Focus 5 (of 5) | Combination
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Consider this ice breaker as you gather for the Spotlight.
What is your favorite type of sandwich? Be specific about what you like in it.
What is your favorite type of sandwich? Be specific about what you like in it.
See what this Spotlight—and series—is focused on.
Tap on the words "Focus 5" in the image below to read this Spotlight's summary.
Tap on the words "Focus 5" in the image below to read this Spotlight's summary.
This is it.
Welcome to the grand finale.
Seriously—what ‘combination’ represents in this series is the kind of moment audiences wait for. Combination is… (can you identify these?)
To be clear… there’s not a singular hero in this kind of story. There’s no sole triumph of the will. Which means this isn’t Rocky or The Dark Knight or even Christ on the cross.
This is a team story. It’s a human story—as opposed to a God story.
You see, in “God” stories (like Wonder Woman or Hercules) the hero can do it. In human stories, it is not the strength of the hero that overcomes all odds but rather the value of the team’s connection that defines (and often redefines victory.
As of today, you have journeyed through condemnation, confrontation, connotation, and into connection. Which leads to combination, which can be defined this way:
“Combination is becoming incomplete without another.”
Can you find it here, in the grand finale of the Bible?
“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.
Revelation 21:3–7
Welcome to the grand finale.
Seriously—what ‘combination’ represents in this series is the kind of moment audiences wait for. Combination is… (can you identify these?)
To be clear… there’s not a singular hero in this kind of story. There’s no sole triumph of the will. Which means this isn’t Rocky or The Dark Knight or even Christ on the cross.
This is a team story. It’s a human story—as opposed to a God story.
You see, in “God” stories (like Wonder Woman or Hercules) the hero can do it. In human stories, it is not the strength of the hero that overcomes all odds but rather the value of the team’s connection that defines (and often redefines victory.
As of today, you have journeyed through condemnation, confrontation, connotation, and into connection. Which leads to combination, which can be defined this way:
“Combination is becoming incomplete without another.”
Can you find it here, in the grand finale of the Bible?
“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.
Revelation 21:3–7
Welcome Perspective: Combination is not a lone-hero story, but there is one in the end.
Explore Jesus’ prayer for combination.
The night before he died, Jesus prayed an important, soul-revealing prayer that was all about unity. It’s the entire chapter of John 17, and it is printed below this interactive image of a brick wall—an image that you can click on and edit.
The “Redemption for Combination” image, below, is set up like a timeline. The five steps of the “Them… You… Us” progression are already represented. As you read through the prayer (you can scroll left-and-right through this image), you’re invited to copy and paste sections of the prayer into the image and place them where you think they should fit in the timeline. Feel free to place as many pieces as you’d like, but please don’t move or edit the contributions of others.
The night before he died, Jesus prayed an important, soul-revealing prayer that was all about unity. It’s the entire chapter of John 17, and it is printed below this interactive image of a brick wall—an image that you can click on and edit.
The “Redemption for Combination” image, below, is set up like a timeline. The five steps of the “Them… You… Us” progression are already represented. As you read through the prayer (you can scroll left-and-right through this image), you’re invited to copy and paste sections of the prayer into the image and place them where you think they should fit in the timeline. Feel free to place as many pieces as you’d like, but please don’t move or edit the contributions of others.
John 17
Jesus Prays for Himself
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
“I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
Jesus Prays for You
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
“I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
Jesus Prays for You
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
Read (and think) through this to see what “I in them and you in me” means.
Jesus describes combination in John 17:23 with profound simplicity.
What does this look like?
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Genesis 1:8
When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
Genesis 5:21–24
This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.
Genesis 6:9
I will put my dwelling place h among you, and I will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.
Leviticus 26:11–12
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8
Jesus describes combination in John 17:23 with profound simplicity.
What does this look like?
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Genesis 1:8
When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
Genesis 5:21–24
This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.
Genesis 6:9
I will put my dwelling place h among you, and I will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.
Leviticus 26:11–12
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8
Pray for the unity Jesus sought. This prayer was written by the World Council of Churches. You’ll need 6 readers, and everyone can join together on the bolded lines.
