Lenten resources for 2015

Planning ahead for lent in 2015?  Here's an idea or two...

The Archbishop of Canterbury's lent book for 2015 is In God's Hands by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.  Here's what the publishers say...

In God`s Hands is the 2015 Archbishop of Canterbury`s Lent Book. In this little gem of a book, Archbishop Desmond Tutu distils the wisdom forged through a childhood of poverty and apartheid, an adulthood lived in the glare of the world's media, and the long and agonising struggle for truth and reconciliation in South Africa, into the childlike simplicity which Jesus tells us characterises the Kingdom of God.

Archbishop Tutu has produced a meditation on the infinite love of God and the infinite value of the human individual. Not only are we in God`s hands, he says, our names are engraved on his palms. Throughout an often turbulent life, Archbishop Tutu has fought for justice and against oppression and prejudice. As we learn in this book, what has driven him forward is an unshakeable belief that human beings are created in the image of God and are infinitely valuable. Each one of us is a God-carrier, a tabernacle, a sanctuary of the Divine Trinity. God loves us not because we are loveable but because he first loved us. And this turns our values upside down. In this sense the Gospel is the most radical thing imaginable.

It is extremely moving that in this book Archbishop Tutu returns to something so simple and so profound after a life in which he has been involved in political, social and ethical issues that have seemed to be so very complex.

Or there's this one...

Sacred Space for Lent 2015 by the Jesuits in Ireland.  A budget choice at $3.95 here's the blurb...

Now in its ninth year of publication, Sacred Space for Lent 2015 continues to attract and retain a devoted readership for whom it serves as a complement to the hugely popular website sacredspace.ie, and as a daily Lenten resource of unmatched quality. Sacred Space for Lent 2015 is a convenient, pocket-size book that makes it easy to enter into prayer during Lent—the most important season of the year.

Using the simple six-step method first developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, this booklet provides the same daily readings and prayer starters, accompanied by the weekly Lenten themes found in the larger book. Inexpensive and portable, Sacred Space for Lent 2015 is the perfect gift for your parish, campus ministry program, small group, friend, a family member, or for yourself.

And finally, Tom Wright's Reflecting the Glory

'You can't love an abstraction. You can't even love the idea of love. You can only truly love a person. The deepest, richest meaning of love must be personal love. The relevance of knowing God in Jesus is that when we love God in Jesus we discover how that love, that personal love, is given to us in order that it may be given through us.' This book of Bible readings and reflections, for every day from Ash Wednesday to the first Sunday of Easter, explores how we reveal Jesus even at the lowest and weakest points of our lives. Drawing on New Testament passages, with a particular focus on Paul's letters to the church in Corinth, Tom Wright shows that through God's Holy Spirit, the suffering but also the glory of Christ can be incarnate in our lives, enabling us to be the people of God."

The Bible According to Gen Z

Did you know:

• Only 4 per cent of young people read the Bible daily and 7 out of 10 have never read it.
• Young people are ten times more likely to read the Bible if they are involved in a group which encourages them to do so.
• Only 1 in 100 youth will pick up the Bible out of curiosity or interest.
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• Here’s the blurb from The Bible Society about this new publication:
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“Find out how you can engage young people with the Bible; what’s working and what isn’t, and to get that other 99 to pick up a Bible. Bible Society’s Adrian Blenkinsop has pulled together a collection of essays for youth engagement with the Bible to help them, and their youth leaders, keep the faith.”

- See more or order at: http://www.biblesociety.org.au/genz

Be a Pilgrim!

Pilgrim: a Course for the Christian Journey may just be the best thing since sliced bread. And that’s so even if you’re gluten free.

Developed by the Church of England and written by a number of practical theologians and rubber-hits-the-road experts, Pilgrim includes four books so far, each featuring six 60-90 minute sessions.  Working through the ideas in our baptismal vows, the sessions feature everything you need to know if you are just starting out on the Christian journey.

