In this year’s vision series we consider where we’ve been, acknowledge we are and look forward as we dream about the future and follow Jesus together.
Community Practices
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Pray
Gather together as a community in a comfortable setting, then have one person read Hebrews 10:24-25 and invite the Holy Spirit to guide your time.
Recap
Each fall at Van City we set aside a few weeks to have our annual Vision Series. This is a time for us, as a community and family, to remember the journey we’ve been on together and to look ahead at where God is leading us next.
As we navigate change this year, we want to remind ourselves that the identity of who we are hasn’t changed. We are a family of imperfect people loved by God joining a story more than 2,000 years in the making of Christians coming together around the shared belief that Jesus is Lord. And while we certainly have our own unique expression of church, it’s important to remember that walking the way of Jesus is not done alone. Not as an individual person, and not even as an individual church! Instead of walking alone, we follow Jesus together; we get to participate in a shared way of life that has been going on for centuries all around the world.
Part of the way we, as Van City Church, live that out is through the shared rhythms of life. We join together every Sunday for the church gathering and we meet in smaller community groups throughout the week. We share meals, pray for one another, work together to meet the needs of our people, and grow together in understanding what it means to follow Jesus through seasons both good and challenging. Which is not easy! It takes a lot of commitment, vulnerability, and accountability. But we believe it’s worth the effort. Because when we follow Jesus together, we find support, community, healing, and ultimately the life that only our Lord can bring.
Discuss
This week’s discussion will focus on checking in with each other as we navigate a challenging season at church. This is a time for us to practice vulnerability, mutual encouragement, and to hold each other accountable to following the way of Jesus faithfully.
Spend a few minutes debriefing last week’s take-home practice (Did you do it? How did it go?).
As a church, we have been in a season of change that has included the need to navigate relational difficulty. How are you personally doing during this time?
How has the weekly rhythm of the Sunday gathering felt for you during this season? Has it felt difficult, life-giving, routine, something else?
As we talk about the vision for Van City and the coming year, where are you hopeful about the things that God has in store for us? What do you think might be challenging in the coming year?
Practice
As we begin this next season of church together, we want to make space to listen to God. It's easy to be distracted by the busyness of life and to fill our days with noise, activity, opinions, and our own ideas about what should happen next. But part of following Jesus is slowing down, making space to be with him so that we learn to recognize his voice and respond to his leading.
This week, set aside 15-20 minutes to be alone with God in silence and solitude, free from distractions. This isn’t about having an agenda to accomplish. It’s about making room to listen to our Lord and Teacher.
1. Become still:
Begin by finding a quiet place free from distraction. Put away your devices and simply sit in silence. Then, take a few slow breaths and become aware of God's presence. Pray something simple like:
“Lord, thank you for being present with me. Please speak to me now and give me ears to hear you.”
Resist the urge to fill the silence and just be present with God. If your mind begins to wander, approach yourself with grace and gently direct your attention back to God.
2. Listen:
Next, slowly read John 10:27: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
After reading, spend some time quietly reflecting on these questions. Again, don't rush to find answers, simply allow God to bring things to mind in his time.
What has God been doing in my life lately that I might not have stopped to notice?
Is there something God is inviting me to pay attention to, surrender, or step into in this next season?
What might God be inviting me to contribute to the life of our church?
Is there someone in our church family I might be invited to encourage, serve, or walk alongside?
3. Journal:
Take a few minutes to journal anything that surfaced during your time. It might be a Scripture, a person, a conviction, a question, or even something you don't fully understand yet.
Don't feel pressure to turn every thought into a word from God. This is a time to simply pay attention and hold anything that surfaced with openness and humility before him.
4. Reflect:
Over the next few days, continue to make small moments of silence for God. When you do, revisit what you journalled during your initial time of silence and solitude. Pray about what you wrote and ask the Holy Spirit to help you discern what is from him.
5. Share:
Remember, we don’t follow Jesus in isolation, we follow him together.
The next time your community gathers, debrief your time of silence and solitude by asking each other the question, “What did you notice, sense, or find yourself paying attention to as you made space to listen to God?”
If God brought something to mind he is asking you to follow through on or take action with, ask your community to hold you accountable.
Pray
To end your time, have someone read Matthew 16:15-17 over the group and then pray to close.
