BEGIN WITH PRAYER · 5 MINUTES

Gather together as a Community in a comfortable setting (around a table, on the couch, the floor of a living room, etc.). Have somebody lead a prayer asking the Holy Spirit to lead and guide your time together.

MAKE ANNOUNCEMENTS · 5 MINUTES

Take this time to go over any details pertaining to any gatherings of your groups that may be upcoming. Additionally, invite the participants of your group to take out their phones, open up the Missio Dei App and navigate to the Events Tab on the App. Highlight a couple of events that are upcoming that you feel are pertinent to your group.

REVIEW AND REFLECT UPON THE LAMENTS OF THE PRIOR WEEK · 20 MINUTES 

Select a specific Lament from the current or previous week and ask the following questions about them. Feel free to ask these generally about all of the Laments that were used throughout the week if that works better for your Community Group. 

• During your reflection upon these Laments over the past week, what did you learn about God’s Character, suffering in general, and your own pain and suffering? 

• Are you finding it less difficult or more difficult to feel the freedom to feel your feelings and put honest words to them as a means of being with God in pain & suffering? 

• How is the writing of your Lament going? Where are you experiencing challenges? Where are you experiencing ease? 

TALK THROUGH THE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS LISTED ON THE PRACTICE PAGE · 40 MINUTES 

Weekly Questions for July can be found on the Lamentation Page.

CLOSE IN PRAYER · 10 MINUTES

Create a public forum space where people can pray and offer prayer for one another. Fight the urge to talk more about prayer than you do spend time praying. Invite someone to begin this time and someone to end this time together. Remember, silence is not the enemy of a time of prayer.