

Exercise #1: Block Map

The following is an exercise from artofneighboring.com

Exercise #2: Brainstorming Session

A FINAL QUESTION FOR THE ROOM

CLOSE IN PRAYER (10 MINUTES)

Begin by Practicing the Lord’s Supper Together (5 minutes)

Begin your night by partaking of the bread and the cup together. Have each person bring their own Communion elements. To facilitate your time, you can either ask a member of your HomeChurch to come ready with a short prayer, liturgy, or scripture reading, or assign someone to read the passage of scripture we’ve provided below and spend a moment in silence before continuing:

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. (1 Corinthians 11v23–26)

SERIES CONTEXT

*Repeat the context section only as needed. This is for folks who have missed the last few weeks. If you skip it begin reading at the “Debrief” section.

To kick off the season of Lent we began a collection of talks that will lay a foundation for the next decade of our church. Many of you have a rule of life or are familiar with what that is (no worries if you don’t – we’ll get there). Quickly put a rule of life is set of practices to guard our habits and guide our lives.

What we have never done at Sanctuary until now is create a rule of life for our whole church. As Andrew put it – a “common way that we roll together.” :) Establishing marked out practices that define the way we will live together as a church. A doctrinal statement and general affinity for specific programs cannot be the only things that bind us together – a shared path has to be at the center.

So… for the next month we want to bring our Sanctuary rule of life/way of life and our personal ones together.

We need a Pathway (a rule of life) because…
The rhythms of our lives (what we do)
Form the desires of our hearts (what we want)
Which shape the directions of our lives. (who we are becoming)

Over the 6 weeks of Lent we’ll spend time together exploring different aspects of our shared rule of life. The intention is that you can take your time considering what Practices you’re already engaged in, what is life-giving for you, and what would help move you closer the way of Jesus.

It’s been said that we achieve inner peace when our schedule is aligned with our values. Remember that a rule of life is simply a tool to that end. Rather than a rigid, legalistic to-do list, it’s a life-giving structure for freedom, growth, and joy.

Read this Overview (5 Mins)

The American experience and western culture in general are rooted in radical individualism. We are trained to look out for our own interest above all others, constantly pushing to get what we want or “deserve” and pursue our own desires over those of others. Yet, the way of Jesus and our experience show us that while looking out for our own interests and living in extreme independence—while it may be easier in the short term—leads to unhappiness in the long term. For better or worse, we need each other.

In Romans 12, Paul paints pictures of the people of God as inextricably intertwined: both as a family of brothers and sisters, as well as a body with many parts, all of which need one another. That said, if you keep reading the New Testament, and honestly if you pursue any relationship beyond the surface level, you will discover depth and community to be challenging. To stick with community for the long haul, it becomes essential to learn to do three things:

During this series, we’ll each be crafting (or revisiting) a working Rule of Life to help create structure through which Jesus can grow and shape us to be more like Him. This week, we’ll be focusing on how to grow in practicing Jesus-centered community.

Debrief this Sunday’s Direction (20 Minutes)

With that in mind, work through the following discussion questions as a Community:

Encouragement & Blessing (15 Minutes)

[Split back up into groups of 3]

Encouragement is essential if we are going to live out the call of God on our lives. If confes- sion is accountability for what we don’t want to do, encouragement is fuel for what we are called to do.

To encourage is (literally) to put courage into someone. In our culture, we are often beat down, criticized, and challenged with discouraging circumstances and situations that cause us to lose heart, turn back, or give up. This is a time to call out the gifts, passions, and vision that God has placed in our hearts to see his fame and deeds renewed and known in our time.

SHARE WITH ONE ANOTHER:
What do you sense God doing in you that you need to respond to? What do you sense God doing around you that he is inviting you into? What do you sense God doing through you that you need courage for?

PRAY FOR EACH OTHER:
Consider laying hands on each other and commissioning each other for a new week. Here is benediction you could use:
Go forth into the world in peace; be of good courage;
hold fast that which is good; render to no one evil for evil; strengthen the fainthearted; support the weak;
help the afflicted;
honor everyone;
love and serve the Lord,
rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit;
and the blessing of God Almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

[March 27 – Outward]

Begin by Practicing the Lord’s Supper Together (5 minutes)

Begin your night by partaking of the bread and the cup together. Have each person bring their own Communion elements. To facilitate your time, you can either ask a member of your Community to come ready with a short prayer, liturgy, or scripture reading, or assign someone to read the scripture we’ve provided below and spend a moment in silence before continuing.

