One of my go-to ministry resource sites is Simply Youth Ministry. Their stuff is so great and highly customizable that I find myself going back to them time and time again. In my inbox this morning I saw their weekly training email and I found a wonderful blessing: A Prayer for Small Groups. I wanted to share this with everyone because I think it is a wonderful prayer and reminder that discipleship happens when a small group of believers gather together to “do life together” in the presence of Almighty God. In these small groups, God is glorified, faith is fostered, people are cared for, and the Church marches on!
A Prayer for Small Groups
by Kevin Mahaffy, Jr.
Father, today as our small group meets
I pray that each person will feel your heartbeat
May they know they are special, they’re cared for, they’re loved
Your kingdom come, on earth as above
Our time together, though not long only short
May it seed true communion with You in our hearts
Help us see Your image inside of each other
Teach us what it means to truly love one another
Away from the big, the loud, the flash
Just a few of us here to share and to laugh
To discuss Your Word, to share and go deeper
To talk real life and be our brother’s keeper
Praying for one another as we journey through life
May we encourage each other to reflect Your light
Let us always be inclusive, welcoming, warm
A safe place for all in the midst of life’s storms
Lord we all come from a myriad of places
Give us wisdom and kindness and grace and patience
Thank you for unity in the midst of diversity
Make us one in Christ, true Christian community
Bless those abundantly who have opened their home
Upon their house, God we pray Your Shalom
May it be filled with laughter, with joy, and with vision
In return for their giving, God we pray Your provision
And let us, O Lord, never ever forget
That there’s someone else out there who has yet to connect
Your eyes and your mouth to see and invite
That not one, O Lord, would be alone in the fight
It’s a mystery to me why they seem to be Your preference
But amazingly in the end small groups make a great big difference
Life on life, Jesus you modeled it back then
So I’ll do the same, in Jesus name, Amen.