By Cameron Silsbee
Begin with prayer
Gather together as a Community in a comfortable setting. Take a moment in silence, in the presence of Jesus and each other. Have one person read Luke 4v42-44 over the group and then pray to ask the Holy Spirit to lead and guide your time together.
Debrief the most recent teaching
- How would you summarize what the most recent teaching was about?
- What did you take away from the teaching?
Read this overview
As our church begins the exploration and work of crafting a Rule of Life, we encourage you to approach it with an open mind. Whether you’ve had a Rule for years or you’ve been resistant to one, or somewhere in between, we hope that these Practices that will promote reflection, prayer, and intentionality will not make us better ruler followers – they will draw us closer to the living God who loves us and delights in us as his children.
Discuss the following questions and prompts
- What is your reaction to the idea of crafting a Rule of Life?
- Briefly describe what you imagine spiritual maturity would look like for you.
- How do you discern between your internal pressure/idealism to change and the leading of the Spirit to make changes in your life?
Talk over this coming week’s Practice:
Every person lives by some type of rule or rhythm of life. Each person has the same amount of time each day and week and chooses how to spend that time. Some of those choices reflect obligations and responsibilities that feel constricting. Other choices are more intentional yet less meaningful. This week’s Practice will be a time audit. You’ll track how you spend your time over the next six days.
You may react to that with excitement about the prospect of increased efficiency or worry about being embarrassed about how you spend your time. The idea isn’t to compare yourself to someone else or maximize your efficiency. The idea is to take an opportunity to observe how you spend your time – to witness your current Rule of Life in action.
Each evening during the next six days (or the following morning), take a moment to write out how you spend your time. It could look something like this:
Wednesday: 8 hours of sleep, 9 hours at the office, 20 minutes of focused Bible and prayer time, 1 hour watching a show, 40 minutes of reading, 2 hours commuting/listening to a podcast while commuting, 1.5 hours eating meals, 1 hour on the phone with a friend, 30 minutes of miscellaneous
Thursday: 7 hours of sleep, 1 hour working out, 9 hours at the office… etc.
Friday: 7 hours of sleep, 7 hours at the office, 2 hours commuting… etc.
Saturday: 9 hours of sleep, 2 hours at a coffee shop with a friend… etc.
Sunday: 7.5 hours of sleep, 1 hour of listening to a podcast… etc.
After the six days, reflect on how you spent your time. Does anything surprise you? Are you disappointed with how you spent your time? Glad? Do you feel how you spend your time reflects your values?
Be prepared next week to debrief with your Community about your experience of doing the time audit. Think about one thing you were proud of/encouraged about and one thing you were disappointed or surprised about.
Close in prayer
End in prayer by having one person read the Nicene Creed over the group.
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son], who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.
Amen.