All posts by FM News

Forward Today: Fulfillment of the Lord’s promises

,

Dear friends in Christ,

By Deror avi – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Today we celebrate the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We remember the time that St. Mary visited her cousin St. Elizabeth and St. John the Baptist leaped in St. Elizabeth’s womb. You can read the account in Luke 1:39-57.

The scene with these two strong women coming together after God had given each of them a miraculous pregnancy must have been something to behold. And Mary’s very presence was a blessing to the child Elizabeth was bearing. Such grace!

In light of their very palpable awareness of God’s power to act in the world, it’s inspiring to contemplate what it might have been like when Mary proclaimed her song, the Magnificat. It’s a song that extols God’s deeds in the past as a way of celebrating God’s promises for the future. Unlike the advice given by financial planners, when it comes to God’s power to act in the world, past performance is a guarantee of future returns!

This is a rich festival with many facets on which we might focus our devotion. Maybe you’ll ponder these strong women stepping forward in faith. Perhaps it’s Mary’s beautiful proclamation of God’s deeds of old. Or you might like to step back, imagine the scene, and give thanks for an almost incomprehensible abundance of God’s grace.

I invite you to join me in praying the collect for today:

Father in heaven, by your grace the virgin mother of your incarnate Son was blessed in bearing him, but still more blessed in keeping your word: Grant us who honor the exaltation of her lowliness to follow the example of her devotion to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn's signature

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

More from our ministry:

Pray with Mary and Elizabeth in the new edition of Bible Women

Delve deeper into this Gospel narrative: A Journey with Luke

Reflect on God’s promises and invitations: A Generous Beckoning

From Grow Christians: Love your enemy. Love your neighbor.

Forward Today: Let’s not tame the Holy Spirit!

, ,
Photo by Adam Wilson on Unsplash

Dear friends in Christ,

We’re coming up on our annual celebration of the Day of Pentecost, when we give thanks for the gift of the Holy Spirit in the church.

My sense is that we have domesticated the Holy Spirit. When something happens in the church that we like, we may say, “The Holy Spirit was here.” And that may well be true! But if we read the scriptural accounts of the Spirit’s arrival, people are almost always pushed into places that might not have otherwise gone.

The Holy Spirit does not bless the status quo, but rather leads us to the places beyond our imagining to which God calls us.

So, by all means, let’s celebrate the gifts of the Spirit! And then let us open our hearts and our lives to be led to places we might fear to tread. Lord knows the church needs some shaking up!

Jesus has promised that the Spirit will lead us in all truth, but that requires us to get our own agendas out of the way. Let us pray:

Come, Holy Spirit, come. Take our minds and think through them. Take our lips and speak through them. Take our hearts and set them on fire with love for you.

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn's signature

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

P.S. Forward Movement is looking for feedback so we can improve our ministry. If you haven’t already shared your thoughts with us, you can help us by filling out this questionnaire with your honest responses. Many thanks to all who have filled it out already!

As a thanks for your time and consideration, we’ll provide everyone who completes the questionnaire with a discount code for 15% off your next Forward Movement order. Thanks for your support!

More from our ministry:

Consider contemporary challenges of the church: Signs of Life

From Grow Christians: When the stakes seem high

Wealth and poverty through a surprising lens: The Unjust Steward

Where is the Spirit leading you? Discern with My Way of Love

Forward Today: We are not comfortless

, ,

Dear friends in Christ,

“Christ Ascension”, icon from Michurin, Bulgaria, 16th century (Wikimedia Commons)

Tomorrow we celebrate Ascension Day. Rather than getting hung up on the logistics of how Jesus returned to his Father in heaven, I hope we can focus on the truth that this day celebrates. In returning to heaven, Jesus has blessed his followers to carry on his ministry of reconciliation. He has also promised to intercede for us to his Father in heaven. We have an advocate!

I am especially heartened by Jesus’ promise that he will never abandon us. The NRSV translation we usually read in Episcopal churches says that Jesus will not leave us orphaned. Personally, I prefer the language of the Authorized Version (King James): “I will not leave you comfortless.”

Jesus says we’re never alone. He promised he would send the gift of the Holy Spirit, and he delivered on that promise on the Day of Pentecost. He has promised to abide with us always. You can read that promise in the very last verse of Matthew 28.

Isn’t that good news? We are not left on our own to face the challenges in our lives. Jesus hasn’t promised to make things easy for us—quite the opposite!—but he does tell us he’s with us in our triumphs and in our struggles.

