Reading: Living as the Beloved and Epilogue
We have been on a most excellent journey together, for which I thank each of you who actively participated, as well as each of you who quietly walked with us. In this final week, as we reflect on the incredible way Jesus came to earth to reveal God the Father to the each heart, Henri invites us to actively respond to Him and choose to live the life of the Beloved.
1) Henri invites you to “think of yourself as having been sent into the world… a way of seeing yourself that is possible if you truly believe that you were loved before the world began… a perception of yourself that calls for a true leap of faith!” (p131).
a) When you consider how Jesus came to the earth, do you believe he came for you? That you were loved by Him before the world began?
b) Can you think of yourself now, as being sent into the world? How might the way you live each day, and the way you interact with people around you be transformed by this belief?
INVITATION: Continue to set aside quiet time with God each day this week. As you ponder the coming of the baby Jesus to the world, consider that you were on his heart when he came. Consider that you too were sent into the world.
2) Keeping all that we have learned and explored close to heart, Henri now calls us to live the life of the Beloved, to live life as “an unceasing ‘Yes’ to the truth of [our] Belovedness (p133). It may help to flip back and do a review of what it means to be taken, blessed, broken and given.
a) Can you describe a time or an experience in your life in which you lived this “Yes” to the truth of your Belovedness? Even if it was a brief moment, please share it with us.
b) What is one specific thought or habit that you want to take away with you, to help you to more intentionally live the “Yes” to the truth of [your] Belovedness?
Finally, I would like to affirm, to say “yes” to, the Belovedness of each of you. May each of you be blessed this Christmas, and in the New Year to come. May…
The Lord bless you, and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance on you,
And give you peace.
Number 6: 24-26
Brynn