St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 1 of 56

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1 St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 1 of 56

2 Introduction to Belonging The Easter Season begins with Easter Sunday and ends with the Day of Pentecost, 50 days later. Pentecost is traditionally viewed as the beginning of the Christian Church in the world with the apostles speaking in many languages with tongues of fire over their heads so that all could understand. All were welcome both Jews and Gentiles (non-jews). In the past, some churches used the day of Pentecost to welcome new members through baptism, confirmation, or transfer of membership. Becoming a full member of the church often included a pre-confirmation series of classes in which newcomers could learn about the history of the Christian church in a broad sense and the United Church in particular and also become familiar with our statements of faith and what we believe. This year at Aidan s, Rev. Cheryl invited the Worship Team to create (with her wonderful help!!) a booklet that would help all of us travel the distance between Easter and Pentecost while at the same time, learning about our history and our faith. On the day of Pentecost (this year it s May 20 th ), we will have the opportunity to re-affirm our baptismal vows, and those who have not yet become formal members of St. Aidan s will have the opportunity to do so. Belonging Discussion Groups will meet THREE times during the journey; Mondays from 1:30-3 pm and 7-8:30 pm (April 30, May 7, May 14). Sunday sermons will focus on the weekly themes. St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 2 of 56

3 We have called the booklet Belonging and the 6 weeks (36 days, with a rest each Sabbath) will help us focus on just who and what we belong to in our Christian faith. Peter Rollins, internationally renowned philosopher, tells us that very often our journey of faith begins with belonging, moves to behaving, and ends with believing. The weekly themes are God/Jesus/Spirit, the Bible, the Worldwide Christian Fellowship, the United Church, St. Aidan s, and the Gifts of the Spirit. We have used the United Church Song of Faith as the overarching umbrella for the booklet. You will find a full text copy at the end of this booklet. In the centerfold, we have a Belonging Request Form to complete if you are interested in joining St. Aidan s through Baptism, Confirmation or Transferring from another church. As before, this resource is available on our web page, on Facebook, and in print form. Shalom and enjoy the journey! St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 3 of 56

4 Day 1: God Week 1: God, Jesus, Spirit God is Holy Mystery, beyond complete knowledge, above perfect description How do YOU think about God? Is God real like a toaster or like an object in the world? Or is God real like love and freedom and hope are real? There are two different ways of thinking about God. The first way says that we can use images to describe God. For example, God is like a rock, a shield, a fortress. Or, God is like a father, a mother, a friend, a king. Or, God is like water, fire, wind or light. The opposite extreme in thinking about God is to say that God can never be reduced to mere words. Reverent, loving silence may be the most appropriate response to God. How do YOU think about God? St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 4 of 56

5 Day 2: God We speak of God as one and triune: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We also speak of God as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer; God, Christ, and Spirit; Mother, Friend and Comforter; Source of Life, Living Word, and Bond of Love How do you understand God being both One and Three? (Triune) How would you explain it to someone else? What place does the three in one God have in your faith? Is trinity (triune) theory a problem or a blessing to your understanding of God? Why? St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 5 of 56

6 Day 3: Jesus We sing of Jesus, a Jew, born to a woman in poverty in a time of social upheaval and political oppression. He knew human joy and sorrow. So filled with the Holy Spirit was he, that in him people experienced the presence of God among them Tell me the Stories of Jesus is a heritage hymn that has stood the test of time. When you think about Jesus, what story(ies) pop(s) into your mind? What do they mean to you? What do they call you to do? think? feel? St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 6 of 56

7 Day 4: Jesus We sing of Jesus raised from the dead In Jesus life, teaching, and self-offering, God empowers us to live in love In Jesus resurrection, God overcomes death. Nothing separates us from the love of God. The Risen Christ lives today, present to us and the source of our hope At St. Aidan s, we are on a journey of learning to love like Jesus. In any situation we face, we can ask the question, what would Jesus do? Can you recall and reflect on a difficult situation(s) you faced where asking that question could have helped or because, you asked that question, DID help? St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 7 of 56

8 Day 5: Spirit We sing of God the Spirit, who from the beginning has swept over the face of creation, animating all energy and matter and moving in the human heart. We sing of God the Spirit, faithful and untamable, who is creatively and redemptively active in the world Where do you see the Spirit active in the world? At St. Aidan s? In your life? St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 8 of 56

