Category: Small groups

Mustard Seeds

Mustard Seeds

Quote

Faith gives wings to prayer, and without it we cannot fly up to Heaven. 

St. John Climacus, “The Ladder of Divine Ascent,” (Boston: Holy Transfiguration Monastery, 1978), Step28: On Holy and Blessed Prayer, the Mother of Virtues, and on the Attitude of Mind and Body in Prayer

Challenge

Enhance your quiet time in the same way as Bob from the story before- set up an empty chair beside and speak to God in faith that He is beside you and listening

Prayer

Father God, when my strength is gone, I am unable—but Your Word says I can do all thing through Christ who strengthens me. Give me Your strength, not physical strength but the power to move mountains that flows from faith in You. Help me to depend on You to do what I think I cannot do. Let your strength alone sustain me. Help me to renew my faith in You day by day so I am ever blessed with your presence.

Mustard Seeds

Mustard Seeds

Old Testament Passage

7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:7-10

Question

  1. When we are weak, we find strength through faith in God that is the source of all strength. How can we practically apply our faith when we doubt ourselves?
  2. Let us presume that we have assurance that we can do a task on our own, how can we have faith that even then, God is our source of strength?

Mustard Seeds

Mustard Seeds

Story

Mandy Marie asked her pastor, James Lettinger, to come and pray with her father Bob. When the minister arrived, he found Bob lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows. And there was an empty chair sitting beside his bed. The minister assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit. “I guess you were expecting me Bob,” he said.

“No. I was not expecting you,” said Bob. “Who are you?”.
“I’m the new minister at your church,” he replied. “When I saw the empty chair, I figured you knew I was going to show up.”
“Oh yeah, the chair,” said the bedridden man. “Would you mind closing the door?”

Puzzled, Pastor James shut the door.

“I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter,” said the man. “But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went right over my head. I abandoned any attempt at prayer,” the old man continued, “until one day about four years ago my best friend said to me, ‘Bob, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus.’

‘Here is what I suggest. Sit down in a chair; place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It’s not spooky because he promised, ‘I’ll be with you always.’ Then just speak to him and listen in the same way you’re doing with me right now.’

So, I tried it and I’ve liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I’m careful though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair she’d either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm.”

James was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old guy to continue on the journey. Then he prayed with Bob, anointed him with oil, and returned to the church.

Two nights later the daughter called to tell the pastor that her daddy had died that afternoon.

“Did he die in peace?” he asked.

“Yes, when I left the house about two o’clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later I found him dead. But there was something strange about his death. Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on the chair beside the bed. What do you make of that?”

Pastor James wiped a tear from his eye and said, “I wish we all could go like that.”

Question

  1. For Bob, prayer was simply talking to God and trusting that He was listening. How can we have faith like this?

Mustard Seeds

Mustard Seeds

New Testament Passage

20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

Matthew 17:20-21

Questions

  1. What does it mean to have faith like a mustard seed?
  2. Something so small, almost insignificant, is what Christ urges us to strive for. How can we practically attain a small yet tangible faith that moves mountains?

Open Hands

Open Hands

Challenge

Discuss as a group some things that are difficult for you to give up day to day. Make a vow (within yourself) to give up one of these things for the sake of Christ.

Prayer

Dear Lord,

Thank You for giving me blessings in abundance. Thank You for providing for me more than I will ever need out of the kindness of Your heart. Instil within me the same compassion towards those around me who are lacking. Make me sensitive to their needs and open my hands to give to them cheerfully. Dear Lord, make me to live with loosened hands always, so that I can both give and receive out of Your richness.

Amen

Open Hands

Open Hands

Old Testament Passage

17He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord,
And He will pay back what he has given.

Proverbs 19:7

Question

(a) How come God repays us when we lend to the poor even though the only reason, we have anything in the first place is because of God Himself?

(b) In what way does God repay us for giving?

