If you ever read the Church Fathers, one of the most impressive things you'll notice is their ability to recall scripture. Their minds were saturated with the words, stories, and images of the Bible. When they spoke, they spoke with words that were shaped by the Bible. When they read the Bible, they read it in light of all the other parts of the Bible that had taken residence in their hearts. This is even more impressive when you remember the context. They couldn't Google a question they couldn't answer. They couldn't look for a passage in an index. They didn't have chapter and verse markers. Instead, they had God's word planted in their hearts and minds.
In our context, memory matters less. I can look up anything I need, from a recipe to a verse reference. The ability to remember is just not as important.
The only problem is that's not true, at least not for scripture. God's words aren't just data that inform us. They're the seeds the Spirit plants to bear God's fruit in our lives. We need them because our hearts and minds need to be made new.
As we go through John in Bible study this year, I'm going to record memory verse songs and store them in a Google drive here. My hope is that these simple songs can open doors and windows in our hearts for His word.
Justin+
Scripture Relfections
Last month, Steven+ showed us from the story of the Israelites how God sometimes brings us through difficulties, and even lets us remain in need or with unmet desires, as a test. Will we cry out to him? I was convicted as the Lord showed me how often I spent my time complaining or worrying when I ought to be crying out to him. He’s not offended that I find parts of my current situation difficult and hard to bear, or that I wonder how long it will be before he provides for me; rather, he desires that I bring my difficulties and my questions to him. We see this clearly in the Psalms, in the words the Lord gave to the psalmists—and through them, to us—to pray, to use when we come to him. The beginning of Psalm 13, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?” is one example, but searching for the phrase “How long, O Lord?” brought up a long list of similar cries throughout the Psalms, spoken by many of the prophets, and even echoed again in Revelation 6:9-10:
When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
These redeemed souls are crying out to God for their as yet unmet need for justice! My unmet needs are rather little in comparison, but clearly there is no sin in bringing them (and my desire to see them met, my suffering in the continuing neediness) to my Father. No, the sin, as Steven+ showed us from the sins of Israel in the desert, is in not crying out, not turning to him as our Provider, our good Father. For in crying out to God, we are trusting him.
Jesus’ haunting words on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” are words of incredible trust. Our Savior, the only One who has ever experienced the true, full silence of God, cried out to his Father when even breathing was torturous pain. What must it have cost him to cry out at that moment? To acknowledge before the watching crowds that his Father is not coming to save him from death? He cries out to the only One who saves, and as he dies he commits his Spirit to his Father’s hands, still trusting. And our Father, in raising his Son from the dead, has proven himself truly, fully trustworthy for all time!
We are beloved of our Father, and in the Risen, Beloved One we have life, and life abundantly. As we open our hearts to our Father, as we cry out to him for even what we are ashamed to need, ashamed to find difficult, may he give us his joy and peace in believing.
Hannah
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
When I was 14 years old, I started volunteering in the nursery and then, a year later, became the assistant teacher in a PreK. I have been volunteering in children's ministry ever since—serving in many churches and teaching various types of children's curricula. Fast forward to four years ago: Steven+ asked me to become Incarnation's Children's Minister. When we first met to talk about our curriculum, he was very open to me searching for whatever was the best fit for Incarnation and suggested that I look into Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) during my research. I had never heard of it but was willing to look into anything! I took to the internet and read what I could. I learned that CGS is a Montessori-based faith formation program, but couldn't find a lot of information online. I reached out to the Lead Catechist at Church of the Redeemer in Greensboro (they use CGS) and asked if I could meet with her. She eagerly agreed, and I drove down to meet with her.
When I walked into the space (called the Atrium), I knew I had walked into a sacred space. The primary goal of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is to "foster the child's relationship with God and to prepare them for greater participation in the life of the church." That's what I saw when I walked into that Atrium; I saw a place where children could come to encounter God on their own terms. It was a sacred space, prepared specifically for children at their developmental stage, a space where children could come to understand both scripture and liturgy. This is something I see every week in our Atrium—children encountering God and growing in love and understanding for Him. It is such a gift to be present for these moments and to be a vessel the Holy Spirit uses to draw the children to the Good Shepherd.
CGS was created in Italy in the 1950's by two women, one who was a theologian with her doctorate in Hebrew and the other who had worked with and studied under Maria Montessori as she developed the Montessori Method of education. CGS gets its name from the parable of the Good Shepherd in John 10, where Jesus says that he is the Good Shepherd and calls his sheep by name and they respond to him. This is the core of CGS—with each scripture reading the children receive, they are called to listen to God's voice and then to respond to him. Each lesson, we declare God's words, relying directly on scripture and expecting the Holy Spirit to be the true Teacher. We declare the word to children, as it is written, giving them what is most essential. Next, we provide physical materials that correspond with the child's developmental stage. Sometimes these look like dioramas, a miniature altar, matching cards, or large timelines. The materials vary greatly, but are always meant to provide what is essential for the child. These materials become tools for prayer and contemplation, and the children return to them often, contemplating the scripture and coming to know Jesus better.
Serving in the Atrium has been a gift to me and the other catechists. We have each seen our own understanding and relationship with Christ deepen through this work. The Atrium truly is a sacred space, a place where all who enter are called to a deeper relationship with the Good Shepherd. Incarnation currently offers Level I (3-6 year olds) during the service every Sunday (until the Passing of the Peace) and Levels II and III (6-9, and 9-12, respectively) during the Sunday School hour. Please don't hesitate the reach out to me if you are curious about CGS, I love talking about this!
Katherine