This week, Yelena explores the theme of "repair" through the biblical story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10. Yelena challenges traditional interpretations that pit the two sisters against each other, emphasizing instead the importance of recognizing and respecting individual paths to spiritual growth. The invitation is to pay attention to your own and others' unvoiced desires and worries, to practice gentleness through letting go of control. Similarly to Mary and Martha, we are invited by Jesus into the freedom to choose what is good for us at this moment and trust that God is present in all of our journeys of repair.

Community is shaped by the conversations we share. These questions and reflections are a tool to help you meaningfully engage with the themes of this week's teaching.

Summer Discussion Guide 2024

If your group is meeting this summer and wants to talk about the sermons, here are a few questions that you could use to engage with our teaching.

- What specific part of the message resonated with you the most? Why do you think that particular part, or idea, or story caught your attention?

- Did the sermon speak into a particular struggle or question in your life or your faith journey right now?

- What did the message challenge or encourage you personally?
And what do you think the application could be for our church community? Was there anything that could strengthen or stretch us as a church?

- How did the exposition of the scriptures used in the sermon provide you with a new perspective of deeper understanding?

It is good to remember that the conversation experience in the group is shaped by the personal stories of those who participate in it and how willing the people are to be open and vulnerable in the group.

So if you’re leading the discussion, feel free to model and encourage person-centred and story-centred sharing by reflecting on how some parts of the sermon resonate with you personally.

Additionally, what contributes to a more authentic group discussion is when people can share not about the abstract and theoretical applications but one or two practical things they are taking away from either the sermon or the discussion.

So, you can end your time together with this question:

- What is one thing you are taking away from either the sermon or the discussion we’ve just had?

Prayer from the sermon:

Loving God,
The earth is alive with your Spirit,
And nothing speaks of it quite like summer.
So would you continue to bless us in our summer rhythms,
In rest and self-reflection,
In conversations that happen when we open our homes.
In our decision-making,
In our hopes and our fears,
In the work of repair that is happening in us.
And may we trust that even in our anxious moments,
We can hear your gentle voice
and extend the same grace to ourselves as you extend to us. May your peace that surpasses all understanding
guard our hearts and our minds,
in Jesus name, amen.

CALL TO WORSHIP Psalm 108

MUSIC Curated by Curt Muller

MIDSUMMER LAMENT
Written by Bobbi Salkeld

Even in the summer, when the days are bright, shadows of trouble pass over us. And so today, we pray a midsummer lament.

And while lament can feel like a bummer, lament can also relieve pressure, strengthen solidarity, and remind us that God does not ignore our sadness.

So join me as we bear witness to our honest lives and humble planet with this midsummer lament.

Let us pray.

[PRAYER]

God of infinite care and inexhaustible mystery,

We stand in the shadows of loss

And we name just a few of them now

The loss of Jasper as we know it to wildfire

The loss of home and lives in Gaza and Israel

The loss of trust as athletes gather in Paris

We bravely bear witness to loss while our souls wait for peace.

Jesus, you pay attention to pain and places where love breaks down

We stand in the shadows of conflict

And we name just a few of them now

Broken treaties, murdered and missing women, and stalls in reconciliation

War in Gaza, tensions between Israel and Lebanon, war drones over Ukraine, conflict in Sudan stretching on and on and on

Fighting in our own families and hurt that’s hard to heal

We bravely bear witness to conflict while our souls wait for peace.

Spirit of comfort, with us when we ache and feel helpless

We stand in the shadows of pain

And we name just a few pain points now

Addiction and food insecurity in our city

The hard work of taking care of our mental health and sick bodies

History of so much harm that seems to wrap itself around the planet without end

We bravely bear witness to pain while our souls wait for peace.

Jesus, we live for your peace.
Amen.

Repair

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