8 Sessions for Home Groups Participants' Guide

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God is on the move! He’s on a mission! God is seeking to bring about something new in this world, and he’s invited us to come along for the ride. It’s a broad and bold and beautiful work that spans the globe and spreads throughout history. So let’s catch onto his coat tails and follow him on! This course traces out some of the different facets or flavours of God’s mission, and help us to identify ways we might join in with him as he seeks to, quite literally, change the world. Different theologians might draw the lines differently but for the purposes of these reflections we’re identifying 8 distinct types of mission that we can see played out in the Bible and in the world.

INTRODUCTION:

The 8 Modes of Mission

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In some ways this list is artificial since the mission of Father God is one huge integrated new kingdom reality breaking into the world through the work of Jesus and the power of his Holy Spirit. Hopefully however by teasing apart some of these dynamics, it helps us to discern the whole picture, and more richly appreciate the full flavour and scope of God’s good work in the world. The order in which these modes are listed is not intended to indicate a pecking order, i.e. that some forms of mission are more important than, or should take priority over, others; although different churches or Christian traditions sometimes do so for theological, strategic or vocational reasons. The assumption behind this course, however, is that each of these flavours or modes of mission is essential and indivisibly interconnected with all the others. It would be difficult to find examples in scripture where one mode of mission is being expressed in total isolation from the others. Often, several, if not all, the modes are expressed in a single event. It’s therefore important to make sure we’re robustly following God in this way of integrated and holistic mission. If one or more of the modes is left off our agenda, the other modes are impoverished and our missional action becomes lopsided. Each of these 8 sessions is divided into two distinct sections: ‘Taste the Flavour’ and ‘Plant the Pip’:

In ‘Taste the Flavour’ there is an opportunity to learn about and reflect on the mode by looking at a Bible passage and sharing experiences that illustrate it.

In ‘Plant the Pip’ there’s time to explore what practical action we can take as individuals or as a group in terms of planting this mode of mission more firmly into our day-to-day lives.

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At the end of each session there is an opportunity for each person to turn to the back page of this booklet and jot down one concrete action they feel God is prompting them to take. Each session also has an accompanying video which features an interview with individuals who have experienced something of each mode of mission in action. These videos are great ways to get the juices flowing and identify some of the issues involved. Why not take a few moments to watch and discuss the introductory video available on https://holyhabitus.wordpress.com/category/the-8-modes-of-mission/

MODE Pg

1. Being Church 5

2. Evangelism 8

3. Discipleship 11

4. Church Planting 14

5. Social Action 17

6. Peace Making 21

7. Justice 24

8. Creation Care 27

My 8 Moding 30

CONTENTS:

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In this session we’ll be looking at the first of the 8 modes of mission: ‘Being Church’ . This mode acknowledges the simple yet profound fact that the church doesn't just do mission, it is mission. Living as a community which is shaped by, and seeks to embody, the gospel of Jesus, itself sends a message to the world. We may have heard stories of people who happened to wander into a church gathering and found themselves powerfully drawn in - they found something about the atmosphere and culture of the community authentic and truly compelling. In keeping with the content of this week’s study you may want to explore the topic in the context of a meal together. Jacket potatoes or soup & a roll maybe—it doesn’t need to be gourmet! Take a few moments to watch the ‘Being Church’ video at https://holyhabitus.wordpress.com/category/the-8-modes-of-mission/ Discuss your response to what you’ve heard.

1. BEING CHURCH: Living as a reconciled liberated

community of God’s people

‘In Christ, we have the resources to demonstrate the reality of living as reconciled and liberated people in a corrupt, distressed

and despairing world’

Wright & Slater, A Theology of Mission

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Read together the famous portrait of the early church found in Acts 2:37—47. Discuss: in what ways did the early church embody the very gospel it proclaimed, and model the Kingdom of God to the world? Jot down the visible features and characteristics of this community on a large sheet of paper. What excites you most about this picture? Contrast to clarify: In what ways can the life of a church community contradict the gospel it claims to uphold?

Discuss: what kind of response do you think a radically Acts 2 kind of church would generate in our locality and culture?

‘The church’s mission is to be the presence of the kingdom. . . The church’s mission is to show the world what it looks like when a

community of people live under the reign of God.’