But wait a minute: even if you’re an experienced traveler on that journey, this resource is useful too.  The discussion questions are written so that anyone, at any stage on the Christian journey can be inspired and fed.

As well, each session includes online resources: a video clip with input from the book’s authors and an audio prayer reflection.  The leader’s guide that rounds out the course’s materials is great, with ideas for each session and liturgical resources as well.

Here’s what the publishers say:

Pilgrim’s approach

It starts at the very beginning

Pilgrim assumes very little understanding or knowledge of the Christian faith.

It focuses on Jesus Christ

Pilgrim aims to equip people to follow Jesus Christ as disciples in the whole of their lives.

It flows from the Scriptures

The primary focus of each session is a group of people engaging with the Bible together.

It draws deeply from the Christian tradition

In the Early Church, the Christian faith was taught by the transmission of key texts which summed up the heart of the Christian message. Pilgrim restores this approach for the twenty-first century.

It honours the Anglican way and its many streams

Pilgrim has been developed as a specifically Anglican resource which aims to cater for every tradition in the Church of England.

All in all, this is a middle of the road kind of small group resource that any parish in our diocese could use, no matter where you sit on the theological spectrum.

The Cathedral bookshop will have the books in stock in late July./August but you can have a look at the real thing at the Roscoe Library, or delve into the materials at the UK website.

And what’s more, St Francis College will be offering regional training workshops for potential leaders of the Pilgrim course in the second half of the year.  Contact Jonathan Sargeant if you’re interested in those and we’ll see where to hold them.

I Believe

IBelieve: reflections on our shared faith by Janet Dyke, Lakeside Publishing

As belief becomes increasingly individualised by our society, Janet Dyke’s new collection of studies represents a gentle call to something different: belief in community.

I Believe: reflections on our shared faith enables small groups to examine the Apostles Creed, that document of the early church that began to define the lines of demarcation between establishing Christianity and other off-shoots and faiths.

The slim book features seven sessions: Believe, Father, Christ, Ascend, Spirit, Forgive and Life.  Each contains material to draw participants into a conversation with the text.  There is some supporting historical material as well. Janet manages to offer this in a non-threatening way that nevertheless does not shy away from the big challenges that some of the ideas in the creed engender.  Her questions for discussion are foundational, just right for a group finding its feet in the arena of belief.  That she does so in a manner that will enable long time believers to answer and discuss at their own level is to her credit.

There’s a real knack here for connecting ancient ideas with present realities which is the secret of good small group faith formation material.  Drawing on her own life experience brings a personal touch here and there which grounds the studies nicely.

In an age where individualism often brings loneliness, focusing on what binds us together is a vital task of the church.  Ms Dyke has successfully helped us along that path.

You can order the book or find out more here

 Jonathan Sargeant, Lay Education Officer, St Francis College

Late for Lent?

Left it late to leap into Lent?  Here's a resource for individual use that makes it easy to catch up...

ABM's Lent App

The ABM “Lent 2014” App provides you with a reflection, prayer and action for every day of Lent, starting today!

This Lent you are invited to travel (virtually) around the world with ABM exploring the many facets of mission: reconciliation, building amity, loving our neighbour, embracing kindness, loving justice and walking a way of peace.

Over the 40 days of Lent the App will introduce you to some of ABM’s partners and how they are involved in making God’s love known upon earth, and what you can do to join them in mission.

Download the ABM Lent 2014 Smartphone App in the Apple and Android stores:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lent-2014/id823229503?ls=1&mt=8

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.abm.lent.app

Free Electronic Version of Bible

With over 100 million installations around the world, the YouVersion app is a simple, ad-free Bible for your phone, tablet, and computer. It is available on almost all platforms (Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone/iPad, and Blackberry) and will help you read and study the Bible, subscribe to Bible plans, and take the Bible with you wherever you go. For more information, visit the dedicated website.