Welcome to the second week of Lent! This blog aims to serve as a resource for leaders to use and guide their faith community through this meaningful season.
Lent offers a crucial opportunity to deepen the spiritual journeys of your faith community and cultivate a vibrant sense of curiosity for not-yet-followers of Jesus as well as Jesus followers. However, sustaining engagement throughout Lent can present its challenges. This coaching guide draws upon principles from “Christian Coaching Essentials” to empower you in leading your community through a meaningful Lenten experience.
A Defining Moment
As you guide your faith community through the Stations of the Cross this Lent, the second station – Jesus falls for the first time – presents a powerful opportunity for contemplation and deeper understanding. This is a reminder to us of Jesus’s very physical limits. Jesus came to earth fully human, with the same capabilities as you and me. It must have been a humbling moment, full of pain and exhaustion for Jesus. It was his strong calling and perfect love that pushed Him to get up again.
Today, I want to share some reflections on this poignant moment, not only as a spiritual event, but also as a lens through which we can examine your own leadership, your ministry, and your community.
Reflection and Growth:
- Acknowledge the season’s purpose: Emphasize Lent as a time for introspection, examining relationships, work, and faith. Encourage people to slow down and focus on spiritual health.
- Connect with last week’s message: Briefly remind your community of the options you presented last week and the Stations of the Cross theme for this week.
1. Jesus’ Example: Falling and Rising:
- Relate Jesus’ experience: Describe Jesus carrying the cross, emphasizing his humanity and physical limits. This vulnerability resonates with our own challenges.
- Offer comfort and inspiration: Share Psalm 73:2 and discuss facing “loose footing” moments in life. Highlight Jesus as an example of overcoming and the importance of getting back up.
2. Sharing Personal Challenges:
- Be vulnerable: Briefly share your “dark night of the soul,” focusing on lessons learned and the importance of navigating challenging times.
- Provide practical tools: Offer three specific practices (gratitude, centering prayer, intercessory prayer) that has helped you build spiritual resilience.
3. Addressing Painful Reality:
- Acknowledge limitations: Recognize that traditional church approaches might not fully equip people for difficult moments. Discuss the concept of “The Wall” as a metaphor for these struggles.
- Identify potential challenges: Briefly mention three reasons why people struggle to overcome hardship (incompatibility, lack of leadership, avoidance).
Encouragement and Reflection:
- Emphasize perseverance: Encourage congregation members to press on during challenging times, emphasizing the importance of hard work and personal growth.
- Pose reflection questions: Offer a set of thoughtful questions related to overcoming obstacles, learning from failures, and facing current challenges.
Additional Tips:
- Consider sharing your own experiences and struggles to encourage vulnerability and connection.
- Offer additional resources, such as books, articles, or support groups, for those facing difficulties.
- Create a safe and open space for discussion and sharing within your community.
Lent Challenge:
Navigating The Wall
- Approaching the Wall: signs that you are encountering The Wall
- Embracing the Wall – the difference when you work through The Wall
- Releasing the Wall – discovering the other side of The Wall
By applying these principles and drawing upon the wisdom of “Christian Coaching Essentials”, you can guide your congregation on a transformative Lenten journey. Through this shared experience, faith will be strengthened, connections will deepen, and your community will emerge closer than ever before.
“The Wall is one of the most difficult parts of the faith journey and it asks more surrender of us than we may think we are capable of.” // The Critical Journey by Janet Hagberg and Danielle Jones
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