This Sunday, churches that use the revised common lectionary will read and hear the story of God calling Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:4-10). As I read Jeremiah’s call story, I am reminded of a Wednesday evening in August 2004. (This passage reappears as a lectionary option in August of Year C.) That night, as I sat in midweek worship service, I heard this passage read and then the pastor spoke about God’s call for Jeremiah and for us. Be prepared, this Sunday, many of you will hear a sermon on this topic. But back to August 2004, I left that service with the distinct feeling that I had been set up.

Looking for some new songs for worship? Would you like songs that are contemporary and singable? Are you interested in worship songs that at times challenge and at other times reassure? How about songs that reflect an inclusive and justice-loving theology? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, I highly recommend that you take a listen to Bryan Sirchio’s latest CD, “Something Beautiful for God: 24 Songs for Worship and Group Singing”.

The songs on this CD are the same songs in the previously available “Something Beautiful for God” piano songbook. For the CD Bryan has produced the songs as he would do them with a worship band in church. Therefore, listening to the CD will give you an idea of what each song sounds like and which ones you might use for worship. Of course, if you are not in charge of worship music, you can simply listen to the CD, as I do!

Families are formed in many ways, and no doubt your church has done and is continually doing many things to be supportive of the families in your church, regardless of their configuration. (And we all know there are MANY ways a family can look in today's world.) Parenting classes are often offered in many congregations, and family ministries councils are frequently charged with coming up with great ways to connect families and offer them opportunities for fellowship, service, and education. But what about those individuals or couples who do not yet have children but who are considering or pursuing adoption or foster care? Have you considered how their needs and interests may be different from those families that already have children?

The classic children’s book, The Velveteen Rabbit, tells the story of a stuffed rabbit that is loved so much by a little boy that it becomes “real”. If books went through the same process, one of the “real” books on my bookshelf would be Spiritual Literacy: Reading the Sacred in Everyday Life by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat. As its well-worn cover can attest, I reach for this book often.

I recently discovered (by happenstance ) the Brussat’s website, Spirituality and Practice. It is probably a sign of my lack of complete internet immersion that I have never thought to search for a website related to one of my favorite books. Now that I have discovered this website (and bookmarked it), I anticipate visiting frequently. (Can websites become “real”?) There is a wealth of information here.

A few weeks ago, I was asked by a long-time Christian educator what trends were emerging in Christian education. Little did he know that trend-watching is a subject I took a significant interest in many years ago, so I was more than happy to respond with a list of some of the trends I am watching or expecting to develop. Each of the ten trends below has implications for faith formation in your congregation, so I encourage you to take this list and discuss it with your ministry boards and staff.  In truth, some of these trends have been around for several years now, I'd say, but they are beginning to move from the larger congregations to the mid-sized and smaller churches. 

After you read my list, post a comment and tell me about the Christian education trends you are noticing in your corner of the world. Agree or disagree, I'd love to hear your opinion! (I'll run a Part 2 with some additional trends based on your feedback and ideas.) 

One loaf of bread
Is a reminder.
Although we are many,
We are one body.
God’s children are
One family.

It doesn’t matter
Where we live,
What we have,
What we can do,
What we believe,
We are one family.

A myriad of differences:
Eye color, height,
Sense of humor,
Ability to curl our tongue,
or throw a Frisbee.
We are one family.

If one is grieving,
Mourning a loss
Of a loved one,
A house, a job,
A possibility…
The family is sad.

If one is suffering,
Injured in an earthquake,
Going to bed hungry,
Shivering in the cold,
Enduring abuse,
The family is hurting.

If one is missing,
Lost, abandoned,
Disconnected,
Shut out by barriers
Real or perceived,
The family is not complete.

God’s children must
Help each other,
Care for one another,
Strive for justice,
Work toward healing
And wholeness.

We are one family.

~Sally Hoelscher

If asked to recommend some good books about Paul for laypersons and church professionals, there are several candidates that would come to mind. Two, though, would receive my top recommendation. Borg and Crossan's The First Paul would be tops on my list for its lucid and important description of the de-radicalization of Paul's message by the early church. (Read my review here.) Next, I'd recommend a forthcoming novel, A Wretched Man: A Novel of Paul the Apostle by RW Holmen, a compelling exploration of the Jewish (Nazarenes) and Gentile (Pauline) movements in the first century. If you've ever struggled to understand Paul's form of faith, Holmen's work of historical fiction will help you to imagine your way into Paul's life and times.

A Wretched Man takes its title from Romans 7:24, "Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" and refers more specifically within the novel to Paul's "thorn in the flesh" (2 Cor. 12:7) which has been the focus of scholarly speculation for hundreds of years. Many theories about just what that "thorn" was, including earaches, headaches, sciatica, rheumatism, demonic possession, epilepsy, bad eyesight, lust, depression, a literally embedded thorn, and many other off-beat possibilities. In recent years, some scholars have suggested Paul's thorn was repressed homosexuality. John Shelby Spong, for example, takes this view, writing in his book Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism that, "A rigidly controlled gay male, I believe, taught the Christian church what the love of God means." (p. 125). 

Two couples go out to dinner together. At the end of the evening, each person gives an account of the evening. Not surprisingly, although there are similarities between the accounts, each story is different. Details and conversations that are prominent in one person’s retelling may be completely absent or just a minor mention in another’s version. (For those of you who were fans of the TV show "thirtysomething", this storyline was used in one of the episodes during the first season.) Point of view affects the interpretation and memory of events. No two people have exactly the same point of view. Hearing the same story told from different perspectives can help give a more complete understanding of what happened. This process can be used with Bible stories both as a way to gain new insights and as a method of keeping children, youth or adults interested in a story they may have heard many times before.

Last week I encouraged you to consider having multiple websites for your church. Although that may seem to be an impossible dream, in reality there are several inexpensive ways to make that happen. First, though, there are some necessary steps to take before launching into the development of the new site...so consider this your assignment for this week.

What makes Sunday School at a progressive church different than Sunday School at other churches? Given that there are limited options available for progressive curriculum, particularly for children, in many cases progressive congregations are using “mainstream curriculum”. (We await, with anticipation, the children’s curriculum being developed by The Center for Progressive Christianity.) Therefore, it is not the curriculum that is used in Sunday School, but the manner in which it is taught that sets a progressive Sunday School ministry apart from its counterparts.

Our motto at Different Voice is: “Embrace life. Nurture Spirituality. Inspire change.” These are also worthy goals for a progressive Sunday School ministry. In this three part series, I will explore in more depth what this might look like.