Dear friends in Christ,

In many parts of the world, this is a time of year when schools resume. Whether or not you have children at your house, you may well be noticing the energy of study and learning all around. I always love this season.

This is a natural time to embrace learning about our faith. I’ve written about this before, but I think it’s a message worth repeating.

Is your church offering classes for the autumn? Can you sign up for a class somewhere else? Maybe you’ll commit to reading a book or even watching videos on a certain subject. We at Forward Movement have lots of books and other resources, but there are lots of other options too.

I’m excited to be teaching a course in The Wednesday Night Bible Study offered by our own ChurchNext. You can take the course I’m co-teaching with Melody Shobe. We’re talking about heresy, doctrine, and the Bible. Or you can study evangelism in the Bible with Marcus Halley, or the Bible and racial justice with Kelly Brown Douglas. Each one is a six-week course offered online on Wednesday nights.

But there are loads of options. If you’re not sure where to start, talk with your priest or with another experienced Christian. Whatever you do, I encourage you to join the spirit of the season and recommit to Christian learning.

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

Today’s Flash Sale: Reclaiming Christianity

Dear friends in Christ,

We are coming up to Labor Day weekend, at least for readers from the United States. You might wonder why I’m mentioning this, since Labor Day is a secular holiday, and I usually don’t write about secular holidays.

It turns out that our Book of Common Prayer has a collect appointed for Labor Day. You can find the contemporary version on page 261.

Almighty God, you have so linked our lives one with another that all we do affects, for good or ill, all other lives: So guide us in the work we do, that we may do it not for self alone, but for the common good; and, as we seek a proper return for our own labor, make us mindful of the rightful aspirations of other workers, and arouse our concern for those who are out of work; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Image Source: Pixabay

It’s a lovely prayer, isn’t it? That prayer dignifies the work that we all do, whether we are employed or not. It also reminds us of the importance of all those others who work and of those who lack employment.

If you are in the US celebrating the holiday, I hope you’ll set aside a few moments for prayer or conversation with those around you. Remember the dignity of work and the indignity of exploitation. Pray for those who, in our culture that assigns value to people based on income, lack employment. Think about how everyone has a vocation, and ask how God might be calling you and your loved ones to labor?

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

Today’s Flash Sale: Invite Welcome Connect

Guided by the gospel imperative to “Go and make disciples of all nations,” the ministry of Invite Welcome Connect equips and empowers individuals and congregations to practice evangelism, hospitality, and connectedness. Invite Welcome Connect’s founder, Mary Parmer, shares the deep truths of this ministry as well as practical steps to assess your faith community and begin implementation. This resource also features stories of transformation from more than two dozen lay and clergy leaders. Foreword by Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry.

Learn more about Invite Welcome Connect at invitewelcomeconnect.com

Regular: $20.00
Today Only: $15.00*

*Discount is valid until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

Dear friends in Christ,

Today the church celebrates the Feast of St. Mary the Virgin. There is quite a bit of celebrating to do, because Mary and her witness are extraordinary.

I love the ancient title for Mary, Theotokos. It can be translated Mother of God, which is a somewhat startling way to speak of Mary. Sometimes people prefer to call Mary the God-bearer, another translation of Theotokos that is evocative. Either way, when we think of Mary we must also think of her relationship to Jesus Christ, the one she boldly and courageously brought into the world, the one she taught and loved and eventually mourned.

But it would be a grave error to make the mistake of thinking of Mary as a mere vessel. Too many people over too many centuries have made that mistake. If you want evidence of Mary’s strength and faith, look no further than her song, the Magnificat.

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

Mary’s understanding of salvation history and her role in it is inspiring. Mary’s song perfectly captures God’s love for those at the margins and God’s challenge of those with wealth and power. And Mary understands all that, yet she knows that it is not about her. “the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”

We would do well to follow Mary’s lead. We are not called to bear him into the world as she was, but we are called to proclaim and to celebrate Jesus Christ as she did. We are called to remind the powerless and the poor that they are dear to God.

Let us today celebrate Mary’s strength, Mary’s faith, Mary’s courage, and Mary’s sense of God’s mercy and justice.

Peace,

Today’s Flash Sale: The Social Justice Bible Challenge 

Featuring forty days of reflections by spiritual leaders and writers from around the world, The Social Justice Bible Challenge is an extension of The Bible Challenge, a global initiative to encourage daily engagement with scripture and an exploration of the Word of God. Disciples wishing to spend more time engaging the Bible on topics from poverty, hunger, displacement, and the care of widows and orphans will have their cups filled over and over again by the words of Scripture and meditations from people across the Church who engage with these realities each and every day.

Normal: $15 | Today: $11.25

Dear friends in Christ,

If you are a regular reader of this email, you may have noticed that the last couple of weeks were written by colleagues at Forward Movement. I was away on vacation, and I’m grateful they kept Forward Today going.

Lots of folks enjoy some vacation time in the summer. Maybe you’ve been away or soon will be. There are lots of reasons to enjoy a bit of travel–or maybe a “staycation.” We can see new places and new things. We enjoy hospitality of others. We can savor a bit of leisure.

