The Story
Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 10, 2020

Psalm 31:1-5,15-16

In you, O Lord, have I taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
deliver me in your righteousness. 
Incline your ear to me;
make haste to deliver me.

Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe,
for you are my crag and my stronghold;
for the sake of your name,
lead me and guide me.
Take me out of the net that they have secretly set for me,
for you are my tower of strength. 

Into your hands I commend my spirit,
for you have redeemed me, O Lord, O God of truth.
My times are in your hand;
rescue me from the hand of my enemies,
and from those who persecute me.

Make your face to shine upon your servant,
and in your loving-kindness save me.”

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Something to Do

Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe

For kids (probably…) – Build a fort. Use pillows or boxes or blankets or furniture. How does it feel to be in your fort? How is God’s love like a fort?

For crafters of all ages – Make a model castle. Use toilet paper/paper towel tubes and cereal boxes and sticks from the yard. Use whatever you can find! What does your castle look like? How does it represent the strong rock of God’s love?

For praying people of all ages – Use this image of God in your prayers this week. Address God as “My strong rock” and meditate on this aspect of God. See what emerges in your prayers.

Into your hands

Really examine your hands. Look closely at the lines and joints and shapes of them. Think of all the things your hands can do – holding and touching and moving and shaping the world around you in so many ways.

Trace or draw your hand. Pray with your hands open.

Now imagine yourself in God’s hands and rest.

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Something to Wonder

Make haste to deliver me

Have you ever felt that you were in danger or in need of rescue? What was the situation? Did you pray in that moment? If so, how did you pray or what did you say? How did you get out of that situation? Did you pray once you felt safe again? How/what?

Does the current situation feel dangerous to you? Why or why not?
Who (else) might feel endangered by the pandemic?

Can you see signs of God’s deliverance?

Make your face to shine upon your servant

What does a “shining face” look like?
What does is mean for God’s face to shine upon you? How would you know God’s face is shining upon you?

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Something to Learn

The Psalms

The Psalms are a collection of poems, prayers, and songs that speak to human emotions and communal experiences. They do not shy away from the highest of highs or the lowest of lows and offer us examples of praise, lament, anger, and hope.

The Bible Project video on the Psalms offers an accessible introduction to the structure of the book as a whole.

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Deeper Dive

For something a bit more rigorous (and portable), try listening to this interview with Old Testament scholar Walter Breuggeman on the topic of the psalms, which he calls “subversive and countercultural”.

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Something to Pray

Holy God, we do not always understand your word or your ways. 
Give us wisdom and imagination and courage as we learn and grow. 

The story this week has made me wonder about…
         (what questions are still on your heart?)
Receive my questions and help me hear your answers.

The story this week has filled me with…
         (how are you feeling?)
Accept my praise, heal my hurt, ease my worry.

The story this week has reminded me of…
         (are there situations or people you are thinking of?)
Be with all who are in need of you.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.

The Story
Fourth Sunday of Easter
May 3, 2020

Acts 2:42-47

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. 

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Something to Do

Glad and Generous Hearts

The vision of the earliest community of Christians is so beautiful – people gathering together with joy and love to worship and study and take care of one another. It is the vision we have for own communities, too, even if we sometimes also squabble or worry more about ourselves than other people. And these days, we miss being together whether happy or grumpy – but we can still have glad and generous hearts when we hold one another close in Spirit.

Reach out to someone in your church family. Send an email or make a phone call or – gasp – send a letter. If there is someone you would like to contact but you don’t know how, contact the office or your priest to pass on your message. Gladden someone else’s heart and find your own heart gladdened in the process.

Glad and generous hearts

There are people in the community who are experiencing real difficulty right now. If you are able, offer some of what you have to help by making a donation. Some possible options:

• Ottawa Food Bank
• PWRDF COVID-19 Response
• Community Ministries

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Something to Wonder

Awe came upon everyone

The life of this community can be counted as one of (perhaps even the greatest) of the signs and wonders performed by the apostles in the power of the Spirit. We know that it cannot simply be the work of people – and we know that it doesn’t last in quite such a perfect form (just read Paul’s letters!).

• What do you imagine it would have been like to be part of it, for however long it lasted?
• What parts of it sounds wonderful to you? What parts sound less so?

Community Dreams

What would your ideal community of the Spirit involve? What aspects of that dream can you work towards?

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Something to Learn

Utopias & Intentional Communities

There is a long and ongoing tradition of Christians seeking to create communities that live up to the vision of the Gospel. This collection of articles includes historical overviews and reflections from both historical and current members of intentional communities.

Utopia: Nine of the most miserable attempts to create idealized societies from The Independent
“…some “intentional communities”, as those who study them like to call them, have flourished. But here are a few, imagined and historical, that show how acting on a dream can sometimes land you in a nightmare.”

The Return of the Utopians from The New Yorker
“Contradiction and hypocrisy have always hovered over the utopian project, shadowing its promise of a better world with the sordid realities of human nature. ”

A How-to for Intentional Christian Community A Q&A with David Janzen
“The Holy Spirit is using the longing for community that is universal in human beings, along with the specific cultural forces in our time to call people to this more intentional way of community life as disciples of Jesus.”

Living in Community A collection of essays on Plough, the publishing arm of one of the oldest intentional community networks, Bruderhof.

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Something to Pray

Holy God, we do not always understand your word or your ways. 
Give us wisdom and imagination and courage as we learn and grow. 

The story this week has made me wonder about…
         (what questions are still on your heart?)
Receive my questions and help me hear your answers.

The story this week has filled me with…
         (how are you feeling?)
Accept my praise, heal my hurt, ease my worry.

The story this week has reminded me of…
         (are there situations or people you are thinking of?)
Be with all who are in need of you.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.