By Levi Warren
Optional Kids Practice
Invite the kids in your group to be with the adults for a few minutes. Once they seem ready to engage, ask them the following question and help facilitate a short conversation.
- Why do you think it’s helpful for followers of Jesus to read the Bible?
During this series, help the kids in your Community practice the memory verse for the month.
The February memory verse for preschoolers: “Love each other in the same way I have loved you.” John 15:12, NLT
The February memory verse for elementary school kids: “How you made me is amazing and wonderful. I praise you for that. What you have done is wonderful. I know that very well.” Psalm 139:14 NIRV
*If reading Scripture is new for your kids, try downloading Yoto Bible story cards or consider getting them the Jesus Storybook Bible as a way to introduce them to the practice. Parents, feel free to share other ideas that have helped introduce your kids to the Scriptures.
Begin with prayer
Gather together as a Community in a comfortable setting. Spend a moment in silence, in the presence of Jesus and each other. Have one person read 2 Timothy 3:16-17 over the group and then pray to ask the Holy Spirit to guide your time together.
Debrief the most recent teaching and Practice
- What did you take away from the latest teaching, and how has it connected with what God is doing in your life?
- How did it go incorporating a moment of silence and reflection into your routine of reading from the Van City Lectionary each day? What about this Practice was helpful or unhelpful?
Read this overview
As we do with any aspect of life, we approach the Scriptures with all sorts of thoughts and feelings. We may come with excitement or apprehension, a desire to be close to God or a sense of obligation, or anything in between. And our feelings about Scripture can shape our expectations of Scripture, as well. Maybe we expect to find words of wisdom and encouragement, or have an encounter with the love of God. Or maybe we expect our time in Scripture to be difficult, confusing, and convicting.
But whatever our expectations, spending time in the Word of God will have an impact on us. In the moment, and in the future. The author of Hebrews describes the Word as “alive and active” (Heb. 4:12), and as we read at the opening of this Practice, “all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
Spending time absorbing Scripture is formative for the follower of Jesus, who himself is called the Word of God. It is one way that we partner with the Holy Spirit to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, so that we can know and understand what God desires for our lives and the world we live in (Rom. 12:2).
Discuss the following prompts
- What thoughts or feelings do you typically come to the Scriptures with (e.g., excitement, boredom, confusion, hopefulness)? In what way does that shape your expectations for experiencing the Word of God?
- Within the last year, how would you say your mind has been renewed or transformed by spending time in the Scriptures? In what ways do you hope to be shaped by the Word of God this year?
Practicing right now
If your Community has time tonight, spend time listening to one of the songs below that have creatively taken words from the Scriptures. Something we can easily forget about Scripture is that we can absorb it in ways other than silently reading it by ourselves. One way the Church has encountered the Bible throughout its long history is by Scripture being turned into songs of worship.
As a note, remember that while these songs borrow their words from the Scriptures, they are not the same as the inspired Word of God, and they aren’t a replacement for the Bible. They are simply tools that can help us to absorb the truth of God’s Word, and help turn our attention to Jesus in worship.
How did listening to elements of Scripture in this way impact you?
What are some other creative ways you could listen to Scripture (e.g., reading it out loud with another person, using apps, or listening to podcasts)? How do you think absorbing Scripture in these ways could help you better engage with the Word of God?
Practicing this week
For hundreds of years, before the written Word was available to the masses, one of the primary ways followers of Jesus absorbed Scripture was by hearing it spoken out loud. Jesus famously said that his “mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice” (Luke 8v21, emphasis added).
This week’s Practice is to continue reading from the Van City Lectionary each day, but to also incorporate listening to the Word spoken out loud. Pick two or three passages from the Lectionary this week to listen to, and pay attention to how hearing the Word impacts you differently from when you read it silently. Listening to an audio Bible can easily be accomplished with an app. The YouVersion Bible App is a great free option.
Be ready to share your experience with the group next week.
Close in prayer
End by having someone read Psalm 1v1-3 over the group, then close in prayer.
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.