9 Day 6: Spirit We sing of the Spirit, who speaks our prayers of deepest longing and enfolds our concerns and confessions, transforming us and the world Offer in silence, or in written form, a prayer to the Spirit, speaking of your deepest longings and concerns this day. You might like to light a candle first, or put on some music that brings you to spirit before offering your prayer. I have a circular pottery friendship piece with room for a tea light in the center that was given to me by my niece. When I want to set the mood for talking to, or encountering the Spirit, I light the candle and sit in a favourite chair nearby St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 9 of 56

10 Day 7: Sabbath a time to rest, play and colour St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 10 of 56

11 Week 2: The Holy Bible Day 1 Scripture is our song for the journey, the living word passed on from generation to generation The stories of scripture have been passed down from one generation to another for more than 2000 years. What stories did your parents/grandparents/aunt/ uncle pass onto you when you were a child? How did they tell you the stories? What stories do you tell your children/nieces/nephews/grandchildren/next generation? How do you do it? St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 11 of 56

12 Day 2 Scripture is our song for the journey to guide and inspire, that we might wrestle a holy revelation for our time and place from the human experiences and cultural assumptions of another era How do you understand wrestling a holy revelation for our time and place from the human experiences and cultural assumptions of another era? Here is my attempt: The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John began as oral traditions and were written down sometime between 70 AD and 120 AD. They contain the cultural biases of first century Israel. In order to understand the real point of scripture we have to distinguish between what was the culture and what was the spiritual insight or surprise or teaching that was given. Then we look for how that spiritual point applies to life in the 21 st century. This is a key point of interpreting scripture. Our task is not to try to duplicate first century life but to apply an insight from the 1 st century to today. St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 12 of 56

13 Day 3 God calls us to be doers of the word and not hearers only Do you find it easy or difficult to be a doer of the word? Does scripture assist you in growing in your faith or get in your way? Can you recall (or look up) a piece of scripture that really resonates or speaks to you and one which is especially problematic? Does understanding the time and context in which the scripture was written help? St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 13 of 56

14 Day 4 The Spirit breathes revelatory power into scripture, bestowing upon it a unique and normative place in the life of the community. How do you relate to the Bible? Do you read it? What parts? Can you think of a time that something has been revealed to you through reading something in the Bible? What role do you think the Bible has and should have in St. Aidan s community? St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 14 of 56

15 Day 5 The Spirit judges us critically when we abuse scripture by interpreting it narrow-mindedly, using it as a tool of oppression, exclusion, or hatred. The wholeness of scripture testifies to the oneness and faithfulness of God. Can you think of a time in your life/ in your family s life when scripture has been used to oppress, exclude or feed hatred? What do you think it means to interpret scripture narrow mindedly? What do you think is meant by the phrase: the wholeness of scripture? The United Church believes that scripture is not to be taken literally that the stories contained are not factual but contain a spiritual truth for human living. How do you understand this distinction? St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 15 of 56

16 Day 6 The multiplicity of scripture testifies to its depth: two testaments, four gospels, contrasting points of view held in tension The two testaments used to be called the Old and New Testaments. Now we refer to them as the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible. Why do you think this change happened? If you wanted to, how might you go about learning this new terminology and how would you explain why you made the change? Are you aware of contrasting points of view in scripture? Of stories told more than once with different details? Do you have a particular story or teaching that is told more than once and differently that you like or find frustrating or perplexing? What is it and how do you understand your reaction? St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 16 of 56

17 Day 7: Sabbath a time to rest, play and colour St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 17 of 56

18 Week 3: World Wide Christian Fellowship Day 1 We are called together by Christ as a community of broken but hopeful believers, loving what he loved, living what he taught, striving to be faithful servants of God in our time and place We can always find a church somewhere, churches that have a common understanding. We are also in a World Wide Christian Fellowship of churches, which has committed itself to make visible our unity in Christ. That unity comes through worship and common life as well as witness and service to the world. What are your understandings of what a church is? What are some of the issues you think churches face? What issues do we face at St. Aidan s? St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 18 of 56