Quote

“The bread in our cupboard belongs to the hungry man; The coat hanging unused belongs to the one who needs it; The shoes rotting in our closet belongs to the one who walks barefoot; And the money we hoard belongs to the poor.”

St Ambrose

Open Hands

Open Hands

Story

A wild horse appeared one day and made its home in a farmer’s field. “How lucky you are to have acquired such a fine horse for nothing!” said his neighbours. “Maybe, maybe not,” replied the farmer.

The farmer’s son, his only help around the farm, tried to ride the horse. It threw him, breaking his legs. “How unlucky for you,” chorused the neighbours. “Maybe, maybe not,” replied the farmer.

His son was left behind when the emperor’s soldiers arrived in the village to conscript all the young, able-bodied men into the army, many of whom would die in the war. Meanwhile, the wild horse ran away. “How unfortunate!” cried the neighbours. “Maybe, maybe not,” said the farmer.

The horse returned to the field, bringing his entire herd with him. “What good fortune!” exclaimed the neighbours. “Maybe, maybe not,” reflected the wise farmer.

The message is simple: hold your possessions in life very loosely because you don’t know when they will be taken from you.

Question

Is there a difference between giving something up willingly and Christ taking something from you? How are each perceived in the eyes of the Lord?

Quote

We must be willing to part with the “things” of this world whenever we are asked for them. If we find our hearts unwilling to part with anything, then there is improper attachment. If we find our minds being consumed by anything material, then there is improper attachment. If we find we get envious and jealous of our neighbours, then there is improper attachment. If we find ourselves being disturbed by the loss of material “things”, then there is improper attachment. In short, whenever we want to do anything just to bring pleasure to ourselves, then there is improper attachment. Hold all things with an open hand.

St John of the Ladder

Open Hands

Open Hands

New Testament Passage

1And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, 2 and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. 3 So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; 4 for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”

Luke 21:1-4

Question

What does it mean to give with “open hands”? How does the widow in the Gospel of Luke portray this kind of giving?

Solomon’s Gift

Solomon’s Gift – Discernment

Quote

True discretion is only secured by true humility. And of this humility the first proof is given by reserving everything (not only what you do but also what you think), for the scrutiny of the elders, so as not to trust at all in your own judgment but to acquiesce in their decisions in all points, and to acknowledge what ought to be considered good or bad by their traditions. And this habit will not only teach a young man to walk in the right path through the true way of discretion, but will also keep him unhurt by all the crafts and deceits of the enemy. For a man cannot possibly be deceived, who lives not by his own judgment but according to the example of the elders, nor will our crafty foe be able to abuse the ignorance of one who is not accustomed from false modesty to conceal all the thoughts which rise in his heart, but either checks them or suffers them to remain, in accordance with the ripened judgment of the elders. For a wrong thought is enfeebled at the moment that it is discovered: and even before the sentence of discretion has been given, the foul serpent is by the power of confession dragged out, so to speak, from his dark under-ground cavern, and in some sense shown up and sent away in disgrace

St John Cassian, the Conferences

Challenge

“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful” – recite this verse as often as is possible and see if this changes how you think and behave.

Prayer

Dear Lord,

You know our weaknesses and what hinders us from coming close to You. Please help us to empty ourselves before You so that we may be clothed with humility. When we kneel before You in prayer and pour our hearts out to You, help us to remember the request of Solomon who asked for wisdom. When there is so much else on our minds, may this remain at the forefront so that our ultimate aim is to please You, before we please anyone else. You are ever-patient and ever-kind to the flaws of our human nature, but please reveal to us all our deepest desires. Empty us of all our hidden weakness so that we may be clothed in humility with Your strength.

Solomon’s Gift

Solomon’s Gift – Discernment

New Testament Passage

12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.

15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?

1 Corinthians 6:12-15

Question

By our own logic, we can always justify the wrong we have done. How can we ensure that we remember to glorify God, when the world compels us otherwise?