City Of Light Anglican Churchaurora, Illinois

Acts 16:11-15 Our lives are shaped most not by momentous events or life-changing decisions, but by the daily rhythms that help us see that God is here or that obscure his presence in our lives. A 400 year old monk and cook named Brother Lawrence and Lydia the seller of purple from Acts 16 will help us practice the presence of the Lord in the ordinary moments of our lives. http://www.cityoflightanglican.org/events/dios-esta-aqui-1

Practicing the Presence of God Through Prayer in the Morning Lamentations 3:17-27 God is here to bring a new day in Jesus. No matter what we are going through, where we are from, or what we have done, he promises his saving presence. His mercies are new every morning. http://www.cityoflightanglican.org/events/dios-esta-aqui-1

AUGUST 16: Rescuing the Prophet from the Pit (37:11-38:13) “They pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern.” SUMMARY: Fulfilling God’s call on our life includes setbacks and rejection. Sometimes good leaders are punished for their integrity. Yet because of God’s faithful character, working through his courageous people, he will vindicate his leaders and his message. DISCUSSION: How does this story illustrate the challenges of pursuing God’s call on your life? How do you feel when you face rejection or setback because of your obedience to God? What does this story teach us about God’s character, especially when we face setbacks in pursuit of his call? Does Jeremiah’s experience resonate with you or your current circumstances? How can you pray in these moments of setback? How can you support leaders in your church or your community when they face rejection or misunderstanding in their pursuit of obedience or integrity? PRAYER: Faithful God, look upon your servants who daily who face tria

The Return of the Shepherd-King (33:12-26) “In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land.” SUMMARY: Jesus is a Shepherd-King after God’s heart, who has returned to fulfill all of the promises in Jeremiah. Under his rule, we can flourish and learn to lead in his way. DISCUSSION: What importance did the arrival of the Shepherd-King hold for the Israelites? What proof does God provide that he will keep his promise? What does the promise of the Davidic king tell you about the importance of righteous and just leadership? How does the New Testament show that Jesus fulfills this identity? How has the kingship of Jesus changed your life? How does his kingship change our response to the evils and crises of our time? PRAYER: Good Shepherd, in your infinite love you lead us besides still waters to restore our souls. Free us from the tyranny of fear and grant us the security of knowing that even when we pass through the valley of

God calls us to seek the long-term shalom of the people and places where we’d rather not be. Our exile is an opportunity to reject the short cuts promised by false prophets and contend for God’s purposes.

Our future in God is so good that we can anticipate it with joyful song and dance. Because of Jesus, our weeping will give way to joy.

Invest in God’s future! Even when things seem bleak, bank on his promises. At God’s command, buy the field and plant a garden in it. God’s judgment and promises will reward your faith in the end.

JULY 5: A Fruitful Tree in the Desert (17:1-13) “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.” SUMMARY: Even in spiritually arid conditions, the people of God can bear fruit by sending their roots down into the underground streams of God’s vitalizing presence. We can thrive in exile, whether due to quarantine, personal rejection or cultural resistance to the Gospel. DISCUSSION: What are the key differences between the person described in verses 5-6 and the person described in verses 7-8? What is the source of each person’s strength and how do they access it? Where are those decisions leading them? What are the challenges in your life right now that undermine a life of fulfillment and fruitfulness in the Lord? What are ways that you can ground yourself more deeply and sustainably in your life with God? What fruit do hope this kind of rootedness will bear in your own life and your life with others?

When you plant your feet When you take your seat Heed not the counsel of the wicked The way is blessed He knows your steps You are not lost within the thicket For your delight is in the law of the Lord Day and night it is the meditation of your heart Abide in me; revive your withered leaves Come weary one, rest under shade A thriving tree by the side of the living stream In the cool of the day I will walk in your glade Those who laugh He blows like chaff They will not stand against the pilgrim So put down your roots And wait for fruit Your boughs will bear it in its season Words and music by David Yeager, 2020.

Suffering and upheaval provide us with a remarkable opportunity: to be reshaped by the Lord himself into the people he originally called us to become.

