Month 1, Week 1: The Fruit of Love: Loving God
I choose love.
No occasion justifies hatred;
No injustice warrants bitterness.
I choose love.
Today I will love God and what God loves.
- Max Lucado
INTRODUCTION
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
Scripture talks about the fruit of love a lot. A LOT. For our first month in The Neuma Project we want to look at four specific ways Scripture calls us to love:
Love of God
Love of yourself
Love your neighbor
Love your enemy
Two Quick Notes Before We Begin
There is no “right way” to use these materials. Some of you might choose to do it all in one sitting. Some of you may do one section per day. Some of you might work through it multiple times. We truly want this to work FOR you! Our prayer is that you’ll feel a sense of joy that comes from spending time in communion with God and then with others as you live out the “practices” you’ll be invited to each week. If your participation ever feels burdensome, then take a break! The Neuma Project exists to assist in your discipleship - both individually and communally with others at FPC, and in your neighborhoods. It doesn’t exist to guilt you into time spent in the word and community. (though if you need a little push, we’re fine to allow this to do that)
A note to families: Our hope is this will be something you do together. We will always include a “Neuma Kids” section that you can do with your littles. We also believe teenage kids can participate in all of the content as well as adults, bringing their own insights and questions. HOWEVER, we are well aware teens + parents + faith conversations can be tricky. For this reason, during Act II on Sunday mornings teens will have the chance to engage this content with each other and their leaders. If all you are able to ‘accomplish’ is a check-in with them on Sunday afternoons, consider it a win! If you are able to sit down and go through the materials together, then you deserve an award and come teach us your ways :)
START BY STOPPING:
(If you aren’t in a place where you can do that, set a reminder to come back. But please don’t try to cram this in while getting kids ready for school, or replying to emails, or watching Netflix)
Don’t talk, don’t move, don’t do anything except breathe. Look around, listen, smell… and be still until it’s uncomfortable. Say a prayer- no agenda, just whatever you want to say directed toward God. If praying isn’t something you do often- give it a shot. Just talk/think/share. In fact, we encourage you to pray aloud! It might feel odd at first, but again, there’s no pressure to do it “correctly.” Just fill God in on your heart & enjoy the quiet.
LOVE OF GOD: WEEK 1
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 is part of a well known passage from the Hebrew scriptures often referred to as ‘the Shema’ (shem-ah). The Shema, which means to “listen” or “hear,” is one of the most famous prayers in the Bible.
PAUSE:
Take out your Neuma Journal and spend a few minutes writing in response to these prompts:
What does it look like to love God?
How might someone see evidence of loving God in another person?
Can you think of a moment or an experience where you were able to express love for God? Was in internal (a prayer, a feeling, etc) or external (an act of service, a conversation, etc) or both?
WATCH:
PAUSE:
Did the video (from the fine people at The Bible Project) help give any handles to what it looks like to love God?
If so- how?
RESPONDING TO SCRIPTURE
Read Deut 6:4-9 again, either above or in your own Bible
What does this Scripture, the shema, say about who God is? What does it say about his people?
The Shema is a call to listen and respond to the truth that Yahweh is the one true God, and the only response is to love God with our whole being in response. In what ways do you see the importance of the shema when it was first given in this passage? How might it still be relevant to you today?
Write down whatever words pop into your head when you think about what it means to love God with your heart. Don’t edit yourself - just write.
How might loving God with your heart look differently than loving God with your soul and strength?
This passage instructs the Hebrew people to “tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads” as tangible reminders to love God with their hearth, soul & strength; an instruction that is both simple and incredibly challenging. God knows that life is best lived in love AND that we are often forgetful nitwits that allow any number of things to take priority.
Ask God if he has instructions for you. To help you remember. To help you love. Maybe just for today, maybe for the month, or maybe the entirety of the Neuma Project. Just don’t forget it…
Storytelling
FPC member Frank Engle was raised in the Friends (Quaker) Church and graduated from George Fox University (undergrad/seminary) served for fifteen years as associate pastor at the Boise (Idaho) and Newberg (Oregon) Friends Churches. Then, until retirement, was a director at Friendsview, a Quaker senior-living community in Newberg.
Let Your Life Speak
Raised in the Friends (Quaker) Church, I was taught that dependence on the Spirit was called sacramental living - a life where baptism and communion was lived out daily. The Quaker axiom let your life speak was often quoted and, over the centuries, many Quakers have done so with great courage. Most history books highlight how they have spoken into urgent, unjust or unpopular societal concerns.
But, what a high bar! Sometimes my life speaks in ways that certainly doesn’t seem to reflect sacramental living. In these times I am reminded that it is my desire that Jesus wants - a yearning for his help and guidance. And, he does offer help - including giving us the bountiful fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23.
Read More
NEUMA KIDS
Art by Scott Erickson @scottthepainter
KID’S ACTIVITY
Find time in the next couple of days to sit down with your kids (could be dinner, after school, etc) and use some, or all, of the following discussion prompts or activities to help them understand what it could look like to love God with all their heart.
DO Have your kid(s) to come up with a list of 8 things they love. They can write their own, or if you need to help that is totally fine! Some examples could be pizza! mom! Elsa! baseball! ballet! video games! etc
ASK “why do you love Elsa? Or pizza? etc” Their answers will likely be silly or obvious or maybe hard to come up with, and that’s ok!