Reader 1
God of grace,
together we turn to you in prayer,
for it is you who unite us:
you are the one God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit –
in whom we believe,
you alone empower us for good,
you send us out across the earth
in mission and service in the name of Christ.
Reader 2
We confess before you and all people:
We have been unworthy servants.
We have misused and abused the creation.
We have wounded one another by divisions everywhere.
We have often failed to take decisive action
against environmental destruction, poverty, racism,
caste-ism, war and genocide.
We are not only victims but also perpetrators of violence.
In all this, we have fallen short as disciples of Jesus Christ
who in his incarnation came to save us and teach us how to love.
Forgive us, God, and teach us to forgive one another.
God, in your grace, transform the world.
Reader 3
God, hear the cries of all creation,
the cries of the waters, the air, the land and all living things;
the cries of all who are exploited, marginalized, abused and victimized,
all who are dispossessed and silenced, their humanity ignored,
all who suffer from any form of disease, from war
and from the crimes of the arrogant
who hide from the truth, distort memory
and deny the possibility of reconciliation.
God, guide all in seats of authority
towards decisions of moral integrity.
God, in your grace, transform the world.
Reader 4
We give thanks for your blessings and signs of hope
that are already present in the world,
in people of all ages and in those who have gone before us in faith;
in movements to overcome violence in all its forms,
not just for a decade but for always;
in the deep and open dialogues that have begun
both within our own churches and with those of other faiths
in the search for mutual understanding and respect;
in all those working together for justice and peace –
both in exceptional circumstances and every day.
We thank you for the good news of Jesus Christ,
and the assurance of resurrection.
God, in your grace, transform the world.
Reader 5
By the power and guidance of your Holy Spirit, O God,
may our prayers never be empty words
but an urgent response to your living Word –
in non-violent direct action for positive change,
in bold, clear, specific acts of solidarity,
liberation, healing and compassion,
readily sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
Reader 6
Open our hearts to love
and to see that all people are made in your image,
to care for creation and affirm life in all its wondrous diversity.
Transform us in the offering of ourselves
so that we may be your partners in transformation
to strive for the full, visible unity
of the one Church of Jesus Christ,
to become neighbours to all,
as we await with eager longing
the full revelation of your rule
in the coming of a new heaven and a new earth.
God, in your grace, transform the world.
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Reader 1
God of grace,
together we turn to you in prayer,
for it is you who unite us:
you are the one God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit –
in whom we believe,
you alone empower us for good,
you send us out across the earth
in mission and service in the name of Christ.
Reader 2
We confess before you and all people:
We have been unworthy servants.
We have misused and abused the creation.
We have wounded one another by divisions everywhere.
We have often failed to take decisive action
against environmental destruction, poverty, racism,
caste-ism, war and genocide.
We are not only victims but also perpetrators of violence.
In all this, we have fallen short as disciples of Jesus Christ
who in his incarnation came to save us and teach us how to love.
Forgive us, God, and teach us to forgive one another.
God, in your grace, transform the world.
Reader 3
God, hear the cries of all creation,
the cries of the waters, the air, the land and all living things;
the cries of all who are exploited, marginalized, abused and victimized,
all who are dispossessed and silenced, their humanity ignored,
all who suffer from any form of disease, from war
and from the crimes of the arrogant
who hide from the truth, distort memory
and deny the possibility of reconciliation.
God, guide all in seats of authority
towards decisions of moral integrity.
God, in your grace, transform the world.
Reader 4
We give thanks for your blessings and signs of hope
that are already present in the world,
in people of all ages and in those who have gone before us in faith;
in movements to overcome violence in all its forms,
not just for a decade but for always;
in the deep and open dialogues that have begun
both within our own churches and with those of other faiths
in the search for mutual understanding and respect;
in all those working together for justice and peace –
both in exceptional circumstances and every day.
We thank you for the good news of Jesus Christ,
and the assurance of resurrection.
God, in your grace, transform the world.
