Do Nothing to Change Your Life - Lent Course 2014Based around the book of that title by Bishop Stephen CottrellIt is not necessary to read the book to lead or take part in this course. Details here on Amazon

Do Nothing to Change Your Life“Stop, Stopping, Stopped” Exodus 20:8-11 Mark 1:32-39(Based on Chapters 1 & 2 of “Do Nothing to Change Your Life”).

How do you like to spend your time relaxing?When did you last have a lie in?Do you ever take a holiday?What do you enjoy about having time off, or time away?

The word ‘ holiday’ comes from ‘holy day’. There is a close link between rest and holiness. In times past, people might spend a Holy Day taking part in a pilgrimage - an hence the idea of a holiday as a time to get away from it all.

Why do you enjoy getting away from it all?Do you sometimes feel guilty about taking a week off? - or even having a lie in one morning?

Read Exodus 20:8-11 and Deuteronomy 5:12-15

What does these verses teach us about rest?Who and what animals are mentioned in the Deuteronomy reading?What did the Sabbath mean for each one of them?

Slaves and animals have to put up with all sorts of things - but not on a SabbathWhat makes life difficult for you? What enslaves you?How might taking rest protect you from these things?

In the Gospels we find that Jesus built rest into his everyday life. Before he began his ministry he spey 40 days in the wilderness (from where the idea of Lent came) - Mark 1:12-13. This gave him time- to get his priorities right- to win the inner battles with the devil- to find his Father’s strength and help

Read Mark 1:35 - 39

In this passage we are told that Jesus got up early in the morning to go to a quiet place to pray. He was about to begin his second day of ministry and a crowd had gathered. But Jesus got up early and went away by himself. Before doing anything else he rested in the presence of his Father.

Divide up Mark Chs 3 - 6 between the members of the group. Each read a section to yourselves and try to spot as many places as possible where Jesus (either alone or with his disciples) sought refreshment or rest. [There are at least 6 occasions, but he was not always successful!]

What is rest? Is rest simply stopping - or is it doing something but different - or both? What do the passages we have looked at teach you.For further thought (perhaps at home)

Mike Breen, in his book, The Passionate Church, suggests that we should live our lives from rest to work to rest to work… as a pendulum swing. We rest not simply to get over work but as a place of renewal from which our work is launched. He says we find this pattern in John 15:1-8

Rest Work

Do you agree?Is this helpful?

Use the modern day version of Psalm 23 on the next page as a prayer

Decide: How am I going to build more rest into my life.

“Who can I be?” 1 Kings 19: 1-18; Mark 1; 1-13. (Based on Chapter 3 of “Do Nothing to Change Your Life”).

What or who, defines who we are, how we see ourselves?Many people today define themselves according to their job. After our name, often the first question a new acquaintance will ask us is “…and what do you do?” (i.e. for a living).For many of us, our identity and self -esteem are bound up with what our perceived role is in society (e.g. nurse, bus driver, father, receptionist, wife, student, carer, insurance broker etc ).

In addition, we have all been influenced, whether we realise it or not, by other peoples’ opinions of us, particularly when we were growing up (e.g. “ she’ll never amount to anything”; “he’s just like his father”; “you’re useless” etc). We take more notice of the opinions of important people in our lives – parents, teachers, employers, and peer group).

What people think of us matters a lot, because it tends to shape what we think about ourselves, who we are and what we think we can, or should, achieve. And so we behave a bit like chameleons, taking our colour and shape from our surroundings, living up (or down!) to the expectations of those around us.

So society puts expectations on us (job, role etc), according to what we do; our family, friends and acquaintances put expectations on us according to who they think we are ( “you’re just like ….”) .

1. How do you respond to people who ask you what you do (i.e for a living?) How does it make you feel? (e.g. proud, confident, depressed, angry, worthless, “I’m just a…?”)

2. Are you aware of your self -esteem having been influenced, for good or bad, by your upbringing?

.3 Are you happy/contented being you? Is there anything you would like to change? e.g. your nose, temper, abilities( “I’d like to be able to sing/dance/draw/be patient/ski” etc).

It is very easy to listen to what other people think/say about us, or even what we think other people think or say about us (they might not!) and take our identity from that. This can be exhausting, and depending on who we are “listening” to, anywhere from helpful and affirming to totally inaccurate.

But what about God? What does God say about who we are, who we are supposed to be, and what we are supposed to do? E.g. Psalm 139.

