Faithful Conversations:
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The discussion begins with a series of six videos on Civic Life and Faith, from the ELCA website. https://elca.org/civicsandfaith
“The ELCA is developing a social statement on Civic Life and Faith, the relationship of church and state and related matters, as called for by the 2019 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.
Social statements are the ELCA’s primary documents to address significant social issues. They are intended to aid reflection and shape conscience and to set forth the ELCA’s teaching and policy on the major social issues and questions of contemporary life.”
The videos run from 10 to 20 minutes in length and are followed by discussion time. The ELCA is collecting feedback on this series until October 15th.
“The ELCA is developing a social statement on Civic Life and Faith, the relationship of church and state and related matters, as called for by the 2019 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.
Social statements are the ELCA’s primary documents to address significant social issues. They are intended to aid reflection and shape conscience and to set forth the ELCA’s teaching and policy on the major social issues and questions of contemporary life.”
The videos run from 10 to 20 minutes in length and are followed by discussion time. The ELCA is collecting feedback on this series until October 15th.
Book Study:
Once this series is complete, a discussion of the book, On Repentance and Repair: Making amends in an unapologetic world, by Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, will begin. This book “is for anyone who cares about creating a country and culture that is more whole than the one in which we live, and for anyone who has been hurt or who is struggling to take responsibility for their mistakes.” (From the back flap). It is based on the five steps of medieval philosopher Maimonides, who lived about 1000 years after Jesus. It can be purchased in many places. Including, Rabbi Ruttenberg’s website.
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Future Possibilities:
After Jesus, Before Christianity, by Erin Vearncombe, Brandon Scott, and Hal Taussig for the Westar Christianity Seminar. This is a historical exploration of the first two centuries of Jesus movements. “What do we really know about how Christianity took shape? Do the rituals, practices, and beliefs common today look anything like those of the earliest Christians?” You can purchase this book in many places including the Westar Website
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Do I Stay Christian? A guide for the doubters, the disappointed and the disillusioned by Brian McLaren. This book “publicly addresses the powerful question that surprising numbers of people-including pastors, priests, and other religious leaders- are asking in private. Brian McLaren does not urge Christians to dig in their heels, nor does he warn them to run for the exit. Instead, he combines his own experiences with that of thousands of people who have confided in him over the years to help readers make a responsible, honest, ethical decision about their religious identity.” (From the inside cover). You can find this book here.
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Faith5- a short, life-changing practice for families and small groups.
Where did Faith5 come from?
For his Doctoral work, Rich Melheim worked with the question, “How do we pass on faith to the next generation?” The answer he came up with was quite simple and has become known as Faith5. You can explore Faith5 more deeply at Faith5.org and our congregation also has materials available for loan.
How do I get started with Faith5?
Faith5 is best done with a group. Families make excellent natural groups, but groups of friends can also practice Faith5 together. Next, and I cannot emphasize this enough, Get Started! It’s good to hear from Dr. Melheim himself, it’s wonderful to learn all that is going on behind the scenes in our brains, bodies, and souls, but Faith5 is meant to be practiced and Dr. Melheim’s teachings are meant for encouragement and learning along the way. As you get started, it’s important to know that Faith5 is a habit for the marathon of Faith Formation. It is not a quick "fix-all" diet that will solve the world’s problems in three days. In my experience, it takes a while to find your group’s rhythm, iron out the bumps, and start to see the subtle results that come from engaging with Faith5. For that reason, at least with family groups, it’s important to make a commitment that you will have Faith5 time, at least 5 nights per week for 6 weeks.
How do I practice Faith5?
A good yoga instructor once said, “Your mat, your practice.” As you engage with Faith5 try it all out. I will say it’s best to do all the steps of Faith5, however, depending on the age of some of your group members you might need to modify this list slightly and modify the individual steps to meet your needs. Your group, your practice.
Share-
Share highs and lows from you day. What’s the best thing that happened and what’s the worst thing? Recalling your own story and hearing the stories of others is the first step in making connections between our stories and God’s story.
Read-
Read a passage of scripture. Children’s Bibles count for this and are a wonderful way of learning some of God’s greatest stories. You might also decide to work your way through a book of the Bible. (20 verses a day will get you through the Gospel of Mark in a little over a month) You could look at upcoming texts for Sunday, or reflect back on ones from earlier. Daily devotions are also a good place to find scriptures.
Talk-
Take some time to reflect and share together ways that you see your highs and lows relating to the scripture reading for the day. This is where you see how your story is connected to God’s story every single time you practice Faith5
Pray-
Pray for one another’s Highs and Lows. Thank God for the good things that you receive in life and invite God and others to be present in difficulties.
Bless-
At the end of your time, take a moment to bless one another. Make the sign of the cross on each other’s foreheads and say a few simple words of blessing. “God bless you.” “Jesus Loves you.” “God bless and keep you now and always.” All of these are adequate blessings. As the moment comes you might feel moved to bring something in from the scripture you just read or give a blessing in regards to a particular high or low, but don’t feel like you have to force these moments or create something new every night. Keep it simple and let things come naturally.
Share-
Share highs and lows from you day. What’s the best thing that happened and what’s the worst thing? Recalling your own story and hearing the stories of others is the first step in making connections between our stories and God’s story.
Read-
Read a passage of scripture. Children’s Bibles count for this and are a wonderful way of learning some of God’s greatest stories. You might also decide to work your way through a book of the Bible. (20 verses a day will get you through the Gospel of Mark in a little over a month) You could look at upcoming texts for Sunday, or reflect back on ones from earlier. Daily devotions are also a good place to find scriptures.
Talk-
Take some time to reflect and share together ways that you see your highs and lows relating to the scripture reading for the day. This is where you see how your story is connected to God’s story every single time you practice Faith5
Pray-
Pray for one another’s Highs and Lows. Thank God for the good things that you receive in life and invite God and others to be present in difficulties.
Bless-
At the end of your time, take a moment to bless one another. Make the sign of the cross on each other’s foreheads and say a few simple words of blessing. “God bless you.” “Jesus Loves you.” “God bless and keep you now and always.” All of these are adequate blessings. As the moment comes you might feel moved to bring something in from the scripture you just read or give a blessing in regards to a particular high or low, but don’t feel like you have to force these moments or create something new every night. Keep it simple and let things come naturally.
Done regularly, these practices promote healthful communication within groups and remind us all that we are part of God’s story.
Please Touch Nativity: Advent Project for Faith Families
The Please Touch Nativity is meant not just to be touched, but also explored and played with as a means of helping little ones learn the story of Jesus' birth and write it on their hearts. You can find instructions, devotions and printable materials on Breen Sipes' "Family God Time" blog by following this link. Grab some supplies and the little ones in your lives and have a great time together creating something you will treasure for years to come. If you'd like to learn more about the history of Nativities and the Please Touch Nativity you can do so here.
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