Isaiah 58v 6 – 9
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

SERIES CONTEXT

*Repeat the context section only as needed. This is for folks who have missed the last few weeks. If you skip it begin reading at the “Debrief” section.

Debrief last week’s practice in triads (5–10 min)

If you are in a HomeChurch of seven or more, divide into small groups of 3–4 people each (ideally same gender).

Read this Overview (5 mins)

This week we talked about the Outward path:

OUTWARD / Do What Jesus Did

We believe that Jesus is God in human form and that the Church is God’s ongoing presence in the world. Led by the Spirit of God, we are passionate about relieving suffering and fighting injustice, joining God in demonstrating and announcing the transforming message of the resurrected Jesus. Jesus calls his Church to be a compelling force for good in the world, and we believe that the Church is at its best when it serves, sacrifices, and loves, caring about the things God cares about. We were created to live for something larger than ourselves.

All over the Gospels, we find Jesus, who is the exact representation of God, engaging the world’s brokenness. As we pay close attention to what he says and does, we learn how important justice, mercy, and faithfulness are to God’s heart.

In our world, it’s expected that we put ourselves above others; but Jesus instructs us to lay our life down for others. In and through the life and teachings of Jesus, we learn that in God’s Kingdom the last will be first. The question we want to lean into in this season is: How can we help make the last first today? Not just in the future. And not just as a one time act of charity. How can we invite people, through relationship and life together, into the family of God? To start orienting our hearts towards people on the margins is through OUTWARD practices. One of the main teaching texts was

Mathew 23:23-24

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.”

Jesus critiqued the Pharisees for narrowly debating the ceremonial requirements of the law while they neglected more important aspects to pursue justice, show mercy, and live lives of faithfulness, missing the heart of God. They were blinded to what was important. They lacked the ability to discern the difference between minor and major things. And their efforts to be holy actually carried them further away from the heart of God for the world. We are just as vulnerable to those same traps today. In a world that asks “Where’s Jesus?” we need to be examples of mercy, justice, and faith in equal measure. To be disciples of Jesus, we need to be like Him and weigh with the actions of our lives and our motivations against His words, and make sure we can see clearly, discern, and practice the things that truly matter to the heart of God.

Practice reading & responding to the word read aloud (20min)

This week’s scriptures referenced:

Choose one or two of the passages to read aloud in the group and ask any of the following questions:

Discuss our outward practices (15min)

In triads or all together discuss these two practices and how you might incorporate them into your rule/way of life.

Materialism, consumerism, and the constant need to accumulate more for ourselves are easy temptations to give into. However, the spiritual practice of generosity compels us to turn our attention toward our neighbor, especially the poor and marginalized, to bring about the loving-justice God desires for this world.

BASE: Inventory how you spend your time and money with an earnest reflection on how much you invest in yourself versus others, especially the poor and marginalized.

STRETCH: Committed to proactively valuing generosity, set up weekly, monthly, and yearly goals for how you will give generously of your time and finances. This might look like giving generously to the church as well as local organizations, missionaries, and unhoused neighbors.

2. HOSPITALITY

As followers of Jesus, we are called to live counter-culturally to that of the world. We seek to welcome the stranger in a spirit of kindness, kinship, and love. Hospitality is the spiritual practice of moving away from hostility and living into our calling as peacemakers for the Kingdom of God.

BASE: Keep a prayer list of those you feel led to reach out to or come to know Jesus. Connect one-on-one with them monthly in a casual setting, like a walk.

STRETCH: In addition to a prayer list, invite someone into the spiritually-rich tradition of fellowship around the table, sharing a meal and welcoming them into your home.

Prayer (10 Minutes)

Spend a few minutes praying for God’s grace over each other, that we might become a people who seek to be like Jesus: pursuing justice alongside mercy, and creating invitation to family wherever we go. Pray there might be a sweeping renewal of the Holy Spirit in our city. Ask that God would stir up within us a desire to be with him in prayer and to serve him, one another, and our neighbor in love.

(Y(OUR) INWARD PATH)

DEBRIEF LAST WEEKS PRACTICE IN TRIADS (5–10 MINUTES)

If you are in a HomeChurch of seven or more, divide into small groups of 3–4 people each (ideally same gender).

1) to take some time to actively engage the idea of margin and limits as it pertains to your life and 2) to decide the specifics of how you will incorporate prayer and worship into your Rule Of Life. Remember, your Rule of Life will be a work in progress, and you will likely adapt it more than once along the way.

READ THIS OVERVIEW

This past Sunday Andrew shared about the Inward path (becoming like Jesus). Here is how we talk about this direction at Sanctuary:

INWARD / Become Like Jesus

We believe that God wants to bring about a new humanity by redeeming every part of us. We embrace the salvation Jesus offers as the only hope for the healing of our relationships with God, each other, ourselves, and creation. We believe that all of life is spiritual, and that all of our fears, failures, and brokenness can be restored and made whole. We value the inner journey because we want to be fully integrated people–mind, body, and soul, emotions and experiences all offered together to God. This leads us to follow Jesus in the way He invested in the relationships around him.

Here are the 2 shared inward practices we introduced on Sunday:

Sabbath

Especially in a time such as this, we need to set aside time to rest, practice gratitude, and delight in God. A typical Sabbath starts on Friday evening and ends Saturday evening. If this is not good timing for you, feel free to choose another day.

+ Your Practice: ___________

Silence & Solitude

This world is full of noise, and we can often be tempted to use this noise to drown out our own anxieties, worries, or fears. Unfortunately, this also keeps us from finding the deep peace God offers. The spiritual practice of solitude and silence invites us to turn down the noise and connect to God, our source of peace.

+ Your Practice: ___________

continue reading together

Ultimately nothing in this life apart from God can satisfy our desires. Tragically, we continue to chase desire. But to what end? A chronic state of restlessness? An underlying anxiety driving us increasingly into a life of hurry? Thankfully, there are practices from the life and teachings of Jesus to fight against the chronic restlessness of our condition and culture and to tap into the deep soul rest Jesus offers.

Silence & Solitute and the practice we are going to drill down into today at HomeChurch called Sabbath.

In the book of Genesis we read that God, the creator, worked for 6 days and on the 7th day, he rested. He rested. An infinite God, and yet he rests. In his provocative and prophetic act of resting, God builds into the DNA and fabric of his creation an intrinsic need to stop and cultivate rest.

In our current world, the concept of Sabbath may feel a bit outdated or disconnected. It certainly doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense when set against the backdrop of our 24/7 culture. But the reality is that this practice is the baseline remedy for the chaos of the day to day grind that we live in.

When it comes to the Practice of Sabbath, there is no perfect formula. Sabbath will demand varying rhythms, times, and implementation for each person — and will likely change as you move through life. However, we do believe there is a blueprint or a set of rhythms, that help practically provide space for us to experience the true gift of Sabbath. These rhythms are: Stop, Rest, Rejoice, and Worship.

Stop working. Rest in God’s provision. Delight in the gift of rest. And worship God, who gives the Sabbath to us as a good gift.

In the Practice of Sabbath, each of us has the opportunity to lay a foundation in the story of our lives that is rooted in rest, limits, and communion with God.

DO THIS PRACTICE AS A HOMECHURCH RIGHT NOW (15–20 MINUTES)

In triads, talk through the following questions. Document your answers somewhere as we will come back to them at the end of this series.

DISCUSS THE COMING WEEK’S PRACTICE (5–10 MINUTES)

The Practice for this week is two fold: 1) to take a day and practice Sabbath (ideally, this would be a 24 hour period of time), and 2) to decide on what you will do, what your specific practice will be in this next season. Remember do as you can not as you can’t.

This week, take time to do the following:

Here are some ideas to consider, adapt, or inspire:

Below is list of best practices for Sabbath specifically based on various seasons or stages of life. Take a minute to look through the list and identify the season to which you most relate.

Keep in mind that the following lists do not contain prescriptive Practices – they are simply suggestions from our church community.

Young Families

Single People

Married Couples (without kids)

Parents with Teenagers

Empty Nesters

WORK THROUGH SOME OF THESE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU CALL IT A NIGHT (5–10 MINUTES)

CLOSE IN PRAYER (5 MINUTES)

Last weeks guide:

CONTEXT

*It is especially important to listen to the past three Sunday talks

THIS WEEK

This past Sunday Andrew shared about the Upward path (being with Jesus). Here is how we talk about this direction at Sanctuary:

UPWARDS / Be With Jesus

We believe that having a deep and connected relationship with God is the best possible way to live. We celebrate the divine in the daily, pursuing lives of hope, gratitude, and worship. We believe worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of the conscience by his holiness; the nourishment of mind with his truth; the purifying of imagination by his beauty; the opening of the heart to his love; the surrender of will to his purpose — all this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable.

