7 Letters, Guide: Renunciation Reflection #1
Take Communion
Leader Note: Begin this time by taking communion together, whether as a full meal or some version of the bread and the cup before or after your meal. If you don’t already have a Communion liturgy, have someone read through this prayer based on the Lord’s Supper in Luke 22 and the Wedding Supper in Revelation 19:
All-loving God, we praise you and rejoice in your presence. We come to this table together with hope and longing love, sharing the Lord's Supper, to eat and drink a foretaste of that future Wedding Supper. Jesus, we are making ourselves ready: tuning our hearts and training our appetites to desire you and you alone. Infuse our lives with your presence as we share your body, broken for us, and your blood, poured out for us. You wait with longing for us to drink anew in your kingdom, so we say: Come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly.
Read This Overview Aloud (3 minutes)
Throughout the season of Lent, we are engaging in the practice of Renunciation, which is when we give up a particular (often good or neutral) appetite that we use as a substitute for something God already wants to give us. Last week, we kicked off Lent with Ash Wednesday, where we all chose something to renounce and something to reclaim for the 40 days of Lent. So for the remainder of this series, we will reflect on our practice of Renunciation in light of the themes found in the seven letters in Revelation.
Tonight, we’ll reflect on our practice of Renunciation through the lens of Jesus’ letter to the church of Smyrna, in which he calls them to faithfulness in the face of difficulty. Often in practices like this, we can begin with excitement and even zeal for what we’re doing or what God is doing. But at some point, we can find ourselves in a disillusioning moment of struggle brought on by doubt, suffering, or even a trial. This pattern can lead us to ask questions like, “Is my Renunciation working?” or “Will this actually help me find deeper satisfaction in God?” At this point, we have to decide between faithfulness and retreat. The season of Lent reminds us that we are mortal, so inevitably we will choose to retreat at some point. But the greater invitation will always be to return to faithfulness. And when we choose faithfulness, we experience a deeper satisfaction and fulfillment in God. Jesus’ call to the church of Smyrna—and to us—is to choose faithfulness in the struggle, even when it feels like suffering.
Do This Practice Tonight (20 minutes)
For tonight’s practice, we are going to take time to reflect on our practice of Renunciation through the themes in Jesus’ letter to Smyrna.
Leader Note: Feel free to work through the following questions as a Community or in smaller groups, so long as everyone has an opportunity to share.
How has your practice of Renunciation been this week? (Where did you feel God’s presence and where did you feel resistance?)
Where did you experience challenges in your practice? Were you able to talk to anyone about them? And how did these challenges reveal your need for God?
How do you feel invited to choose faithfulness this week in your Renunciation? How might that choice deepen your satisfaction and dependence on God?
Read The Practice for the Week Ahead (1 minute)
Our Practice for the week ahead is to continue our Renunciation and Reclaiming through the season of Lent. Remember, Renunciation is about joy and desire! Because we are human beings, we will always be susceptible to reaching for something that God wants to give us. In our Renunciation, we are asking God for what he already desires for us and learning to receive from him rather than taking it for ourselves.
End in Prayer (5 minutes)
Leader Note: Close your time together in prayer, asking God to continue growing your Community through the Practice of Renunciation.