New Year Same Disciplines
How do you want to start a new year? the idea of New Years resolutions has come full circle I believe. I feel I don’t hear about them as much and yet people still try them, at the core of New Years resolutions is to be better, maybe its being better with food and dieting, maybe its being better with money, maybe its being on your phone less, there are many resolutions people can make. Now this week this is not the topic per se, but I want us this week to look at spiritual Disciplines which I believe are very important for us to look at, to study and to make them habits in our life, now all these disciplines should not be new as we have talked about them before and we won’t have time for all of them, so I want us to this week focus on fasting, solitude and celebration.
This art piece is called the tree of celebration by Ashwin Harrison. As we look at disciplines this week lets remember that they take time, just as I am sure this tree took time to paint and it reminds me of the complexity of our faith, just as there are so many colours to this tree, lets celebrate that we get to be together, worshiping our God who is three in one.
Anchor Texts
Discussion Questions
do you find that you are naturally disciplined? or do you need other aspects like reminders, and accountability for tasks?
In Richard Fosters book which was used for research for this sermon there are 13 disciplines, Meditation, prayer, fasting, study, simplicity, solitude, submission, service, confession, worship, guidance, and celebration. just from a basic knowledge of these which do you gravitate towards the most, which do you shy away from?
the 13 disciplines are categorized in three sections, Inward, outward and corporate, of those three, which do you gravitate towards the most, which the least?
When you hear about solitude, do you think it means just being by yourself or is there more to this discipline?
Is it hard to get the inspiration too fast or spend time in solitude listening to God?
the discipline of Celebration comes from Joy, are we called as Christians to be happy all the time? where should our joy come from, and how can we practice Joy or celebration on a daily basis?
According to 1 Corinthians 12:4-7, every believer in Christ has been given spiritual gifts. Why do you think Spiritual Discipline is so important in the development of these gifts?