Transforming Ordinary Moments into Sacred Practices

Devotional

Day 1: Transforming the Ordinary into Sacred Moments

In our daily lives, we often overlook the potential for spiritual growth in ordinary moments. The act of making the bed, as explored in the sermon, can be transformed into a sacred practice that draws us closer to God. By intentionally inviting God into these mundane tasks, we create space for spiritual reflection and growth. This practice is not about achieving perfection but about cultivating a habit of meeting with Jesus in the ordinary moments of life. By doing so, we open ourselves to the presence of God and allow our daily routines to become opportunities for spiritual enrichment. [25:01]

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." (Colossians 3:23-24, ESV)

Reflection: What is one ordinary task you do daily that you can transform into a moment of prayer and reflection today?

Day 2: Faith and Community in Action

The story of the paralyzed man in Luke 5 highlights the power of faith and community. His friends' determination to bring him to Jesus led to his healing, both physically and spiritually. This narrative challenges us to consider the lengths we are willing to go to meet Jesus and help others do the same. It reminds us that our faith is not just a personal journey but one that is deeply connected to the community around us. By supporting and uplifting one another, we can experience the transformative power of faith in our lives and the lives of those we care about. [34:17]

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your community can you reach out to today to offer support and encouragement in their faith journey?

Day 3: Creating Order and Inviting God

Making the bed can serve as a metaphor for creating order in our lives and inviting God into our day. This simple act can become a moment of prayer and reflection, setting the tone for a day lived in the presence of God. By starting our day with intention, we create a small space of order in our chaotic world, opening ourselves to the presence of God. This practice encourages us to be mindful of how we begin our day and the impact it has on our spiritual journey. [41:54]

"But all things should be done decently and in order." (1 Corinthians 14:40, ESV)

Reflection: How can you create a small space of order in your life today to invite God's presence more fully?

Day 4: Transforming Mundane Routines

Our daily routines and habits shape our spiritual lives. By examining these practices, we can transform mundane activities into opportunities to experience the good news of Jesus Christ and grow in our faith. This transformation requires intentionality and a willingness to see the sacred in the ordinary. By embracing the simplicity of tasks like making the bed, we can cultivate a deeper relationship with God and live out the simple gospel: to love God and love our neighbors. [46:30]

"Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord." (Romans 12:11, ESV)

Reflection: What is one routine in your life that you can approach with more intentionality to deepen your relationship with God?

Day 5: Living Out the Simple Gospel

The simple gospel calls us to love God and our neighbors. By starting our day with gratitude and intentionality, we can live out this calling and make a difference in the world around us. This involves recognizing the sacredness of our daily actions and the impact they have on our spiritual journey. By focusing on loving God and others, we align our lives with the core message of the gospel and create a ripple effect of love and kindness in our communities. [59:23]

"And he said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Matthew 22:37-39, ESV)

Reflection: How can you start your day with gratitude and intentionality to better love God and your neighbors today?

Sermon Summary

In our journey of faith, we often overlook the power of the ordinary moments in our daily lives. This week, we explored the simple act of making the bed as a spiritual practice. Drawing from the book "Liturgy of the Ordinary," we are reminded that our daily routines can be transformed into sacred practices that draw us closer to God. Last week, we discussed the significance of waking up with a conscious decision to be clothed in Christ. This week, we delve into the next step: making the bed.

The act of making the bed may seem mundane, but it can be a powerful metaphor for creating order and inviting God into our day. In the Gospel of Luke, we read about the paralyzed man whose friends went to great lengths to bring him to Jesus. Their faith and determination led to his healing, both physically and spiritually. This story challenges us to consider the lengths we are willing to go to meet Jesus and help others do the same.

Making the bed can be a simple yet profound way to start our day with intention. It is a moment to pause, pray, and invite God into our lives. By creating a small space of order in our chaotic world, we open ourselves to the presence of God. This practice is not about perfection but about creating a habit of meeting with Jesus in the ordinary moments of life.

As we reflect on this, we are encouraged to examine the habits and routines that shape our lives. Are there mundane practices that can be transformed into opportunities to experience the good news of Jesus Christ? By embracing the simplicity of making the bed, we can cultivate a deeper relationship with God and live out the simple gospel: to love God and love our neighbors.

Key Takeaways

1. The ordinary moments of our day, like making the bed, can become sacred practices that draw us closer to God. By intentionally inviting God into these moments, we create space for spiritual growth and reflection. [25:01]
2. The story of the paralyzed man in Luke 5 reminds us of the power of faith and community. His friends' determination to bring him to Jesus led to his healing, challenging us to consider the lengths we are willing to go to meet Jesus and help others do the same. [34:17]
3. Making the bed can be a metaphor for creating order in our lives and inviting God into our day. This simple act can become a moment of prayer and reflection, setting the tone for a day lived in the presence of God. [41:54]
4. Our daily routines and habits shape our spiritual lives. By examining these practices, we can transform mundane activities into opportunities to experience the good news of Jesus Christ and grow in our faith. [46:30]
5. The simple gospel calls us to love God and our neighbors. By starting our day with gratitude and intentionality, we can live out this calling and make a difference in the world around us. [59:23]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[21:37] - Introduction to Spiritual Practices
[23:28] - Waking Up with Intention
[25:01] - Clothed in Christ
[26:32] - Making the Bed
[27:21] - Scripture Reading: Luke 5:17-26
[28:27] - The Paralyzed Man's Story
[31:31] - Faith and Healing
[32:55] - The Power of Community
[34:17] - Faith That Stops at Nothing
[35:05] - Meeting Jesus in the Ordinary
[39:46] - Imprinting on Jesus
[41:54] - Making the Bed as a Sacred Practice
[46:30] - Transforming Mundane Routines
[47:48] - Closing Reflections and Call to Action