That’s a beautiful truth to celebrate, and that’s part of what we celebrate tomorrow. Whatever else might happen in this earthly life, know that Jesus is for you. Always.

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn's signature

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

P.S. Forward Movement is looking for feedback so we can improve our ministry. You can help us by filling out this survey with your honest responses: forwardmovement.org/survey.

As a thanks for your time and consideration, we’ll provide everyone who completes the questionnaire with a discount code for 15% off your next Forward Movement order. Thanks for your support!

More from our ministry:

Invitations from Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: A Generous Beckoning

Take prayer with you wherever you go with the portable BCP Gift Edition

Reflect on living a Jesus-centered life: The Way of Love Practical Guide

From the Grow Christians archive: Superman Jesus and the Ascension

Forward Today: Happy Easter… still!

, ,

Dear friends in Christ,

From the resurrection chapel at Washington National Cathedral

We’re just about two thirds of the way through the Easter season. So let me wish you a Happy Easter! By my count, we have about 18 more days to celebrate the glory of Jesus Christ’s resurrection with special intention this season.

How are you celebrating? If you stopped celebrating, it’s OK! In the Christian Gospel, it’s never too late. So feel free to pick up where you left off and start celebrating again. Maybe you’ll say prayers giving thanks for the resurrection of Jesus each day. Or maybe you’ll be bold and share the Good News of God’s victory over sin and death. Love wins!

At Forward Movement, we have a few ways to help you keep up your Easter celebration for the full fifty days of the season. You can visit 50days.org and read daily reflections. You can buy my book of Easter reflections and start partway through. It’s all good!

I find it spiritually refreshing to celebrate Easter continuously for the full length of the season. If I’m honest, it’s a bit selfish. You see, sometimes I get discouraged by the state of the world and condition of the church. Remembering that God has utterly defeated evil and sin with his grace and mercy in the triumph of love helps me keep the right perspective.

So if you’re like me and you sometimes don’t feel like it’s still Easter, fear not! God’s victory is still true. In the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God shows us the ultimate power of his grace and mercy. Thanks be to God for that. Alleluia!

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn's signature

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

More from our ministry:

Proclaim the resurrection with Mary Magdalene in Bible Women

Celebrate God’s work on the earth: The Creation Care Bible Challenge

From Grow Christians: This is the mystery of Easter

Pray the Daily Office (complete with Alleluias!) at prayer.forwardmovement.org

Forward Today: Anchored by grace

Dear friends in Christ,

Photo by Brett Sayles

After a few months without much travel, I’ve had several back-to-back trips these last few weeks. As I write this, I am in Portland, OR to speak at a conference for church leaders. In the last few weeks, I’ve been to New York City; Hendersonville, NC; St. Louis; and Mt. Pleasant, SC.

One of the things I love about traveling across the Episcopal Church is meeting people who are glowing with the enthusiasm of thriving ministries. And I also savor my time with people who are struggling valiantly in difficult circumstances.

One can surely point to patterns of decline in our church, and that picture should be sobering for us all. I hope we can urgently seek to reverse decline not for the sake of institutional security, but because Jesus Christ has commissioned us to make disciples. There’s a world that yearns for hope, and we need to share the Gospel!

But it’s also true that there are thriving churches of all sorts: small and large, urban and rural, conservative and liberal, high and low. I hope we can pay attention to where the church is flourishing to see what we might learn and apply elsewhere.

Finally, it’s also true that in these challenging times, many lay leaders and clergy are exhausted or even burned out. It’s completely understandable. No one signed up for… this. So what are we to do?

As I’ve said before, we can take comfort in knowing that we don’t have to save the church! Jesus has already saved the church, and our job is to tell the world that very good news. We can care for our souls by praying daily, reading the scriptures regularly, and worshiping weekly.

The world changes quickly, and it’s never more apparent to me than when I travel all over and see this crazy, beautiful world in new ways. But in all this, we’re never alone. We’re never far from Christ’s presence. Jesus has given us the gift of sacraments, sure and certain means of grace.

When you’re not sure which way to turn, what to do at church to keep up with the times, or how to make sense of manifold challenges, turn to Jesus. We can be anchored in his grace as we meet him in the sacraments week by week.

Take heart! Jesus never leaves us. See you around, perhaps in an airport.

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn's signature

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

More from our ministry:

A pocket-sized classic, perfect for travel: Forward Day By Day

Face the challenges of church life with hope: Signs of Life

Recently on our family blog: Growing Christians

Reflect on the sacrament of communion: Gifts of God for the People of God

 

Forward Today: Leadership for today’s church

, ,

Dear friends in Christ,

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

I am writing this from Kanuga, an Episcopal conference center in western North Carolina. It’s a beautiful place in a lovely part of the country. But I’m not just here to enjoy nature!

