City Of Light Anglican Churchaurora, Illinois

Matthew 22:15-22 How should Christians vote? What are our Kingdom politics? Not only does Jesus avoid the trap set for him in this malicious public debate, he gives us a diagnostic question for where we have placed our own allegiance.

10/11 WK4: A Culture of Closeness SCRIPTURE: Thessalonians 3:1-12 SUMMARY: In the kingdom, we grow closer together when we suffer together. DISCUSSION: How would you feel if someone at church use words as affectionate as Paul does for the Thessalonians? Why? How can we intentionally show our affection to one another during this pandemic? In Acts 16:19-26 Paul and Silas are beaten, thrown into prison, and then spend the night singing hymns out loud. Paul references this in 1 Thessalonians 2:2. How would going through that affect Paul and Silas’ relationship? Can you think of a time when you suffered and someone was there with you in it? What did that mean for your relationship? How can we grow closer to one another during this season?

10/4 WK3: A Kingdom Leader SCRIPTURE: Thessalonians 2:5-12 SUMMARY: Kingdom leaders lead like a loving mother and father. DISCUSSION: Have you followed trustworthy leaders? Have you been hurt by untrustworthy leaders? Are there ways that your relationship with earthly parents has impacted your relationship with God? With the church? In your own life, how might the Lord be inviting you into leadership that is more humble, more loving, more like a parent? Paul said that he was “encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God.” Where do you need encouragement, comfort, or urging today? How might you encourage, comfort, and urge those you are leading to live lives worthy of God? http://www.cityoflightanglican.org/events/kingdom-people

9/27 WK2: A Kingdom Culture SCRIPTURE: Thessalonians 1:8 - 2:4 SUMMARY: Following King Jesus means turning from following other kingdoms. DISCUSSION: What are idols in our culture that are also in your life? That are also in the life of the church? How is the culture of the Kingdom of God different in that area? What would turning from those idols look like in your life in God? In our church? Are there brothers and sisters in the Lord in your life from a different culture? How does their life in God look the same as yours? How does it look different? What might they have to teach us through the way the Kingdom of God is being shaped in their culture and lives? How might their life in God expose the idols in our lives and culture? http://www.cityoflightanglican.org/events/kingdom-people

9/20 WK1: A Resilient Kingdom SCRIPTURE: Thessalonians 1:1-7 SUMMARY: Followers of King Jesus persevere through hardship like Jesus did. DISCUSSION: Where have you needed endurance over the last 6 months? How could the hope of Jesus strengthen you in your labor of love? (v. 3 ) How did the message of the Gospel come to you? Have you received it? When? (v. 5) PRACTICE: Review your Rule of Life for the fall. What is the Lord inviting you into this year to persevere and share the hope of Jesus with others? http://www.cityoflightanglican.org/events/kingdom-people

Hebrews 10:19-25 ​We meet the Lord as we set aside Sunday for him, hear his Word read and preached with ears to obey, receive from his body and blood at the table, and give and receive to one another as the body of Jesus. No digital media can substitute for the embodied presence of God in his Word, at his Table, and in his Body gathered. ​ http://www.cityoflightanglican.org/events/dios-esta-aqui-1

The Spirit is the participant in every conversation. You’re never talking with just another person—God is with us! How do we invite him into our every conversation? Ask the Lord, "What do you want to do here?" The Spirit is working. We listen, obey, join the conversation, ask questions, speak the Gospel, and baptize. Would you ask the Spirit, "Lord, would you send me someone I can lead to the Lord? That I can see baptized?" http://www.cityoflightanglican.org/events/dios-esta-aqui-1

Mark 1:35-39 ​Many times God feels absent in our lives because all of the other things present​ in our lives crowd him out. We can practice the absence of other things so we can practice the presence of Jesus in silence and sabbath.

Father Trevor talks about the protocols we will be practicing so that we can gather together in person to worship the Lord and encourage one another while also caring for the physical health of our church and city, including those more vulnerable to illness. Father Trevor also talks about how our Disciple-making Groups are connected to Sunday Gatherings and how our Sunday Gatherings will be more bilingual as we continue to become a a church of many people from many backgrounds becoming one family with one Father. As we have made this decision to have weekly in person gatherings with the Parish Council and Staff, we’ve talked about 5 values: — Care for our people; we don’t want anyone to be exposed to COVID-19, we especially want to create a safe place for those who are more vulnerable to its effects. — Care for our community; we don’t want to spread to vulnerable in our community — Care for our witness; we want our neighbors to see us being responsible and know that we care for them. — Care for us ho

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