Elijah: God’s man under pressure

Elijah was a great man of God, he did great things for God, but at the end of the day, and especially the end of the day when he defeated the 450 prophets of Baal in a great victory on Mount Carmel, he was a pretty exhausted and depressed ordinary human being in need of dinner and a bit of kip. Unfortunately for Elijah, being in God’s close circle of friends doesn’t always endear you to the other side, and Queen Jezebel was less than impressed with Elijah’s day’s work. And so Elijah, tired and in need of R & R, found himself seeing himself through Jezebel’s eyes. And it wasn’t a pleasant sight, he was a marked man.God, in His grace, took his exhausted, and by now self-pitying servant, away from those who (literally) sought to destroy him, into the desert where he could “do nothing” (in the title of our book), except be still, rest, recover and hear the voice of God. The voice who would tell him a different story about himself and his identity and self-worth. The God who would affirm his faithful servant and give him back his perspective – God was God, and Elijah, after all, was just Elijah, but held by and empowered by, the Almighty God.God gave Elijah a fresh perspective: He helped Elijah see God as God really is, and Elijah as Elijah really was. God helped Elijah to see himself through God’s eyes. Then He gave him a fresh commission.

4. Can you see yourself in Elijah’s story? Are there times when you feel/have felt intimidated by other people’s opinion or expectations of you?

5. What or who has helped you to regain your sense of perspective, recover your self –esteem, see yourself as God sees you?

6. When you feel “down” about yourself, who (i.e. which “voice”) do you choose to believe? Why?

Jesus: God’s Son in the DesertElijah, John the Baptist and Jesus all spent time in the desert. All found their vocation in the desert. We all have a “vocation”, for a vocation simply means a “calling”, it is God telling us who we are, who we are meant to be. Until we know who we are, we can’t know what we are called to do. God had to remind Elijah who God said he was before he could continue his mission to Hazael, Jehu and Elisha.John the Baptist lived and worked in the desert. That was where he found out who he was. It also happened to be where God called him to spend a lot of his working life, especially in his younger days. Jesus also spent time in the desert. The desert allowed people to be alone with God, undisturbed by outside influences. Here, alone with God they could hear God clearly. They could hear God tell them who He said they were, and what they were supposed to do. Alone with God and away from the world, they could see the world for what it was. They gained perspective – God’s perspective. Like Elijah, Jesus too needed to hear God’s voice, telling who He really was, giving Him identity, self-esteem and purpose, God’s purpose. Jesus heard God tell Him who He was, and then retreated to the desert to spend more time with God, learning about His calling.

7. Do you ever feel the need to get away from the busyness and noise of everyday life?

8. Where have you found that represents this modern day equivalent of a “desert” for you?

9. Is this something important for you, or not something you have thought about before?

10. Do you know what God thinks about you? How He feels about you? How do you know that this is true? How does this make you feel?

11. Find a Scripture that reminds you of what God says about you (ask someone you trust to help you with this if you are unsure). Read that Scripture every day for one month. At the end of that time reflect on what effect that Scripture has had on you.

12. After that one month, either use that Scripture or prayerfully find another, which you can pass on to someone else to encourage them to see themselves through God’s eyes.

“A Free Lunch After All?” Mark 2: 1-17; Romans 5: 1-5.(Based on Chapters 4 & 5 of “Do Nothing to Change Your Life”).

Have you ever wondered what Jesus during His life before He began His public ministry? We know He worked until the age of 30 as a carpenter. Can you imagine having a table, a door, or some of your furniture made by Jesus?! And His work would undoubtedly have included repairs, including for example, mending broken yokes for oxen. Jesus is in the restoration business! And many of Jesus’ illustrations are taken from everyday life, so we are familiar with stories that begin “The Kingdom of God is like…” or “A farmer went out to sow seed…”; “A man had two sons…” or “Take my yoke upon you…”. But Jesus didn’t just tell stories about people’s lives, He got personally involved in them too. And it may well have been that is was while He was telling a story that He became involved in the real-life story of the paralysed man whose 4 friends or relatives decided to bring him to Jesus.They started out with high hopes, they would bring him to Jesus who would heal him. Simple! wonderful! …but as it turned out, not quite so straightforward, since all the rest of the neighbourhood and beyond had had the same idea. And so a good idea could have remained just a good idea. But they were not that easily put off. They were desperate, their friend was desperate and desperate situations call for desperate measures….they removed the roof.

