Sabbath
· What does your work/non-work schedule look like? How do you know you are off the job?
· If you could change one thing about your work/non-work schedule, what would it be?
· How would those closest to you answer the question above for you?
· Read the Creation Story – Genesis 1
1. How did creation build on itself? How was order reflected in the creation of the world?
2. Notice how days were marked by “there was evening and there was morning.” Why do you think days started with evening in this story?
3. How would your paradigm of work and rest be different if you looked at your days as beginning with the rest of night?
4. When have you seen God at work in you during the quiet of the night?
· Are there ways that you justify avoiding Sabbath in your life? What is at stake for you to disengage from your job or studies or your responsibilities for a while?
· If you had a day or half a day, what would be life-giving and rejuvenating to you?
· This next week, what can you do to ensure rest from your normal responsibilities? What can you do to ensure that someone close to you can rest from their normal responsibilities?
Intercessory Prayer (Prayer for Others)
· When have you asked for something and been dismissed, ignored, or denied? How did that impact your ability to ask again?
· What comfort have you received (or do you receive) in knowing that others are praying for you? Why?
· In her book, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, Adele Calhoun defines intercessory prayer as “turning my concerns and worries into prayer; entering God’s heart for the world and then praying from there.”
· Can you think of someone you recently told that you would be praying for them? How faithfully have you kept that commitment?
· John 17 is a prayer of intercession that Jesus prayed for his disciples, including us who follow Him today. Read vs. 12 – 21. What are specific requests that Jesus made for us to His Father?
· How have you seen those requests answered in your own life?
· How can Jesus’ prayer shape our prayer for those we love? How about for those we don’t love?
· It can be overwhelming to try to pray for everyone we are close to. If we had 5 people that we felt called to pray for, who would they be?
· Write their name and a specific request for them, based on what you know about their current circumstance. Where can you put this as a reminder to pray for them this week?