Week 5: Letting the Light in
- What stood out to you from the message this past Sunday? Was there anything that seemed timely or relevant to you? Was there anything which made you uncomfortable, or with which you disagreed?
- We are living in violent and oppressive times. Share your own thoughts and emotions about what is going on in our world at the moment. How are you processing it all? How are you trying to respond?
- Read Matthew 5:10-12. Why do you think Jesus talks about persecution and trouble so early on in his ministry? What relevance does this have for us today?
- Read Luke 21: 5-36. This “apocalyptic” section in Luke is difficult to interpret. The speaker on Sunday suggested that Jesus is referring to the future destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple that eventually happened in 70 CE. Jesus is not painting a rosy picture of the future! Looking at the poetic language in this passage, how might our circumstances compare today? What insights can you glean from how Jesus calls us to respond in such circumstances?
- What hope can you take from the passage above? What might the “coming of the Son of Man” look like, given all of Jesus teaching and the way he lived. How can we embody this as his body on earth and his light in the world.
- Jesus brought a message of peace, love and inclusion. But paradoxically this means conflict because it challenges the powers and the status quo. Reflect on this quote from Dr Martin Luther King’s Nobel Prize lecture in 1964: “Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. Indeed, it is a weapon unique in history, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man (sic) who wields it. I believe in this method because I think it is the only way to reestablish a broken community”. In what ways do you see Jesus wielding this kind of weapon? In what ways do you feel you have been passive about peace, love and inclusion? How do you need to take up this kind of weapon?
- Take a moment to do this week’s Prayer Practice below together and discuss your experience of it afterwards. Then take a moment to pray for one another.Prayer practice for this week: Letting in the Light Take some time each day this week to consciously and intentionally “let the Light in”. Sit comfortably with your back straight, feet planted on the floor, arms relaxed, and hands supported in your lap. Close your eyes and relax your shoulders. To begin, listen to your breath as you breathe. Feel your breath in your nostrils and chest, as you gently inhale and exhale. Imagine you are breathing the very “breath of God” – God’s Spirit. Be aware of any tension, fear, or anxiety within you. As you breathe in, imagine God’s love and light pouring into that darkness. Let it shine within you and let that light grow as you sit quietly. As you breathe out, let go of fear and tension. Surrender to God’s love and light. Imagine the light within you shining brighter with each breath as you absorb the passion of God’s love for you. Consciously stay in this place of quietude, acceptance, and the rhythm of your breathing as the light shines brighter and all that shields it gives way. As you finish this exercise move into your day with awareness of the light and intentionally shine. Throughout your day be conscious of moments when fear or darkness confront you. This could be during an interaction with another person, or while looking at what’s going on in the world, or during a moment of solitary despair. Each time, return to the light and let it into the darkness. Let love overcome fear and let despair give way to hope.