Welcome to our 3rd week of Learning Together! I hope you are enjoying the process of exploring the Creation story from many angles!
This week I would like you to write or draw your own creation story. If you were the Creator and you had 7 days, what would you create? After each day of creation, be sure to end with the phrase...and it was good. Share your creation story-or at least some of your favorite “days” with our online community: who knows, they may end up as part of our worship service on September 26! Also, spend some time thinking or talking with others about how we humans have hurt the good creation. Think of something you can do to help restore the creation to health and beauty. Please share that with the rest of us on our RLC blog! I invite you to offer the following prayer sometime each day of this week: Dear God: We love this wonderful earth which you have created, but we are worried about many things which are causing it harm. We understand that there are many problems with our environment. We ask you, God, to help us find ways to take better care of the earth. We know that there are many people working to help the earth: bless their efforts and lead us to also contribute to the well-being of creation. Amen. Pastor Mary
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Hi friends! Welcome to our second week of Learning Together. Last week, I invited you to listen to me reading the Creation story from a children's Bible and share one question that came to your mind for our collective thought and discussion. That resource is still available for you to listen and respond to!
This week, I am asking that you open a Bible you have at home (the translation does not matter!) to Genesis 1:1-2:4 and read it out loud. One person can read the whole thing, or you can share the reading with those present. As you are listening, I want you to write down or draw one image or phrase or word that grabs your attention. Next, try and think about other things in your life right now that connect with that image, phrase or word. Share those, if you are willing, with those gathered with you or our online community. Let's discover what God's Spirit is saying to us through those ancient words recorded in the Bible. Repeat this activity another time or two this week. See if the same things grab your attention, or if you are drawn to additional words or ideas. Feel free to share your insights. I offer the following prayer to be prayed sometime each day of this week. Holy God, you created the world and sent your own Son to live among us, made of the same stuff, breathing the same air, marveling at sunrise and sunset just as we do. Help us to participate in the life around and within us as your life, as you living in us and we living in you and in each other. God of love and life, restore us to your peace, renew us through your power and teach us to love all that you have created and to care for the earth as your gift and our home. Amen. Pastor Mary Welcome to the first month of Learning Together! I hope you enjoy this new hybrid, intergenerational program for exploration of some of the stories of the Bible. Each month, you will be invited to listen and read and imagine and create and pray around one particular story. Our story for September is the story of Creation. We begin at “the beginning”! For this first week, please listen to the story read out loud from The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. Try and picture in your mind what it was like when God did all that creating! All members of your household are encouraged to listen together. When you are done, please write down one question that each person has connected to the story. Go to our new RLC Blog and hit Chat and send your question to all who are participating. I will respond to all your questions and invite you to likewise respond to others' questions and comments. We hope to have an online exploration of the story! During the week, I invite you to go for a walk outside and notice the creation. Perhaps you can greet all that you see just like God did in the story: “hello flowers, hello birds”. See if you can notice something you haven't seen before on this walk. It may be something big or something small! Share your observations on the RLC Blog throughout the week. Finally, I invite you to pray together or alone the following prayer sometime each day of the week. We thank you, God, for morning light and peace and quiet through the night. We thank you, God, for birds that sing. We thank you, God, for everything. Amen. Pastor Mary |
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