Idea:
Fear, Love and Trust
back
Note: Exercises drawn from an
excellent, but out of print, resource entitled Connections: Faith and
Life. The curriculum was authored by Norma Cook Everist and Nelvin
Vos. It was published by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America, Division of Congregational Ministries.
Context: Consider using these
exercise as a warm-up to a meeting in your congregation (e.g., ministry
team, council, choir, etc.).
Part I
First, read aloud the First Commandment. You might also want
to include Martin Luther's one sentence explanation:
http://www.bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php#tencommandments
Second, give your group a few minutes to
reflect on the following questions:
- "In the middle of the night, as you
lie restless and awake, who or what is it that you fear above all
else?"
- "On the weekend, who or what do you
love?"
- "When you're faced with difficult
decisions, who or what do you trust above all else?"
Third, invite folk to partner with
someone they feel comfortable and then reflect on their responses in
relation to the First Commandment.
Part II
First, invite the group back together.
Second, ask the group to call out as
many advertising slogans as they can think of. Record the
responses on a large sheet of paper divided into two columns.
Third, select one slogan on the list
for further reflection. Write that slogan in the top left corner
of a new page that has been divided into two columns. Using the
following prompts you can then summarize the group's reflections in the
column beneath the slogan.
- "What does this slogan really mean?"
- "To what is it appealing?"
- What assumptions does it make about
life and its meaning?
Fourth, at the top of the second column
write "Christian Faith". Invite the group to respond to each point
in the slogan column, asking questions like:
- "What does our faith say about
this?"
- "What are the implications of this
for our faith as Christians?"
|
