Opening Prayer:
Thank
you, O Lord, that your story brings us to life.
When we remember who you are, and all that you have done in our lives,
our mouths are filled with laughter and our hearts are filled with songs of
joy. Thank you, O Lord, for all of the
blessings you have so graciously poured out upon us. Amen.
Scripture: Psalm 126:1-6
Journal: What has God done in the past that helps you to
trust that he will indeed show up in the future? How does remembering the things God has done
give you a current sense of joy? How
does it help you dream? What do you
dream of in your relationship with him?
Reflection:
When we submit our lives to what we read in
Scripture, we find that we are not being led to see God in our stories but our
stories in God’s. God is the larger context and plot in which our stories find
themselves. ~Eugene Peterson
Every Christian story
needs sharing. We require a few other
persons to whom we can tell our stories.
Every story is different. Every
story is the same. How are we to know
that what we feel is legitimate and healthy?
How are we to know that our story is not a fragment of abnormal
psychology? Tell the story. In telling we recognize the common plot of
God’s grace setting us apart, personally calling us and revealing his Son to
us. We also recognize the great care
with which he respects and uses every individual feature of our bodies and
minds so that each story is totally fresh and original. ~Eugene Peterson
Prayers
Closing Prayer: It seemed like a dream, too good to be true, when
God returned Zion’s exiles. We laughed,
we sang, we couldn’t believe our good fortune.
We were the talk of the nations—“God was wonderful to them!” God was wonderful to us; we are one
happy people. And now, God, do it again—bring
rains to our drought-stricken lives so those who planted their crops in despair
will shout hurrahs at the harvest, so those who went off with heavy hearts will
come home laughing, with armloads of blessing. (Psalm 126, The Message)
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