Robert Webber, The Younger Evangelicals

TASTE THE FLAVOUR

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Revisit your brainstorm of the characteristics of the Acts 2 church. Annotate your brainstorm with two differently coloured pens. Colour 1 - circle those features of the Acts 2 church which can also be seen in your current church community - jot down some of the ways it does this - be specific! Colour 2 - circle those features of the Acts 2 church which you feel God might like to see more of in the church community you take part in. What might this look like concretely? Jot down suggestions. Take it in turns to say which of these suggestions excites you most and why. Discuss: what might God be prompting you to go away and do or do differently as individuals and/or as a group? Take a moment to write this down on page 30. And finally... One of the features of the Acts 2 church was that it broke bread together in one another's homes (vs 42 and 46). Why not finish your time together by praying for and sharing communion with one another?

PLANT THE PIP

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Evangelism is a technical word which, for whatever reason, can elicit fear in the hearts of some believers. This is a real shame since it is actually part of the adventurous life that is our birthright in Christ. The word evangelism means ‘announcing good news’ which is something that actually comes quite naturally to us. If you’ve met anyone who’s just fallen in love, or got their dream job, or been on a fantastic holiday, or had a baby, they can’t help but bubble over and rave about the good thing that has happened to them. How much more so should we rave about the liberating forgiveness of sin and abundance of life that have become available for us in and through Jesus. This week we’re looking at this essential mode of God’s mission and exploring how we can bed it into our lives. After reviewing last week’s action, take a few moments to watch and discuss your response to the ‘Evangelism’ interview at https://holyhabitus.wordpress.com/category/the-8-modes-of-mission/ Take it in turns to share three 3 words which sum up your reaction to the word or concept of ‘evangelism’. Be honest!

Read Acts 8:26-40 together.

TASTE THE FLAVOUR

2. EVANGELISM: Witnessing to the Good News with

words, works and wonders

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Reflect: If you had been there, would you have seen this story through as Philip did? If not, at what point would you have bailed out and why? Discuss: The strapline to this mode of mission is ‘witnessing to the Good News with words, works and wonders’. In what ways did Philip do all three of these? Discuss: We often think that evangelism is mostly a matter of speaking, but what does this story tell us about the role of listening within evangelism? Take a look at the following quotation:

Share: has anyone got a story of a time when they received an evangelistic ‘nudge’ from the Holy Spirit (whether they obeyed it or not)? Discuss: what factors stop us from hearing Holy Spirit prompts? What practices might we engage in to counteract them?

‘These days, I’m more convinced than ever that the absolute highest value in personal evangelism is staying attuned to and

cooperative with the Holy Spirit.’

Bill Hybels, Just Walk Across the Room

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Discuss: what factors stop us from obeying these prompts even though we hear them? What practices might we engage in to counteract them?

Play some music, find a comfy spot and in the quiet of your thoughts ask the Spirit to bring to your mind :

1. a person you know who he might be leading you to share Jesus with.

2. a picture of that person as a full-on follower of Jesus. 3. 3 possible steps the Spirit might be calling you to take

towards realising this vision.

Take it in turns to share what the Spirit showed you. Which one of these actions could you do before next time you meet? Write it down on page 30. Pray for one another in twos and threes for the inspiration and courage to carry out these prompts.

Jot down your three possible steps: 1. 2. 3.

PLANT THE PIP

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The word ‘Christian’ is used only 3 times in the Bible to describe followers of the Jesus Way. A term much more widely used is ‘disciple’ (over 260 times!). It’s a word which means simply ‘learner’ or ‘pupil’ and is used to describe those who stick like glue to Jesus and seek to mirror his life with their own. Being disciples who live out the example of Jesus in the whole of life is a key part of mission in that it images Jesus to those around us. As we’ll see in this session, Jesus left his disciples with a mandate to replicate his life before others, and in so doing make disciples of all nations. After reviewing last week’s action, take a few moments to watch and discuss your response to the ‘Discipleship’ interview at https://holyhabitus.wordpress.com/category/the-8-modes-of-mission/

Read together the famous words of Matthew 28:18-20. Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.” Discuss: Do you submit to the authority and lordship of Jesus in your own life? If an impartial outsider were to follow you for a week where would they spot the biggest discrepancies?

3. DISCIPLESHIP: Making disciples and living as

whole-life disciples

TASTE THE FLAVOUR

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‘Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations…’ In the video David talked about how discipleship is caught more than taught. For this to happen you have to go get close enough for people to catch Jesus. With an X, mark on the line where on the line you would position yourself between the two extremes. Share your answers.

