WEEK 3: MONDAY SEPTEMBER 28
SILENCE, STILLNESS, AND CENTERING BEFORE GOD:
As you begin to spend time with God, settle yourself somewhere quiet and comfortable. Take some deep breaths. Spend a few minutes in silence, becoming aware of God’s presence with you and in you.
READ:
Let your mind settle. Silently read the Scripture for this week: Mark 3 & 4.1-34.
ASK:
Read the Scripture again, this time aloud. Listen for a word, phrase, or section that grabs your attention. Write down any questions about the passage that you have. When you finish, close your eyes. Recall the word or phrase, taking it in and mulling it over. Write down what comes to mind.
REFLECT:
Jesus called the twelve disciples to have a special, intimate relationship with Him. Besides Simon Peter, there was another Simon who was a zealot. Zealots were actively opposed to the Roman occupation of Israel. Some zealots would carry concealed daggers into the marketplace where they would kill Roman soldiers and slip away incognito. Knowing this, we see that Jesus called two people who could not be more politically or socially opposite to be His disciples. Reflect on the fact that Levi, a tax collector who worked for Roman oppressors, was now a fellow church member and follower of Jesus alongside Simon, a zealot who sought to kill Roman oppressors.
In the Israeli culture of Jesus’ time, like many cultures today, family loyalty was held in the highest esteem. Yet, when Jesus was called by His family, he redefined where His allegiance lay. What allegiances do you hold dear? How do they sometimes supersede your allegiance to Jesus and His “family”? How can you put your allegiances (whether social, cultural, political, economic, or ethnic) in their proper place with respect to your relationship with and identity in Jesus?
Jesus points out that God rules the world (the Kingdom of God) by coming into hearts. Jesus consistently says that the degree to which His followers listen (both hearing AND obeying) to His teachings is the degree to which they can expect to experience God’s rule in their lives. How can you delve more deeply into Jesus’ teachings and listen to them more?
PRAY:
Read Mark 3 & 4:1-34 one last time, stopping and listening for who Jesus is inviting you to become and what He is inviting you to do this week. Write down what comes to mind.
Talk with Jesus about it.
PRACTICE:
Our practice this week as a community is a prayer discipline known as Contemplative Prayer. Contemplative prayer is a way of being with God that does not depend on us giving the Him information about what we would like done in the world. In this practice we rest and wait. Contemplative prayer is a response to God’s invitation to “abide in Christ”. It can also help us to discern what thoughts are coming from the Lord, or what thoughts the enemy has placed in our head that we need to get rid of. Some practical ways to implement Centering Prayer (if you’re able and willing):
Place yourself in a receptive frame of mind
Use a scriptural image (e.g. Imagine the Good Shepherd leading you beside the still waters- Psalm 23)
Do not be tempted to strive to be in His presence- He is already with you whether you feel it or not
Then, be attentive to what the Lord may be saying to you (maybe through your thoughts or a scripture, an image), or if He has anything that He wants brought to your attention to pray for
Be receptive to a prayer the Lord may be leading you to pray
Choose a prayer word as the symbol of your desire to let Jesus’ action and presence form you.
End with a Scripture/Psalm
We encourage you to take time each day to practice Contemplative Prayer.