Sermon Clips

And we talked about, we concluded that when we wake up each day, there's a simple task. There's a simple thing that we can do. And that is to make a conscious decision to be clothed in Christ. Conscious decision that when I've woken up right now, I'm going to make a decision. I'm going to live this day. With Christ. [00:24:04] (24 seconds)

And in doing so, I'm going to have and share with others how they can be clothed, how they can live this day with Christ too. And that doesn't mean living with Christ and having to do these exorbitant things, right? I think it means living with Christ and sharing with Christ in the simple ways in which we approach and share with people. [00:24:27] (25 seconds)

They were trying to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed, threw the tiles into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus. When he saw their faith, he said, Friend, your sins are forgiven you. [00:28:31] (23 seconds)

Somehow within the movement of Jesus, this man's friends had heard of Jesus and Jesus' teaching, and they have come to a faith that this man named Jesus is the great healer. And so in their faith, they find that Jesus is the great healer. They find a way, by the grace of God, they find a way to get this man to Jesus. [00:33:51] (20 seconds)

The wonderful thing is that here is a man who was saved by the faith of his friends. When Jesus saw their faith, the eager faith of those who stopped at nothing to bring their friend to Jesus, won his cure. And that is the main gist I want us to hear from the passage tonight. [00:34:17] (27 seconds)

The first activity of my day the first move I made was not that of a consumer because like some of us we first grab the phone when we wake up right was not that of a consumer but that of a co -laborer with God instead of going to a device for a morning fix of instant infotainment I touch tangible softness of our well -worn covers tugged against wrinkled cotton felt the hardwood beneath my bare feet in the creation story God entered chaos and made order and beauty in making my bed I reflected that creative act in the tiniest most ordinary way in my small chaos I made small order and then there was a little space an ordered rectangle in my messy home and that rectangle somehow carved out a small ordered space in my messy distracted mind and I sat at times I read scripture most often I prayed I begin with the Lord's prayer then I'd invite God into the day I'd pray the words of the morning office open my lips oh Lord and my mouth shall declare your praise I'd lay out my worries my hopes my questions before God spreading them out to the world and I'd pray the words of the morning office open my lips oh Lord out in his presence like stretched out sheets I'd pray for my work and my family my decisions for a meeting later in the day but mostly I'd invite God into the day and just sit there silent sort of listening sort of just sitting but I sat expectantly God made this day he wrote it and named it and has a purpose in it today he is the maker and giver of the world and I pray that God is the giver of all good things I'd lap up the silence like mother's milk [00:43:05] (117 seconds)

Can we do that can we start doing this to begin a mentality of of stopping at nothing to meet Jesus every morning is that something that is a tangible thing that we can do I think it's what we leave here with if there are folks in scripture that will go to the lengths to lay a man through the Ruth to meet Jesus and to be healed by the faith of his friends can we go to the length in the simple act of pulling the covers back over and sitting there and go to that length to set this thing aside set all other distractions aside and just have a few minutes with Jesus to start the day something that can be ordinary and mundane can we just take that moment and do that that's the question that's our action that's what we leave here with [00:46:03] (60 seconds)

Are there mundane routines that we participate in that, if we are attentive, function as thick practices aimed at a particular vision of the good life? I think that's the last question there we need to ask ourselves. Can we take something so mundane as pulling the duvet or the comforter or the blanket back over the pillow and making it? Can we take something greater than that to experience the good news of Jesus Christ? [00:46:57] (34 seconds)

Tonight, we have the choice to answer these questions and ultimately to seek guidance in the answer to these questions. Where is Jesus is for us in all of this? Where are we for Jesus? The question of our faith. And to what length will we go to seek? And grow in our faith? And maybe, friends, maybe it's just in making the bed. [00:47:30] (32 seconds)

So, the simple thing of this life that we live, I believe, is this. The simple gospel, I believe, and I could be wrong, but I think the simple gospel is the great commandment, which is to love God with all your heart. All your heart, mind, and soul, and to love your neighbor as you love yourself. Which goes along with the commission to go and make disciples of Jesus Christ into all of the world. That's the simple gospel. That's the simple narrative. That's the simple statement we can do. Now, first, how do we start that? And I think we're starting to get there. And that is, wake up and be thankful the best that you can be. And secondly, make that bed to take just a few minutes to talk with God. And then, maybe, we'll see where we go. We'll see where we go next. [00:59:23] (45 seconds)

Just go and be you in the moment right now. And tomorrow morning, wake up, make the bed as you do. Sit there for just a few minutes. And be with God. Be with God. [01:00:25] (12 seconds)

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