Suggested service order for a time of prayer
This service order includes a song in Korean and every month music from a different church background is suggested for listening to or singing. Feel free to adapt the music according to your local situation, as well as the arrangement of the space for the prayer.
Song : 누군가 널위해 기도하네 “Someone is praying for you”
Psalm 92 (91)
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
Bible Text
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
(Luke 10:1-9)
Song: 날마다 숨쉬는 순간마다 “Day by day”
Bible Reflection
Luke tells us about Jesus sending 72 disciples into the villages. In the previous chapter, Jesus called and sent twelve disciples out into the world. In today’s text from chapter 10, he appoints and sends out 72 disciples. “Appointed” means that they too were called just like the Twelve. The reason why another 72 disciples were sent out after the 12 disciples is that the harvest is plentiful. “Harvest is plentiful” means that there are many people around us who need to be saved. Jesus told the disciples, who didn’t yet know how to reap, to pray to God first so that more labourers would be sent out. According to human logic it is right to pray “God, bring us more labourers like us” after having learned more, practised more and experienced more. However, God’s method is just the opposite: pray to God first. Prayer is the foundation of mission according to God’s way and order, not according to human ways of thinking.
Jesus entrusted a mission to the 72 disciples and told them precisely what they were to do: v5 “Wherever you go into a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house! v9 Heal the sick who are there, and say again, ‘The kingdom of God has come near you.’ Peace comes from above, not from us. Only God can give it. The peace that Jesus entrusted to his disciples is first and foremost an openness to the relationship between Jesus and the person who receives it. At the same time, it is an invitation to respond to the reign of God that is about to begin.
We who believe in God proclaim peace and the coming kingdom of God in the name of Jesus Christ by faith. But with healing the sick, we are always tested. Sometimes we are faced with a dilemma. We know that God, who controls life and death, can heal the physical life of the sick, but considers their spiritual life to be far more important. Sickness of the body heralds the end of this world, but sickness of the soul takes away eternal life. If the doctor’s mission is to do everything possible to heal the body, the Christian’s mission is to do everything possible to restore the soul and spirit in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. In particular, the church’s vocation is to welcome those who have received spiritual healing and those who need healing. In the church, the wounded soul can be healed through the Word, prayer, listening, empathy and accompaniment. Notice that Jesus referred to the place of healing as a place of festivity. Of course, it’s a feast because it’s a place where the sickness of the soul is healed. Jesus gives this feast and asks the servants to fill the table. Jesus even insists on letting people in.
In our time, evangelism is directed towards our neighbours, towards a family member or someone who lives nearby, for example, or towards the people we meet in our daily environment. In other words, the logic has been established that the path of evangelisation is still open today and that the Gospel remains good news for all those to whom we are neighbours. Jesus’ mission has remained the same for over 2000 years, because our contemporaries are still searching for meaning in their lives. As disciples and workers with God, we are called to discern those around us who have lost their way or who are wounded by life. Let us go forward to proclaim and live among them the salvation of the whole being, a salvation that is complete, because the kingdom of God has come near to us all… and it’s already here!
Pastor Marie KIM JAMES/ Sonann Presbyterian Church in Paris
(Sonann means goodnes in Korean)
Questions for sharing
- What is the purpose of mission and what is the content of mission as presented by Jesus?
- On what basis can you pray for peace for others?
- Find out to whom you are called to share the Gospel around you.
Testimony
Yaxin (China) and Angelica (Indonesia) share their thoughts on the words ‘People of God’ and ‘Together’.
A word from the first Christians
Christ did not come only for those who believed in him from the time of the Emperor Tiberius onwards, and the Father did not exercise his providence only in favour of the human beings now living, but in favour of all human beings without exception who, from the beginning, according to their abilities and those of their time, have worshipped and loved God, practised justice and kindness towards their neighbour, longed to see Christ and hear his voice. (…) God does not ask anything of us, as if he had some need, but it is we who need communion with him: so he lavished himself out of pure goodness, in order to gather us into the bosom of the Father.
Irenaeus of Lyon (2nd century)
Group Activity
Title: “Spread the Love”
Part 1
- Introduction and Icebreaker:
◦ Begin the session by explaining the theme of spreading love and positivity.
◦ Introduce the icebreaker activity: “We are going to start by spreading the love among ourselves. Each person will have the opportunity to share something positive with another person in the group. Let’s create a chain of positive thoughts and kind words!”
◦ Provide each participant with a piece of paper and a pen or pencil.
- Icebreaker Activity:
◦ Ask the participants to sit in a circle.
◦ Instruct them to write down a positive and encouraging message for the person sitting to their left on the paper provided.
◦ Underline that the message can be a compliment, a word of appreciation, an uplifting quote, or any other positive expression.
◦ Once everyone has written their messages, ask them to fold their papers to conceal the message.
- Sharing and Reflection:
◦ Begin with one person volunteering to share the positive message they wrote for the person to their left. Encourage them to read it aloud.
◦ After sharing, the person who received the message can briefly express how they felt upon receiving it.
◦ Continue the process, with each person sharing the message they received and the recipient sharing their thoughts, until everyone has had a turn.
- Discussion:
◦ Facilitate a discussion based on the following questions:
▪ How did it feel to receive a positive message from someone else in the group?
▪ Were there messages or compliments which were new or unexpected?
▪ How can these small acts of sharing positivity impact our interactions with others in our daily lives?
Part 2
- Introduction to the Passage and Objectives:
◦ Introduce the passage from Luke 10:1-9, underlining the importance of spreading love and peace as demonstrated by Jesus sending out the disciples.
◦ Connect the icebreaker activity to the passage, highlighting the significance of sharing positive messages and how it can inspire us to spread love in a broader context.
- Personal Response and Mapping:
◦ Provide each participant with a fresh piece of paper and a pen or pencil.
◦ Instruct them to reflect on the passage and write down one practical way they can spread the message of love and peace in their daily lives.
◦ Distribute a map of the participants’ local area or draw a simplified representation on a whiteboard.
◦ Ask participants to mark the areas or landmarks where they can potentially reach out and share their message. They can use different symbols or colours to represent different types of locations or target audiences.
- Group Discussion and Map Presentation:
◦ Invite participants to share their responses from step 6 and present their mapped areas to the group.
◦ Facilitate a discussion by asking the following questions:
▪ How do you feel about the ideas shared by others?
▪ How does seeing the mapped areas make you realize the potential reach of our collective efforts?
▪ What additional strategies or locations can we consider to reach even more people in our community?
▪ How do these acts reflect a synodal church?
- Conclusion:
◦ Summarize the main points discussed during the activity.
◦ Underline the importance of actively spreading love and peace in our communities and the impact we can have on those around us.
◦ Close the activity with a brief prayer or moment of reflection.
