CALL TO WORSHIP
Together, we gather to be present to the God who is already present to us.
However you are joining us, we encourage you to participate in the work of God today as He speaks and leads us. Wherever you are, God is already present and at work all around us. Let’s join Him!
OUR SCRIPTURE READING
Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory.
And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts! Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:4-18 NIV
PRAYING TOGETHER
Holy Spirit,
Still our hearts in this moment to see your glory.
With reverence, we open our eyes and minds.
With faces unveiled and hearts transformed,
May we be molded into the image of Christ.
We lay down our idols of self-preservation,
Secrecy, and the fear of being truly known.
Untether us from our shame, Lord Jesus.
You know us. You delight in us.
We boldly proclaim that truth today. Amen.
QUESTIONS AND PRACTICES
COMMUNITY QUESTIONS
1. “We become what we behold.” What holds our attention and affection is what shapes who we are – for better or worse. How have you seen this at work in the world in destructive ways?Â
2. We need practices that reorient us towards Jesus as the center of our lives. When you get off course, what spiritual practice or discipline has been most helpful in bringing your heart back into focus?
3. The early Church trusted that when they reflected the glory of God through their lives to the world, people would be drawn to Jesus. Can you think of a time when the Christian community (ours or others!) has lived like Jesus in such a way that people were drawn to what they saw?
PRACTICES
Discipleship Pathways
We need a shared way of life that continually reorients our lives towards Jesus together. At Restoration, we have 3 discipleship pathways that, for us, draw our attention to Jesus and form us into the kind of person we way to be: Communion, Community, and Co-Mission.
Visit restorationlex.com/pathways and learn more about what we’re seeking together, and pray about which of the pathways you’re feeling drawn to in this season.Â
NEXT STEPS AND RESOURCES
