spark faith
Abide in Me
“ Abide in me, as I also abide in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must abide in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15: 4-9
PART ONE
imagination
The imagination is a powerful tool – we use it all the time. This week we are going to explore how faith can be sparked through the imagination. God gave us the imagination to move through life.
THE SOURCE
Madeline L Engle
“In a very real sense, not one of us is qualified, but it seems that God continually
chooses the most unqualified to do his work, to bear his glory. If we are qualified, we tend to think that we have done the job ourselves. If we are forced to accept our evident lack of qualification, then there’s no danger that we will confuse God's work with our own or God’s glory with our own.”
assess + confess
Expectations of self and ministry.
Expectations of God as he relates to your vision.
Gospel vision that includes play and curiosity?
Baptismal prayer
All praise and thanks to you, most merciful Father, for adopting us as your own children, for incorporating us into your holy Church, and for making us worthy to share in the inheritance of the saints in light; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
STORIED PEOPLE
“We are soaked to the bone in story”.
Stories give us meaning and help us make sense of the world.
The stories are for us too!
STORIED PEOPLE
The future of the church and GenZ/Alpha/Beta have more to do with our own imaginations and trust in God’s story – do we “grownups” trust that God is seeking our people just as he pursued each of us. And when we are talking about HOPE - we must remain close to the source – which is rooted in the story.
HOPE + STORY
Offer them the possibility of imagining life tethered to hope.
What kids and parents needs most is to be pulled out of themselves and be reminded that their story has been written…and will be formed by the contours of life. Faith communities and creativity are unique environments in which we can be the wind for our kids as they grow into themselves- we don’t want them to crumble with no ONE to turn to.
We want to cover them in the promises of God rooting them deep in hope.
ACTIVITY (1)
How are we storing ourselves?
Pull out your notebooks – grab a fun tool
STEP 1 - SELF IMAGE STEP 2 - BURDENED SELF STEP 3 - FREED SELF
STEP 4 - HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE STORIED
SET THE CAPTIVES FREE
We lose the freedom that sets us all free – we reach up – we shift from the seat of the creature to CREATOR – which is a weight and burden none of us can bear or have been asked to.
We are simply called to share God’s story – the stories that set us free – and assure our kids of God’s promises over them.
PART TWO
Did you know?
“We are all participating in a larger creative act we are not conducting. We are being conducted”
Staying Connected
Connection begins with clarity.
Where have my kids/church become an extension of myself?
How do I imagine they will pave the way?
ACTIVITY (2)
ASSES AND CONFESS….
WHERE ARE WE REACHING UP?
DOES YOUR IMAGINATION NEED TO BE REORIENTED?
WHICH STORY CAPTURED YOUR GOSPEL IMAGINATION
Road Blocks
The whispers of the snake enter– ever so quietly asking…”are the stories really enough?” not just for our kids, but ourselves.
When this lie creeps in…and we hope for “proof” of faith – our approach towards them is covered in fear and not freedom. And we all know when fear takes the front step – our relationships are bound with half truths and disconnection.
The devil would have you believe that the stories are not enough and would have you imagine your kids/Gen Z/the church being cut off from God – causing us to forget that God is abiding in us and we will never be forsaken.
“The devil is in the details, but so is Jesus.”
hang on tight
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
What we have to offer the next generation through creativity are the stories that have the power to tether us to the one calling us each by name – the stories that brought us here – the stories that quiet the storms of life and can give us the courage to face the monsters under the bed.
PART THREE
Reboot
The Gospel offers the pathway to HOPE and health.
When we are void of the redemptive narrative, we are left spiritually malnourished.
So often, “grownups” are left here and can’t process their life experience in light of their faith.
Enchantment vs. Entrapment
Humans are in constant pursuit of Neverland, i.e the Garden.
Entrapment is biosphere two.
Enchantment is the embodiment of God’s story
Power of Play
Experience is what wires and rewires our minds…so the experience we offer children will impact how their brain develops and synthesize their faith with their everyday living.
Play all the parts
Play is practice for what is ahead…preparing our kids for the days that are not always sunny. Play offers connection and a skill to “play” out scenarios before they enter in.
FAITH
The vision we have of ourselves and congretation has much to do with the footing we imagine God has in our lives. We naturally waver between trusting God’s story and the illusion that salvation of GenZ belongs to us – this is where we begin to clench down and forget the essentials of our faith – a creative crusher – causing our imaginations to shift away from a “childlike” faith.
“ Always grow down” - Dahl
Promises of God
In baptism we are sealed as Christ’s own.
God’s story is a long story – he is the vine and we are his branches – we simply have the pleasure of delighting in the fruit God produces through story.