Association of Lutheran Resource Centers

Four Recommendations for SMALL GROUP Conversation

 Reading last week’s blog by Karen Matthias-Long prompted me to think again about the many meanings of bread, of being fed, of feeding one another.  The following resources provide excellent fodder for small group discussion.  Perhaps you’d be willing to add to the list?

 Breaking Bread: The Spiritual Significance of Food by Sara Covin Juengst (Westminster John Knox, 1992) Food and feasting are major biblical themes.  Juengst has taken these Eucharistic themes to create a resource that will enrich readers’ understandings of the spiritual significance of meals, Holy Communion, and rituals of sharing, celebrating, learning, and more.  Each chapter focuses on biblical customs related to food and feasting and concludes with brief “recipes” for action.  From Walter Brueggemann:  “…the book lets us retaste, renotice, and reswallow our life from God.”  

 Daily Bread, Holy Meal: Opening the Gifts of Holy Communion by Samuel Torvend  (Augsburg Fortress, 2004)  From the Worship Matters series, this rich treasure offers an ideal format and fertile content for adult study.  Beginning and ending with his grandmother’s gift of golden molasses bread, Torvend brilliantly unwraps the gifts of the Lord’s Supper.  He invites conversation and reflection that will enrich and deepen every readers’ experience of the Eucharist.   This book is a banquet for all who long for a deeper understanding of the generosity of God.

Gathering at the Table by Elizabeth Hoffman Reed  (Liturgy Training Publications)  This small booklet is sure to stimulate conversation about the sacredness of meals and the ways in which the communion table is about all the other tables in our lives.  Brief reflections in praise of dining, meals, manners, and sharing are interspersed with poignant quotations. 

 Let Us Break Bread Together: A Passover Haggadah for Christians by Michael Smith and Rami Shapiro  (Paraclete Press, 2005)  This lovely guide for planning and hosting a meaningful seder meal brings together the great themes of the Exodus story as a lens for understanding the Last Supper.  In providing a helpful guide to an authentic Jewish Passover meal, Christians will experience a deeper knowledge of the themes of slavery, freedom, and community.  Let Us Break Bread Together is an extraordinary learning opportunity for adults and youth.

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(I posted this on my Lenten devotional blog, but thought it was worth posting here, too – as a way to share a wonderful book,  to share a way to feed the hungry that will make your mouth drop and to share a worship idea.)

“It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4

It suddenly occurred to me today that the same part of the body I use for eating is the same part of the body from which I speak. My mouth is a tool used for both things. Not just eating. Not just speaking. Here are a few thoughts that came to mind when I read this passage:

• One does not live by bread ALONE. God’s word is also food….words that come from a mouth. This picture of the bird and chicks is how I imagine God when I read this passage. God is like a mother bird that feeds her scrawny hatch-lings – their mouths eager for this food that the mother bird offers. I need both earthly food and God’s word to truly live.

• Eating is spiritual – or at least, should be. How many

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Each year, about eight adults, along with some high schoolers, plan and implement a VBS that begins on Thursday afternoon, the second weekend in August, and finishes on Sunday morning with worship and a short program by the classes and their teachers. Last year this was followed by a pig roast/potato salad/pot-luck fantastic meal for the community. Left-overs were taken in to the small town about five miles away the next day and sold at the local convenience store.

The unique part of this VBS is that children come on Thursday afternoon with their sleeping bags and tents, get set up in the church yard and sleep there for the three nights. We have a shower in the church basement (how many churches have that feature?!), so everyone can freshen up and the girls can do their hair! The church secretary, who is one of the planners, takes the towels home when she leaves at night, washes and dries them, so they are ready to go again the next day.

Meals are planned and cooked right there so everyone is at least offered a balanced meal. There is no charge for this whole thing. Church members sign up to bring food and we always have enough to last into the winter months!

It has been a great time, not without problems and changes in plans.

Last year, on Thursday, the weather was almost stifling, temp in 90′s and no breeze. A farmer and his two boys found window air conditioners they installed; we all brought fans and the kids slept in the church proper. Pews were moved all around so there was a good sized area in the middle of the room for them to sleep. The next night we had a terrific thunder and lightening rain storm so they didn’t sleep out side Friday, and no one wanted to go through the work of setting up tents for just the one night, Saturday. Sunday was sunny and windy, but we we all had jackets on because it was cold! Good old Wisconsin weather – it changes dramatically!

Plans for this year are underway and we look forward to challenges and delights in 2011!

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“I need a do-over,” I heard a young neighbor say! In golf, it’s called a mulligan; for statewide public school testing, it’s a re-take. No matter how you say it, we can all use one every now and then.

Rewind to January 1 and I’m hard at work considering an appropriate resolution for the new year. I settle on daily Bible reading as a habit I’ve long hoped to develop. This will be the year I can do it! Fast-forward just a few short weeks to early March and

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Have you ever had someone think you were someone else?  “Oh, I’m sorry”, they say as they let go or look away, “I thought you were someone else”.  You might think, “I wonder who I remind them of?” and go on your way.  But I would like to propose to you that spiritually speaking, our goal should be a case of Mistaken Identity!  There are numerous ways the Bible presents the idea of spiritual growth.  We are to walk or live in the power of the Spirit.  We are to produce fruit of the Spirit.  We are to be holy, faithful, and true.  We are to be spiritually minded that we would live according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh.  We are to know the Word that we may resist sin and walk with the Lord in obedience.  We are to love for we have learned how to love from God who has loved us first.  In every single one of these, they can also be stated that we are to be more like Christ.  That Christlikeness is our goal.  To develop these qualities in our lives and take advantage of all the spiritual riches we have at our disposal we merely need to look to our local Resource Center.   Define your Christian ID with studies like one of these:

Faith in Motion: Keepin’ It Real: Christian Life in a Pop Culture World, A seven-session study to help youth maintain their Christian identity even as they live in a “pop culture world.” 