19 Day 2 Our living of the gospel makes us a part of this communion of saints, experiencing the fulfillment of God s reign even as we actively anticipate a new heaven and a new earth In order to be a part of this communion of saints, we need to be communal in our understandings and not separate. Divisions, such as the East-West Schism which saw two popes, result in divisions, not a communion of saints. Have you experienced divisions in your life? What about differences of opinion? Have these occurred in your personal and/ or church life? How have you resolved them? St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 19 of 56

20 Day 3: The church has not always lived up to its vision. It requires the Spirit to reorient it, helping it to live and emerging faith while honouring tradition, challenging it to live by grace rather than entitlement, for we are called to be a blessing to the earth The Protestant Reformation caused religious, political, intellectual and cultural upheaval that splintered Europe. The Reformation helped the church to reorient and the positive repercussions can be seen in the intellectual and cultural flourishing it inspired on all sides of the schism. Although it will not cause as much upheaval as the Reformation, we are currently undergoing a revision process to create a new vision for our church (and Cadboro Bay) that will result in changes for both our churches and perhaps even for the wider United Church. How do you see these changes helping us at St. Aidan s to be the best church we can be? St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 20 of 56

21 Day 4 We surrender ourselves to sin, a disposition revealed in selfishness, cowardice, or apathy, becoming bound and complacent in a web of false desires and wrong choices and we bring harm to ourselves and others Jesus, as well as His apostles, foretold that false teachers would arise, and indeed it is apparent from some of the New Testament epistles that these apostles had to fight against false teachers early on. We too are enticed by false teachers and false desires that can send us on a path away from God where we can do damage to ourselves and others. Can you recall an incident where you consciously made an unwise or blatantly wrong choice? How did you feel afterwards? How did you restore your connection to rightness, or right relationship with yourself, others, and God? St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 21 of 56

22 Day 5 The Spirit challenges us to celebrate the holy and not only in what is familiar, but also in that which seems foreign Many of the world s religions have similarities or commonalities so that we can acknowledge their disciples as peoples of faith. Although religions can have quite different goals, an understanding of the fundamental differences between them is one way of helping people from different religious traditions to work together and to belong. Have you had occasions to work with people from other faiths? Have you ever studied other religions in a course or workshop or on your own? What is your personal feeling about the connection between the world s religions? Could we ever all be ONE? St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 22 of 56

23 Day 6 He crossed barriers of race, class, culture and gender. He preached and practised unconditional love-love of God, love of neighbour, love of friend, love of enemy-and he commanded his followers to love one another as he loved them. It is in places of worship that Christians interact on a weekly basis. More importantly though, in our daily life, we are observed by our non- Christian neighbours, and then the reality of Christian fellowship is put to the test. Are we practicing what we preach? Are we extending Christian fellowship to all whom we meet and work with? What does worldwide fellowship mean to you? How have you (or we) expanded the borders beyond St. Aidan s walls to create a sense of belonging and fellowship to those in our world? St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 23 of 56

24 Day 7: Sabbath a time to rest, play and colour St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 24 of 56

25 Week 4: The United Church of Canada Day 1: How the United Church was formed: 1. Think back to what Canada was like in the early 1900 s immigration, populating the prairies and west coast, a cooperative spirit in a young country gave rise to co-ops, credit unions and a willingness for similar churches to work together. The Methodist, Presbyterian, and Congregational Union talked together for decades could they be more effective in global mission and local community development if they worked together? 2. A trial run was held in the Prairies and these three denominations formed Union churches because cooperation made sense to the local people 3. Sell the idea: By 1925 the Methodist Church in Canada, the Congregational Union of Church, the western Union Churches and 70% of the Presbyterian Church of Canada had agreed on a finely negotiated Basis of Union, and a structure. They approached the Government of Canada with a request to be officially constituted as The United Church of Canada. 4. On June 10, 1925, delegates from all the Denominations gathered in a hockey arena in Toronto, worshipped together and celebrated their inauguration. How Canadian is it that the church started in a hockey arena! 5. In 1968 the United Brethren Church joined the UCC. Between 1940 and 1970 talks took place between the UCC and the Anglican Church of Canada about a possible union but a decision was made not to amalgamate. Does this information change your understanding of The United Church of Canada? If so, how? If not, consider yourself a historian! St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 25 of 56

