September 2025 - Week Two

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: 

Jesus Christ, You have called us Your brothers and sisters, giving us a home and a place of belonging. Help us to continue to say yes to it, and to make room for one another at the table of Your love; in our homes, in our schedules, and in our hearts.

Table Conversations

This is space during your gathering to share a meal, build relationships, and enjoy one another. 

• If your week were a candle, is the flame burning bright, low, or somewhere in between? Why?

Learning: Reflect & Discuss Sabbath Together

1. As you engaged in the practice of trying sabbath (including preparing for the day and

   external & internal resistance), where did you feel resistance?

   
   

2. Where did you experience delight and/or experience God’s nearness?

   
   

3. What’s one thing you’ve learned about yourself, God, and others as a result of

   implementing this new life rhythm of sabbath?

   
   

4. As you conclude, spend some time as a Community praying out loud for one another.

   Consider breaking up into smaller groups and sharing prayer requests.

   
   

Practice: Try Sabbath - Prepare for the Day & External and Internal Resistance

Refer to the Companion Guide for all of the specific details of the practices. 

1. Prepare for the day: set aside a little time, either the night before or the afternoon

   leading up to sabbath, and prepare.

2. Prepare for external resistance: with this simple exercise, pick one to three cultural

   forces to say no to on the sabbath.

3. Prepare for internal resistance: find a quiet, distraction-free place and time to breathe

   and come to rest in God. Then follow these prayer prompts:

   1. Invite the Holy Spirit to come and illuminate your mind.

   2. Then ask these two simple questions:

      i. What am I feeling today?

      ii. What attachment is under that feeling?

[If you are looking for ways to go deeper, the Practicing The Way: Sabbath Companion Guide offers optional “reach practices”. Overachievers in the room: there is not an expectation to complete the reach practices, these are simply available for those who have the interest and capacity.]

Reminder: September Accountability Partner

For September, identify a partner within your Ethos Community that shares your same gender. This should be someone different than you were just paired with for August!

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 September. 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! :)