Reader 5
By the power and guidance of your Holy Spirit, O God,
may our prayers never be empty words
but an urgent response to your living Word –
in non-violent direct action for positive change,
in bold, clear, specific acts of solidarity,
liberation, healing and compassion,
readily sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
Reader 6
Open our hearts to love
and to see that all people are made in your image,
to care for creation and affirm life in all its wondrous diversity.
Transform us in the offering of ourselves
so that we may be your partners in transformation
to strive for the full, visible unity
of the one Church of Jesus Christ,
to become neighbours to all,
as we await with eager longing
the full revelation of your rule
in the coming of a new heaven and a new earth.
God, in your grace, transform the world.
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Worship Perspective: God seeks unity, but it‘s not meant to be sought alone.
Discover what brings us together today.
(Thank you, The Princess Bride.)
The dominant metaphor the Bible uses for unity is marriage. This makes sense because a) marriage reflects the trinity, b) marriage is meant to be part of every person’s life (not in that every person needs to get married, but in that every person was intended to have come from marriage,) and c) God established marriage.
That being said, when you think about how complicated, tragic, and divided the experience of marriage can be, it’s no wonder unity sometimes seems so far out of reach.
The three places in the Bible where this metaphor is strongest (and has the most to teach) are Song of Solomon, Ephesians 5, and Revelation 19. In each case, God is using real truths about marriage (the combination of two people into one) to show you the kind of unity that all love should produce.
Choose one of the three marriage sections linked through the buttons below. Read it and answer the following questions about your section (if you’re doing this in a group, prepare to share your thoughts with the group.)
Here are those marriage sections for you to read…
+ SONG OF SOLOMON
+ EPHESIANS
+ REVELATION
Listen to this song. As you do, choose one of the unity verses (below) to write down and put in places around your home that you’ll see through the week.
(Thank you, The Princess Bride.)
The dominant metaphor the Bible uses for unity is marriage. This makes sense because a) marriage reflects the trinity, b) marriage is meant to be part of every person’s life (not in that every person needs to get married, but in that every person was intended to have come from marriage,) and c) God established marriage.
That being said, when you think about how complicated, tragic, and divided the experience of marriage can be, it’s no wonder unity sometimes seems so far out of reach.
The three places in the Bible where this metaphor is strongest (and has the most to teach) are Song of Solomon, Ephesians 5, and Revelation 19. In each case, God is using real truths about marriage (the combination of two people into one) to show you the kind of unity that all love should produce.
Choose one of the three marriage sections linked through the buttons below. Read it and answer the following questions about your section (if you’re doing this in a group, prepare to share your thoughts with the group.)
- How does this section reflect the idea of “becoming incomplete without the other”?
- What aspects of marriage are brought into the metaphor to help make the point? (i.e. sex, children, the wedding, lifelong commitment, etc.)
- It is simple and logical to apply these sections to marriage. It is similarly reasonable to apply them to the relationship between God and his people. What comes to mind when you start to apply the principles of unity in these sections to every relationship—seeking the unity God desires for all people?
Here are those marriage sections for you to read…
+ SONG OF SOLOMON
+ EPHESIANS
+ REVELATION
Listen to this song. As you do, choose one of the unity verses (below) to write down and put in places around your home that you’ll see through the week.
How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!
Psalm 133:1
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.
1 Corinthians 1:10
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Ephesians 4:2–6
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
Philippians 2:1–4
My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Colossians 2:2–3
Psalm 133:1
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.
1 Corinthians 1:10
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Ephesians 4:2–6
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
Philippians 2:1–4
My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Colossians 2:2–3
Think about the benefits of pursuing combination.
God repeatedly says that pursuing unity will be one of the most attractive characteristics of the church.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:34–35
I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
John 17:22–23
and perhaps the most famous of these:
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Luke 6:27–36
God repeatedly says that pursuing unity will be one of the most attractive characteristics of the church.
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:34–35
I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
John 17:22–23
and perhaps the most famous of these:
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Luke 6:27–36
Discuss the following question with your group.
- How can “pursuing unity” affect the way the church fulfills Jesus’ command to “make disciples”?
