The Beatitudes, Guide 1: Holiness
Take Communion (2 minutes)
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 Matthew 5v3–12 as written below, then take a brief moment to pray aloud and thank Jesus for the promise of his kingdom.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Leader Note: Before diving into the rest of this Guide, close this time in prayer, asking Jesus to now be your teacher as you seek to become more like him and do what he did.
Read This Overview Aloud (5 minutes)
In life, there are natural seasons of reflection where our attention is drawn to what has changed or transpired over time, and we grow in our awareness of what God is up to in our lives—think New Year's, a birthday, graduation, entering a new life stage. It's in these seasons we find it equally natural to consider what we'd like to see happen in the future, how we'd like to grow or change moving forward. We dream about a life ahead that is "blessed." As followers of Jesus, it's important to recognize that he offers us a surprising perspective of who he considers "blessed" and how. We find this counterintuitive and provocative vision in the introduction of Jesus' most famous teaching, the sermon on the mount. We call that introduction the Beatitudes.
The Beatitudes are Jesus’ way of reframing our world, our circumstances, and our very lives from Heaven’s perspective. It’s a depiction of a world where Jesus is king. Jesus shocks his hearers by revealing how different God's Kingdom is than the one they (and we) are used to, suggesting that blessing is found in the very places we often avoid and try our hardest to escape. He promises that his kingdom is both here and on the way, and it arrives most fully when we choose to honor Jesus as our King.
Practically speaking, this looks like each of us choosing to turn from our own way of doing things and turn to him, pursuing his kingdom first. That pursuit, that “turning from and turning to,” is highlighted in Jesus' reference to “those who are pure in heart” and is most commonly referred to throughout Scripture as the pursuit of “holiness.” While some of us might associate Holiness with being perfect or especially virtuous, it simply describes being set apart for a specific purpose. So tonight, we will engage in the practice of Holiness.
Do This Practice Tonight (30 minutes)
As we make plans to open ourselves up to God’s blessing in the coming year, it’s important that we take time together to consider how our plans may or may not reflect the promise of Jesus’ kingdom vision. So partnering with our Community and the Spirit of God, let’s talk through the following questions together:
Leader note: Watch the time. The following discussion should be kept to about 20 minutes to preserve at least 10 minutes for the second portion of the practice. When reading the following questions, it might be helpful to consider a brief 2 second pause for reflection after each sentence.
Question 1: What transforming work do you sense or think God might be doing in your life? What do we want to be true of our character this time next year? Perhaps this involves a particular way that God was asking you to respond to Sunday’s teaching. What was God stirring in you during that time that you felt prompted to respond to?
Is there a part of your life that is characterized by overindulgence or excess that you’ve been feeling a nudge to curb? Are there areas of your life that seem disjointed, inconsistent, or disintegrated? Are there regular inputs in your life—what you see, hear, and ponder—that aren’t fostering your desire for God and his kingdom?
Question 2: In light of that transforming work, is there anything God is inviting you to turn from and turn to? Scripture is clear that God is the one who does the work of holiness in our lives, but he invites us to partner with him in the process. What are some practical ways that you can commit to partnering with God in his transforming work?
For example, turning from overindulgence may look like fasting one meal a week and spending that time with God in prayer. If you feel a sense of disintegration, maybe God is inviting you to turn to a counselor or commit to a regular practice of confession. If consistency is something you hope to be characterized by, maybe God is inviting you to turn to BREAD or the Letio365 app on a daily basis. If you are considering your inputs, maybe God is inviting you to turn from social media, or alcohol and turn to more life giving inputs like intentional time with your family or a friend.
Now, after all that we’ve discussed, take the next minute or two to identify the number one theme God has highlighted to you tonight, as well as a practical response he is prompting you to say “yes” to.
Leader note: After about a minute, continue reading.
We will now practice blessing prayer together.
In a moment, we’re going to turn to the person next to us and share what God has highlighted to us. When the sharer is done, each listener will have the opportunity to pray “blessing” over the person and their chosen response. As a quick refresher, this simply looks like asking the Spirit to come, blessing what God is doing in the person’s heart, and considering anything God may want to speak to them through you. Then when you’re done, you can swap roles. After everyone has finished praying, I’ll call us back in to close out the night.
Leader note: Set a timer for 10 minutes, and when the timer is up (or everyone finishes praying), gather the group back in to close out this time with “the Practice for the Week Ahead.”
Read The Practice for the Week Ahead (3 minutes)
Our Practice for the week ahead is to follow through on how you felt invited to respond tonight to God’s movement in your life—even just one small step toward obedience. Please come ready next week to share how it went. And, for extra credit, share what God is doing in your life this year with someone closest to you.
End in Prayer (5 minutes)
Leader note: Close your time together in prayer, asking God to continue growing your Community through the Practice of Holiness.