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Welcome to our weekly Friday Check-in for June 13th, 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.
Please take a deep breath and know: God is with you.
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. (Isaiah 58:9)
Let's begin with,
Page: An Invitation to Reflection
Today, read Luke 19:41-48 NRSVA three times:
As Jesus came to the city and observed it, he wept over it. He said, “If only you knew on this of all days the things that lead to peace. But now they are hidden from your eyes. The time will come when your enemies will build fortifications around you, encircle you, and attack you from all sides. They will crush you completely, you and the people within you. They won’t leave one stone on top of another within you, because you didn’t recognize the time of your gracious visit from God.”
When Jesus entered the temple, he threw out those who were selling things there. He said to them, “It’s written, My house will be a house of prayer, but you have made it a hideout for crooks.”
Jesus was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests, the legal experts, and the foremost leaders among the people were seeking to kill him. However, they couldn’t find a way to do it because all the people were enthralled with what they heard.
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
We are continuing to meditate on the theme from this month’s Semi-Silent Retreat: “HEARING GOD”.
Today’s passage from Luke reminds us that ignoring God’s voice... not being able to recognize God’s embodied message, Jesus... leads to chaos, loss of peace, and destruction. Not as punishment, but as a natural result of disconnection from the Source of life and wisdom.
What do we see and hear in this passage?
Jesus wept. Jesus angrily “threw out” those who were selling things in the temple, restoring the temple to its purpose... a place for communion with God. He expressed emotion in front of others. Does sitting with Jesus’ emotions help you deepen your relationship with your own? What does it mean that Jesus, the Son of God, wept? That He got angry?
Here are some questions for journaling or silent reflection:
- How does Jesus’ willingness to feel and express emotion invite me to do the same?
- What do I usually do with my strong emotions... do I suppress, express, avoid, ignore?
- How does that affect my relationships and ability to sit with others’ emotions?
- What would it look like to express my emotions like Jesus: truthfully, compassionately, purposefully and what fears does this bring up?
Plan: An Invitation to Intention
Are there any areas in your life where you’re experiencing unrest because you’ve closed yourself to God’s leading? Take time now to really get in touch with what is present within you and notice God with you.
We invite you to do a quick body scan:
First, take three slow, deep breaths in through your nose, out through your mouth. Feel the breath move in your body.
Now place your attention on your body, from the top of your head down to your feet.
Pause in each area briefly:
- Forehead – tension or tightness?
- Jaw – is it clenched or relaxed?
- Neck and shoulders – heavy, tight, or calm?
- Chest – is it open or constricted? Can you breathe freely?
- Stomach – fluttery, tight, calm?
- Hands – clenched, fidgety, still?
What emotions are present within you? Are you holding grief, frustration, peace, confusion, joy, restlessness and where in the body do you feel this?
Don’t analyze or fix. Just simply notice and acknowledge.
Now, picture Jesus sitting beside you, not offering answers or judgment, just presence. Imagine Him with the tears still fresh on His face. Let Him see your own emotions.
Ask Him silently or aloud:
- “Jesus, what do You see in me right now?”
- “What would You like to hold with me?”
- “What do You want me to notice in this moment?”
In closing, take three more deep breaths then pray something like:
Jesus, thank You for feeling with us and for us. Teach me how to be present with what is true inside me and help me to recognize Your Presence. Help me carry it with honesty and hope. Amen.
Thanks for checking in today - Blessings!