Notice that:

They weren’t easily put off, they had determination and faith.They didn’t particularly care who they upset, although their purpose wasn’t to upset anyone.

Notice also Jesus’ response:

He also wasn’t bothered about offending anyone, although, again He didn’t deliberately set out to do so. Jesus took the view that people’s wrong opinions were their own problem, He didn’t let that interfere with what He had to do.

And the result of all this was:

The man was healed.His sins were forgiven

The crowd were amazed & praised GodGod was glorified

Only those with the wrong attitude got upset.1. Which is easier to say “Your sins are forgive” or “ you’re healed, get up & go home”?

2.Compare this to the story of Levi. What similarities can you find? (Both were outcasts, both were singled out by Jesus, both were restored, i.e. to health, in relationship to God & others etc).

3. What does the calling of Levi teach us about the importance of hospitality? And did you notice that in the previous story it appears to have been Jesus’ own roof (or where He was staying) that got removed? Is there sometimes a cost to hospitality?

4. What does the story if Levi teach us about opportunities for evangelism? (N.B. look who came to dinner).

5. Try to imagine yourself in the shoes of either of the main characters in one of these stories? What must it have felt like to have been the man on the mat, or Levi, sitting in his office and then later in his house with his friends and Jesus?

Did you notice that the results of Levi’s encounter with Jesus were similar to those of the earlier story?:

Levi was healed – his sins were forgiven (see Matt 9: 9-13; Luke 5: 27-32)His relationship with God was restored

Other outcasts and tax collectors joined in the mealGod was glorified

Only those with the wrong attitude got upset.

Notice how Jesus responded to each situation, with love and compassion freely given to unlikely people.

6. How have you experienced the love and compassion of God in unlikely situations? Or do you consider yourself an “unlikely” person to encounter Jesus and experience His grace?

7. Do you agree that God’s grace & salvation is “a free lunch?” To whom is it free? Does anybody pay?

Spend some time in prayer, thanking God for His grace freely given in His gift of salvation.

“Beloved and Loved” Mark 9:2-13 1 John 3:1-3(Based on Chapter 6 of “Do Nothing to Change Your Life)

Other suitable Bible Readings include:

Mark 1: 9-13;Luke 3: 21-13; Luke 9: 28-36. Luke 15: 11-24.John 3: 1-17.

NB. Because of Mothering Sunday, this week’s subject will be the week after that for chapter 7 on the Sunday. Please feel free to use this material at the best time for your group

Note for Housegoup Leaders

AAW Teams at both churches are free to choose their own readings to fit this theme on Mothering Sunday, so Housegroups could pick up on what has been said on Sunday, (assuming you meet after Mothering Sunday).

The basis of the theme is that we are loved by God ( “beloved”) and it draws on God’s affirmation of Jesus at both His baptism and transfiguration (“This is my beloved Son, listen to Him”).

“The fullness of joy is to behold God in everything” - Julian of Norwich

Jesus had a wonderful spirituality of creation - he could look around (at a flower, a bird) and see his Father’s love and care for him.

When are you especially aware of God’s care and love for you?Are there ways you can seek to become more like Jesus in his awareness? How?How can we spend more time being ‘amazed’ by God and the world around?

Sometimes people say: I don’t beed to go to church, I can worship God in my gardenWhat can you agree with in this?But are there things that Jesus might challenge? Why?

Read Mark 9:2-13Why was this important…- to Jesus?- to his disciples?

The disciples were amazed by what they experienced. Jesus is here affirmed by his Father, building on his experience at his baptism. His baptism prepared him for his whole ministry; the Transfiguration prepared Jesus and his disciples as he began to look towards Jerusalem (he spoke with Moses and Elijah about his coming departure (‘exodus’) - Luke 9:31).

Jesus, as he approached his suffering, was supported by the fellowship he experienced - his Father and those with him. If this was important to Jesus, it is important to us as well. God is community (Father, Son & Holy Spirit); we are created in his image, to enjoy community, fellowship.

Is is said that the only human structure visible from space is the Great Wall of China. How sad that this is something which divides. Though the world does not like to speak of ‘sin’ this is what it is. But God in Christ came into the world to break down barriers.

How are you called to break down barriers?

This takes an act of will and it is not easy. It needs to start with ourselves being penitent, being sorry before God, and then turning that sorrow into action.

Pray and reflect on how to put Godly-sorrow into action.

