Dag 16 – Encourage one another
Morning prayer
Start you day with this prayer
Heavenly Father,
We want to thank You for this beautiful day.
We pray that You bless us and our loved ones,
And everyone reading this prayer.
Just one touch of your love can change every day, Lord.
Make us channels of your love to others.
(Silence)
Let your will be done.
Amen
Prayer station
Use this symbol to lead you in prayer for the day.
Symbol: Soup bowl
We pray for those who are ill, whether in hospital or at home. May they experience God’s healing presence.
We give thanks for all who are on the road to recovery after illness and injury.
Reflection
Read this reflection on the text for the day.
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness – Hebrews 3:13.As fellow believers we carry a shared responsibility for each other’s spiritual care and growth. The calling of the author of Hebrews to encourage one another and not sin, is directed at all believers, not only spiritual leaders. In this time of solitude, we are reading different “one another” texts in the New Testament to understand how we can practically live out this shared responsibility for each other’s spiritual growth. We are like river rocks that are moved by the water to collide with each and shape each other until we are round and smooth. One rock cannot shape itself. Fellow believers are instruments that God uses to shape us spiritually. Our calling, therefore, is not to crush one another, but to allow ourselves to be shaped by one another. It may happen that we become tired of being constantly shaped by other believers. The temptation then is to withdraw from gatherings with other believers. For the author of Hebrews, this attitude comes down to spiritual suicide since it is a choice for spiritual stagnation. Let us, therefore, not become tired to encourage one another spiritually now, and in the future.
Lord, thank you for every believer that promotes my spiritual growth. Lead me to assist others in their spiritual calling.
Isaac’s Soap Opera
Watch this video with your children
Liturgy for life
See the ordinary things you do in and around the house as signs of God’s care.
Silent Saturday
“So Joseph brought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb” – Mark 16:46.
It is silent Saturday. Jesus is in the grave. Everything came to a standstill. The disciples’ expectations were shattered.
What is living in your mind at the moment? Plan to be quiet for an hour somewhere today. Find a place in the house or garden where you can really experience quietness. If your children are still small, you and your spouse can take turns. Create an opportunity around dinner where you can share your experiences of this time of silence with each other. Do you have an expectation of Jesus’ resurrection?
Children’s activity
Play with your children.
Wow! 21 Days of isolation. 21 Days in which we’re only allowed to be in our homes (or gardens) and can only go out for the most essential things like food and medicine. It can be a little rough! All the things we usually do during the day, like school, sport, church … are not happening anymore. It can really confuse you and maybe even bore you a little. These daily readings will help you to spend some time with Jesus every day in a creative and fun way. You can do these readings and activities by yourself, with your siblings, or with your entire family. Ask one of the grownups to post your activity on Facebook so that others can enjoy it with you. Tag it with #solitudecalendar #churchtogether
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Have you ever woken up with a fright and thought, “Wow! I’m glad that there is still a today”? The question is, what do we do with this “today”? Today’s verse reminds us that there are new opportunities every day to encourage one another and to help each other grow in our faith.
What does it mean to grow in your faith?
How have other people helped you to grow closer to Jesus?
Activity
Sit still for a few moments and name everything you can hear outside (or inside) your house. Say thank you to God for “today” and that you can help each other grow in faith.
Build your cross scene further. Today is called “Silent Saturday”, the day when Jesus was in the grave. Change your scene so that it shows Jesus in the grave. Decorate it with green leaves to remind you that we should help one another grow in our faith.
Creative prayer
Colour and reflect (Instructions are available under the picture)
INSTRUCTIONS
• Choose your art materials such as coloured pencils, coloured pens and koki pens. Any of these will work.
• Colour in the picture and do the activity.
TIPS
• Choose no more than five colours. If you’re unsure of which colours to use, take out all the colours and put them on the table. Close your eyes and pick up five.
• It may be easier for you to first start colouring the edges and not big blank spaces.
• Don’t stop halfway, especially if your reason for stopping is that you think your picture isn’t pretty. This is the purpose of the activity – to get your attention away from unnecessary thoughts like, “Am I doing this right?” and to focus on the people that you love.
• When you’ve finished colouring the picture, put the picture in a prominent place in your house, like your bedroom or in the kitchen.
Consider sharing your picture on social media with the hashtags #solitudecalendar #churchtogether
Thank you’s and testimonies
Share your testimony with us! Use the online form below.