‘...baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…’

Consider: Was Jesus speaking to just ministers when he said this? If not, why isn’t getting in the pool a more regular experience of the average disciple? Discuss: How might we help those who don’t know God yet to have an immersive experience of God’s presence?

‘...Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you…’

Discuss: Why do you think this part of the Great Commission often gets downplayed in our culture?

Holy Huddler: I stay where its safe. All of the people closest to me are Christians.

Friend of the Faithless: I go out of my way to hang around with people currently far from God.

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On a large sheet of paper brainstorm some of the ways in which you can teach others how to obey the Jesus life.

Draw a picture in the frame of someone you know who you could seek to disciple more intentionally in the days to come and who you’d love to baptise a year from now. Chat in twos or threes about some of the ways you might go about moving towards this. Choose a starting point action and write it into the grid on page 30.

‘...And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’

Spend some time focussing on, and celebrating the presence of, Jesus. You could sing a worship song, or a time of prayer where you each call out some of the many ways he is wonderful.

PLANT THE PIP

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There are somewhere in the region of 37 million churches in the world today. Every single one of them was at some point planted by a group of singularly passionate and committed believers. Why is it then, that church-planting so often fails to register on our radar as an activity we might also engage in as we pursue the mission of God? Is it that the fruit of our evangelism is so small that it is more than offset by those passing on to glory? Or maybe we’ve come to assume — whether consciously or subconsciously — that church planting is an activity reserved for a select few, for pioneers and professionals, ministers and missionaries? Have we become convinced that our town or city has already reached ‘saturation point’; i.e. are we heard to say: “there are church buildings on every street corner with empty seats in, so why would we need to plant another congregation?” Whatever the reason, the reality is that the vast majority of the people in our society know nothing of God or the encouragement to be found in Christian community. After reviewing last week’s action, take a few moments to watch and discuss your response to the ‘Church Planting’ interview at https://holyhabitus.wordpress.com/category/the-8-modes-of-mission/

Read Acts 14:21-28, the story of the return trip of Paul and

TASTE THE FLAVOUR

4. CHURCH PLANTING:

Establishing new congregations

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Barnabus’s first missionary voyage. Discuss: According to this passage what was the tangible outcome of Paul and Barnabus’s evangelistic expedition in the towns they had visited? Imagine Paul and Barnabus, having arrived back in Antioch, are asked by the elders there to run a workshop for younger Christians entitled ‘Church-Planting 101’. Split into 2 or 3 groups and each create the step-by-step crib sheet they might have produced as a hand out outlining the process they had adopted (you can refer to other passages too if you’d like). If you have access to a laptop you may want to type it up. Present your crib sheet back to the whole group.

Imagine that God were to appear to you in a vision tonight. He tells you that he wants you to plant a new church within the next 12 months. He doesn’t tell you where or how, but just that you’re going to do it and that he’ll be with you. Briefly, take it turns to share in the round how you think receiving such a vision would make you feel.

PLANT THE PIP

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It’s now the following morning, and you sit down at a table with a cup of tea and a blank sheet of paper and you start to plan… Back in your groups, try to decide what kind of church plant you might engage in. You may find it helpful to consider some of the following questions: What people group, demographic, or neighbourhood might you

seek to tap into? What aspects of the gospel are most likely to connect with the

target group you’ve chosen? How would you start to make contact and build rapport with

these people? How would you present the gospel to them and begin to disciple

them? What events or gatherings might you look to put on? What format might these take as the church developed? Where might you meet? How would you do worship and teach the Bible in a way that

makes sense for these people? What resources might you need? What name would you give it? Collect these thoughts and draw up a month-by-month strategy for your 12 month church plant (i.e. in month one we would do X; in month two Y; and so on). Feed back to the wider group your plans, and share how you found the exercise. Has this session changed your attitude towards church-planting at all? Take some time to identify anything God may be saying to you personally in terms of a take-away action point, before writing it down on page 30. Finally, pray together and ask God to raise up passionate church planters in our church, town, region, nation and world.

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As we walk through our town, or talk to people in our communities, or engage with the news via the internet or the TV, we find ourselves continually confronted with a broken and hurting world. Nearly everywhere we look there is a need of some sort. We’re told that Jesus’ response to the crowds of needy people that flocked to him, was one of gut-felt compassion that played out in tangible acts of healing, provision, restoration and care. As followers of Jesus we are likewise invited into this distinct mode of God’s mission, and are warned by scripture not to pass by on the other side (Luke 10:31) or to wish someone well without actually lifting a finger to alleviate their suffering (James 5:15-17). In this session we’ll be exploring how we can be proactive in serving our neighbour with practical acts of love and compassion. After reviewing last week’s action, take a few moments to watch and discuss your response to the ‘Social Action’ interview at https://holyhabitus.wordpress.com/category/the-8-modes-of-mission/

Read Matthew 25:31 – 46. Discuss: What disturbs you about this passage? Why did and does Jesus set out to disturb in such a way?