“Plumbing the Depths” Mark 14: 1-9; John 14: 1-7(Based on Chapter 7 of “Do Nothing to Change Your Life)

NB. Because of Mothering Sunday, this week’s subject will be the week before that for chapter 6 on the Sunday. Please feel free to use this material at the best time for your group

“I don’t mind dying, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” (Woody Allen)

“Death is nothing at all…” begins a theologically dubious poem by Henry Scott Holland. Popular at funerals, the opening line of this poem has always puzzled me – if death really is “nothing at all”, then why do we make so much fuss about it, fear it, treat it as taboo, try to stave it off with exercise, diet, medicine, and failing all else, retreat into the denial of ageing with cosmetic surgery?

Death and dying are the great unknown, and all creatures, very sensibly, fear the unknown. It is wise to be cautious when you don’t have first- hand experience of something, and even more so if no-one else has either (or at least can’t tell you about it). Except, of course, one Person. Christians believe that Jesus was telling the truth when He said that He would go ahead through death itself and then come back to take us by the hand and lead us through that great Unknown when our turn comes to make that journey.

And we believe Him because of the eye witness testimony of those first followers of Jesus who saw Him both before and after His resurrection and could testify to the truth of this. These were not idle words, many of these witnesses were prepared to pay with their own lives in insisting Jesus really did rise from the dead. But unlike others whom Jesus Himself brought back from the dead (Lazarus, the widow of Nain’s son, Jairus’ daughter), Jesus stayed alive, never to die again. His resurrection was more than a bodily revival, it was qualitatively different. At the empty tomb, on the road to Emmaus, by the seashore, in the Upper Room , the disciples discovered that Jesus was the same…yet not the same. Resurrection life is different.

But whatever our questions about what dying and death are like, we have the assurance that the only Person to have gone through death and returned never to die again, can be trusted with our fears and our questions. Death isn’t “nothing at all”, but neither is it something which we cannot face. “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me”.Death is not a destination, it is a doorway. For Christians it is the doorway to the eternal life which Jesus died and rose to bring us, and which begins, not when we die, but the moment we acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

1. If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say?

2. It is sometimes said that until you have faced up to your own death, you cannot really live. Do you agree? 3. How often do you think about dying? What do you think about?

4. Are you afraid of dying ? (you are allowed to say yes). If so, what bothers you specifically?

5. Jesus permitted, and approved, the anointing of his body for burial (Mark 14: 1-9). Why do you think this was? What does it tell us about Jesus’ attitude towards His own death?

6. What do you think “Heaven” is?

7. What do think “eternity” means? Is it just an endless length of time, or is there more to it?

8. What would help you to think about, talk about and perhaps come to terms with facing your own death? Or have you already done this and could share something helpful with the group?

Spend some time praying about these issues.

“Learning to Feel at Home” Mark 14: 12-25; 2 Timothy 4: 1-8.

(Based on Chapter 8 of “Do Nothing to Change Your Life”)

Have you ever moved home? Or can you remember your first day at a new school or new job and that horrible feeling of dislocation, or not belonging, of not knowing where you are or how things are done here and all the anxiety that goes with it? And then hopefully, one day, after a few weeks or a couple of months, you suddenly realise that you no longer feel a stranger, at odds, out of place etc, you belong here now.

The problem with anxiety is that it often prevents us from appreciating what we actually have and what’s in front of us. We cease to be able to live in the present moment. We fret about the past, we worry about the future and we lose the ability to live now, or as Stephen Cottrell puts it “when it comes to the present…we’re not present!”

But all we have is now. We can’t go back into the past, or forward into the future. So we might as well make the most of it. Children have a wonderful capacity for, well,- wonder. Something we tend to lose as we grow up.

1.Have you ever watched a child transfixed by a beetle, or a butterfly or a puddle etc. The look on a child’s face is pure wonder, until an adult comes along and says something like “urgh put that worm down, it’s dirty!”. Why do you think we lose our sense of wonder?

2. Can you identify with the feeling of “lostness” that goes with moving home, changing schools/jobs etc? What has helped you overcome this?

Jesus retained an amazing capacity to feel at home in the moment He was in and encouraged those around Him to do the same e.g “Martha, Martha you are worried about many things ..but…” Or take the woman who wiped Jesus’ feet with her hair – Jesus said she did a beautiful thing which would be remembered through the ages. Or “consider the lilies of the field…” etc.

3. Are you someone who is able to feel at home in the moment? Or do you find yourself distracted by anxiety or the busyness of life?

