OPENING PRAYER
Gracious and Loving God,
We come before You this morning with hearts full yet lives cluttered,
Seeking the peace that only You can give.
In a world overflowing with distractions and desires,
We confess that we have often filled our lives with things that leave little room for You.
Forgive us, Lord, for the ways we’ve allowed the noise to drown out Your still, small voice.
For the times we’ve pursued more when You’ve called us to less.
For the Gracious and Loving God,
We come before You this morning with full hearts but cluttered lives, seeking the peace that only You can provide. In a world overflowing with distractions and desires, we confess that we have often filled our lives with things that leave little room for You.
Forgive us, Lord, for the ways we have allowed the noise to drown out Your still, small voice. For the times we have pursued more when You have called us to less. For the moments we have clung to the temporary and overlooked the eternal.
Help us to embrace the simplicity that brings us closer to Your heart. Open our eyes to see the obstacles we have placed between ourselves and You. Give us the courage to remove them and to release our grip on anything that hinders our relationship with You.
As we delve into Your Word, may Your Holy Spirit illuminate our understanding. Teach us to find contentment in Your presence, to value the treasures of heaven over the trinkets of earth, and to walk the path of simplicity with joy and faithfulness.
Unclutter our minds and hearts in this sacred hour. Create in us space for Your grace to dwell, room for Your love to grow, and a spirit willing to follow wherever You lead.
We lay down our burdens before You, trusting that in surrender, we find freedom. Guide us now as we seek to know You more deeply.
In the name of Jesus Christ, who invites us to a life abundant in simplicity and rich in love, we pray.
Amen.
SERMON
POINT: In the pursuit of more, we often overlook the More that genuinely matters.
POINT: Simplicity isn’t just about having less; it’s about making room for God.
POINT: Our culture celebrates complexity; simplicity is an act of rebellion.
QUESTION: How many of us have closets packed with clothes we never wear, calendars filled with events we don’t enjoy, and digital lives that overshadow our real ones?
POINT: God’s call is toward simplicity, not complexity.
Matthew 6:19-21 NRSV
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
POINT: Simplicity is not about subtraction; it is about focus.
POINT: Simplicity It is the path of clarity, but it’s rarely the default setting.
10 Principles to Live By
1. Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status.
2. Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you.
3. Develop a habit of giving things away. De-accumulate.
4. Refuse to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry.
5. Learn to enjoy things without owning them. Enjoy public parks and libraries.
6. Develop a deeper appreciation for creation.
7. Look with a healthy skepticism at all “buy now, pay later” schemes.
8. Obey Jesus’ instructions about plain, honest speech.
9. Reject anything that breeds the oppression of others.
10. Shun anything that distracts you from seeking first the kingdom of God. —Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth
LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.