Citywide Baptist Church
Next Steps: Reflect
In this series of messages we are wanting to explore what it means to get real as followers of Jesus and to be honest about the journey to whole life that he invites us into.
Locations & Times
Citywide Baptist Church (Mornington)
400 Cambridge Rd, Mornington TAS 7018, Australia
Sunday 10:00 AM
Part 1: RENATA CARMICHAEL
Before mirrors, to study a reflection you would be limited to a pool of still water, and could only study a reflection until a movement disturbed the water’s surface.
Taking the time to reflect is important. I can take a quick look in the mirror before I go out for the day to make sure I’m at least vaguely presentable, but that won’t let me see all the detail that’s there.
If I pay more attention, taking the time to be still and focus, then as well as seeing what my hair is doing I can also see signs that indicate whether I’m sleeping enough, whether I need to drink more water, be more careful about applying sunscreen or eat a wider range of veggies.
If I pay more attention, taking the time to be still and focus, then as well as seeing what my hair is doing I can also see signs that indicate whether I’m sleeping enough, whether I need to drink more water, be more careful about applying sunscreen or eat a wider range of veggies.
Similarly, with Bibles, it is easy to just do a shallow reading and not take the time to consider what is really there. The fact that the Bible is always ready to go and available at any point can mean it’s easier to put off when life gets busy with “urgent” things that have deadlines.
An important balance to go with reflection is being in community which other people and being able to discuss some of the things you have been reflecting on.
As Christians we want our actions to reflect God. And that brings us back to reflect, to see how our lives look now, which leads to recognizing what things are working well or not so well, allowing us to make choices about how we want to act.
Discussion Question:
How does reflection work for you?
How does reflection work for you?
Communion is mean to be a time of reflection...
Remembrance means to bring to mind... to take charge of your thoughts.
Taking charge of your thoughts and reflecting takes an intentional choice to step back from the noise of life.
Growing faith
We find God in the depths of who we are, in the roots rather than the fruit.
We find God in quiet places. Without space to reflect there is no space to hear.
What stops you going to your room and being alone with God?
In his book "Reaching Out" Henri Nouwen said that one of the most painful experiences for human beings was loneliness, and that we avoid that pain either by filling our lives with noise and busyness or by expecting other people to fix the pain for us... which never works and only places impossible expectations on them.
The only cure for loneliness is to face it and by going deep we discover the truth of who we are... the beautiful part created in the image of God and also the messy sinful part... and how the battle between those two sides, along with our experiences and relationships have shaped our beliefs
“There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made know through Jesus Christ.”
Pascal
Pascal
Instead of running away from our loneliness and trying to forget or deny it, we have to protect it and turn it into a fruitful solitude. To live a spiritual life we must first find the courage to enter into the desert of our loneliness and to change it by gentle and persistent efforts into a garden of solitude.
- Henri Nouwen, Reaching Out.
- Henri Nouwen, Reaching Out.
God wants to do the deep kind of work that actually rewires our minds... and that is only possible if we take the journey from the avoidance of loneliness to the embracing of solitude.
We need space in our days and our weeks for reflection.
We need space in our days and our weeks for reflection.
Small Group Questions:
1. Have you experienced reflecting on the word of God being a bit like looking in a mirror? What did you see?
2. Are you acting on what you are looking at? There’s no point noticing your hair’s a mess or your face is dirty if you don’t do anything about it.
3. How do you feel about Matt's comment that we find God in the roots and not in the fruit? In the depths and not in the surface?
4. Do you think loneliness is part of why we avoid reflection? Can you identify with Matt's description of the deep pain of loneliness?
5. Take a moment to listen to God's voice. If you are in a group then create some space for this. What is God saying to you about the amount of time and the ways that you stop and reflect?
1. Have you experienced reflecting on the word of God being a bit like looking in a mirror? What did you see?
2. Are you acting on what you are looking at? There’s no point noticing your hair’s a mess or your face is dirty if you don’t do anything about it.
3. How do you feel about Matt's comment that we find God in the roots and not in the fruit? In the depths and not in the surface?
4. Do you think loneliness is part of why we avoid reflection? Can you identify with Matt's description of the deep pain of loneliness?
5. Take a moment to listen to God's voice. If you are in a group then create some space for this. What is God saying to you about the amount of time and the ways that you stop and reflect?