05-26-24 Liturgy

Main Theme:  How does God want us to join Him?

Opening
Goal: Focus our attention on Jesus and be open to what He wants to do & say in our gathering.

• Read Psalm 95:1-7
  
  ¹ Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
      let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
  ² Let us come before him with thanksgiving
      and extol him with music and song.
  ³ For the Lord is the great God,
      the great King above all gods.
  ⁴ In his hand are the depths of the earth,
      and the mountain peaks belong to him.
  ⁵ The sea is his, for he made it,
      and his hands formed the dry land.
  ⁶ Come, let us bow down in worship,
      let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
  ⁷ for he is our God
      and we are the people of his pasture,
      the flock under his care.

Worship
Goal: Make Jesus central in our gathering. This could be done through songs, prayerful scripture reading, communion, etc.

Suggested Practice:
Choose 2 songs to sing together (or listen to) that will help your Small Church focus on being the hands and feet of Jesus to those around them.

Possible Options:

• King Of My Heart (YouTube)
• So Will I (YouTube)
• I Will Follow (YouTube)

____[Dismiss the Kids/Youth]____

Small Group Exercise
Goal: Identify how we can participate with Jesus in bringing renewed hope to the disconnected.

• Items Needed:
  • 1 Pen or Pencil per person
  • 10 index cards of one color per person
  • 10 index cards of a different color per person
• Step 1:
  • Ask you Small Church to choose one color and on each card of that color write down specific things in your possession that bless you and/or your family (e.g. cooking skills, large home, big backyard, lawn mower etc.).
• Step 2:
  • Taking the other color, write down on each card things you see as broken with the world (e.g. spiraling credit card debt, mental health issues, unaffordable childcare for single moms, cycles of poverty etc.).
• Step 3:
  • Divide your Small Church into pairs. Allow each pair some time to brainstorm how they can use their possessions to love their neighbor as themselves and/or address an area of brokenness around them.

Large Group Exercise
Goal: Provide accountability and an opportunity to hear how the Holy Spirit is leading those in your Small Church.

• Ask everyone to share how they are going to participate with Jesus in bringing renewed hope to the disconnected.  

Reflective Practice
Goal: Provide accountability and an opportunity to hear how the Holy Spirit is leading those in your Small Church.

Suggested Practice #1:

• Encourage people to find a comfortable spot and grab a pen and piece of paper (or use their phone to make notes).  
• Play some soft worship music in the background that won’t be a distraction to people.
• Ask everyone to tell the biblical story in 4-6 words/symbols/icons (it’s ok if you need a few more).

Suggested Practice #2:

• Encourage people to find a comfortable spot and grab a pen and piece of paper (or use their phone to make notes).  
• Play some soft worship music in the background that won’t be a distraction to people.
• Ask everyone to prepare a 2 minute personal testimony of when their hope was renewed by Jesus.

____[Kids/Youth Rejoin Adults]____

Communion
Goal: Remember Jesus’ death and resurrection. Receive strength & joy that He is with us. Renew our hope for Jesus’ return and the restoration of creation.

Suggested Practice:

• Distribute bread and juice.
• Read the following statement…“the body of Christ has been given, broken for us and the entire world. This bread reminds us that He paid a debt that He did not owe so that we wouldn’t have to pay a debt that we did owe”.
• Eat the bread.
• Read the following statement…“The blood of Christ has been poured out, shed for us and the entire world. This juice reminds us that we have a permanent and unbreakable relationship with Him and that death has no power over us and no power over creation”.
• Drink the juice.

Homework
Goal: Activate the missional activity of your Small Church.

Below is a practice designed to activate our missional calling as followers of Jesus. It is a rhythm of life with the acronym BLESS.

• Bless others, including nonbelievers, those different from us, and the poor, at least three times a week.
• Listen to God in his Word and Spirit and to others to understand their stories and our culture’s story.
• Eat with others, including unbelievers, believers, and the poor.
• Speak to God (prayer) and speak to unbelievers the story and message of Jesus (witness).
• Sabbath in rest, play, praise and celebration.  

Select at least one “letter” to practice between today and the next Small Church gathering.