June - Week One
- Delaney Brake
- Jun 2
- 4 min read
Open In Prayer
Begin by praying together – taking some intentional time to invite the Holy Spirit into your gathering.
Below is an optional liturgy you could pray:
As we gather around the table, we choose now to slow down and resist hurry. We breathe in your grace, and breathe out our worry. We remind ourselves of Your relational nearness and pause in awe of Your glory. We ask that You would continue to not only grow us in friendship with one another, but also deepen our companionship with You, Father. Amen.
Table Conversations & Reflection On Last Gathering’s Practice
This is space during your gathering to share a meal, build relationships, and enjoy one another.
What’s the best sandwich?
What is a place that holds significant meaning for you, and why is it so special?
Where did you experience resistance or delight as you leaned into the practices? What were some of your takeaways from either BREAD or the forming life reflection?
Read This Aloud Together
The goal of spiritual formation is not to become clones of each other, but to become our true selves by becoming like Jesus for the sake of others. But becoming who we were created to be is easier said than done. It requires that we know God and that we know ourselves.
The false self is the part of us that overcompensates, deflects, and distracts others (and sometimes even ourselves) from the parts of us we’d rather others not see. It is not only the part of us that sins, but also the part of us that tries to hide our sin and shame, to cover it. To really know ourselves, then – our real, true self – equires self knowledge without deception, without the self-protecting shiny exterior that we use to hide the parts of us we don’t like or of which we feel ashamed.
Emotionally healthy spirituality involves embracing God’s choice to birth us into a particular family, in a particular place, at a particular moment in history…and examining how these things have contributed to the construction of our false selves.
Learning: Going Back To Go Forward
Context to Genesis 50:15-21: Joseph was born into a complex, blended family. He was his father’s favorite, and so his brothers grew jealous, leading them to sell Joseph into slavery. Through God’s miraculous intervention Joseph was pulled from the pit of prison and made the second most powerful person in Egypt. Later, when his brothers came to Egypt for food during a famine in Israel, Joseph invited them to return for their father and live in Egypt – which they gladly did. But after Jacob died, the brothers began to worry.
Read Genesis 50:15-21 together and then discuss the following questions:
Joseph chooses to break the “normal” way his family deals with hurt feelings and conflict by forgiving his brothers. How might you have responded if you were in Joseph’s position?
Slowly, reread verses 19-21. Here we see Joseph’s response to the enormous losses he experienced in his life. Carefully consider the different aspects of this response noted below. As you think about your own life story, which one speaks the most to you and why?
“Don’t be afraid”
“Am I in the place of God?”
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.”
How would you describe the family atmosphere you grew up in? Try to use just a word or two (ex: affirming, complaining, critical, approachable, angry, tense, cooperative, competitive, close, distant, fun, serious).
What concerns or fears might you have in looking back at your family of origin to discern unhealthy patterns and themes? Explain.
Practice: BREAD & Family Messaging Reflection
Before our next gathering, take time to engage in the following practices:
Your first practice is to feast on the story of Jesus through daily reading of the Scriptures
Many of us at Ethos use our BREAD journals, but if you are engaging in a different Bible Reading Plan - do that!
If you need to purchase a BREAD devo, they are still available at our Merch table on Sunday mornings. You can also access the digital version here: https://www.ethosoh.com/bread
The second practice is the Family Messaging Reflection.
Joseph had a rich sense of being part of his family of origin and how it had shaped his life – both good and bad. We must honestly face the truths about our family of origin as well. Prayerfully complete the chart below even if you have done a similar exercise before. We often receive new insights when we ponder and reflect on our family’s impact on us at different times.
First, list the life messages you received from each of your parents or caretakers (ie: Don’t be weak, Education is everything. You must achieve to be loved. Don’t be sad; things could be worse. Make a lot of money. Don’t trust people; they will hurt you).
Next, list any “earthquake” events that sent “aftershocks” into your extended family (ie: abuse, premature or sudden deaths/losses, divorces, shameful secrets revealed, etc).
Then, review the three separate boxes and summarize what messages about life/yourself/others you internalized.
Father (Caretaker) | Mother (Caretaker) |
Messages received about life: | Messages received about life: |
“Earthquake” events in family history: | Internalized messages I received: |
Finally, reflect on the internalized messages you received and how those messages compare with the messages below that reflect who you are in the new family of Jesus?
It is good that you exist. / You are loveable. / You are good enough. / You are a joy. / You have nothing left to prove. / Your needs are a delight. / You are allowed to make mistakes.
June Accountability Partner
For June, identify a partner within your Ethos Community that shares your same gender. This should be someone different than you were just paired with for May!
Your role as accountability partners is to do the following:
Schedule a time to hang one-on-one in person with your accountability partner during the month of June. Consider inviting each other into the lives you’re already living instead of having to create extra margin (ie: meal prep together, walk the dog together, run errands together).
Encourage one another as you lean into the practices via text etc! :)
End in Prayer
Before you conclude, spend some time as a Community praying for one another.
Below is an optional liturgy you could pray:
Holy Spirit, as we grow in knowledge of ourselves and You, reveal to us our false selves, so that we may walk in our true identity, for the sake of Your glory. Amen.