Hosted by the Faith To Go team in the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, David Tremaine and Charlette Preslar, and joined the each week by a special guest, the Faith To Go Podcast highlights themes from the Sunday Gospel reading for you to take into your faith discussions and reflections throughout the week.
from NPR
Questions:
1) Where do you find light in the world?
2) What would you describe as your "roots?"
3) What things do you do to take care of yourself and help yourself grow every day?
4) What challenges do you see to your wellness and growth? Why is it helpful to name these challenges?
5) What are you feeling called to be proactive about in your life or the life of you community today?
Views and Qs: Becoming Open To Change
Watch this video together and then use the discussion questions below to reflect as a family.
Discussion Questions:
1) What have been some of the biggest changes in your life? 2) What was most challenging about those changes?
3) How were you resistant to those changes? What helped you adapt and be open to that change? 4) What changes in the world are you feeling resistant to today? Why do you think you are feeling this resistance? 5) How might you respond to this resistance to bring about something new in yourself and in the world around you?
Feast and Faith: Where are we Stuck?
For this week's dinner discussion we will focus on Jesus' parable of the sower and the seeds from this week's gospel story.
Prayer -
Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our
being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by
your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our
life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are
ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Discussion -
This week are reflecting on Jesus' parable of the sower and the seeds, one of the few parables he actually explains in detail to his disciples. In this parable, Jesus is exploring the ways we get stuck in our journey of participation in God's mission in the world, using the metaphor of the sower and the seeds to do so:
Questions -
1) What is something you were once passionate about that you no longer do?
2) What changed in you to make you care less about this thing?
3) What is something you are passionate about now? Why are you passionate about this thing?
4) What is something you feel God calling you to be passionate about today?
5) If you were to engage in this thing to which you feel called, what are some of the thing you can imagine getting in your way, or keeping you from pursuing this mission? What practices could you take on to make this a longer lasting effort?
Final Nugget -
Today there are many people feeling a surge of energy around making systemic changes to historically racist and oppressive systems in our country. Is this something you are passionate about? If so, why? If not, why not? What do you think may cause you to lose the energy you have for this work in the future? How can you make this mission sustainable for the long run?
Stay and Pray: A Devotion for Families at the Close of the Day Each week we feature a way for your family to reflect and pray together. For families with older children this is an at home liturgy for your family to participate in together. It is a daily devotion for families adapted from The Book of Common Prayer.
Before you begin, take a few moments to decide who will read the scripture reading and who will read the collect and closing.
Read the Psalm and Lord's Prayer in unison.
After a moment of silence, begin with the Psalm.
Psalm 119:105-112
(read in unison)
105 Your word is a lantern to my feet *
and a light upon my path.
106 I have sworn and am determined *
to keep your righteous judgments.
107 I am deeply troubled; *
preserve my life, O Lord, according to your word.
108 Accept, O Lord, the willing tribute of my lips, *
and teach me your judgments.
109 My life is always in my hand, *
yet I do not forget your law.
110 The wicked have set a trap for me, *
but I have not strayed from your commandments.
111 Your decrees are my inheritance for ever; *
truly, they are the joy of my heart.
112 I have applied my heart to fulfill your statutes *
for ever and to the end.
Reading
(read by assigned person)
Matthew 13:1-9,18-23
Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!”
“Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
Prayers for Ourselves and For Others (take this time to each offer one person/event that you would like to hold in prayer as well as one thing you are thankful for)
Dear God, tonight I ask your prayers for.......
and I give you thanks for ..........
Amen
The Lord’s Prayer
(read in unison)
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen
The Collect
(read by assigned person)
O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Share some of your conversations in the comments below: