Week 1

This Is My Son, Listen to Him

Preparation

In Advance

• Make a list of the names of all participants. In the days before the group gathers, spend time in prayer for each person. As you get to know group members, you will have specific prayers for each person; initially, simply hold them in prayer for whatever is taking place in their lives, and give God thanks for leading each one to be part of this group.

• E-mail or call each participant at least one week in advance of the first session to offer a personal welcome, to see if there are any questions about the meeting time or location, and to review what they are to read and do during the week prior to the first group session. (They should read the Introduction, How to Use This Book, and Week 1: This Is My Son, Listen to Him, pages 5-34.) Invite them to share any questions they may have about the prayer pattern they are to follow each day of the week. Remind participants to bring their books, a pen or pencil, and a journal or writing paper.

• Set aside time to review the session guide for Week 1, as well as read the Introduction, How to Use This Book, and Week 1 in Listen. Plan to use the weekly prayer pattern and try the featured prayer practice in your own prayer time each day before the group meets.

• Make a copy of the Prayer of Presence for Week 1 for each group member so that you can pray it together in unison (see the back of this guide, page 71); or plan to have participants read the prayer from their books, replacing "I/me/my" with "we/us/our."

• Gather the materials needed:

[check] Nametags and markers

[check] Candle and lighter

[check] Copies of the Prayer of Presence

[check] Extra pens or pencils and writing paper

[check] Extra copies of Listen: Praying in a Noisy World (optional)

On Site

• Arrive about 10-15 minutes before the group session begins so that you can be sure the room is set up as you would like. Be sure you have copies of the Prayer of Presence and the other materials needed for the session.

• On a chalkboard, whiteboard, or easel/flipchart, write the quotation from Rueben P. Job found on page 22 in Listen: Praying in a Noisy World (under "Prayer Practice") so that group members can easily see it as they enter.

• Prepare the materials needed for the session (see above).

• Once the room is ready and before the participants arrive, spend a few quiet moments in prayer for them and for the time that you will soon have together.

Gathering and Welcome (5 minutes)

Greet participants as they enter and ask them to make or pick up their nametags. Once all have arrived, remind them of why you have gathered.

Read aloud or summarize:

This is a six-session group experience about learning how to listen and how to deepen our relationship with God through practices of prayer. These six sessions will serve as gathering points on our individual forty-day devotional journeys through which we will each be using Listen: Praying in a Noisy World as our guide. Before each session we will complete a week of personal prayer practice using the book, and then we will meet here to reflect, discuss, and practice together what we have learned and experienced. At the center of these gatherings will be our shared desire to enhance our ability to hear and respond to God's guidance and to become more fully available to God.

Because this is our first session together, let's spend a little time getting to know each other. (Invite group members to introduce themselves, briefly sharing about family, work, interests, and so forth.)

Each week we will begin with a simple time of worship, so let us enter into prayer.

Opening Worship (3 minutes)

Prayer of Presence (in unison)

Holy God
of unconditional love
and unlimited presence,
we come to make ourselves fully available
to you, your will, and your way.

Speak to us gently and clearly,
for we are yours
and desire to hear, understand,
and be obedient
to your slightest whisper.
Speak, for we are listening.

Light of Life (light a candle)

Read aloud or summarize:

This candle represents the presence of the Holy Spirit, who is always with us and is ever prayerful for us. Let us live into the light that draws us away from the noisy world and toward a quiet space with God that we may learn to listen for the One who knows us as Beloved.

Silence in Community

Read aloud or summarize:

Now let us enter into silent prayer together, setting aside our mental calendars, schedules, and distractions as well as we can. Imagine handing over to God all that is weighing on your exterior life so that we can begin, together, to make room for the interior voice of God, who is waiting for this time with us.

Get as comfortable as you can and try to pay attention to your breath and heartbeat as we silently pray.

(Spend 1-2 minutes in communal silence.)

Amen.

Video (18-20 minutes total)

View the Video (10 minutes)

Discuss the Video (8-10 minutes)

Choose from the following questions to help group members reflect on the video. Be prepared to share first to help begin the discussion. Be sure to manage the time for the discussion so that you can move the session forward on time.

• Was there a comment or insight from today's video that really spoke to you?

• What were some of the reasons people gave for why they pray? Why do you pray?

• What is your earliest memory of prayer? Who taught you to pray?

• What can we learn from the variety of responses about where and when people pray? Where and when do you most like to pray?

Reflections on the Weekly Reading (10 minutes)

Invite participants to turn to the Weekly Reading on page 33 of Listen: Praying in a Noisy World. Invite everyone to listen carefully as you read the story aloud (or as a volunteer does so). Then guide a time of reflection about how the story relates to group members' lives. You may want to begin the reflection time with one of the following questions or one of your own. Be prepared to offer your response first as a model for sharing.

• What catches your attention in this story?

• In what ways does this story relate to the story of your life?

After each person who wishes to share has done so, ask group members to identify the main truth contained in this story. Discuss what is similar and different in what they have heard individually.

Prayer Practice in Community (15-17 minutes total)

This segment of the group session will focus on the week's prayer practice. The purpose of this section is to give group members time to talk about their individual experience of the practice, as well as to allow them to have a communal experience. Encourage group members to underline words or phrases in their books and to take notes in their books or personal journals during these discussions for future reflection. Be attentive to time management during this section so that all who wish to share have the opportunity to do so.

Time for Group Reflection (5 minutes)

Read aloud or summarize:

In each of our group sessions, we will reflect on and experience the prayer practice of the week. As you know, this week's practice is "Sitting in Silence." Let's begin by turning to page 22 in our books. We will review the instructions there and then discuss how you have experienced this prayer practice.

After everyone has had a minute to review the material on "Sitting in Silence," invite responses to the following questions:

• How did you experience "Sitting in Silence"? (Encourage brief responses and model by sharing your own.)

• What did you find to be difficult about this prayer practice? What did you find to be easy?

• How might this practice enrich your prayer life?

• What has helped you to grow in this practice?

Time for Group Practice (10-12 minutes total; 3-5 minutes of silence)

Read aloud or summarize:

Now we will spend time in prayer together, using the practice "Sitting in Silence." You may keep your books open to the instructions or close your eyes and listen as I read them. We will practice this prayer for 3-5 minutes.

Read aloud the following instructions slowly so that participants have time to respond to each part before you move to the next.

• Begin by sitting quietly and comfortably.

• Allow the exterior voices to be silenced as you focus on the interior voice of God, who is seeking your attention.

• When your mind wanders, or as distractions catch your attention, gently return your focus to God's interior voice.

Close the prayer time with "Amen." Then invite group members to briefly reflect on this communal experience using the following question or a prompt of your own. Be sure to watch your time.

• How did you experience this prayer practice today?

Note: If you are meeting for 60 minutes, move now to Closing Worship. If your session is 90 minutes, include the following elements marked with an asterisk before Closing Worship.

* Break (5 minutes)

* Weekly Quotation Reflections (10 minutes)

Ask group members to silently look back through Week 1 and identify the quotation that most catches and holds their attention. After giving a minute or two for this personal review, invite volunteers to read the quotation they have chosen and to say a few words about why. Again, be sure to model the desired response by sharing first. After all of those who desire to share have done so, bring this reflection time to a close.

* Scripture Study (15 minutes)

Ask group members to turn to the Daily Scripture for Friday of this week (Luke 9:28-35). After everyone has located the passage, ask one participant to read the text aloud while everyone listens closely. After this first reading is finished, allow a few moments of silence. Then ask another participant to read the same passage again.

Now lead a short discussion based upon this question or one of your own:

• What can this Scripture tell us about the importance of listening to God?

Be sure to properly manage the time for this discussion, and after 10-12 minutes draw the discussion to a close and prepare for Closing Worship.

Closing Worship (5 minutes)

Read aloud or summarize:

We will end our session by continuing our practice of prayer together. Let us first share any petitions we bring. As I lift up a category of petition, you are invited to name your prayers aloud or in silence. As we conclude our prayers of petition, we will join together in saying the Lord's Prayer (page 26 in your books), and then I will close with our blessing for the week.

Prayers of Petition

Offer at least a full minute of silence after you name each category of petition—or wait until it seems all have named the prayers of their hearts.

Let us pray.

For the world ...
For the world's leaders ...
For the world's people ...
For those whose lives touch ours today ...
For ourselves and those placed in our care ...

The Lord's Prayer (in unison)

Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth,
As it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory,
For ever and ever.
Amen.

Blessing

Read aloud:

God of love and compassion, grant us grace to walk in companionship with you so that we may hear and respond to your call and may walk in faithfulness and peace this day and always.

Week 2

Pray Like This

Preparation

In Advance

• In the days before the group gathers, spend time in prayer for each group member. Continue to give God thanks for leading each one to be part of this group, and lift up any concerns or joys they shared in the previous group session.