26 Day 2: Five United Church Controversies: 1. Church Union, 1925 Unity in order to accomplish God s work vs denomination identity was a key issue. In the end 30% of Presbyterians opted out 2. Ordination of women, 1936 again the Prairies led the way by proposing Lydia Gruchy to become the first woman to be ordained a United Church minister. Can you imagine how the debate went? 3. James G. Endicott, 1952 At the height of the Red Scare, a former UCC missionary in Korea, James Endicott (and son of a former Moderator), accused the United States of using chemical and biological weapons in the Korean War. Endicott was denounced by the church and branded a commie stooge and public enemy number One by the Canadian Media. The Prime Minister of Canada demanded his discipline. In 1982 after his accusations were proven, the General Council of the UCC apologized to him Were you aware of any of these events? How was your life affected by these events? St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 26 of 56

27 Day 3: United Church Controversies Continued 4. Ordination of Gays and Lesbians, 1988 After years of study, debate and prayer the UCC General Council voted that a person s sexual orientation would not be a barrier to ordination. Many members felt the UCC had lost its moral centre; others felt it was consistent with Jesus love for all who had been oppressed, excluded, or marginalized 5. Bill Phipps and the Resurrection of Jesus, 1997 Past Moderator, the Rev. Bill Phipps made nationwide headlines when he told an Ottawa paper that he did not interpret the resurrection of Jesus as a literal resuscitation of a dead body. His comments sparked wide debate and a public perception was created that the UCC does not have any firm beliefs, anyway Do you remember these controversies? What did you think at the time? How has your thinking changed, if it has? St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 27 of 56

28 Day 4: 3 Innovations 1. Overseas personnel rather than missionaries - The United Church phased out the term missionary when they changed the manner in which United Church people served overseas. Missionary had the sense of The UCC sending someone to a mission field to do something to convert those in the receiving country. In the 1970 s the UCC changed the philosophy to one of being in partnership with the receiving country. Now we only go because the hosting church or organization requests someone. We function as a partner so only go if someone from the host church/organization is leading the project. We discover we learn and receive as much as we teach and give. 2. Inclusive Language in the s there was a growing social awareness of civil rights, women s rights and liberation movements amongst poor people in Central America. The United Church actively promoted inclusive language, not only for human beings, but also in the way we speak about God. It was a time of great experimentation and exploration as people looked anew at scripture to find alternative images. It was a rich time as people rediscovered the ways other generations and people had described God. Unfortunately there was a bit of a backlash as some folks objected to the move away from God the father as the predominant image. 3. A New Creed - In 1968 the UCC adopted a new creed that has been welcomed throughout the world wide Christian community. How were you involved in any of these innovations? Can you think of other ways you thing the UCC has been innovative? St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 28 of 56

29 Day 5: Six Statements of Faith for The United Church 1. Apostles Creed: about the third Century a historic creed seldom used in United Churches now 2. Nicene Creed: 325 CE Another historic creed written in Emperor Constantine s time to unite the early Christian church. Many people believe this is the start of Christendom an establishment Christianity that focused more on pleasing worldly leaders and less on the teachings of Jesus Articles of Faith from the United Church Basis of Union: 1925 The United Church of Canada does not subscribe to any particular statement of faith, but these historic agreements tell how our founders came to a place of agreement as the foundation of church union. 4. Statement of Faith: 1940 The writers of this statement believed that each new generation is called to state the gospel afresh in terms of the thoughts and events of the times in which they live. This was a reaffirmation of faith after the perils of WWII. 5. A New Creed: 1968 (on the cover page of booklet) This short, poetic statement is much loved in United Church circles and far beyond. 6. A Song of Faith: 2006 (at the back of the booklet): A long, poetic statement that speaks to the wide diversity of faith articulation in the United Church in this new century. If you hear contradictions in it, don t be surprised. The church is full of people with contrary beliefs. This is the strength and the weakness of being a free church that does not insist its members subscribe to a certain set of beliefs. Do you recognize any of these statements? How did you encounter them? Google any that you want to explore further. St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 29 of 56