Sainte-Chapelle, Paris

I love travel, because the experience of difference always provokes me to reflect. The encounter with the unfamiliar sometimes opens my heart and my eyes in ways that I might not have experienced otherwise. And when I return to my normal place and normal routines, I sometimes find I’m changed in big and small ways. Maybe I notice things I hadn’t noticed. Or perhaps I develop gratitude for something I had taken for granted.

Jesus was always taking his followers to new places, literally and metaphorically. I wonder if he knew there is value in a disrupted routine? As followers of Jesus, I think we’re called to go to new places, whether it’s a literal journey or a metaphorical voyage.

What about you, dear reader? Has a journey changed you? Has your faith grown in the encounter with the unfamiliar?

Today’s Flash Sale: Pathways of Faith: An All-Ages Coloring Book 

A coloring book for all ages—but especially for adults who may have forgotten the simple joys of creating—Pathways of Faith offers a respite from busyness and daily demands. Relax and restore as you spend time coloring these original illustrations that capture the amazing stories of the Bible and God’s love for us. Come and spend some creative, refreshing time with God. The Lord knows we need it!

Normal: $12 | Today: $9

Dear friends in Christ,

Like many other church leaders, I have just returned from General Convention full of memories, knowledge, and inspiration. Each person will have a unique experience, with favorite moments from the convention. Mine came during the opening worship service, when our Presiding Bishop preached a fiery sermon about God’s love. That’s not new, of course. But there was something new.

Bishop Curry has invited us all to take on spiritual practices so that we are spiritually vital followers of Jesus who have some Good News to share with others. Since he became Presiding Bishop, Bishop Curry has been calling us to be evangelists. To be effective evangelists, we have to live transformed lives, and that’s where the Way of Love comes in.

[At the end of Eucharist of the 79th General Convention in Austin, Texas,
 Presiding Bishop Michael Curry blesses the hundreds of participants.
Photo: Mary Frances Schjonberg/Episcopal News Service]

We are called to seven practices:
TURN: Pause, listen, and choose to follow Jesus
LEARN: Reflect on Scripture each day, especially on Jesus’ life and teachings
PRAY: Dwell intentionally with God daily
WORSHIP: Gather in community weekly to thank, praise, and dwell with God
BLESS: Share faith and unselfishly give and serve
GO: Cross boundaries, listen deeply, and live like Jesus
REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration

You can learn more at episcopalchurch.org/wayoflove. If you are looking for resources to support your journey, Forward Movement is one of many partners with a set of resources to help you. You can see what Forward Movement offers at our website, forwardmovement.org/wayoflove.

I plan to work on these myself, and I hope you’ll join me in answering the call of our Presiding Bishop. Of course, Bishop Curry is really reminding us of the call from our Savior and Lord, as Jesus invites us to a new life abounding in grace.

Today’s Flash Sale: Note to Self: Creating Your Guide to a More Spiritual Life

Discover what God has written onto your heart. What do you want for your life? Who do you want to be in your life, and how do you want to live? We humans need reminders, and when it comes to making a consistent effort to be better people, it’s important to have constant reminders. A “Rule of Life” is an ancient method for building soul memory, and offering reminders to ourselves of the person we hope to be-it is a practice of training your mind and soul to be kind and good.

Creating your own rule of life is grace that only you can offer to yourself, helping remind you to live the life you desire, and the life God wishes for you. Join author and Episcopal priest Charles LaFond as he guides you through the wisdom, creation, and application of your own Rule of Life.

Normal: $18 | Today: $13.50

Dear friends in Christ,

We are coming to that time of year when many of us slow down for the summer. If you’re a student, or if you have kids at home, the days seem much different now. Lots of us go on vacation for part of the summer. The pace of life changes.

I want to encourage you to do two things over the summer.

First, when you travel, visit a local church. These can be wonderful opportunities to receive hospitality and to worship in ways that will be both familiar and strange. Maybe you’ll get some good ideas to take back to your home church. You’ll certainly be nourished by the riches of God’s word and sacraments. The Episcopal Asset Map is a great tool to help find a church while you’re out of town.

Second, keep praying over the summer. God doesn’t take a vacation from us, so let’s not take a vacation from God. Use the Daily Devotions from Families and Individuals (found in the Book of Common Prayer starting at page 137). There are prayers for morning, noon, evening, and night. At just one page, these are brief prayers that are still filled with depth and beauty.

Another way to nurture a habit of daily prayer in families is to pray at meal time. There are very brief prayers in the Book of Common Prayer at page 835, if you want short prayers that you can memorize. Or you can get copies of Table Graces and Family Graces from Forward Movement. These are table tents, easy to pray whether there are one, two, or ten of you at the table.

Keeping up with our daily prayers helps us in our daily walk as followers of Jesus. Enjoy your summer, and enjoy praying all summer long.

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

In the new Forward Today, Scott reflects on tomorrow’s Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Dear friends in Christ,

In the new Forward Today, Scott reflects on Bishop Curry’s powerful sermon on love at last weekend’s Royal Wedding.

Dear friends in Christ,