As you receive this, I am just about to head back home to Cincinnati. I’ve spent three days at a conference that gathers clergy who are seeking to lead the Episcopal church in bold ways in this missionary era of the church.

Back in the 1950s or so, churches thrived because it was the “thing to do” for many Americans. But that did not encourage us to consider our calling from Jesus Christ to make disciples. It was easy to have a full church, so it might have been tempting to take for granted why we were gathered.

Now we are firmly in the post-Christendom era. Fewer people go to church out of obligation. Especially when younger people show up in a church, it’s unlikely to be because they will gain social standing by attending church. They have come because they are seeking Jesus.

As challenging as this era is, it is a blessing. It is a blessing because we need to consider carefully the ways we are carrying out the mission that Christ has given us. We can’t assume that society will educate people in the faith; our churches must form Christians. Sometimes it’s tough to be a clergy leader in this era, and so I’m grateful for time with clergy colleagues who are doing this work.

Over the last three days, I heard stories of great success, with real growth in depth and number. And I heard the pain of contending with a culture that sometimes makes it tough to be a Christian. But we’ve been reminded that we’re in this together. More important: Jesus has promised to abide with us all. We’re never alone.

So if you are ordained and reading this, take heart! There are others who share your triumphs and struggles. If you are a lay person reading this, pray for your clergy. They need your prayer.

The wonderful news is that God loves us in our thriving and in our failing. And we don’t have to save the church. Jesus promised that nothing would prevail over the church, so it will endure until his coming in glory. Thanks be to God.

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn's signature

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

More from our ministry:

Consider the challenges facing congregations today: Signs of Life

From Grow Christians: St Mark, Sharing Love with the Unknown

Listen for God’s invitation in scripture: A Generous Beckoning

Celebrate Easter every day of the season at 50Days.org

Forward Today: Meeting Jesus

, ,
Photo by Morgan Winston on Unsplash

Dear friends in Christ,

This coming Sunday, we hear the story of Emmaus, when Jesus met his disciples on a road. Of course, they didn’t recognize him until he broke bread with them. As they reflected on their experience, the disciples said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”

At one level, maybe they knew they were talking with Jesus on that road, but they couldn’t quite believe it. Their rational worldview told them they had seen Jesus die, and he must surely still be dead. And yet there he was. So it’s perhaps understandable if they had trouble grasping this amazing reality.

I wonder if it’s like that for us sometimes. Maybe we meet Jesus along the roads of our lives more often than we recognize. Maybe we begin to treat church like a rote experience, and we can’t quite wrap our minds around the amazing reality that Christ is present for us as bread and wine are consecrated in the Holy Eucharist.

Last month, I heard someone speak about why it’s important to go to church. She said, “I feel that I might meet Jesus out in the world, but when I go to church, it’s like having an appointment to meet him. He shows up every time.”

That’s it, right there.

Let us keep our hearts and minds open to meet Jesus in the world, especially in the last, the lost, and the least. And let us celebrate with great joy on the Lord’s Day each week, as we meet Jesus himself. As we break the bread and hear the scriptures, Jesus shows up every time.

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn's signature

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

P.S. You can get some help reflecting on the Holy Eucharist and Christ’s presence in Furman Buchanan’s Gifts of God for the People of God Exploring Worship in the Episcopal Church.

More from our ministry:

Healing and Hope for God’s Good Creation live course begins next week

Explore the sacraments further in Walk in Love: Episcopal Beliefs & Practices

Easter isn’t a day, it’s a season! Celebrate all season long at 50days.org

Forward Today: Defined by grace and mercy

,
Fresco over the altar in the chapel at Chora Church (Kariye Kilisesi) in Istanbul. Photo by Scott Gunn.

Dear friends in Christ,

I hope you’re still basking in the glow of Easter! We are just four days into the great fifty days of the Easter season. That gives us all plenty of time for more basking and rejoicing.

Sometimes I wonder what our church would be like if all our members and all our church leaders fully embraced the world-shaking truth of Easter. Jesus Christ was totally, stone-cold dead, and then he was raised to new life. This isn’t a trick or a metaphor. The earliest Christians wouldn’t have gone to their martyrdom for a metaphor.

So what does it mean that death, evil, and sin have been utterly and decisively defeated?