• E-mail or call participants to remind them of the week's assignment (Week 2: Pray Like This) and the time of the next group session. Also remind them to bring their books, a pen or pencil, and a journal or writing paper.

• Set aside time yourself to review the session guide for Week 2. Plan to use the daily prayer pattern and try the featured prayer practice in your own prayer time each day during the week before the group meets.

• Make a copy of the Prayer of Presence for Week 2 for each group member so that you can pray it together in unison (see the back of this leader guide, page 72); or plan to have participants read the prayer from their books, replacing "I/me/my" with "we/us/our."

• Gather the materials needed:

[check] Nametags and markers

[check] Candle and lighter

[check] Copies of the Prayer of Presence

[check] Extra pens or pencils and writing paper

[check] Extra copies of Listen: Praying in a Noisy World (optional)

On Site

• Arrive about 10-15 minutes before the group session is to begin so that you can be sure the room is set up as you would like.

• Be sure you have copies of the Prayer of Presence and the other materials needed for the session.

• On a chalkboard, whiteboard, or easel/flipchart, write the quotation from Ben Campbell Johnson found on page 44 in Listen: Praying in a Noisy World (under "Daily Scriptures") so that group members can easily see it as they enter.

• Once the room is ready and before the participants arrive, spend a few quiet moments in prayer for them and for the time that you will soon have together.

Gathering and Welcome (5 minutes)

Greet participants as they enter and ask them to make or pick up their nametags. Once all have arrived, remind them of why you have gathered.

Read aloud or summarize:

Welcome to the second week in our group experience of learning how to listen and how to deepen our relationship with God through practices of prayer. This week you have continued your individual forty-day devotional journeys using the guidebook Listen: Praying in a Noisy World. Today we will pray, reflect, discuss, and practice together what we have learned and experienced during the week. With one another's help, we hope to enhance our ability to hear and respond to God's guidance and to become more fully available to God.

Let us now enter into prayer together.

Opening Worship (3 minutes)

Prayer of Presence (in unison)

Loving God,

Who understands before we form our prayers,
Who hears when we call and translates our humble words
into beautiful hymns of gratitude and praise
And responds to our uncertain cries for help
with assurance, peace, and palpable presence,

Here we are, as fully in your presence
as we are able to be,
Offering our fears, our needs, our hopes,
our love, and our lives,
For we are yours and belong to no other.

Light of Life (light a candle)

Read aloud or summarize:

This candle represents the presence of the Holy Spirit, who is always with us and is ever prayerful for us. Let us live into the light that draws us away from the noisy world and toward a quiet space with God that we may learn to listen for the One who knows us as Beloved.

Silence in Community

Read aloud or summarize:

Now let us enter into silent prayer together, setting aside our mental calendars, schedules, and distractions as best we can. Imagine handing over to God all that is weighing on your exterior life so that we can begin, together, to make room for the interior voice of God, who is waiting for this time with us. Get as comfortable as you can and try to pay attention to your breath and heartbeat as we silently pray.

(Spend 1-2 minutes in communal silence.)

Amen.

Video (18-20 minutes total)

View the Video (10 minutes)

Discuss the Video (8-10 minutes)

Choose from the following questions to help group members reflect on the video. As before, be prepared to share first to help begin the discussion. Be sure to manage the time for the discussion so that you can move the session forward on time.

• Was there a comment or insight from today's video that really spoke to you?

• How did those interviewed describe what prayer is? What is prayer to you?

• What were some of the different ways that people said they have learned to pray? What has helped you learn to pray?

• How did those interviewed express the importance of releasing our fears, needs, and hopes to God? What would you add to their observations?

Reflections on the Weekly Reading (10 minutes)

Invite participants to turn to the Weekly Reading on pages 51-52 of Listen: Praying in a Noisy World. Invite everyone to listen carefully as you read the story aloud (or as a volunteer does so). Then guide a time of reflection about how the story relates to group members' lives. You may want to begin the reflection time with one of the following questions or one of your own. Be prepared to offer your response first as a model for sharing.

• What catches your attention in this story?

• In what ways does this story relate to the story of your life?

After each person who wishes to share has done so, ask group members to identify the main truth contained in this story. Discuss what is similar and different in what they have heard individually.

Prayer Practice in Community (15-17 minutes total)

This segment of the group session will focus on the week's prayer practice. The purpose of this section is to give group members time to talk about their individual experience of the practice, as well as to allow them to have a communal experience. Encourage group members to underline words or phrases in their books and to take notes in their books or personal journals during these discussions for future reflection. Be attentive to time management during this section so that all who wish to share have the opportunity to do so.