17/02/2023
“Abide in me as I abide in you. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” - John 15.7-9,11
What is a Rhythm of Life?
As followers of Jesus we are all called to live and grow as disciples. We are invited to abide in the presence of God, to be nurtured as we sit in Christ's company, to grow inwardly and give outwardly, enabling us to live Christ's story in our day-to-day lives.
If we are to live Christ’s story and be part of a growing and flourishing church across the whole of the Diocese of York, then we need to abide in Christ. A Rhythm of Life is a framework, a pattern of holy living which helps us to become more like Christ. It is a simple commitment to specific actions that can help to focus on our faith and release us to live more fruitfully.
Based around six actions that Jesus asked us to do, our Rhythm of Life invites every individual and every community to adopt these patterns of holy living to abide in Christ and become more like him. We hope that each of us can adopt these habits, and that every church will teach them so that we can all grow as missionary disciples of Christ.
The Six Rhythms
In the Diocese of York, our Rhythm of Life framework has six elements to it:
Regularly praying and reading the Bible
Being part of the worshipping life of your church
Loving one another
Living generously
Sharing the good news we have received
Adopting regular patterns of rest
Lent 2023 - videos
This coming Lent, Archbishop Stephen invites all churches in the Diocese of York to engage with a series of short videos reflecting on the six aspects of our Rhythm of Life. One video for each of the six practices, the videos are led by our bishops and include a lay person sharing a story from their life and three questions for reflection. These questions could be looked at individually, or used for discussion in small groups.