Lifelong Faith Formation

Volume 13| January 2024

Faith Formation Findings

resources for everyday faith living

“Lifelong faith formation in the ELCA is guided by our baptismal covenant and the Holy Spirit's ongoing guidance as we live among God's faithful people, hear the word of God and share in the Lord's supper, proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed, serve all people, following the example of Jesus.

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Life of Faith Initiative in the Southwestern Texas Synod

The Life of Faith Initiative is a grassroots effort within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). All advocates of equipping all God’s saints for the work of ministry (Eph. 4:12)

RESOURCES: A great place to start learning about the Life of Faith Initiative is their website: lifeoffaith.info. Check out their video library for an Introductory video, and several others

And the book: The Scattering: Imagining a Church that Connects Faith and Life, by Dwight L. Dubois

Cohorts participating in the Life of Faith:

Southwestern Texas Synod
Abiding Presence, San Antonio
First, Edinburg
Peace, New Braunfels
St. John's, San Juan

Life of Faith Initiative

Update

Faith Practice

Epiphany: Matthew 2:1-12

Epiphany is a wonderful time to take a deep breath, let go of the busyness of Christmas, look forward to the New Year, and reflect on Jesus, the nature of God who is with us as Christ. Like the Wisemen, the visitors as the manger, we too can contemplate this miraculous tiny baby that brought God closer to us. By keeping our eyes open, we too can search for signs, like the Wisemen searched the sky for the star that led to Jesus, looking for signs of Christ in creation and each other.

May these faith practices be a start to a new and fresh journey of faith.

Faith Practice 1: (especially for children and families)

Following the Star, an interactive Guided Meditation

First, gather materials for drawing a picture and find a quiet space for your group.

Start by having the children/family sit down in a comfortable place.

Say: Today we are going to imagine what it was like to be on the journey with the Wisemen, following the star to the baby Jesus. I’ll be leading us today, but I will need your help and your imagination to tell the story.

Slowly say: First let’s get comfortable. Close your eyes. Let your body relax. Take a deep breath in and out. With this next deep breath, let go of all the things bothering us today as we breathe out. And as we breathe in again, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to be with us at this time.

Start telling the story. You can tell it any way you like since it’s a familiar story or read it from a children’s Bible or storybook. Stop occasionally to ask the group for details:

Can you see the Star?

Have you ever followed a star to anywhere?

Who came to see the baby in the manger?

Where did they come from?

How did they know where they were going?

What did they bring with them? What did they say about Jesus when they found him?

You get the idea

Now ask, what did you like best about this story?

After everyone has a turn to talk, if you have time ask:

Let’s draw a picture of something from this story. Maybe the Star or the Wisemen or the night sky?

When you have finished your coloring, Thank Jesus for being our star and showing us the way. Amen

Faith Practice 2: (especially for youth and the worshipping Community)

Let the Star guide us

A good practice for the Epiphany is to pick a word to accompany you, to live into. It’s the perfect time to have a word to carry us through the year, as a gift from God.

Our practice has two parts:

One is having youth cut out stars and writing words on them.

An extensive list of words from the United Methodist Church has been included here, or the youth can come up with them as well.

Two is offering them to the congregation as part of worship.

Offer everyone in the congregation to take a star home with them to ponder for the year.

Many worshipping communities participate in this kind of practice. Some go on to share how their word has become a gift or a challenge in the days to come, including stories in worship or the church newsletter.

Here is a prayer by Michelle Thomas Bush of Southminster Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho:

God, we acknowledge that we are not always ready to receive your best gifts for us. You have given us an epiphany word so that our searching will bring us to you. It is often our habit to turn aside, stumble over, or even reject experiences and encounters that we later understand to have been precious gifts. Help us to be open to the gift that you offer us now through our star words. We acknowledge that we do not fully understand what this word might mean for our faith, but we receive it from you with gratitude and pray that your Spirit will enable us to live into our word with intention and faithfulness. Amen.

Faith Practice 3: (for the worshipping community)

Special Noisy Offering to gift a Nonprofit

Many of our local not-for-profit partners suffer financially this time of year. What a gift it would be to collect loose change for the next 4 Sundays to give to one of them.

Ask your congregation to support these efforts by collecting loose change and bringing it to worship to noisily throw into the offering plate, or metal bowl (for extra noise)

Offering prayer: Generous God, we come to you with hearts filled with gratitude for the abundant blessings you give us each day. We acknowledge that cheerful giving is not an obligation but a joyful act of worship. Help us understand that our giving is an expression of our deep love for you and the gifts you have given us here on earth. Amen.

Faith Practice 4: (for Adults and Elders)

Epiphany Writing (poems or prose)

Challenge your adults and elders to remember a time when they were surprised by grace.

Ask folks to think about a time or a moment when they suddenly had a greater understanding of something happening in the world around them, moments when God has broken through and changed how they thought about something.

Let these ‘Aha!’ moments be written into a poem or a paragraph to share in the newsletter, with the Bible study or other small group.