ASK “how do you show that you love Elsa? Or pizza? or singing?” Now, this will be difficult for kids to answer so feel free to help them out. For example, “do you love Elsa by dressing up like her and singing Let It Go while dancing?” or “do you show you love pizza by asking for it 5 days a week?!”
SAY SOMETHING LIKE “Did you know that I/we love God? We also love pizza and singing and you, but one of the most important loves in our life is God. How do you think we can show we love God?” Take some time and write down a few ways (silly, poignant, practical or absurd!) you and your kid(s) come up with where you can show that you love God. Keep this list around so you can add to it while referring to it regularly with your family.
If you’re up for having this song stuck in your head (as well as your kid’s!), it’s pretty catchy :)
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE: PRAYER OF EXAMEN
The Examen is a way of prayerfully reflecting on the events of the day/week in order to notice God's presence with us.
As we seek to love God this week, the Examen can raise our awareness of where God is already at work in our daily lives. We have found a guided audio option for you, so be sure you have headphones, or working speakers, available. There are a few versions below to choose from:
The examen is designed to be practiced daily. Though if you need to start slower, aim for 3x a week; whether in the morning, before bed, or whenever you can set aside 5-10 minutes. Feel free to do it alone, or alongside your family.
PRACTICING LOVE
Each month during The Neuma Project you will be invited to try a practice, a lived-out experiment. Some of the experiments will be really simple, while others will stretch you out of your comfort zone. Just like an experiment at school, we want you to try them all. There’s no judgment if it doesn’t work, and since we’re all learning together, no one is an expert!
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An hour
A friend or family member
A small dose of bravery
An open heart
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It's paying attention to the people around you. It’s you inviting new people into your life while allowing yourself to be invited into other's lives.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to love and acknowledge ALL people. During this experiment you are prohibited from ignoring anyone.
This experiment is really simple because all we’re doing is asking you to find an hour to just acknowledge people in your neighborhood (or trip to the grocery store, Target, jog). Make eye contact, wave, say hello, and maybe even enter into a conversation with someone you might normally avoid.
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Schedule a time with a friend or family member. All you need is an hour. Trust us, this will go fast if you just give it a try. It’s really not that scary.
You and a friend are going to find a place in your neighborhood where people often go. For instance, head to a local playground where parents bring their children to play. Go to a coffee shop or brewery. If you live in a neighborhood with a lot of people walking around you might just need to go sit on the front porch or take your dog (or kid) for a walk.
Next, discipline yourself to acknowledge every single person who goes by. A simple wave or quick hello will do the trick. Push yourself to make eye contact. (Eye contact is a universal sign that you are noticing a person and you respect their personhood.) Even in doing that, you are inviting and representing Jesus who recognized everyone as part of His creation.
If the opportunity arises and you are feeling brave - strike up a conversation. For those who are outgoing this will be really easy. If you aren’t naturally outgoing, remember, this is just an experiment! Your conversation doesn’t need an agenda. Just get to know someone who lives in your neighborhood that you haven't yet.
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If you’re willing and the context is right, maybe sit down with someone and ask them a simple question or two about themselves. Especially if this is a person you’ve seen regularly around your neighborhood but have never chatted with.
Make sure to learn the names of everyone who lives in the houses around yours, or your regular barista or clerk at Trader Joe's. Introduce yourself to one of the other parents at school pickup or sit next to someone new at Thursday morning Bible Study.
Next time you get invited to something or go somewhere you might not want to go, say YES. Consider it an honor to set aside your personal preference for the sake of being invited into someone else’s life.
NEUMA GROUPS (small group guide)
Welcome to your first time gathering together at a Neuma Group! Our hope for these groups is twofold:
That you are able to experience just how impactful lived out faith in community can be! Throughout Scripture we see example after example of folks wrestling with Scripture together, caring for the least of these together, and living intergenerational lives together. The good, the hard, the beautiful, and the profound. Together.
Get To Know Each Other
Take some time to get to know the folks in your Neuma Group. You may not know any of them, or you may know all of them! Either way, we bet you’ll learn something new. Have folks take turns with each prompt before moving on to the next.
Share your name and how you ended up living in the home/neighborhood you currently live in.
If you found yourself having a 100% free day next week (no work, no appointments, no chores, etc) how would you spend it?
What is your favorite, and least favorite, part about where you live?
If your group includes young kids, feel free to include them by asking each other questions like: what is your favorite animal? Would you rather play in big puddles or a big pile of snow? How old do you think Pastor John is?
The Fruit of Love Discussion Prompts
Is there a difference between loving God with your heart or soul or strength? How so? Or why not?
How do you know when people love God with all of their heart? What evidence might you see?
Can you point to a season in your life where loving God felt tricky, or at least more challenging than other times? What made that true for you?
Did you accept the invitation to the experiment where you made an effort to acknowledge everyone you saw? If so, how easy or uncomfortable was that for you? What did you learn about your neighbors? What did you learn about yourself?
How might actively loving God affect your neighborhood? Is there anything you can do collectively?
Group Benediciton
Invite someone in your group to close your time together by reading this poem aloud:
Beloved Jesus,
it’s said that by the end
of your favorite apostle’s life
all he could whisper
was love.Love, he said,
as his own disciples carried him to prayer.
If this is the distillation
of a life lived trying to follow you, then
Help us distill.
Because there is so much noise.
Amen.- Padraig O’Tuama
Further Resources
Songs for Reflection
Please use these songs to supplement your time this week. Listen as you pray or as you drive to work. Listen as you respond to the reflection prompts or as you do homework. Listen as you get ready for bed at night or don’t listen at all!