Wednesdays in Lent 2015Practicing Our Faith — A Series on Spiritual Practices

The apostle Paul once wrote that the Christian faith is like running a race (1Timothy4:7), and it’s a metaphor that makes perfect sense. Life often presents us with situations that call from us a spiritual depth and resolve familiar to marathon runners: grit and patience, fortitude and faith. And yet while no sane person would show up at the starting line of a marathon untrained and unprepared, quite often we fail to apply that same rule to our spiritual lives. Crises happen or challenges arise, but our atrophied spiritual muscles betray our failure to adequately prepare, to do the daily work that is required
of a dedicated and mature follower of Jesus.

This Lent you are invited to a five-week series on basic spiritual practices. We will dive deeply into the basics of how to train our spirits for the daily realities of life. We’ll explore various ways our faith is practiced in our homes and workplaces, and how we can strengthen our souls for the rigors of life in a world such as ours. By Easter, you may not be ready to run a marathon, but you will definitely be better equipped to practice the Christian faith in all circumstances.

Each Wednesday we’ll gather together for a Eucharist at 6:00 p.m., followed by a simple supper of hearty soup and bread at 6:30 p.m. in Roper Hall. Then from 7:15-8:00 p.m. we’ll explore various ways we can practice our faith, exercise our spiritual muscles, and go deeper with God.

ADULT PROGRAM:
Introduction to Spiritual Practices with The Rev. Scott Gunn
Sunday, February 15 at 10:15 a.m.

The Rev. Scott Gunn, Executive Director of Forward Movement, will be our guest presenter on the final Sunday before Lent to set the stage. He will introduce the series by giving a little background: what are spiritual practices, and why are they important? Where do they come from, and how can we grow?

February 25 – The Practice of Prayer
Prayer is the foundation of a healthy faith, yet many of us struggle to cultivate the sort of prayer life for which we hunger. This session will explore how we can go deeper with our practice of prayer.

March 4 – The Practice of Rest
Of all the commandments, the most flagrantly neglected is God’s command that we rest each week. We become habituated to our busy lives, and so forget that holy rest is fundamental to cultivating our spiritual, emotional and physical health.

March 11 – The Practice of Eating
The gospels feature many stories about Jesus sharing meals with his friends and followers, and our most central act of worship is a sacred meal. Yet all meals posses inherent holiness, and our practice of eating can be a tool for growing closer to Christ.

March 18 – The Practice of Generosity
Next to teaching about the Kingdom of God, Jesus spoke more about our relationship with money than anything else. This session will explore the spiritual practice of generosity, because “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21).”

March 25 – The Practice of Scripture Reading
We all hunger to experience the presence of God in our daily lives, yet often forget that God may be truly known and met in Scripture. It is simply not possible to run the race of following Jesus unless we receive daily nourishment from studying his life-giving Word.

Spiritual practices are certainly not only for adults. Children of all ages can and should embrace regular practices that enrich and deepen their faith. This Lent, you are invited to bring your children, no matter how young or old, to share in this series. We will offer age-appropriate sessions for kids in elementary, middle and high school, and for those families with infants and toddlers the nursery will be staffed every week from 5:45-8:00 p.m. In order to adequately prepare, we do ask that families with children register in advance; please email Ellen Dingwall to let us know you intend to join us.

CHILDREN’S PROGRAM & CREATIVE RESPONSE:
Nursery available for children 4 and under
February 25 – The Practice of Prayer
Families will be encouraged to make their own set of prayer beads to use for prayer meditation. There will be a brief introduction about how different colors can represent different prayer petitions as well as instructions for the clay. Volunteers will be available to help children roll their beads and bake their beads.

March 4 – The Practice of Rest
Families will be encouraged to help their children create their own bedtime prayer bag to help with nighttime routines. Cloth drawstring bags will be available to personalize with paints and stencils. A variety of bedtime prayers will be displayed for children to pick and choose to fill their bags.

March 11 – The Practice of Eating
Families will come together to make loaves of communal bread, using a yummy, yeast free recipe. We will read the beautiful children’s story In God’s Hands by Lawrence Kushner and Gary Schmidt and then head to the Kitchen to bake bread together.

March 18 – The Practice of Generosity
Families are encouraged to come together to listen to the wonderful story of The Quilt Maker’s Gift by Jeff Braumbeau. After the story children will get a chance to choose and cut different fabrics to tie a quilt together for charity. Children will get a chance to share their own stories of generosity as we discuss how this important faith practice intertwines with the Lenten season.

March 25 – The Practice of Scripture Reading
Families will get a chance to make bookmarks using watercolor paper and paints. Reading from some of our favorite children’s Bibles, we will discuss easy ways to share the stories of the Bible each night and fun ideas of how to keep kids invested in this practice.