30 Day 6: Restructuring The United Church is currently undergoing a re-structuring. In the old model, there were 4 Councils who had unique and overlapping responsibilities: General Council (from the Presbyterians), Conference (from the Methodists), Presbytery (from the Presbyterians) and Congregations (which take after the Congregational church model). The new model will have 3 Councils named: Denominational Council (the national expression), Regions ( of which there are 17 across Canada) and Congregations. A Moderator will continue to be elected every 3 years and is the titular head of the church Have you ever had anything to do with a presbytery? Will you miss that organization or not? Have you ever had anything to do with a Moderator? St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 30 of 56

31 Week 5: St. Aidan s United Church DAY 1: Origins We sing of God s mission For the sake of the world, God calls all followers of Jesus to Christian ministry. In 1873, St. Aidan s began its life as a mission church for St. Andrew s Presbyterian Church downtown. In 1925, St. Aidan s became a United Church although St. Andrew s in downtown Victoria remains Presbyterian to this day. In the 1980s, St. Aidan s sponsored a boat family from Vietnam. Kiem Nguyen became our caretaker and he and his family lived in the old manse (now the site of the condo building facing Cedar Hill Cross Road). More recently we sponsored the Mukahanana family from Zimbabwe and in the past few years, we co-sponsored a family from Syria. Reflection: We began as a mission church 145 years ago. Do you think we still are a mission church? If so, what is our mission and how do you see us carrying that out? If not, what in your opinion would we need to change to reclaim the characteristic of a mission church? What is your mission as you learn to love like Jesus? St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 31 of 56

32 DAY 2: Who is Aidan? We cannot keep from singing with the Church throughout the ages Our ancestors in faith bequeath to us experiences of their faithful living; upon their lives, our lives are built Aidan of Lindisfarne (died 31 August 651) was an Irish monk and missionary credited with restoring Christianity to Northumbria. He founded a monastic cathedral on the island of Lindisfarne, known as Lindisfarne Priory, served as its first bishop, and travelled ceaselessly throughout the countryside, spreading the gospel to both the Anglo- Saxon nobility and to the socially disenfranchised (including children and slaves).he is known as the Apostle of Northumbria and is recognised as a saint by the Eastern Orthodox, the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion and others More info at this site Reflection/Questions: Who are the saints in your life both living and dead? What makes someone a saint in your eyes? OR: Write a job description for a saint! You might begin it with, SAINTS WANTED must be (continue with a list of qualities that you deem worthy of sainthood. St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 32 of 56

33 DAY 3: Core Values We sing of a Church seeking to continue the story of Jesus by embodying Christ s presence in the world We call St. Aidan s a Center for Spiritual Learning and Living. Our mission is life-changing ministry for all through Jesus Christ. Our Core Values are hospitality, inclusiveness, spiritual growth, and reaching out. Reflection/Questions: Which of these four resonates most with you and why? Which one is the most challenging for you and why? Can you suggest some other core values worth considering? OR If, as Carl Jung proposes, the goal of the second half of life is to develop the other side of our personality that side that does not come as naturally to us what qualities would you name there and which one would you most like to focus on developing? Some ideas becoming more patient (right now!), becoming less judgmental, etc. St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 33 of 56

34 DAY 4: Affirming Ministry Carrying a vision of creation healed and restored, we welcome all in the name of Christ. After a year of prayer, exploration, study and reflection, in 2011 the congregation voted 80% in favour of adopting this statement of faith: We the congregation of St. Aidan s United Church declare publicly our commitment to creating a community where all people, especially the marginalized, are welcomed and celebrated regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, age, mental or physical ability, gender, spiritual beliefs, ethnic or cultural background, marital status or economic circumstance We strive to live God s vision of wholeness and as a sign that Christ s community is one of acceptance and love for all people. The congregation s decision to become an Affirming Ministry means that St. Aidan s considers itself committed to being a fully inclusive congregation. Reflection/Questions: How well do you feel we are doing at St. Aidan s with our commitment to being a truly inclusive church? Are there any aspects of our statement of faith (above) with which you still struggle? St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 34 of 56

35 DAY 5: Disciples and Apostles To embody God s love in the world, the work of the church requires the ministry and discipleship of all believers We are all called to be disciples (and, in Mark s words, apostles too) of Jesus. Our paths of discipleship and apostleship are as different as we humans are one from another. Reflection/Questions: What path or paths would you like your discipleship to take? Or what paths has it taken throughout the years of your life? Write a short letter to God/Holy One/Spirit use whatever word most resonates with you asking for guidance and support along your journey of discipleship. St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 35 of 56

