Change

Sunday, September 1, 2024

Scriptures: Matthew 19:17-26

• Summary

  Bobbi's sermon focuses on the theme of change, emphasizing that everything in life changes us, even our resistance to it. Through the story of the rich young man in Matthew 19, Bobbi explores how our attachments, especially to wealth, can prevent us from experiencing the fullness of life that Jesus calls us to. Change often feels like loss and grief but is necessary for spiritual growth and wholeness. And change is important for being open to new understandings of God and the world. Our relationships are often the catalysts for change. When we embrace change as an integral part of life and faith, it leads us to renewal and deeper connection with God.

• Discussion

  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

  Prayer from the sermon:

  Loving God,
  We take a moment to catch up to ourselves and to be present.
  Trusting that you, Holy Spirit, are near.
  We are mindful of the expended energy of the week:
  In school returning,
  Neighbourhoods filling up after summer vacations,
  Getting the most out of the last stretch of summer,
  Busy errands,
  Our efforts to conserve water.
  And as we sit with all the energy this week required, we let a little bit of it go.

  The week is over, what’s done is done.
  As we breathe in and out,
  We feel our feet on the floor and are aware that they ground us here,
  With hearts open and minds ready to encounter Christ
  In our meditation about change.

  Amen.

• Liturgy

  CALL TO WORSHIP Psalm 17

  MUSIC Curated by Kevin Borst
  Brooke Ligertwood - Banner
  The McClures - Reign Above It All
  Phil Wickham - Living Hope
  Brooke Ligertwood - A Thousand Hallelujahs

  PRAYER FOR STUDENTS
  Written by Alexandra Chubachi
  
  We have run the gauntlet of summer: day camps, overnight camps, front country, back country, swimming lessons, fishing trips, music fests, road trips. Back to school haircuts, outfits, textbooks.

  Making a little more cash before the semester starts and getting a little more sun before the cold creeps in.

  I think God delights in the ways you have tried to pack these days to the absolute brim. God rides the chaotic summer rapids. God sees your joy and raises a glass.

  And now, as we pray together, God offers a breath. Pause. Please pray with me.

  God blesses your mind. If you’re going back to school for another year of learning, may your mind be ready to soak it all in: the fresh routine, the knowledge, the friendships.

  God blesses your heart. If you’re going back to school to teach, may your heart be open, energized, and resourceful. The way you guide and uplift the next generation is a gift.

  God blesses your spirit. If you’re sending your own children off to school, may your spirit take the rest it needs and find peace amidst all the feelings.

  Spirit of God, always with us, as we all enter another season together, may we find joy in all that you have created. 
May we find an openness in our minds, hearts, and spirits. 
May we find a safe place under your wings. 
Amen.