Here are the 2 shared upward practices we introduced on Sunday. The Third will be place for you add an additional upward practice of your own if you desire.

Base practice: Seek to spend at least ten minutes each day in the scriptures, with BREAD as a guide –– journaling if you’re able.
Stretch practice: Give as much time as you’re able to BREAD each day for M-F – incorporate deeper study — and do it before or after you turn your phone on.

2. UPWARD PRACTICE 2 / Prayer & Worship

Base: Regular weekly P.R.A.Y. and committing to Sunday morning worship
Stretch: Daily Morning P.R.A.Y and Evening Examen and committing to a quarterly Altar or Heart gathering.

3. UPWARD PRACTICE 3 / _______ personal practice ________

Something else that emerged from your story

Your Base:
Your Stretch:

DEBRIEF THE TEACHING & PRACTICES IN TRIADS (15-20min)

If you are in a HomeChurch of seven or more, divide into small groups of 3–4 people each (ideally same gender).

1. What, if anything, resonated with you from the teaching about the Upwards direction? What challenged or moved you?

2. What practices make up your current rule of life (official or unofficial)? How would it feel to make these an “official” part of the way you live your days and weeks and months?

3. Based on your personality and preferences, which practices do you find easiest? How about most challenging?

4. Based on your life circumstances (such as, single with no roommates, new parent, working in a demanding job), which categories fit most easily into your routine? Which might take more creative planning?

DO THIS TWO PART PRACTICE AS A HOME CHURCH RIGHT NOW (20min)

“But how does this all fit in my life? I don’t have any more room for something else!” If that’s you, you’re not alone. Crafting a Rule of Life takes intention and attention, and that can feel daunting at times. But building a Rule of life does not just mean adding more things; it also means figuring out what needs to be subtracted to make room.

Apprenticeship to Jesus invites us not only to take on countercultural Practices, but to consciously and intentionally take stock of our life and practice editing. Much as has been the heart behind this Practice, the goal is not to get it all right the first time around, but to make space and work slowly towards shaping our life to match the person we want to become. This journey will require us to shift what isn’t working and to try different things until something starts producing the fruit you’re looking for.

As we work to finish our first draft of our Rule of Life, we want to hold in mind the principle of margin. Margin, the space between our load and our limits, is something that many of us aren’t conscious of. But if we ignore it, we burn through it with extra activities and are always on the edge of what feels like burnout or exhaustion. The best way that we can fight this ‘normal’ of a time-obsessive tiredness is by receiving the gift of our own limits and letting them build for us healthy margin. Whether these limits are natural (having a family, needing to sleep, only having 24 hours in a day) or chosen (no phones at the dinner table, HomeChurch every _____ night, weekly Sabbath), they can help us begin to reclaim our lives from the tyranny of the urgent.

Tonight we will have a conversation about margin and the talk about finishing our first drafts of our Rule of Life for next week.

This can feel a bit funny to some people but go with it. The point is spirit led reflection.
Holding in mind your answer to that last question, transition back to a large group and work through the following imaginative prayer activity. (If you have questions on imaginative prayer, you can go back and listen to this imaginative prayer teaching.)

DEBRIEF: There’s no pressure to do so, but invite people to share their experience and the images that did or did not come to mind in that exercise with someone this week. If you have time, it could be helpful to process these experiences back in your triads or as a whole group.

CLOSE BY SHARING THE COMING WEEK’S PRACTICE

The Practice for this week is two fold:

CLOSE IN PRAYER

[MARCH 6 PRACTICE]

INWARD / telling your story

The way we want to start this process of creating a personal and communal rule of life is by identifying the ways that we have been formed and the patterns (both good and bad) that are present within us by telling our stories.

NOTE: Split up into groups of 3. Most of your time will be spent silently thinking and writing.

If you didn’t take time this week before meet in your HomeChurch to think through your story take some time before you proceed to the next step: Reflect on the significant people, places and events of your life, both positive and negative. Go through this task prayerfully and thoroughly.