36 DAY 6: Ethos of St. Aidan s In the church, some are called to specific ministries of leaderships, both lay and ordered; some witness to good news; some uphold the art of worship; some comfort the grieving and guide the wandering; some build up the community of wisdom; some stand with the oppressed and work for justice St. Aidan s is a busy place that seems always to be on the move. Many varied programs draw groups of people for study, fellowship, outreach, social justice, to name just a few. Reflection: What is it that brought you to St. Aidan s? What is keeping you here? How have you grown in your life of faith? What are some of the programs or groups that are especially important to you? What makes them important? To what ministry/ministries do you feel called? St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 36 of 56

37 Week 6: Gifts of the Spirit from the Song of Faith We are each given particular gifts of the Spirit We sing of God s good news lived out, a church with purpose: faith nurtured and hearts comforted, gifts shared for the good of all We ask that you ponder this Song of Faith quote as you complete the daily tasks this week Day 1 Write down a list of Spiritual Gifts found in these scriptures: Romans 12: 3 8 Corinthians 12: 1 11 Ephesians 4: 1 16 You can use BibleGateway.com to look up scripture verses. St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 37 of 56

38 Day 2 The Holy Spirit gives gifts to the Body of Christ. What is this Holy Spirit? What names does Jesus give to the Spirit? Read John 14: 15 21; 15: 26 & 27; 16: List the names and the work of the Holy Spirit. St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 38 of 56

39 Day 3 What did the Holy Spirit do in the life and ministry of Jesus? Read: Matthew 12: 28 Luke 1: 35 Luke 3: 21, 22 and 4: 18 Luke 4: 1 John 16: 14 Romans 8: 11 Hebrews 9: 14 St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 39 of 56

40 Day 4 What is the work of the Holy Spirit in a Christian life? Read: John 3: 5, 8 John 16: 8 11 Acts 2: 38 Romans 15: 16 1 Corinthians 12: 12 & 13 Ephesians 5: 18 Hebrews 9: 14 St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 40 of 56

41 Day 5 Describe your relationship with the Holy Spirit and circle the words that best reflect that relationship. WARM CLOSE FRIEND COUNSELOR COMFORTER JOYFUL EXCITED GIFTED CLEANSED PURIFIED TEACHING REFRESHED INSPIRED MOTIVATED ENCOURAGED AFFIRMED CONVICTING LOVING KIND COMPASSIONATE St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 41 of 56

42 Day 6 What do I know about Spiritual Gifts? + think about one spiritual gift you know a lot about. + think about one spiritual gift you are unfamiliar with. St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 42 of 56

43 Song of Faith God is Holy Mystery, beyond complete knowledge, above perfect description. Yet, in love, the one eternal God seeks relationship. So God creates the universe and with it the possibility of being and relating. God tends the universe, mending the broken and reconciling the estranged. God enlivens the universe, guiding all things toward harmony with their Source. Grateful for God s loving action, We cannot keep from singing. With the Church through the ages, we speak of God as one and triune: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We also speak of God as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer God, Christ, and Spirit Mother, Friend, and Comforter Source of Life, Living Word, and Bond of Love, and in other ways that speak faithfully of the One on whom our hearts rely, the fully shared life at the heart of the universe. We witness to Holy Mystery that is Wholly Love. God is creative and self-giving, generously moving St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 43 of 56

44 in all the near and distant corners of the universe. Nothing exists that does not find its source in God. Our first response to God s providence is gratitude. We sing thanksgiving. Finding ourselves in a world of beauty and mystery, of living things, diverse and interdependent, of complex patterns of growth and evolution, of subatomic particles and cosmic swirls, we sing of God the Creator, the Maker and Source of all that is. Each part of creation reveals unique aspects of God the Creator, who is both in creation and beyond it. All parts of creation, animate and inanimate, are related. All creation is good. We sing of the Creator, who made humans to live and move and have their being in God. In and with God, we can direct our lives toward right relationship with each other and with God. We can discover our place as one strand in the web of life. We can grow in wisdom and compassion. We can recognize all people as kin. We can accept our mortality and finitude, not as a curse, but as a challenge to make our lives and choices matter. Made in the image of God, we yearn for the fulfillment that is life in God. Yet we choose to turn away from God. We surrender ourselves to sin, a disposition revealed in selfishness, cowardice, or apathy. St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 44 of 56

