The "star words" for 2024 are from a short list of 12 spiritual disciplines. You may prayerfully look through this list and discern how the Spirit is calling you. Or you may click here to be directed to a random number generator. Set 1 as the lower limit and 12 as the upper. Click and see what number you get, corresponding to a discipline on the list below.
Spiritual Disciplines 2024
A guide to living the baptized life ever more fully
1. Abstention – restraining from indulgence
For kids: abstention means to NOT do things we know better than to do, but sometimes to do anyway. It’s connected to self-control.
Bible verse: 2 Timothy 1:7
2. Celebration – marking occasions with joy and hope
Any excuse for a party! Sort of. The spiritual discipline of celebration is an outward engagement with joy and praise at God’s work in the world. A call to disciplined celebration is a call to seek where and how the Divine will is being accomplished in and around us. Has there been healing? Celebrate with thanksgiving. Is there spiritual growth? Celebrate with prayer and singing. Has there been reconciliation? Celebrate with Holy Communion! You have been invited into a year of looking deeper toward joy and hope in the fulfilling of God’s promises.
For kids: celebrate means to be excited about things that show God’s love and work in the world- in creation, at church, with friends and family.
Bible verse: Philippians 4:4
3. Fellowship – engagement with others, especially those outside your “usual” group
Fellowship is a discipline of engagement. Rather than merely meaning that you commit to staying for coffee hour, it means that the Spirit is inviting you into closer community with your fellow Christians and your neighbors. Committing to growth in the discipline of fellowship might mean participating in a group activity you’ve been meaning to try or arranging a get together with friends you think might enjoy one another’s company. This is not an invitation to exhaustion, but a welcome opportunity to deepen relationships with people around you through intentional activities.
For kids: fellowship means doing things with people who aren’t always in your friend group. Not people who aren’t kind, necessarily, but people who might feel left out or need an invitation to play or sit with you at lunch.
Bible verse: Hebrews 10:24-25
4. Meditation – mental exercise for the purpose of spiritual growth
Meditation embraces several spiritual disciplines into one practice: silence, prayer, and awareness. Developing a practice of meditation means embracing God’s call toward stillness of mind and body. Baby steps in the practice include working toward quieting the mind, paying attention to surroundings, and listening for God. Of all the disciplines in the list, expect great failure in this one unless you’re already pretty good at it. Great failure at first, however, means room for amazing growth!
For kids: meditation means taking time to help our bodies and minds learn to pay attention to God. What is God doing and saying around you?
Bible verse: Isaiah 26:3
5. Perseverance – the characteristic or action of steadfastness; unwavering commitment
Hooray! You’ve received the opportunity to be stubborn for a year! Well, you’ve received an invitation into stubbornly pursuing the will of God. The discipline of perseverance means pursuing words and deeds that are directed at justice, healing, renewal, and mercy throughout the year. It means bringing up the issue when others want to ignore it. It means potentially setting aside your own uncertainty to pursue hope and aid for another. You have been called to stubbornly persist in seeing God’s will done on earth as in heaven.
For kids: perseverance means to keep trying on something you know you have to learn how to do. You might not get it the first or the second time, but remember God is with you and helping you.
Bible verse: Galatians 6:9
6. Prayer – earnest (usually intentional) communication with God
Initially, the discipline of prayer may seem easy. Couldn’t you just say the Lord’s Prayer every day and say you did it? That’s the letter of the discipline, but not the spirit. Genuine prayer involves conversation with God, back and forth, listening and speaking. Your growth in prayer discipline may not look the same as someone else’s for there are many ways to pray. This is a good discipline to discuss with Pastor Julia. What stands in your way? What would work for you? How can you be kind to yourself as you become more disciplined in prayer.
For kids: prayer is talking to and listening to God. It can mean saying thank you, asking for help for yourself or someone else, or saying what amazing things God has done.