Faith 4 Life:  Your Christian ID  Who am I?  What’s my purpose?  Do I really matter?  These questions echo in all of our minds.  Help teenagers to discover that their true self-worth can only be found in one place:  their relationship with God.

Portraits of Jesus: A Nine-Session Bible Study on the I Am Statements of Christ.  Jesus often used the phrase “I am” to say something about his identity.  In the titles he applied to himself, Christ painted in word pictures his own self-portrait.  The nine portraits found in this study serve as beautiful vignettes and character sketches of the Lord Jesus, using images from the pastoral scenes of ancient Palestine.

Christ the Fulfillment (Matthew) A comprehensive and continuous study of Scripture to inform one’s Christian faith and discipleship in daily life.

1. A son is born; 2. An unexpected sign; 3. A unique birth; 4. Searching for a child;

5. Declaring identity; 6. Facing temptation; 7. Works of healing; 8. Inviting the weary;

9. Overcoming rejection; 10. Hope for healing; 11. Declaring allegiance; 12. Mountaintop experiences; 13. Extravagant love.

The Lutheran Magazine, Oct. 2010, Vol. 23, No. 10 – Cover Story – If you’re Like Me – Consider Embracing ‘Lifestyle Simplicity’ as a core identity and set of behaviors.

Contact your local Resource Center for suggestions on resources to help you and your congregation shape and form your Christian Identity, may you be mistaken for Christ!

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Does your congregation offer meals before Lenten mid-week worship services? This year, why not consider fighting hunger and learning about the world at the same time? ELCA World Hunger resources are available free and include complete plans for six differently-themed Lenten meals. Use all six or just one!

Additionally, placemats are available to raise awareness about hunger, poverty, and related issues.

Use this opportunity to gather donations for ELCA World Hunger and your community’s local food bank. What an impact, both globally and locally, your congregation could make!

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I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19

Have you ever experienced a time when different threads in your life converged and suddenly you saw some amazing connections between them? It happens to me sometimes – and when it does, I get goosebumps.

Make that God-bumps!

I’m in the middle of this kind of convergence of threads now – Something new is happening ~

Here are the threads that are coming together for me at the moment: A Renewal Enterprise, Unbinding the Gospel, God Sightings in the Northeastern PA Synod, and Going GLOCAL. For me – all of these things are about telling our stories; being particularly watchful for God’s movement in our lives, churches, schools, and communities; and, discerning where God is calling us.

THREAD #1: A Renewal Enterprise

Our synod has asked the folks from A Renewal Enterprise (ARE) to walk with us for the next year or two. They are helping us to focus on

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On Sorrow and Loss

Following the theme of the last blog, I’d like to recommend another resource on prayer that continues to be a deep source of comfort.  Turn My Heart by Susan Briehl and Marty Haugen is a collection of texts and poems, litanies and hymns written and collected in the wake of 9-11.  Accompanied by a music CD of hauntingly beautiful hymns, it focuses on the journey of grief.

As I’ve used this resource…

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Psalm 46 gives us the opportunity to mediate on God’s kingdom, the command to “be still” comes from a Hebrew word meaning to let go, to be weak, to let go, to release… we surrender in order to know that God is in control, to objectively know the saving power of God in our lives.

 Prayer is not about a set of rules — it’s all about building our relationship with God. It’s about conversation, both expressing yourself and listening.   We can know God by having an intimate relationship with Him. That does not come from knowing about Him, but rather getting to personally know Him by what He says, recognizing the things He does in our lives, and by way of His Holy Spirit who comes to guide and comfort us.

 Multi-tasking can be a virtue, but not when it comes to prayer. Sure, you can pray while you’re driving your car (sometimes it’s very necessary!), but don’t let that be the only time you pray. You can talk to a friend while you’re driving, but if they’re really a close friend, you will find time to spend with them when you can just talk and share the joys of having a close friend. It’s the same thing with God.

Synod resource or media centers have numerous books and videos to help you study prayer and build your relationship with God.  These resources are as varied and unique as each of us … perhaps you would like to study body-centered prayer  with a DVD guided study; “Praying With The Body – Bringing the Psalms to Life” from Paraclete Press or perhaps learn 18 simple movements similar to tai chi, in “Shibashi” from the ELCA.   Perhaps – “Meeting God in Prayer” from Luther Productions, “The Four Acts of Prayer” from Walt Wangerin or a study of  “The Lord’s Prayer – Entering into God’s Country” with Walter Wangerin will make your heart beat faster.  Or how about a study by Max Lucado, “Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?” or Jim Cymbala, “When God’s People Pray: Six Sessions on the Transforming Power of Prayer”.  What whets your appetite?   No matter the topic or format that suits you,  it can be found at your resource or media center.  Call, email, fax or stop in — just go find your favorites and connect with God!

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.  To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”  (1 Corinthians 12: 4 – 7)

“We call you… we wait … be near O God”  The benefits of prayer are experienced in our daily life as we strengthen our abilities to listen to the promptings of the Spirit and respond accordingly … as we are moved to … “the God in us serving the God in others”.

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