TASTE THE FLAVOUR

5. SOCIAL ACTION: Serving people with compassion and

mercy in practical gospel action

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Discuss: What factors render us insensitive or unresponsive to the needs of others? Take a moment to read out loud the following famous story told by Christian speaker and author Tony Campolo:

“I was walking down Chester Street in Philadelphia. A homeless man - a filthy, dirty, homeless man with a greasy beard that went off in all directions - was staggering towards me. He was yelling at somebody who wasn’t even there. You’ve seen such persons, schizophrenic I’m sure, and he spotted me. And he said: Hey mister, do you want some of my coffee? I really didn’t want any of his coffee - that Styrofoam cup was smudged with dirt off his beard - but I knew that the right thing to do was to affirm his generosity, so I took the cup, I took a sip, I gave it back to him and I said, getting generous: Giving away your coffee to people you don’t even know, giving away your coffee to strangers. What’s gotten into you today? What’s gotten into you today, fella? He said: Well, the coffee today was especially delicious and I figure if God gives you something good, you ought to share it with people! I thought: oh no, this guy has set me up, it’s going to cost me 10 dollars! I said: You want something from me in return don’t you? He said: Yes, I want a

Source: https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/media/content-assets/schools/humanities-religion-philosophy/documents/Anthony-Campolo-Lecture-Text.pdf

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Discuss: Who is being ‘saved’ in this encounter and how? This story draws out and highlights the spirituality of social action that flows from the sheep and goats passage. Jesus identifies himself as being somehow synonymous with the person who presents with need. Explore together how this understanding of social action might transform our engagement in it.

hug! I was hoping for the 10 dollars! But he put his arms around me and I put my arms around him, and then I realised something - he wasn’t going to let me go! He had me in this bear hug. People were passing on the street, staring at me, hugging this dirty, homeless man. And I was embarrassed. But little by little, the embarrassment turned to awe and reverence, and I heard a voice, echoing down the corridors of time, saying: I was hungry - did you feed me? I was naked - did you clothe me? I was sick - did you minister to me? I was a stranger… I was that derelict man on Chester Street -did you hug me? For Jesus said: In as much as you do it to the least of these you do it to me.”

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Spend some time in silence retracing your steps through your day. Were there any occasions when you were confronted with need? Was it obvious? Was it alluded to subtly? How did you respond at the time? Share your reflections with one another. Discuss: What do you think are the three biggest needs in our community? Identify some ways that need could be met by you as individuals or as a group. Record this in the grid on page 30 and resolve to do it before you meet again. Why not finish by taking a collection for one of the causes you’ve identified as well as spending some time in prayer for those affected? Ask the Spirit to open your eyes to see Jesus in all who cross your path this week.

PLANT THE PIP

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Jesus famously said in his Sermon on the Mount: ‘God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.’ (Matt. 5:9 , NLT). Peacemakers bear the family resemblance of their Father in heaven, the God of all peace; they are participating in the redemptive work of God in Christ by serving as his ‘ambassadors of reconciliation’ (see 2 Cor. 5:18-21). Here again we are invited to participate in the mission of God, something he is already doing and has underwritten with his grace and all the resources of heaven. It is a supremely difficult and often costly endeavour, but one which is essential. After reviewing last week’s action, take a few moments to watch and discuss your response to the ‘Peace Making’ interview at https://holyhabitus.wordpress.com/category/the-8-modes-of-mission/

Jesus tells us ‘blessed are the peacemakers’ in the Sermon on the Mount. Let’s take a look at how some of the following teachings help us to flesh out some of the key practices of peace-workers. Read together Matthew 5:21-22. Start with Heart: Where does this passage tell us the battle is won and the path to peace begins?