4. What do you think enabled Jesus to feel at home in the present moment, given all the pressure He faced? (e.g. in the reading from Mark 14: 12-25).

5. How did Jesus’ sense of His own identity and that of His destiny help Him? How might this help us? (e.g. John 13:1).

Time is on a continuum, past, present and future. As human beings we can only experience time as it becomes the present. But the Bible teaches us that we also inhabit eternity. C.S. Lewis described this as humans being like amphibians, we inhabit both time (as physical creatures) and eternity (as spiritual beings created in the image of God, i.e. Genesis 2:7).

When Jesus died and rose from the dead, Christians believe that the salvation He achieved for us was effective for those who had already died as well as for those who had not yet been born ( Matt 27: 51-53; 2 Peter 2: 18-22). It affected all of time and had eternal consequences.

6. What do you understand the term “eternity” to mean?

7. How does the idea of living within eternity affect the way you live your life ? (or does it?)

8. How can the idea of living within eternity help us to feel at home in the present moment?

Spend some time this week reflecting on what would help you to “feel at home” in the present moment. Find a Bible passage which will help you to do this ( housegroup leaders can assist with this). Then take a moment or two each day to pause and “wonder” at something. Share this thought next week with your housegroup if you feel able. Turn what you experience into a prayer of praise (for who God is), and thanksgiving (for what God has done).

“Sitting Still” Mark 6: 30-32; Mark 11: 1-14.(Based on Chapters 9 & 10 of “Do Nothing to Change Your Life”)

Time out, a day off, a holiday or short break -we all need these in some form or fashion. The Ten Commandments include a directive to have a Sabbath rest, not in case we feel like it, or because “we’re worth it” (although we are), but because we need it. It’s the Maker’s instructions! But sadly, even Christians sometimes think this doesn’t apply to us and we can just “keep going”, and rest is just for wimps or lesser mortals.

Jesus knew otherwise and behaved accordingly, making sure that He and those he was with, whether His inner circle of disciples, or the crowds that followed Him and gathered to hear Him, did the same.

Our society, on the other hand, encourages and even applauds those who work 7 days a week. Unfortunately we have a term for those who insist on “keeping going” – “gone” (i.e. dead). So how can we, with our ever busier lives, make sure we heed the Maker’s instructions and take a break without ending up more behind, stressed and guilt ridden than ever?

We need to learn to say “no”. While this is usually the first word children learn to say, Christians often appear to have the ability to mouth this short and simple word removed at conversion. How often have you opened your mouth to say “no” and have suddenly found that out comes this “yes”?! Church people seem to have particular difficulty saying “no” to clergy. Clergy often have a similar difficulty saying “no” to church members. We need to learn to be realistic with both ourselves and others about what is reasonable and sensible in what we agree to take on in church life as well as work/home/domestic life. (However many spouses have experienced their partner (or children) being perfectly capable of saying “no” at home, but willing to take on something at church!).

1. Are you able to say “no” when necessary? If not, why not?2. How much rest/recreation do you have? Is this regular?

Technology has enabled us to do so much more than our forebears could ever have imagined. We can fly to the other side of the ocean in a matter of hours, to the other side of the world in just about a day. We can communicate instantly with anyone anywhere thanks to technological advances, electricity allows us to work longer into the evenings and all night too etc. We are 21st Century, 24/7 people. Except we are created the same as our forebears and need the same amount of rest and recreation.

3. What hobbies or interests do you have and do you make adequate time for them?4. What about family and friends?

When trying to build in “downtime” into our lives there is a helpful little saying:“Divert daily, withdraw weekly, retreat regularly, abandon annually!”

In other words, snatch odd moments during every day (when the kettle’s boiling, you’re on “hold” on the phone, queued at the checkout or in traffic) to consciously unwind, connect with God . Once a week find a slightly longer time, e.g. have lunch

with a friend, watch a film etc. A couple of times a year spend 24 hrs or more away from home, and also do try to have something that resembles an annual holiday. Even if you can’t afford to go away, set aside at least one week to have days out, picnics, walks, or to pull the covers over your head and stay in bed!

5. Would this little saying help you to re-arrange your diary/calendar? Or does the mere thought of doing something like this make you shudder with guilt? Or perhaps it seems unrealistic – why?

As we go through Easter week, mediate on the gap between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. For many Christians this is a very difficult time, waiting for the joy of Easter Sunday whilst feeling suspended in the agony and mystery of Easter Saturday, a sort of spiritual and theological “no-mans land” (in experience, if not in actual fact). Consider the thought that Jesus’ body “rested” in the tomb.

