NYC Mission Trip – Day 2 Prayers and Devotions

As the post said yesterday, the NYC Mission Team wants to invite you to join us on the journey we are taking.  Our overall theme for the trip is “This is Church” and today’s sub-theme is “SEE“.

Today we will get to SEE the Church in action as we go to the UN building to see how God is using the Lutheran Office for World Community‘s to impact lives all over the world through their work with the UN.  In the afternoon, we will head to Ground Zero and SEE how St. Paul’s Chapel, across the street from the World Trade Center, responded to the call to meet the needs of so many in the days and years following 9/11.  In addition to these experiences, we will SEE the world around us as we explore other NYC sites.

Friday June 1 – Day 2 – SEE

GET INTO GOD’S WORD WITH US:

Read Romans 12:1-2 with us and reflect on these questions:

• As you look around you, what do you SEE?  What does “the pattern of this world” look like? Be specific.
• What would it look like in your everyday life to refuse to conform to the pattern of this world and instead let God transform you by the renewing of your mind?
• Read verse 1 again.  Why do you think we’re challenged to do all of this… to be different…  “in view of God’s mercy”?  Why might that be encouraging?

GET INTO PRAYER WITH US:

• Continue to pray for unity and teambuilding among team members.
• Ask God to open our eyes, and your own, to whatever he wants us to SEE today.  Above all, pray that we would all see HIM today.
• Pray for the ministries of Lutheran World Relief and St. Paul’s as they continue to “be the church” to people in need. Pray that they would SEE the vision God has for them to transform lives.

GET INTO ACTION WITH US:

• Carry a piece of paper with you and pause occasionally throughout the day to write down the ways you SEE God at work in your life.  Post a few of them as comments on this blog and read what others have posted.
• At the end of the day, reflect on this question: What did I SEE today that would be considered “the pattern of this world”?  What might it look like for me to offer myself as a “living sacrifice” in the midst of that world?  What is something tangible I can do tomorrow to show the world around me what a transformed life looks like?