Week: Be Still
As usual, we start by pausing and taking a deep breath:
In and out.
In and out.
We remember that God is here, and so together we prepare ourselves to be with God.
Pause
God of rescue and restoration, thank You for Your beautiful mission to save the whole world. Here we are, Lord. Fill us with Your Spirit, and send us so that we can join in with Your mission.
Let’s begin by REFLECTING on one of Jesus’ parables – the short stories he told to help people understand more about God and God’s Kingdom. As we will soon discover, this particular parable was one that Nikolaus von Zinzendorf knew and loved.
Read by Annika
Matthew 13:31-32
[Jesus said] ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man planted in his field. That seed is the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows, it is one of the largest garden plants. It becomes big enough for the wild birds to come and build nests in its branches.’
Matthew 13:31-32 NCV
Nikolaus Ludwig, Reichsgraf von Zinzendorf und Pottendorf – better known to his friends as Ludwig – was born in 1700 in what is now Germany, where he was the son of a wealthy landowner. Ludwig loved Jesus from a very young age – when he was just six years old, he even wrote love letters to God and threw them out of the window of his Dad’s castle!*
And then, when he was a teenager, Ludwig and some of his school friends formed a club called ‘The Secret Order of the Mustard Seed’, named after the Bible-story we just read. These friends wanted to follow Jesus and they knew that it began with doing small things that God could use to make a big difference. So they made three ‘mustard seed’ promises together: First, to obey Jesus – to do what Jesus said. Second, to be kind to everyone. And third, to tell people the good news of God’s great love wherever they went.
These promises shaped Ludwig’s life. When he was a bit older, Ludwig obeyed Jesus and showed kindness by welcoming a group of refugees to come and live on his family’s land, where they built a new village called Herrnhut. These refugees were Christians and the Holy Spirit did all sorts of amazing things through them. They started a non-stop prayer meeting that continued, night and day, for over a hundred years. They also sent missionaries all over the world, telling people about God’s great love and starting new Christian communities. The ‘mustard seed’ promises that Ludwig and his friends made as teenagers grew into something enormous!**
Let’s pause and talk about today’s question which is: If we were going to start a new club or a group with some friends, what would we call ourselves?
Ludwig and his friends helped each other, and they followed Jesus together. Who are the people in our lives who help us to know and follow Jesus?
Loving God, we ASK You to strengthen our friendships with those who love You. And if we feel a bit alone just now, please bring new Jesus-following friends into our lives!
Christians from Herrnhut went all over the world to tell people the good news about God’s great love. Let’s each think of a place, either where we live or somewhere else around the world that seems like it needs more of God’s great love right now.
Loving God, we know that You love the whole wide world and everyone in it. And You know everything that’s going on too. We ASK for more of Your love, Your peace, Your kindness, Your healing, Your hope in the places that we’re thinking of right now.
Mustard seeds are incredibly small – they’re like teeny tiny dots – but they can grow into huge trees. Jesus says that God’s kingdom grows in people’s lives and in the world just like this – it starts with us doing small things that God can use to make a big difference!
In Lectio 365 – the grown-ups version of Lectio For Families – we pray a daily prayer based on Ludwig’s ‘mustard seed’ promises. Whatever age we are, let’s say YES to continuing to follow God together by praying them now.
Father, help me to live this day to the full, being true to You, in every way.
Jesus, help me to give myself away to others, being kind to everyone I meet.
Spirit, help me to love the lost, proclaiming Christ in all I do and say.
Amen.
Pause
Let’s put a hand on our heart.
Father God, fill us with Your love. Help us to love You, and everything that You’ve made.
Let’s point to our eyes.
Lord Jesus, help us to see You, and to see others the way that You see them too.
Let’s point to our ears.
Holy Spirit, help us to hear You, and give us courage to do what You say.
*Weinlick, John (1956). Count Zinzendorf. Abingdon Press.
**Anderson, Phil (2006). The Lord of the Ring, Pg.148
Annika is 10 years old and lives in Melbourne, Australia with her parents and older brother and sister. Annika enjoys playing Cricket and Aussie Rules Football and loves going to watch her favourite team play football. Annika also learns the drums and enjoys making up her own beats!