6. PEACE MAKING: Seeking to overcome violence and

build peace

TASTE THE FLAVOUR

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Read Matthew 5:23-24 Horizontally Aware Worship: Why might Jesus set up reconciliation with a brother or sister as a precondition of worship? (see also Matt. 6:14-15) Read Matthew 5:25-26 Settling Matters Quickly: Why do we procrastinate when it comes to conflict? What are often the consequences of doing so? Read Matthew 5:38-42 Retribution Cycle Breaking: What are the advantages of this kind of cycle-breaking? What daily opportunities might there be to train ourselves in cycle-breaking? Read Matthew 5:43-48 Deliberate Enemy-Love: What might be the fruits of regularly praying for those you feel resentment towards?

Have a read of the following quotation. Share: Which areas of the practices of peace-making do you think you’re good at or not so good at?

PLANT THE PIP

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Let’s get personal! Spend several minutes in peaceful (!) silence and ask the Spirit to help you identify a ‘peace project’ he wants you to work on. It could be:

a lack of peace within yourself—an inner conflict, historic hurt, or insecurity that splurges out and affects others

a situation, team dynamic or relationship where there is ongoing tension and conflict

an individual whom if you are honest you dislike, find irritating or harbour resentment towards

a bump in the carpet that has become a tripping hazard, because you keep sweeping the problem(s) under the rug.

Listen for what the Spirit might be calling you to do in these situations—perhaps drawing on some of the peace-making practices we’ve explored from the Sermon on the Mount. Pick out the action you sense the Spirit is nudging you to prioritise right now and write it down in the box on page 30. If appropriate share your actions in twos and threes. Pray for one another that the God of peace will strengthen you as you work for peace.

‘Peacemakers risk stepping into moments of conflict to do curative peace work, to heal torn relationships and even do a bit of surgery by nonviolent action in protest, presence and service

where needed. And they’re also concerned about preventive actions of peacemaking. They look for building hostilities—and

help to relieve them while they’re still forming—before they reach the explosive stage.’

David Augsburger, Caring Enough to Confront

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A few years ago the Bible Society produced a ‘Justice Bible’ with all the passages and verses tackling justice themes highlighted in yellow. The aim was to show that this key theme is present on nearly every page of scripture, and thus that a concern for justice should be similarly ubiquitous within the lives of God’s people. Jesus placed himself in direct continuity with the Old Testament prophets when he echoed their concern that religious ritual not take priority over mercy (Matt. 9:13) or legalistic box-ticking trump ‘the weightier matters of the law’; namely justice, mercy and faithfulness (Matt. 23:23). Christians throughout history, such as William Wilberforce, Lord Shaftesbury, and Martin Luther King have committed their lives to tackling systemic injustices in the name of God. In this session, we will be exploring a little of God’s heart for the establishment of a more nearly just society where the oppressed, downtrodden, and exploited are given a voice and delivered from their hardship, and the perpetrators of injustice are held to account for their evil behaviour. After reviewing last week’s action, take a few moments to watch and discuss your response to the ‘Justice’ interview at https://holyhabitus.wordpress.com/category/the-8-modes-of-mission/

Get hold of a selection of highlighters and a large A3 printout of

7. JUSTICE: Searching for God’s justice in the

world as God’s prophetic people

TASTE THE FLAVOUR

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Isaiah 1:10 - 28. Choose two people to read the passage out, one after the other, leaving a gap to let it sink in after each reading. Then take it in turns to underline / circle / annotate anything in the passage that stood out to you, explaining what struck you about it. As a group highlight all the different forms of injustice that are represented in the passage.

Next pass around the pages of a national and local newspaper, along with scissors and glue sticks. Cut out any headlines / stories / pictures that have to do with injustice and stick them to a large sheet of paper or card. Give everyone 3 stickers (or they could use a marker pen) and use them to mark the 3 issues that have been identified that stand out most strongly to them. Take the issue most ‘voted for’ and spend some time as a group brainstorming practical things the group could do to challenge or address this injustice. Then divvy up these tasks, with each person recording an action to take away in the grid on page 30. Remember: this is only a beginning. Read the extract from an interview with the activist Noam Chomsky on page 25 as a helpful closing thought and discuss how we might respond to this challenge. Finally, using some of the concepts / language of Isaiah 1 pray into the news stories you’ve identified, asking God to intervene.

