Hearing God, Pt. 1: Scripture
Take Communion
Leader: Begin your gathering by taking communion together, whether as a full meal together or some version of the bread and the cup before or after your meal. If you don’t already have a Communion liturgy, have someone lead through this guided prayer:
Holy Spirit, as we begin our time tonight, would you bring to our minds a moment in which we heard your voice really clearly this last week?
(Leader: Pause here for a moment.)
God, we remember that you are kind and that you love to speak to us.
We remember that you are patient and will continue to teach us to hear you.
We remember that you are gracious, gentle, and good.
And, for all of this, we are thankful.
Amen.
Read This Overview Aloud Together
Since our aim is to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what Jesus did, it is crucial to remember that the only way to get the life of Jesus is to take on the lifestyle of Jesus. The Scriptures played an essential role in Jesus’ life and ministry; he lived as if they were authoritative. The Scriptures were not as much a tool, instrument, or weapon for him, as they were part of how he viewed and interacted with both God and the world. The integration of Scripture in Jesus’ life was paramount to his ability to see the transforming promise of the coming Kingdom of God. In fact, Jesus is the singular person in all of biblical history to claim that the Scriptures were not only forming him, they were about him. The story of the Bible culminates in the person of Jesus.
The Bible has the power to translate the world around us and tell a truer, better story that exposes lies and reveals the coming hope of life as it should be. It is a book (or, more accurately, a library) unlike any other, in that as we read it, we are read by it. And yet, the Bible can be a polarizing topic because we all come to it with different histories and experiences. Tonight we want to take time to understand where each of us began this journey and where each of us hopes to go with it.
Do This Practice Tonight
In recognizing that the Bible is the best training ground in our quest of hearing God’s voice, it is important to name and know where each of us is coming from. Some of us have had beautiful experiences with the Scriptures, and currently find it easy to hear God’s voice in them; but others of us have a checkered history and find it difficult to look past some of what feels problematic to find God’s voice in them. So, for our Practice tonight, we are going to have a discussion in smaller groups about our individual histories with the Scriptures. Our goal tonight is not to solve each other’s problems or to make each other feel the same way we do, but to get a framework for where each of us is coming from as we lean into learning to hear God’s voice in the Bible. So let’s get into smaller groups, and then we’ll work through some prompts.
(Leader: Pause so everyone can split into smaller groups. At that point, invite everyone to work through the following questions, which you may consider putting into whatever communication platform your Community uses so everyone can see them.)
What did you grow up hearing about God’s voice as it relates to the Bible?
When we talked about daily Bible reading, what emotional response stirs in you, positive or negative? Where in your past might that response come from?
What obstacles come up for you as you consider reading the Bible every day? (These could be internal obstacles like anxiety, perfectionism, boredom, etc. or external obstacles like kids, shifting schedules, etc.)
In a year, what would you like your relationship with the Bible to look like?
Read The Practice for the Week Ahead
For the week ahead, we are going to practice daily Bible reading. Some of us already have daily rhythms of engaging the Scriptures that are vibrant and fruitful – if that’s the case, keep doing that! But for those who don’t have a daily rhythm of reading the Bible or you have one but it feels a bit dry, consider finding a reading plan and giving it a shot. There are a plethora of great, free reading plans through platforms like BibleProject and YouVersion.
Starting this coming Sunday, Bridgetown will be selling a daily Bible reading journal that has prompts to help you pray, meditate, and journal through the Scriptures using a rhythm called BREAD, a form of lectio divina (which is an ancient and time-tested method of meeting with God in the pages of the Bible). The hope is that those who don’t have a vibrant Scripture reading plan would engage the Bible through BREAD.
Whatever tool each of us chooses, we want to follow in the footsteps of our Rabbi, by spending time in the Scriptures every day, so that they might come alive in us and so that we might see the world, know the Father’s love, and serve our neighbor the way Jesus did.
End in Prayer
Leader: Close your time together asking God that we might grow as hearers of his voice.