BEGIN WITH PRAYER · 5 MINUTES
Gather together as a Community in a comfortable setting (around a table, on the couch, the floor of a living room, etc.). Have somebody lead a prayer asking the Holy Spirit to lead and guide your time together.
MAKE ANNOUNCEMENTS · 5 MINUTES
Take this time to go over any details pertaining to any gatherings of your groups that may be upcoming. Additionally, invite the participants of your group to take out their phones, open up the Missio Dei App and navigate to the Events Tab on the App. Highlight a couple of events that are upcoming that you feel are pertinent to your group.
PRACTICE LECTIO DIVINA TOGETHER · 20 MINUTES
Select one of the readings from the week of readings and Practice Lectio Divina together using your selection and the Lectio Divina Movement Instructions found on the Practice Page and listed below.
Preparation for Receiving · Silencio
Slow down in preparation for your reading. Be silent in the presence of Jesus for a minimum of 2 minutes. Ask the Holy Spirit to shift you from control to receptivity, from information to formation, and from observation to obedience. In the silence release control of your reading to the Holy Spirit, and ready your soul to receive whatever it is the Spirit wants to do during your time of reading.
Read · Lectio
Read the selected passage slowly. Consider reading multiple times and reading out loud. Mark one particular word or phrase that stands out to you as you read. Pause, breathe and relax for a few minutes to let the word or words really sink in.
Reflect · Meditatio
Reflect on your passage. Go back & read what you’ve marked. Sit with those words. Contemplate the meaning of those words, deeply. Consider what they meant to the original audience and reflect on what they may mean to you. Why do you think they stood out to you? What do these words make you think about? How do these words make you feel?
Respond · Oratio
Respond to your passage. Write down your word or phrase. Rewrite them perhaps even using your own words. Use them to write a prayer, journal your feelings and thoughts connected to them. Write down your general observations or things the Spirit of God may be inviting you to do in response to reading and reflecting upon them. What do you think these words may be inviting you to consider or do in response to them? What is one step you can take towards receiving this invitation?
TALK THROUGH THE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS LISTED ON THE PRACTICE PAGE · 40 MINUTES
Weekly Questions Listed Below, Additional Questions regarding the overall journey can be found categorized by week on the Scripture Practice Page.
Select one of the readings from the week of readings and Practice Lectio Divina together using your selection and answer the following questions together during the gatherings of your group.
What words stand out to you? Were these words different from the first time you read them? If they changed, why do you think you noticed these words and not the same words you noticed in your own practice?
Why do you think these words stood out to you? How do these words make you think? How do these words make you feel?
What do you feel like God is inviting you to think, feel or do in response to them?
What is one step you can take towards receiving this invitation?
Consult additional questions from the Scripture Practice Page. There is no pressure to use any or all of them, these are meant to serve as guides and resources for your use.
CLOSE IN PRAYER · 10 MINUTES
Create a public forum space where people can pray and offer prayer for one another. Fight the urge to talk more about prayer than you do spend time praying. Invite someone to begin this time and someone to end this time together. Remember, silence is not the enemy of a time of prayer.