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Gospel-based discipleship

Becoming a community of disciples: putting the Gospel in the centre

The Gospel in the centre of our Sacred Circle has become an important and dynamic part of the growing spiritual movement among Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island. Any event or meeting is organized and carried out with the Gospel in the centre. In addition to the Gospels for Sundays and Feast Days in the Book of Common Prayer and the Book of Alternative Services, there is also a list of Daily Eucharistic lections in the Book of Alternative Services (pp. 498-523).

The Gathering Prayer

Creator, we give you thanks for all you are and all you bring to us for our visit within your creation. In Jesus, you place the Gospel in the centre of this Sacred Circle through which all of creation is related. You show us the way to live a generous and compassionate life. Give us your strength to live together with respect and commitment as we grow in your Spirit, for you are God, now and forever. Amen.

Reading the Gospel

  1. Read the Gospel – What word(s), idea(s), or phrase(s) stand out for you?
  2. Read the Gospel – What is Jesus (the Gospel) saying to you?
  3. Read the Gospel – What is Jesus (the Gospel) calling you to do?

Daily discipleship in a Sacred Circle

We hope that you will join us by

  • Reading the Gospel daily as a personal practice.
  • On a regular basis (we recommend at least twice a month) place the Gospel in the centre of a circle of love and prayer with other relatives.
  • Whenever we meet, to place the Gospel in the centre of our gatherings.
  • Pray daily for the life, health, and faithfulness of the Sacred Circle.

Guiding principles

As Gospel-based disciples, we commit:

  1. To regularly engage the Gospel.
  2. To take seriously our own spiritual formation.
  3. To nurture and foster the spiritual formation of others.
  4. To live the Baptismal Covenant.
  5. To live as a community of disciples.
  6. To foster reconciliation, healing, and vision.
  7. To pray and worship regularly.
  8. To respect the spiritual traditions, values, and customs of our many peoples.
  9. To take full responsibility for our local ministries.

Rule of life

Creator God, we acknowledge and give thanks that:

In Jesus we know we belong to a Sacred Circle with the Gospel and Baptismal Covenant in the centre.

In this Sacred Circle:

We are all related;
We live a compassionate and generous life;
We respect all life, traditions, and resources.
We commit ourselves to spiritual growth, discipleship, and consensus.

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Acknowledging the land and God’s creation

This acknowledgement is crafted in light of the Principles of Reconciliation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, as we seek to live faithfully in Christ and in right relationship with all. 

We give thanks to the Creator for this land, its waters, forests and all living beings, and for the abiding presence of Christ among us. From coast to coast to coast, these have been cared for and nurtured by First Nations, Inuit and Métis through countless generations. 

We honour the enduring relationship Indigenous Peoples have cultivated with these lands and waters, and the treaties and agreements that reflect these sacred bonds. We acknowledge the harms caused by colonial expansion, through frameworks like the Doctrine of Discovery and structures like the residential school system. We recognize our past failures as a Church, including disruption of connections to the land and suppression of Indigenous spiritualities. 

Guided by the gospel of Jesus Christ, we confess our need for healing. We commit ourselves to seeking truth, pursuing reconciliation and nurturing harmony with all creation. We place our trust in Christ, through whom all things are reconciled to God. 

May God strengthen us to live faithfully as stewards of the Earth. Let us walk in love, justice and reconciliation, joining in God’s work to restore all creation.