45 Becoming bound and complacent in a web of false desires and wrong choices, we bring harm to ourselves and others. This brokenness in human life and community is an outcome of sin. Sin is not only personal but accumulates to become habitual and systemic forms of injustice, violence, and hatred. We are all touched by this brokenness: the rise of selfish individualism that erodes human solidarity; the concentration of wealth and power without regard for the needs of all; the toxins of religious and ethnic bigotry; the degradation of the blessedness of human bodies and human passions through sexual exploitation; the delusion of unchecked progress and limitless growth that threatens our home, the earth; the covert despair that lulls many into numb complicity with empires and systems of domination. We sing lament and repentance. Yet evil does not cannot undermine or overcome the love of God. God forgives, and calls all of us to confess our fears and failings with honesty and humility. God reconciles, and calls us to repent the part we have played in damaging our world, ourselves, and each other. St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 45 of 56

46 God transforms, and calls us to protect the vulnerable, to pray for deliverance from evil, to work with God for the healing of the world, that all might have abundant life. We sing of grace. The fullness of life includes moments of unexpected inspiration and courage lived out, experiences of beauty, truth, and goodness, blessings of seeds and harvest, friendship and family, intellect and sexuality, the reconciliation of persons through justice and communities living in righteousness, and the articulation of meaning. And so we sing of God the Spirit, who from the beginning has swept over the face of creation, animating all energy and matter and moving in the human heart. We sing of God the Spirit, faithful and untamable, who is creatively and redemptively active in the world. The Spirit challenges us to celebrate the holy not only in what is familiar, but also in that which seems foreign. We sing of the Spirit, who speaks our prayers of deepest longing and enfolds our concerns and confessions, transforming us and the world. St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 46 of 56

47 We offer worship as an outpouring of gratitude and awe and a practice of opening ourselves to God s still, small voice of comfort, to God s rushing whirlwind of challenge. Through word, music, art, and sacrament, in community and in solitude, God changes our lives, our relationships, and our world. We sing with trust. Scripture is our song for the journey, the living word passed on from generation to generation to guide and inspire, that we might wrestle a holy revelation for our time and place from the human experiences and cultural assumptions of another era. God calls us to be doers of the word and not hearers only. The Spirit breathes revelatory power into scripture, bestowing upon it a unique and normative place in the life of the community. The Spirit judges us critically when we abuse scripture by interpreting it narrow-mindedly, using it as a tool of oppression, exclusion, or hatred. The wholeness of scripture testifies to the oneness and faithfulness of God. The multiplicity of scripture testifies to its depth: two testaments, four gospels, contrasting points of view held in tension all a faithful witness to the One and Triune God, the Holy Mystery that is Wholly Love. St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 47 of 56

48 We find God made known in Jesus of Nazareth, and so we sing of God the Christ, the Holy One embodied. We sing of Jesus, a Jew, born to a woman in poverty in a time of social upheaval and political oppression. He knew human joy and sorrow. So filled with the Holy Spirit was he that in him people experienced the presence of God among them. We sing praise to God incarnate. Jesus announced the coming of God s reign a commonwealth not of domination but of peace, justice, and reconciliation. He healed the sick and fed the hungry. He forgave sins and freed those held captive by all manner of demonic powers. He crossed barriers of race, class, culture, and gender. He preached and practised unconditional love love of God, love of neighbour, love of friend, love of enemy and he commanded his followers to love one another as he had loved them. Because his witness to love was threatening, those exercising power sought to silence Jesus. He suffered abandonment and betrayal, state-sanctioned torture and execution. He was crucified. But death was not the last word. St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 48 of 56

49 God raised Jesus from death, turning sorrow into joy, despair into hope. We sing of Jesus raised from the dead. We sing hallelujah. By becoming flesh in Jesus, God makes all things new. In Jesus life, teaching, and self-offering, God empowers us to live in love. In Jesus crucifixion, God bears the sin, grief, and suffering of the world. In Jesus resurrection, God overcomes death. Nothing separates us from the love of God. The Risen Christ lives today, present to us and the source of our hope. In response to who Jesus was and to all he did and taught, to his life, death, and resurrection, and to his continuing presence with us through the Spirit, we celebrate him as the Word made flesh, the one in whom God and humanity are perfectly joined, the transformation of our lives, the Christ. We sing of a church seeking to continue the story of Jesus by embodying Christ s presence in the world. St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 49 of 56

