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Welcome to our weekly Friday Check-in for May 2nd, 2025 ✅
If you are new to Soul Care, WELCOME!! We are so glad you are here. We have a weekly rhythm of checking in together on Fridays. We use Soul Care's Page, Person, Plan framework to create a weekly rhythm and prepare ourselves for Sabbath rest.
Let’s check in, how are you doing? How does your body feel right now? What do you need as we start the month of May? What do you hope May holds for you?
If you are seeking rest, space to reflect, renewal, community and solitude, you’re invited to join us for the Semi-Silent Retreat TOMORROW! Check your time zone and hope to see you there!
Let's begin with,
Page: An Invitation to Reflection
Today, read or listen to Luke 3:15-22 (MSG) three times.
The interest of the people by now was building. They were all beginning to wonder, “Could this John be the Messiah?”
But John intervened: “I’m baptizing you here in the river. The main character in this drama, to whom I’m a mere stagehand, will ignite the kingdom life, a fire, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to clean house, make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned.”
There was a lot more of this, words that gave strength to the people, words that put heart in them. The Message! But Herod, the ruler, stung by John’s rebuke in the matter of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, capped his long string of evil deeds with this outrage: He put John in jail.
After all the people were baptized, Jesus was baptized. As he was praying, the sky opened up and the Holy Spirit, like a dove descending, came down on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: “You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life.”
Spend a few minutes journaling in response to this passage:
- What stands out to you most? Is there a particular word or phrase?
- As you read through it a second time… ask God, “to what area of my life does that particular word or phrase connect?”
- And as you read a third time, be asking God, “Is there an invitation for me?” Is there a response of some kind that God is inviting you into?
Next up is,
Person: An Invitation to Connection
- How does John the Baptist’s humility (pointing to someone greater than himself) challenge me to practice humility in my relationships and in my community?
- In what ways does baptism, a communal, public act, show the importance of belonging and shared identity within a community of faith or support? What are my own feelings toward baptism and why?
- When God affirms Jesus as His beloved Son, it models affirmation and blessing, how can I better affirm, encourage, and recognize the goodness in the people around me? Who in my life affirms, encourages, and recognizes the goodness in me?
We invite you to share with a friend or family member, about your thoughts on today’s scripture reading & journal prompts.
Finally we have,
Plan: An Invitation to Intention
Here’s a simple breath prayer you can practice today and throughout the coming days:
Inhale: “Beloved by God,”
Exhale: “I welcome others in love.”
Repeat this slowly for a few minutes, letting it center your heart on receiving love and offering it to others, even when it is difficult.
Thanks for checking in today.
Have a blessed Friday,
Team Soul Care