PLANT THE PIP

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‘After every talk I give in the United States, people come up and say, “I want to change things. What can I do?” I never hear these questions from peasants in southern Colombia, Kurds in southeastern Turkey under miserable repression, or anybody who is suffering. They don’t ask what they can do; they tell you what they’re doing. Somehow the fact of enormous privilege and freedom carries with it a sense of impotence, which is a strange but striking phenomenon. The fact is, we can do just about anything. There is no difficulty in finding and joining groups that are working hard on issues that concern you. But that’s not the answer that people want. The real question people have, I think, is, “What can I do to bring about an end to these problems that will be quick and easy?” I went to a demonstration, and nothing changed. Fifteen million people marched in the streets on February 15, 2003, and still Bush went to war; it’s hopeless. But that’s not the way things work. If you want to make changes in the world, you’re going to have to be there day after day doing the boring, straightforward work of getting a couple of people interested in an issue, building a slightly bigger organization, carrying out the next move, experiencing frustration, and finally getting somewhere. That’s how the world changes. That’s how you get rid of slavery, that’s how you get women’s rights, that’s how you get the vote, that’s how you get protection for working people. Every gain you can point to came from that kind of effort – not from people going to one demonstration and dropping out when nothing happens or voting once every four years and then going home. It’s fine to get a better or maybe less worse candidate in, but that’s the beginning, not the end. If you end there, you might as well not vote. Unless you develop an ongoing, living, democratic culture that can compel the candidates, they’re not going to do the things you voted for. Pushing a button and then going home is not going to change anything.’

Noam Chomsky, Imperial Ambitions

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The last, but by no means the least, of the modes of mission we shall explore is our duty of care to creation. Genesis 1 and 2 tell us of the first mandate given to human beings by God in the beginning: namely to bear children and spread out over the earth, and to steward the natural world — naming its creatures and cultivating the ground. Sadly, despite this being our most ancient and enduring missional task as humans, it is often neglected or relegated by evangelicals. ‘The earth is going to be swallowed up by fire one day anyway’ some say, ‘so what’s the point in rescuing a sinking ship? Why not exploit the earth’s resources for our benefit in the meantime?’ A more careful reading of the content and tenor of scripture however reveals a deep respect and affection for creation, and a concern that its needs be met. After reviewing last week’s action, take a few moments to watch and discuss your response to the ‘Creation’ interview at https://holyhabitus.wordpress.com/category/the-8-modes-of-mission/

Take a few moments to consider your response to the following stories. The number of trees worldwide has almost halved since the advent of human civilisation and tree-felling continues to go on apace.

TASTE THE FLAVOUR

8. CREATION: Stewarding the resources

of creation

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Prometheus was the name given to one of the oldest trees ever recorded. A Bristlecone Pine tree on Wheeler Peak in Nevada USA, it was already over a thousand years old at the time Abraham was born. It was confirmed that the ancient tree was at least 4862 years old, and maybe even over 5 millennia when some guy cut it down in 1964.

A conservative estimate places the extinction rate of animal and insect species at something like 150—200 species every year. The Great Auk is perhaps one of the most famous of these. Systematically hunted because their down was used for pillows, the last recorded mating pair was caught by 3 men in 1844 and strangled to death in order to be sold to a collector. The men stamped on the egg the pair had been incubating, thus bringing to an end a species that had lived for at least 100,000 years.

Reflect on how these facts and stories make you feel? Why do they have this affect on us? Read together Leviticus 25:1-13, 23. Discuss: Why might giving the land a Sabbath actually make good ecological sense? Reflect on how the view of us as God’s tenants in his land (v.23) might change the way we treat the earth and its resources. Look: What parties ultimately benefit from this Sabbath?

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Reflect: This Jubilee practice paints a picture of mutuality and partnership between humans and the natural world. What metaphors would you use to describe our relationship to the land today? Think: How might some of the ecological issues we face today have been reduced or eliminated if we had operated with a jubilee mind-set?

Draw or paint a barren tree on a large sheet of paper. Brainstorm practical things you could do to enjoy nature and care for it better. Write the ideas on green paper leaves and stick them to your tree, or else draw them on with a green felt tip and so populate your tree with life! Take a few moments to survey your completed tree. Which of these suggestions might God be prompting you to do this coming week? Jot it down in the last slot on page 30. As you draw to the end of your time together, take a few moments to go back over your list of take-away actions on page 30. Tick off the actions you’ve completed and celebrate God’s goodness (Why not tuck into some oranges whilst reflecting on the course?! You might even want to book in a nature walk together as a home group). Close the series by thanking God for his invitation to participate in his cosmic and 8-fold mission. Ask for his strength, discipline and inspiration as you continue to develop in each and every mode of his mission in the days ahead.

PLANT THE PIP

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MY 8 MODING

Record of God Prompts

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