50 We are called together by Christ as a community of broken but hopeful believers, loving what he loved, living what he taught, striving to be faithful servants of God in our time and place. Our ancestors in faith bequeath to us experiences of their faithful living; upon their lives our lives are built. Our living of the gospel makes us a part of this communion of saints, experiencing the fulfillment of God s reign even as we actively anticipate a new heaven and a new earth. The church has not always lived up to its vision. It requires the Spirit to reorient it, helping it to live an emerging faith while honouring tradition, challenging it to live by grace rather than entitlement, for we are called to be a blessing to the earth. We sing of God s good news lived out, a church with purpose: faith nurtured and hearts comforted, gifts shared for the good of all, resistance to the forces that exploit and marginalize, fierce love in the face of violence, human dignity defended, members of a community held and inspired by God, corrected and comforted, instrument of the loving Spirit of Christ, creation s mending. We sing of God s mission. St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 50 of 56

51 We are each given particular gifts of the Spirit. For the sake of the world, God calls all followers of Jesus to Christian ministry. In the church, some are called to specific ministries of leadership, both lay and ordered; some witness to the good news; some uphold the art of worship; some comfort the grieving and guide the wandering; some build up the community of wisdom; some stand with the oppressed and work for justice. To embody God s love in the world, the work of the church requires the ministry and discipleship of all believers. In grateful response to God s abundant love, we bear in mind our integral connection to the earth and one another; we participate in God s work of healing and mending creation. To point to the presence of the holy in the world, the church receives, consecrates, and shares visible signs of the grace of God. In company with the churches of the Reformed and Methodist traditions, we celebrate two sacraments as gifts of Christ: baptism and holy communion. In these sacraments the ordinary things of life water, bread, wine point beyond themselves to God and God s love, teaching us to be alert to the sacred in the midst of life. St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 51 of 56

52 Before conscious thought or action on our part, we are born into the brokenness of this world. Before conscious thought or action on our part, we are surrounded by God s redeeming love. Baptism by water in the name of the Holy Trinity is the means by which we are received, at any age, into the covenanted community of the church. It is the ritual that signifies our rebirth in faith and cleansing by the power of God. Baptism signifies the nurturing, sustaining, and transforming power of God s love and our grateful response to that grace. Carrying a vision of creation healed and restored, we welcome all in the name of Christ. Invited to the table where none shall go hungry, we gather as Christ s guests and friends. In holy communion we are commissioned to feed as we have been fed, forgive as we have been forgiven, love as we have been loved. The open table speaks of the shining promise of barriers broken and creation healed. In the communion meal, wine poured out and bread broken, we remember Jesus. We remember not only the promise but also the price that he paid for who he was, for what he did and said, and for the world s brokenness. We taste the mystery of God s great love for us, and are renewed in faith and hope. St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 52 of 56

53 We place our hope in God. We sing of a life beyond life and a future good beyond imagining: a new heaven and a new earth, the end of sorrow, pain, and tears, Christ s return and life with God, the making new of all things. We yearn for the coming of that future, even while participating in eternal life now. Divine creation does not cease until all things have found wholeness, union, and integration with the common ground of all being. As children of the Timeless One, our time-bound lives will find completion in the all-embracing Creator. In the meantime, we embrace the present, embodying hope, loving our enemies, caring for the earth, choosing life. Grateful for God s loving action, we cannot keep from singing. Creating and seeking relationship, in awe and trust, we witness to Holy Mystery who is Wholly Love. Amen. (United Church of Canada 2006) St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 53 of 56

54 A New Creed We are not alone, we live in God s world. We believe in God: who has created and is creating, who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh, to reconcile and make new, who works in us and others by the Spirit. We trust in God. We are called to be the Church: to celebrate God s presence, to live with respect in Creation, to love and serve others, to seek justice and resist evil, to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen, our judge and our hope. In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone. United Church of Canada 1968 St. Aidan s Belonging Study Guide April-May 2018 Page 54 of 56

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