JUNE 28: Scarecrows in a Cucumber Patch (10:1-18) “But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.” SUMMARY: The “way of the nations” which seem secure and powerful are actually pathetic. That’s the truth behind Jeremiah’s image of a scarecrow in a cucumber patch. These ungodly ways are not to be feared or imitated. In comparison, the Living God is to be feared, adored, and obeyed. DISCUSSION: This passage addresses our fears by contrasting God and idols. What fears do you imagine the people of Israel had in their day (see 10:2, 5)? What differences does Jeremiah highlight between the idols and the God of Israel? Compare the “way of the nations” of Jeremiah’s time with our day: When have you seen our cultural idols and worthless practices on display? What implications do you see that God’s kingship has on our idols, habits, and practices? What encouragement does God give us to not fear? How can we respond to God’s kingship over our

JUNE 21: A Broken Cistern (2:1-13) “They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” SUMMARY: Our spiritual adultery with God is more serious than we care to admit. From God’s perspective, we are attempting to drink water out of a broken cistern which can never satisfy. Meanwhile, we are neglecting the True Fountain of Living Water. God wants us back. DISCUSSION: Verses 2-3 begin with an affirmation of God’s remembrance of us. What do verses 5-8 teach us about the relationship between idolatry and our remembrance of God? What are some ways that you have forgotten God or his past mercies to you? What habits or practices can remind you of who God is and what he has done? In verses 9-11 we learn that “[God’s] people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols” (2:11). Do you find God glorious? When have you experienced the glory and beauty of God in your life? How did it affect you? Are there things in your life that you fi

June 14 — “A Small Kid Gets a Big Job” (1:1-12) God’s calling on our life exceeds our human capacities. He gives us assignments that are more difficult, adventurous & tedious than we expect at first. Living faithfully and courageously through this crisis is one calling we all share. The power to fulfill his calling on us comes directly from him.

Genesis 1:1 - 2:3 John 14:15-21 "We were made for loving union because the Father, Son, and Spirit are loving union and we are made in God's image We can take the light of Christ, and shine it like a beacon into our history and unearth the darkness of division and cast it out so we can be reformed in loving union. We have been deformed in division; now we are being reformed into reunion by the holy trinity, Father, Son, and Spirit, the three who are one.

Genesis 11:1-9 Psalm 104:24-30 Acts 2:1-21 John 14:8-17

Prayer's of Lament and Repentance for our divisions from the Pentecost service yesterday. A Letter Concerning the Death of George Floyd and So Many Others https://www.churchrez.org/a-letter-concerning-the-death-of-george-floyd-and-so-many-others A PRAYER OF LAMENT FOR DIVISION O God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth, Have mercy upon us. Oh Dios el Hijo, Redentor del mundo/God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Ten piedad de nosotros/Have mercy upon us. O God the Holy Spirit, Sanctifier of the faithful, Have mercy upon us. Oh santo, bendito, y gloriosa Trinidad, un Dios/holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, one God, Ten piedad de nosotros. Remember not, Lord Jesus, our sins, nor the sins of our fathers and mothers; neither reward us according to our sins. Deliver us, good Lord, deliver your people, whom you have redeemed with your most precious blood, and by your mercy preserve us for ever. Have mercy upon us.

Acts 1 Almighty God, whose blessed Son our Savior Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things: Mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his promise, he abides with his Church on earth, even to the end of the ages; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Ephesians 1:15-23 Psalm 47 Luke 24:44-53 Almighty God, whose only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven: May our hearts and minds also there ascend, and with him continually dwell; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

"The sufferings we experience in this life are not unique to us. Jesus endured them. They don't have to dominate our life and rule how we react. Look to Jesus; he responded in love. They aren't pointless. Jesus himself was refined by them and they were a place where God revealed his glory in the midst of them. And they aren't the last word. God raised Jesus, and he will raise us as well."

John 15 "Our God is a master gardener, and he does not call it quits when there's a garden in disarray! He rolls up his sleeves and gets his hands dirty. He prunes and he weeds and waters and he sweats and he stays. He stays until the garden is healthy and begins producing the fruit that it was made to produce. He simply asks that we stay close. He will nurture and heal." "Yes, there may be days when the pruning hurts. There may come a time when it feels impossible to hold out hope that fruit will ever come, that the flower will ever blossom. But our gardener does not despair."