2. MAP YOUR STORY

Physically write out your story on a timeline. Choose either your whole life or the past year. Place positive experiences above the line and more challenging ones below it. The higher or lower you draw the line represents the degree to which that was a positive or negative experience.

3. SPOT THEMES, PATHS, AND PATTERNS

As you look back over your story, do you notice any themes developing? Do you see patterns of behavior emerge? Are there common threads of ways of thinking? If so, note them.

Some questions that might help

WITHWARD

4. TELL YOUR STORY

Each person in the group takes a turn to tell the rest of the group their story. This is a vulnerable thing to do, so make sure to create a safe and secure environment in which to do this where everyone feels listened to and never judged. It can be helpful to give each other permission to ask questions as well. After each person has shared their story, pray for them to be filled by the Spirit, and for any areas of their story that they might specifically want prayer for.

NOTE: Don’t rush this. We’ll extend this into next week if we need too.

5. END

Close in prayer in your triad.

ADDITIONAL LEADER NOTES

LEADER STORY PAGE Download

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

PATH COMMUNITY GUIDE

The goal for a Path Community is to gather regularly with 3-5 people of the same gender, to press in together as disciples of Jesus, and to practice the most neglected commands, disciplines, and practices of the Christian life on off HomeChurch weeks or in the everyday rhythms of life.

We don’t want to be people who just hear the Word without putting it into practice, allowing deception
into our lives. We believe the following 4 practices with a few friends, often overlooked, can produce disproportionate spiritual fruit for the time and context in which we are called to follow Jesus.

PATH GUIDE

RESOURCE: EXTENDED COMMUNION LITURGY

R1
We come to celebrate who you are, to acknowledge your greatness, and thank you for your love.

R1
Hear the words of CONFESSION

R2
words of ASSURANCE:

Therefore we proclaim our faith

Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.

We pray in the name of Jesus, who taught us to pray,

Let us eat

In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’

Let us drink

For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

R2
May we, throughout our week remember Jesus Christ – given for the complete forgiveness of all our sins. May we Remember his presence with us. May we Remember his blessing upon us all.

Sanctuary Church Providence, Rhode Island

our vision is Jesus • our mission is renewal • our way is love

Week of March 19

Welcome.

Announcements

The One You Long For*

*Below is an introduction to our new collection of talks. Feel free to skip or refer to it for new folks to read on their own.

3.19 GOD THE FATHER IS HOLY

Split up into triads and discuss (15min)

Large Group Discussion

Talk Through This Week’s Practice

Close in Prayer

ALTERNATE LENT HOMECHURCH GUIDE

Search Me & Know Me

Overview

Discussion

Practice for Tonight

Come back together and walk through the practice for the week ahead

Close in Prayer

Communion Liturgy

RESOURCE: EXTENDED COMMUNION LITURGY

BEGIN WITH PRAYER (5 MINUTES)

BREAK UP & DEBRIEF

Come back together

READ THIS OVERVIEW

WITHWARD PRACTICE (40 MINUTES)

A FINAL QUESTION FOR THE ROOM

CLOSE IN PRAYER (10 MINUTES)

Begin by Practicing the Lord’s Supper Together (5 minutes)

Read this Overview (5 Mins)

Debrief this Sunday’s Direction (20 Minutes)

Encouragement & Blessing (15 Minutes)

Begin by Practicing the Lord’s Supper Together (5 minutes)

Debrief last week’s practice in triads (5–10 min)

Read this Overview (5 mins)

Practice reading & responding to the word read aloud (20min)

Discuss our outward practices (15min)

Prayer (10 Minutes)

DEBRIEF LAST WEEKS PRACTICE IN TRIADS (5–10 MINUTES)

READ THIS OVERVIEW

DO THIS PRACTICE AS A HOMECHURCH RIGHT NOW (15–20 MINUTES)

DISCUSS THE COMING WEEK’S PRACTICE (5–10 MINUTES)

WORK THROUGH SOME OF THESE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU CALL IT A NIGHT (5–10 MINUTES)

CLOSE IN PRAYER (5 MINUTES)

CONTEXT

THIS WEEK

INWARD / telling your story

WITHWARD

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

PATH COMMUNITY GUIDE

RESOURCE: EXTENDED COMMUNION LITURGY

Like this:

**Below is an* introduction to our new collection of talks. Feel free to skip or refer to it for new folks to read on their own.