To be clear, Easter doesn’t render suffering obsolete. The news websites assure us of that. But Easter ought to change our understanding of what defines our world. Our world is not defined by evil and death. Rather, our world is fundamentally defined by God’s grace and mercy. When anyone suffers from this sinful world, they can be assured of God’s steadfast love in this life and the promise of life to come.

In this vein, I am still reeling from something I heard a few weeks ago. At the Episcopal Parish Network conference in March, Jon Meacham told attendees to “stop lamenting and start leading.” In other words, as a church, let’s stop acting as if evil and death rule! Let’s move forward in hope and love. Let’s point the world to a greater truth. And, yes, let us absolutely join with others to defeat every manifestation of sin we see, whether in our lives or in the world around us.

Many seekers don’t bother with church, and I don’t blame them. Too often, our vision is no bigger than the talking points of the chattering class. We should know better. Our vision should be radiantly beautiful, a world in which grace and mercy abound. It’s the vision of the Gospel, and it’s contagious. There’s a reason the earliest Christians changed the world, and it’s time for us to do it again.

Happy Easter! And now let’s get to work, joining with Mary Magdalene as we shout to the ends of the earth, “I have seen the Lord.”

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn's signature

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

More from our ministry:

Get Easter meditations in your inbox every day: Subscribe to 50Days.org

Explore Mary Magdalene’s words – and others – in the new edition of Bible Women

Live course on Healing and Hope for God’s Good Creation begins April 26

Forward Today: To the Cross and beyond

Inside the Alexander Nevsky church, candlelight illumines a crucifix. Photo by Scott Gunn.

Dear friends in Christ,

In the next few days, we enter into the full depths of our faith. Starting tomorrow evening, we celebrate the Three Holy Days. As we move through the liturgies of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Great Vigil of Easter, we experience anew the wonder of the Paschal Mystery. We especially recall Jesus Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection.

I sincerely invite you to clear your schedule so that you can join with your congregation for these most holy and amazing liturgies. If you don’t have a church, now is a great time to find one!

Holy Week begins with a lovely collect at the start of the Palm Sunday liturgy:

Assist us mercifully with your help, O Lord God of our salvation, that we may enter with joy upon the contemplation of those mighty acts, whereby you have given us life and immortality; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

This is exactly it. We are meant to enter with joy as we contemplate the mighty acts through which God has given us life and immortality. It’s true on Palm Sunday, and it’s true as we enter the Three Holy Days. Let us give thanks for our Father who loves us so much he sent his only Son to live as one of us, to die for us, and to conquer death and sin.

Through the washing of the feet, the commemoration of the Last Supper, the stripping of the Altar, the Passion reading, the veneration of the Cross, the new fire, the salvation stories, Holy Baptism, and the joyous first Eucharist of Easter, we see many of the ways God has loved us even when we didn’t love him back.

Blessings to you as we contemplate the mightiest acts of great love.

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn's signature

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

More from our ministry:

Keep vigil at the Cross with our free Holy Hour devotional

Who will win Lent Madness this year? Cast your vote for the Golden Halo

Pray with us all week at prayer.forwardmovement.org

Forward Today: Joy will soon dawn upon us

, , ,
Photo by Clicker Babu on Unsplash

Dear friends in Christ,

Starting Sunday, we begin our journey through Holy Week. That means Easter Day is almost upon us. As it does every year, our Lenten journey through the wilderness ends with the dawning light of ultimate joy in the promised land of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I suspect that many readers of this email will have had some kind of Lenten discipline, whether that means special prayers, or Bible studies, or practices of self-denial, or something else. For many years, I wondered about adopting Easter disciplines too.

As we approach Holy Week and Easter, I wonder if you might consider entering fully into the observances of Holy Week and then celebrating with abandon the Great Fifty Days of Easter.

The church makes Holy Week observance pretty straightforward. Some churches after daily services each day of Holy Week, but most churches at least offer Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Eve or Easter Day. Simply taking part in these liturgical offerings helps us to encounter the Paschal Mystery afresh.

But what about Eastertide? I encourage you to find some way to celebrate the full 50 days of Easter. At Forward Movement, we offer a blog with meditations each day of the season, 50days.org. You might join a book group or a prayer group for the season. And if you want other daily devotions to read, you could make your way through my latest book, Easter Triumph, Easter Joy: Meditations for the Fifty Days of Eastertide.

Easter is too amazing to celebrate just one day. How will you bask in the glow of Christ’s Resurrection?

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn's signature

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

More from our ministry:

Read along with the Easter lectionary: A Journey through Acts

Prepare to welcome the newly baptized with the gift of common prayer

Even if your bracket is busted, you can still vote in Lent Madness!