Bible verse: 1 Timothy 2:1
7. Sabbath – a day (or time) set aside for rest and, ideally, for spiritual focus
The discipline of sabbath-keeping is probably the discipline in this list that is most counter-cultural. The Spirit is welcoming you into intentionally setting aside time for rest and renewal. While the most strict interpretation of sabbath-keeping would be to be at church more often, the intention of the discipline is to see what idols have cropped up in your life and how to let them go. What is taking time, attention, resources, and energy that rightfully belong to God? This includes things that keep you from rest, since rest is an aspect of godliness that our Creator desires for us.
For kids: sabbath means a time of rest and a time of worship. What could you do to help your family have quiet times and times of praising God?
Bible verse: Leviticus 23:3
8. Service – participation in helpful activity
This particular discipline has two sides. If you are already a person who easily says yes, the discipline of service is to refrain from committing to additional activities. Instead, listen to how the Spirit is guiding you to deeper and fuller commitment to what you already do.
If you are a person who watches while others do (yes, I mean you), the Spirit is nudging you into helpful action. This doesn’t mean filling your days with activities, but it does mean paying attention to where a simple yes from you could really make a difference. Drying the dishes? Keeping company? Carrying something to or back from Bozeman or Billings? You are being called to service for others in the name of the Lord.
For kids: service means helping others. Look for ways to be a helper and watch for all the different helpers around you.
Bible verse: Mark 10:42-45
9. Simplicity – being plain, natural, and easy to understand
The discipline of simplicity is an invitation to freedom. Don’t make it harder than it needs to be. In fact, this may be the Spirit’s nudge to make things simpler in your life. What needs to be set in order? What needs to be eliminated? This is the discipline of letting enough be as good as a feast. This is not an opportunity to do nothing, but the chance to let your life and mind become a little more quiet and at peace through attention to God’s direction and call.
For kids: simplicity means easy and not too fancy. Working with simplicity means being happy with what you have and taking care of it to show your gratitude and care for God and others. This includes being gentle with things and people.
Bible verse: Proverbs 16:8
10. Study – devotion of time and energy to learning
Bible study is at 7 pm on Mondays and noon on Wednesdays! The discipline of study goes beyond increasing one’s Bible knowledge. The Spirit is inviting you into a deeper understanding of some aspect of your spiritual life and development. Perhaps you can spend intentional time in conversation about questions you’ve held for a long time. Maybe this is the time to slowly read the book you’ve always meant to or learn more about a saint or church father or mother who piques your interest. Study can take many shapes and our faith has a wealth of mysteries that invite investigation, but never yield mastery. Study means learning and action, together, but individually and in community.
For kids: study means learning more about God. This might mean talking with a grownup more or spending time reading your Bible or another book about God.
Bible verse: Psalm 119:105
11. Submission – embracing humility and yielding to the will of God
Submission gets a bad rap because it is a) easily abused and b) not really something any of us want to do.
First, it is not submission to remain in a situation that causes harm to one’s body or spirit or to allow one’s self to be pressured into actions that are clearly counter to the will of God for resurrection, restoration, and renewal.
Secondly, humility is not the same as humiliation. Humility has more in common with humbleness. It means a willingness to consider the perspective of others, to be circumspect in decision-making, and to allow that one might be wrong.
The discipline of submission is an invitation to reflection and stillness in a world that wants immediacy and action. Embracing submission means resisting being rushed and seeking the will of God first in all situations. All situations. This discipline will likely mean grinding your teeth, clenching fists, and saying, “Okay” under one’s breath. Remember to relax your muscles and drop your shoulders from your ears.
For kids: submission means listening to and respecting people who are responsible for taking care of us. If they are doing their job of care, you are called to do your job of listening to and respecting them.
Bible verse: Matthew 6:33
12. Worship – a demonstration of reverence and adoration of God
For kids: worship is how we show our love to God- by singing, praying, reading the Bible, and sharing the experience with others.
Bible verse: Revelation 4:9-11
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