Tuesday, October 14, 2014

"In Reverse" Middle School Retreat Teaching Points

"The Lord's Prayer can change your life! In it we are given a glimpse into the very heart of God. In this prayer, Jesus teaches us how to pray by simultaneously teaching what to pray; how to think, how to love, and how to receive God's love. The Our Father is the perfect prayer from the perfect Pray-er. It is adoration. It is petition. It is a reordering and re-prioritizing so that we know what's most important. It is an invitation to a deeper relationship. It begs and celebrates God for his grace. It rejoices in the Father's fidelity. It promises eternity and offers hope to humanity. The Lord's Prayer expresses the totality of what it means to love and the summation of what it means to be a true child of God." Mark Hart, author of The "R" Father

Session 1 Rescue “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
1)      Sin is death (Romans 6:23)
2)      God loves us enough to say, “Enough!”
3)      We don’t always love and honor Him in our words, actions, and attitude.
4)      God became man to save us from our sins.
5)      The Sacrament of Reconciliation gets rid of sin and replaces it with His grace.

Session 2 Reliance “Give us this day our daily bread.”
1)      Control is an illusion.
2)      Relying too much on our own abilities invites disappointment and unhappiness.
3)      We recognize our daily need for God’s love and mercy.
4)      When we trust and rely on God, peace and confidence replaces fear and anxiety.
5)      Prayer is putting ourselves in the presence of God.

Session 3 Renouncement “Thy kingdom come.”
1)      THY, not MY. If thy kingdom comes, my kingdom must go.
2)      Sacrifice is the key to living in right order; God’s kingdom first.
3)      We love the One who gives us the blessings more than the blessings themselves.
4)      There is nothing we can do to make God love us more; or less.
5)      The Mass. Love. The Sacraments, the crucifix, tithing, fasting, living the virtues – ALL are sacrifices!

Session 4 Reverence “Hallowed be Thy Name.”
1)      Revealing your name opens yourself up to a relationship with another person.
2)      God revealed His name to us and it is holy and sacred.
3)      Our culture is casual and careless with God’s holy name.
4)      We will bring back reverence for God’s name in our speech, activities, and dress.
5)      Halloween = Hallowed Eve. On All Saints Day we celebrate those who modeled holiness.

Session 5 Relationship “Our Father.”
1)      “Our” means that we are in relationship with each other as brothers and sisters of Christ.
2)      Do I live like “I” or “Our” each day? Who is my brother/my sister? Everyone.
3)      The God of the universe wants us to call Him, not Master or Creator, but “Father.”
4)      Our relationships with our earthly fathers can not define our relationship with our heavenly Father.
5)      My heavenly Father loves me more than anyone else - even more than I love myself.

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