Gracious Words are a Honeycomb

June 25, 2020

DAILY READING

Proverbs 16:24 – “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

FIELD NOTES

This week we are examining the fruit of gentleness, imagining new and powerful ways we can birth gentleness into the world around us. 

There’s an old Celtic custom that somehow found its way to Appalachia: talking to the bees. The idea is that the bees on a property must be told of important events such as births, marriages, and deaths, so as not to offend the bees, causing them to leave the hive or stop producing honey. 

The people knew then, and we’re beginning to remember now, how important those tiny little pollinators are to our food supply. To keep them feeling welcome and content wasn’t just mythical lore: it was crucial to a family’s survival to keep bees. 

Proverbs tells us that gracious words are also necessary for our health and wellbeing. Not only is it important for us to hear gracious words to feel welcome and included, but also for us to speak these words into the lives of those around us. 

QUESTIONS FOR THE FIELD

• Think of your circle of influence. Notice any bees being left out who need to be included in the circle of belonging? Go tell them good news!

FAMILY FIELD TALK

• Draw a picture of a bee. Name that bee the name of someone you wish to pray for today. Pray over your picture while lifting up that person.

PRAYER GUIDE

Loving God, you created us for belonging. Remind us to include our neighbors in the good news of your kingdom. Amen. 

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT CHALLENGE

For the duration of our sermon series, we are offering daily prompts for applying the wisdom from the scriptures to our everyday lives. Each week focuses on how we can encourage those around us and bear fruit! This week we are focusing on the fruit of gentleness.

“Dignified or not, believable or not, ours is a God perpetually on bended knee, doing everything it takes to convince stubborn and petulant children that they are seen and loved. It is no more beneath God to speak to us using poetry, proverb, letters, and legend than it is for a mother to read storybooks to her daughter at bedtime. This is who God is. This is what God does.” – Rachel Held Evans, Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again

Who do you know who has felt lonely during this time? Is there someone you can reach out to and remind that they are seen and loved by God?

To learn more about the Fruit of the Spirit challenge, click here.