Spritual Homework June 17

Posted on Jun 17, 2020 in General, Spiritual Homework | 297

June 17, 2020

Thank you all so much for your thoughtfulness, sensitivity, bravery, and willingness to have difficult conversations over the past few weeks. These have been difficult and important weeks, and I am thankful for the reactions I have seen and heard from you. The struggle is far from over, and if you’d like to talk or want recommendations on more resources, please don’t hesitate to reach out. For now, here are the usual weekly resources and a subscription recommendation for some great bargain deals.

Peace,

Chess

Sunday Worship

Included here are the scriptures, reflection questions, and prayers that are thematically matched to our Sunday worship outline.

Scriptures: Gen 21:8-21; Ps 86:1-10, 16-17, Matt 10:24-39, Rom 6:1b-11

Questions for Reflection

What does the story of Sarah and Hagar (Gen. 21:8–21) say about God? What does the story suggest about how we might treat one another more justly?

Morning Prayer

O God, I praise you as I arise this morning. You are the giver of all life and you provide for what you have made. Be with my spirit this day and teach me to be thankful for all that you offer. Move me to be generous with others, sharing not only goods, but also time, patience, and kindness. You know what will happen today. Guide me so that I do what pleases you. Be near to me and help me to trust your love. I pray for all the world today, for what I do has effects far beyond what I can know or understand. By your Holy Spirit, let me speak peace, let me do peace, let me be peace, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Evening Prayer

Creator of heaven and earth, light and darkness, day and night, I thank you for the day just past that you have given me in your mercy. I pray for your forgiveness for those things I did that were displeasing to you and for those missed opportunities to show my love for you. Let me rest tonight, trusting in the grace of your Son, Jesus Christ. Restore my mind and body as I sleep so that when I awake I will have the strength to serve you and your children well. O beloved God, let me rise to a new day giving you thanks and praise, in the name of Jesus Christ the Savior. Amen.

Thrifty Christian Reader

With over 2000 years of time, history has amassed a plethora of written materials about God, Christianity, and theology. The two biggest obstacles preventing me from reading all of it is time and cost. I can’t fix the issue of time (unless one of you can teach offer a speed reading crash course), but I can make a recommendation for helping with cost: thriftychristianreader.com. This site allows you to either follow on Facebook or subscribe to emails in which they highlight deals they have found across the web. They do all the legwork of tracking down the best deals so you don’t have to spend your time hunting. It is the perfect combination of great recommendations, quality works, cost efficiency (most of the recommendations are under $5), and convenience. The latest recommendation is a book that I personally love, Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God, by Brian Zahnd ($4.99 on Kindle right now). I don’t necessarily agree with everything in the book, but I appreciate the perspective and discussion of hard topics. Consider following Brian on Facebook or signing up for his emails and you and your wallet will be better off.