A Rule for Life: Finding Peace in an Anxious World
Launched at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, few of us had lived through a more anxious time.
Thankfully, supernatural peace is exactly what the scriptures promise us, and hundreds of years of church history offers us the framework of crafting a Rule of Life to help us build our life in such a way to find that peace.
In Matthew 11, Jesus invites us to yoke ourselves to him. The metaphor evokes an image of two oxen pulling a heavy load together; however, Jesus’s invitation is not to pull the load with him, but to allow him to pull the load for you. He promises “rest for your soul” if you will simply yoke yourself to him and entrust your life to his care.
This is good news for us at all times. Listen weekly as we learn how to put on that “yoke” through a Rule of Life, and begin to find peace in our anxious world.
Sermon List
Peace Needs a Limit – Simplicity & Generosity
June 1, 2020 / Justin Anderson, Eugene Cho
Peace Needs A Rhythm – Fasting & Feasting
May 24, 2020 / Justin Anderson
Peace Needs a People – Community
May 17, 2020 / Joshua Sercey
Peace Needs a Pause – Vocation & Sabbath
May 10, 2020 / Justin Anderson, Ilona Trofimovich
Peace Needs a Partner – Silence & Solitude
May 3, 2020 / Justin Anderson
Peace Needs a Language – Prayer
April 26, 2020 / Justin Anderson
Peace Needs a Guide – The Bible
April 19, 2020 / Justin Anderson
Peace Needs a Focus – God & Others
April 5, 2020 / Justin Anderson
Peace Needs a Rule – A Yoke
March 29, 2020 / Justin Anderson
Resources for further study in this series.
Make sure you catch each Sunday’s sermon to hear the introduction to the weekly topic. We also recorded weekly episodes of the Icon Church Leadership Podcast (check out Season 2) to dig into the practical applications of each sermon, including a suggestions and recommendations for how to practice each discipline, as well as include show notes with resources.
Series Recommended Reading
The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives by Dallas Willard. Find it on Amazon.
The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction by Justin Whitmel Earley. Find it on Amazon. You can also find an overview of the big ideas from the Common Rule here or visit The Common Rule website for additional resources
Practices of Love: Spiritual Disciplines for the Life of the World by Kyle David Bennett. Find it on Amazon.
Crafting a Rule of Life: An Invitation to the Well-Ordered Way by Stephen Macchia. Find it on Amazon.
The Eternal Current: How a Practice-Based Faith Can Save Us from Drowning by Aaron Niequist. Find it on Amazon.
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World by John Mark Comer. Find it on Amazon.
The Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ by Dallas Willard. Find it on Amazon.
General Resources
Rule of Life from New Life Church http://newlife.nyc/vision/ (scroll down to Our Marks)
A Rule for COVID-19 from Bridgetown Church https://www.brdgtwn.church/rule
Resources for specific practices (sabbath, solitude, etc.) https://practicingtheway.org/