6. How might this thought help you think afresh about the place of rest in the Bible and Christian teaching?

Turn your thoughts into prayer.

“Joy, the Serious Business of Heaven”. Mark 16: 1-8; Philippians 4: 4-9(Based on Chapters 11& 12 of “Do Nothing to Change Your Life”)

There are at least two sorts of people in life: those like Winnie the Pooh, who go through life humming happily to themselves, laid back, enjoying the moment, taking pleasure in simple things (honey, pooh-sticks/ dawn chorus, a beautiful sunset, watching the world go by etc) and then there are Eeyores, those of us who naturally tend towards the gloomy end of the scale, who can always cite ten different potential problems with any plan or idea before the ink has dried on the proposal or the words have left the lips.

1. Which are you: a Winnie the Pooh or an Eeyore? Or (put differently) a glass half full person or a glass half empty person? Some of us are in between. On a scale of 1 to 10 ( 1 being Eeyore, and 10 being Winnie the Pooh) where would you rate yourself on the contentment scale? Would you describe yourself as someone who enjoys life? (E.g. Are you able to appreciate the dawn chorus or do you groan at the unwelcome interruption of light and sound and pull the covers back over your head?!).

Anticipation is at least half the joy of excitement. Can you remember, as a small child, looking forward to Christmas, or perhaps the countdown towards a special event, a birthday or anniversary, looking forward to a holiday, awaiting the arrival of a new pet, having a relative or friend come to stay, or just looking forward to the weekend or a special meal or day out? Anticipation dares to dream and to daydream “what if’s” in the nicest possible way. And anticipation dares to suppose that dreams do come true – that I will enjoy that double chocolate ice-cream sundae I’ve been looking forward to, that I will enjoy grandma’s visit when she comes to stay with us in the summer, that we will enjoy some nice summer weather later in the year and appreciate it all the more for having come through all this wet weather.

Anticipation is very delicious feeling, a sort of psychological and emotional luxuriating in something that hasn’t happened yet, the psychological equivalent of a cat stretching and then curling up in a lovely comfy position next to a warm fire, or in a pool of sunlight. It’s difficult to put into words, but we all know and have experienced the feeling- “something good is going to happen, and I can’t wait until it does!” Anticipation leads to appreciation.

Sometimes we describe this as “happiness”, but “happiness” depends on what “happens”, and so our sense of happiness can either be fulfilled or frustrated - according to what happens. But the Bible talks about a much deeper sort of satisfaction, which is “joy”.

It is joy, (and it’s first cousin, contentment) that the Apostle Paul is describing in Philippians Chapter 4. It’s the same joy that the Apostle Peter refers to at the beginning of his first Epistle when (talking of the risen and ascended Christ) he says “Though you have not seen him, you love him…and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1: 8,9). It’s the joy of the disciples when they recognised Jesus at the breaking of bread at Emmaus and in the Upper Room, the joy of the women at the empty tomb. Circumstances (what “happens”) couldn’t take their joy away because it was rooted in the fact of the resurrection.

2. What causes you to “rejoice” (literally, to experience joy)?

3. Try to imagine yourself witnessing the events of Mark Chapter 16. Can you imagine how the women’s joy was also accompanied by feelings of fear and distress? Why do you think this was?

4. Do you agree that anticipation leads us to appreciation? How does that tie in with Paul’s exhortations in Philippians Chapter 4.

5. How do you think Paul was able to overcome his circumstances? What have been your experiences of overcoming circumstances and finding joy, peace and contentment in difficult situations? Does what Paul says here “work” for you? Why or why not?

6. How does the reality of the Resurrection and the anticipation of heaven help you (or not help you), face life’s difficulties? What sort of feelings does this generate for you?

We are sometimes reminded of the importance of being able to live in (i.e fully inhabit and enjoy) the present moment. Strictly speaking “this moment” is the only time we have, since the past has gone and cannot be recaptured except in memory and imagination, and the future is not yet here and when it arrives it will be the present.

7. What does it mean for you, to “live in the present moment”? Do “ joy” and “eternity” have anything to do with this for you?

8. Choose one aspect of your Christian life you would like to improve this Lent (e.g. thanksgiving, trust, contentment, peace, ability to live in the present moment, joy etc) and make it a focus for prayer and reflection.