Lifelong Faith Formation

Volume 15| March 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:

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

Life of Faith Initiative

Update

Faith Practice for All Seasons

Easter: Alive With Christ

Faith Practice #1 - (An activity for family or any small group)

A Walk in the Garden, looking for God in Creation

God has created a beautiful world for us to enjoy and care for. God inhabits all of creation, including all of us and nature. We can find God’s fingerprints on everything if we look for them. This is how we live out our faith daily: by staying alert to the beauty around us and finding ways to care for this beautiful place we call home. Read the Bible verses together before heading for a walk in your neighborhood or park. (make a copy of the verses to take with you if you’d like)

Job 12:7-9

But ask the animals, and they will teach you;

the birds of the air, and they will tell you;

ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you;

and the fish of the sea will declare to you.

Who among all these does not know

that the hand of the Lord has done this?

Luke 12:27

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.

Think about the Bible verses as you walk, keeping your eyes open for something you can take to remind you of God’s love for you and the earth, all of creation. It might be a small rock, twig, leaf, pine cone, acorn…something from nature. Or take a picture instead, write down a few words, and draw a picture.

After everyone has found something, say a quick prayer of thanks. Then head back home to make a collage of things or pictures so you can remember how much you and all creation are loved by God.

Faith Practice 2: (An Intergenerational Activity)

Remember Your Baptism

Many of us were baptized as infants or small children, so remembering our baptism is more about retelling the story told to us by our siblings and parents. If you were older when the Pastor sprinkled your head, poured water, or leaned back into the water, you will have a different experience of remembering the words and the feelings that went along with this ancient Christian rite.

From the ELW, from the rite of Holy Baptism: “Child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked by the cross of Christ forever.” It’s so wonderful to relive our baptisms at the baptisms in our communities! To hear the words again, the promises made by the parents and the community when the child is too young to make the promises themselves.

So, how do we continue to remember our baptisms?

Here are a few ways:

The Baptismal Font

As you enter the sanctuary, intentionally dip your fingers in the water, making the sign of the cross on your forehead or your heart. You are sealed with the cross of Christ forever.

Bathing

Most of us start the day with a bath or shower. Use these waters as a reminder of a new day with Jesus Christ.

Like the Rev. Adam Hamilton of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, you can make a waterproof card to hang in your shower to remind you of your baptism into the family of Christ. The prayer reads, "Lord, as I enter the water to bathe, I remember my baptism. Wash me by your grace. Fill me with your Spirit. Renew my soul. I pray I might live as your child today and honor you in all I do." Or you could make a symbol of your own instead of a prayer.

Admiring a Good Rainfall: It rains on all of us equally when it rains. Remember those without good water sources as you thank God for this life-giving necessity.

Spending a day at the Lake or Beach. Take time to admire the beauty and life of a large body of water, remembering those who are dependent on these waters for their livelihood as you remember your own dependence on God, who refreshes you and loves you as a child of God’s own.

Ask your community to find ways to celebrate the waters of baptism in new and playful ways as you walk into the Easter season of renewal and life.

Lord God, we thank you for your invitation to be your child in the waters of baptism. Help us find new ways to remember the promises we made on our behalf to care for others and love You and Your creation. Amen

Faith Practice 3: (for the family)

Day 3 - From River of Life VBS Materials

elca.org/hunger/resources

God claims.

The lesson of the Day: God claims us and calls us beloved. In baptism, God claimed Jesus as God’s son and called him beloved. We are also God’s children and beloved of God. Baptism helps remind us of this. Even if we aren’t baptized, God still loves us.

Opening Activity

Use this opening time to talk about each person’s name. If doing VBS at home with family, talk with children about where their names come from and what they mean. Invite the children to share what they like about their names. If your VBS is online, invite the online participants to share their names and say what they like about their names. If the children use a nickname for themselves, ask them to share it and how they got it. Invite adults to share their names and, if possible, to share the story of where their name comes from and what it means to them.

Bible Reading

Read Matthew 3:13-15.

Ask: Why didn’t John want to baptize Jesus? What was Jesus’ response?

Read Matthew 3:16-17.

Ask: What happened at Jesus’ baptism? What did God call Jesus? What do you think “beloved” means? Who might call you “beloved”? Who might you call your “beloved”?

Share: Earlier, we talked about our names and what they mean. Another “name” we have is “child of God.” Just as our name was given to us by someone else, the name “child of God” was given to us by God. We cannot change it or lose it; it is God’s name for us forever.

Closing Prayer

Dear God, thank you for claiming us as your children and calling us beloved. Today, we thank you for the people we love—especially those we are naming now. Be with us today as we learn about your children near and far. Amen.

Journal Activity

In their journals, invite children to draw a picture of themselves. For young children, this can be as simple as a face or a stick figure. Once they are finished, invite them (or help young children) to write the words “Child of God” at the top of the page. As they draw and finish, remind them that God claims all of us as God’s children, which means God loves and cares for us no matter where we are.

Elca.org has a wealth of resources for our communities. The VBS resources have snack recipes, crafts instruction, games, and lessons like the ones above from VBS River of Life.

Faith Practice 4: (a contemplative prayer activity for youth, adults, & seniors)

Contemplating Christ in a Blade of Grass

“Contemplative prayer, in my opinion, is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us.” - St. Teresa of Ávila

For this activity, you will need to find a place for your group to spread out and to sit quietly. The grass can be in the ground if that works, or your group can each find a blade to pluck and take with them.

Centering prayer is a way to allow God to be with us. It’s simply being quiet, finding interior silence that makes room for God.

Here is how to start:

1. Find a peaceful, quiet place to spread out

2. Set a timer. If your group is familiar with this type of prayer and has practiced it, set the timer for 20 minutes. If your group is new to this, try 10 mins. Choose an alarm that is gentle in sound.

3. Tell the group to take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Do this several times.

4. Have them gaze on the blade of grass, looking at it as a God-creation, holding the very spark of the divine.

5. Tell your group there is no objective to this except to be present to God.

6. If thoughts come to you, acknowledge them and send them away, returning to the blade of grass and God.

7. When the timer goes off, ask your group to Thank God and know that it was a good and sacred time.