The Beatitudes, Guide 4: Reflection
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.”
Amen.
Review The Last Practice (8 minutes)
Let’s take some time to reflect on how the last Practice went for everyone. As a reminder, our previous Practice invited us to cultivate mercy by praying for those who have hurt us.
How did it feel to sit with God and ask him about how he sees the person you’re struggling to forgive?
How did the Spirit invite you (in either small or big ways) to extend mercy towards that person?
Read This Overview Aloud (5 minutes)
Tonight’s time together, walking through this guide, will function differently than the others in this series. We believe that God did something significant and beautiful at the Holy Spirit Conference, so we want to spend our time together tonight reflecting on the Holy Spirit Conference.
While the questions are specifically aimed to those who went to the Holy Spirit Conference or one of the Sunday gatherings that followed, we acknowledge that the Spirit is not contained by any single gathering, so others are welcome to share their experience of what God’s been doing in their lives during this time. Either way, sharing testimony is a way of asking God to do it again. So, let’s spend some time reflecting on the ways God moved in you, our church, and our city this last weekend.
Do This Practice Tonight (20 minutes)
Tonight, we are going to engage in the practice of reflection as we look back at our time at the Holy Spirit Conference. As we reflect and respond to different prompts (listed below), let’s keep in mind that God’s work is happening both in the most extraordinary and the most ordinary moments of our lives, and in this case, a conference. For example, these miraculous moments could be anything from witnessing or experiencing a physical healing or a very specific word of knowledge during worship or a session. An example of those ordinary moments filled with God’s presence could have happened during an hallway conversation, meeting another conference attendee, lunch with a friend, or silent prayer. The reason we are taking time tonight for reflection is because there’s a unique opportunity to catalyze and capture the experience we just had. Again, for those of you who were not able to attend, please feel free to share a response to these questions in the context of your season of life right now.
So, let’s first open in a prayer of gratitude, acknowledging all the ways that the Holy Spirit was with us during the conference.
Leader Note: As needed, feel free to modify the questions for your group.
Holy Spirit Conference Reflection Questions:
How did you sense the Spirit moving?
What were you asking God for? How did God meet you in that desire?
Did you get to participate in anything the Spirit was up to in someone else’s life?
How would you attempt to name what God did in our church this weekend?
What’s next? What do you want God to continue in this coming season?
Let’s close this portion of the night in prayer by getting into smaller groups of 2–3 people. Let’s first pray gratitude for God’s work in us and secondly, ask him to help us continue receiving and stewarding what he has spoken to us.
Read The Practice for the Week Ahead (1 minute)
Our Practice for the week ahead is to continue to respond to the ways God spoke to us at the conference. Let’s take active steps towards pursuing greater love or fidelity that God’s inviting us to. This could look like bringing this before God in prayer, journaling, or carving out time to share with a friend.
End in Prayer (5 minutes)
Leader note: Close your time together in prayer, asking God to continue growing your Community through the Practice of Reflection.