12th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer
Lord
Like a mighty champion,
You come to my rescue!
I hide in darkness but
You bring me into the light!
Great is your mercy and
bounteous is Your kindness!
My heart is revived by
Your gracious gift of grace!
I am so full of love
that it overflows to others!
Praise your Holy Name, Jesus!
Journal/Reflection Questions
Jeremiah 20:10-13
- Where do you see God prevail as “mighty champion”?
- Where do you see evidence of God rescuing the “life of the poor”?
- What is your definition of “life of the poor”?
Romans 5:12-15
- Where do you see evidence of sin in your life? In the world? How do you find forgiveness for this sin?
- What can you do to multiply God’s gift of grace in your life, family, community? Share examples.
Matthew 10:26-33
- Do you find comfort or discomfort in the scripture, “nothing is concealed that will not be revealed or secret that will not be known.”
- What has God whispered to you? Did you proclaim what you heard? Why or why not?
General Questions for Journaling
- Have you ever felt trapped by “evil” or “sin”?
- When have you stumbled in the face of adversity?
- Describe suffering. What does it look like, sound like, smell like, feel like?
- How have you trespassed against God this week? How is it/can it be resolved?
- How have you trespassed against your neighbor this week? How is it/can it be resolved?
- How have you trespassed against yourself this week? How is it/can it be resolved?
- Can good come from resentment? Why or why not?
- What are you afraid of and how do you deal with/calm the fear?
- Is there sin you keep from God and are afraid to let go?
- Are there secrets you keep from others, how does keeping these secrets affect the relationship?
- How do you acknowledge yourself as a child of God?
- Have you ever suffered for being a Christian? Have you been ridiculed because you go to Church? Share.
- In what ways is your faith still in the darkness? How can you bring light to it?
Closing Prayer
Leader: When I have obstacles in my path
ALL: I praise the Lord!
Leader: When I am the target of slander
ALL: I praise the Lord!
Leader: When I feel buried in doubt
ALL: I praise the Lord!
Leader: When I am drowning in sorrow
ALL: I praise the Lord!
Leader: When I have a mountain to climb
ALL: I praise the Lord!
Leader: When I feel walls caving in
ALL: I praise the Lord!
Leader: When I call out to my Lord,
ALL: I am ready for anything!
Challenge for the Week: John 15:26b says, “The Spirit of Truth will testify.” It’s like if you have to testify in court, they ask you to swear on a Bible to tell the truth. Truth is valuable but not always very easy to come by. At an early age, “the truth” becomes subjective based on our experience, perspective, and whether telling it is going to get us into trouble. As adults, avoiding the truth is done sometimes to avoid causing others pain and other times to protect ourselves from pain. At the beginning of time, Adam and Eve had to speak up and tell the truth about their sinful act. God already knew what they had done…this is still true today with your sin because the “Spirit of Truth” will testify to identify it! Consider this week the number of people whom you trust enough to tell the truth. Can you identify ten? Would that be easy or difficult? What would you say are the criteria of the relationship which make you trust them with the truth? Take time to let them know how you feel about them and that they can count on you to be truthful and trustworthy.
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