- Have you felt that pursuing unity is your goal as a ChristIan, or has something else been in the driver’s seat?
Learn Perspective
Fill in the blanks.
Consider this a Community Service Mad-Lib. Remembering that “combination” is defined as becoming incomplete with someone to complete each other, try to articulate two of these examples.
If I were to seek unity (combination)
with [see the bullets below] ____________________
I would first [do this actionable step:] ____________________
in hopes that I might eventually [be able to accomplish long-term:] ____________________.
Consider this a Community Service Mad-Lib. Remembering that “combination” is defined as becoming incomplete with someone to complete each other, try to articulate two of these examples.
If I were to seek unity (combination)
with [see the bullets below] ____________________
I would first [do this actionable step:] ____________________
in hopes that I might eventually [be able to accomplish long-term:] ____________________.
- a person who is out of work and out of money due to the pandemic
- a person who is both addicted to drugs and homeless
- a person who is mentally disabled
- an orphaned child here in the city in which I live
Feel free to submit a prayer request by filling out the below form.
(If you choose to make your request public, you'll see it display in the Current at the end of the Spotlight along with anyone else who did the same.)
(If you choose to make your request public, you'll see it display in the Current at the end of the Spotlight along with anyone else who did the same.)
Pray through your requests—together—as a group.
After submitting your requests in the above form, take some time to share with your group whatever requests the group might have for this week.
After submitting your requests in the above form, take some time to share with your group whatever requests the group might have for this week.
Serve Perspective
Pray the prayer, “Help us Live in Peace.”
(congregational/group-read response parts are set in bold print)
Ephesians 4:3 says “Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, through the bond of peace.” As a church community we pray that you would help us deal with conflict in a way that would lead to unity and peace.
When we are tempted to take sides rather then work together…
Jesus help us live in peace.
When we are tempted to hold grudges
Jesus help us live in peace.
When we are tempted to gossip or be malicious
Jesus help us live in peace.
When we would rather complain—then work towards a solution
Jesus help us live in peace.
When we find ourselves adding to disorder or division
Jesus help us live in peace.
In the inevitable misunderstandings and miscommunications we may face
Jesus help us live in peace.
Give us courage to admit our wrongs without being defensive.
Give us determination to assume the best about others.
Teach us to imitate you, God
to be gracious
to be compassionate
to be slow to anger
and rich in love…
and to make every effort to keep ourselves united in the spirit—through the bond of peace.
Amen.
(congregational/group-read response parts are set in bold print)
Ephesians 4:3 says “Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, through the bond of peace.” As a church community we pray that you would help us deal with conflict in a way that would lead to unity and peace.
When we are tempted to take sides rather then work together…
Jesus help us live in peace.
When we are tempted to hold grudges
Jesus help us live in peace.
When we are tempted to gossip or be malicious
Jesus help us live in peace.
When we would rather complain—then work towards a solution
Jesus help us live in peace.
When we find ourselves adding to disorder or division
Jesus help us live in peace.
In the inevitable misunderstandings and miscommunications we may face
Jesus help us live in peace.
Give us courage to admit our wrongs without being defensive.
Give us determination to assume the best about others.
Teach us to imitate you, God
to be gracious
to be compassionate
to be slow to anger
and rich in love…
and to make every effort to keep ourselves united in the spirit—through the bond of peace.
Amen.
Sing along with (or listen to) this song to close out this Spotlight.
Feel free to sing along or simply listen. Do what makes you comfortable—but do whatever helps you focus on the song's meaning best.
Feel free to sing along or simply listen. Do what makes you comfortable—but do whatever helps you focus on the song's meaning best.
Farewell Perspective
Let's wrap things up by taking a look at what's Current at Illume.
Tap on the buttons in the frame below to see what’s currently happening at Illume—information on everything from current and upcoming online content to live events and opportunities to serve in the community can all be found here.
Tap on the buttons in the frame below to see what’s currently happening at Illume—information on everything from current and upcoming online content to live events and opportunities to serve in the community can all be found here.
Posted in On Letting Division Cease
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