Dear friends in Christ,

• You can use any of our Bible Challenge books for companion reflections as you read some part of the Bible.
• Bible Women offers every word spoken by women in the Bible along with the back stories.
• This January, you can join the Good Book Club (for free!) to read Genesis with folks from around the world.
• Forward Day by Day offers a reflection on the assigned readings of the Episcopal Church each day.

More from our ministry:

Last chance: Get your copy of Preparing the Way before Advent begins!

Find practical tips for following Jesus: The Way of Love

Discover scripture in the Book of Common Prayer: Inwardly Digest

Get ready for the Good Book Club: A Journey through Genesis

Dear friends in Christ,

A couple of weeks ago, I was in the Philadelphia area for a meeting. Since I had some time, I paid a visit to the Rev’d Clarke French, a friend, who is serving as interim rector of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. It’s a thriving congregation meeting in a colonial-era building.

There are many things I appreciated about the lovely and ancient worship space, but I was particularly struck by the lights for illuminating the scriptures as the lectors proclaim them. The lamp shades say (facing the people and also facing the lector) SACRIFICE and OBEDIENCE.

These powerful words are central to the Gospel and alien to our consumer culture. In the world that says “get what you can and be your own person,” the Gospel calls us to another way. We are called to give freely—for the glory of God, for Christ’s sake, for the good of others, and for the wellness of our souls. We are called to obey our Lord Jesus, who calls us to take up our cross and follow him—to die to old ways and be alive in the new creation of Jesus Christ.

This coming weekend brings us to November 11, kept in the US as Veterans Day, when we remember the sacrifice of many for their country. Christian sacrifice can surely be seen in the lives of martyrs, but it can also be seen in more mundane expressions—forgiving others, in sharing what we have with those in need, in turning the other cheek, or in yielding our own privileges for the well-being of others.

Then there’s obedience. This is positively counter-cultural! For those of us to say we follow Jesus, we need to obey him as our leader. The Gospel loses its power if we try to fit it into the gaps of a comfortable consumer lifestyle. Jesus knew this when we said you can’t serve two masters. We either serve the gospel of consumption or the Gospel of grace and mercy. We either orient our lives around greed and self-determination or toward sacrifice and obedience.

I invite you to consider the wisdom and power of OBEDIENCE and SACRIFICE. What do they mean in your life?

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

More from our ministry:

Countercultural teachings on wealth and service: The Unjust Steward

Order your 2023 Advent Calendars today

Christian practices for Advent: Preparing the Way

Learn about heroes of the faith this Lent: Lent Madness

Dear friends in Christ,

This Saturday, the church keeps the major feast of Mary Magdalene. She is rightly commemorated with the same importance as the other apostles who knew Jesus. Mary Magdalene is, after all, the apostle to the apostles.

It was Mary Magdalene who proclaimed the glad news of Jesus’ resurrection to the disciples. She is the first person to share the most important news in the entire history of the world. Her message must have been startling: “I have seen the Lord.”

I could write thousands of words on what we can learn as individuals and as a church from the commemoration of Mary Magdalene and the assigned readings. Here are a few quick lessons:

• The scriptures clearly affirm the effectiveness, the giftedness, and the importance of women leaders in the church.
• Sometimes we will have to look outside the “official channels” for Good News. God didn’t choose one of the members of the inner circle—Peter, James, and John—for the task of proclaiming the resurrection. Sometimes the inner circle needs to be told what’s what!
• Mary has her quite understandable doubts and confusion, but she’s ready to believe when she sees Jesus. We too may have our doubts and confusion, but let us never delay in proclaiming the Good News when we see Jesus. And, let’s be clear, we do see Jesus. He has promised that he is present when the church gathers, and he has promised that he is present in the sacraments he gave us. He is here. We have seen the Lord.

Sometimes we overthink it. We do well to emulate the apostle to the apostles. When we are unsure, let us rush to where to we might find Jesus and then be eager to run to others and say that we have seen him.

And let us be ready to look at how our church is organized and realize that the inner circle is often going to need a surprising herald of grace to speak the truth. And we can all urge our church leaders, especially our bishops, to see themselves as apostles with Good News to proclaim, not as middle managers with assets to keep.

There is Good News that we must urgently share! Sin is defeated. Death is put to flight. Jesus lives.

Can we all say it now with Mary Magdalene? “I have seen the Lord!”

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

More from our ministry:

Pray with Mary Magdalene and other women of scripture: Bible Women

From the Grow Christians archive: Mary Magdalene’s bold hope in the resurrection

Pre-order today: A Journey through Genesis

Meet Jesus in the sacraments: Gifts of God for the People of God

Dear friends in Christ,

Day-to-day life can be overwhelming. There’s too much to do. Keeping up with the news sometimes seems impossible. It might be tough to find inspiration amidst the noise and chaos.

At Forward Movement, we’ve spent lots of time pondering this. I’m delighted to say that we’ve just put thousands of copies of “Inspiration Throughout The Year” into the mail. You might receive one soon! If you want to check out our year-round guidebook of inspiration now, it’s online for you.

The idea is simple. If you’re not sure where to start, we’ve organized things so that you can find inspiration, whether it’s a Bible study or a prayer resource or something else, for every season. Are you a church leader? We have you covered.

Our little guide includes plenty of free online resources and courses, as well as books of all kinds. I hope it’s helpful. In just a few minutes, you can make a plan for inspiration through the fall, for Advent and Christmas, for the Epiphany season, for Lent, for Easter, and that gets you through a year in your journey with Jesus.

While our little guide might look like a catalog at first, our hope is that it’s much more: we hope you find ways to stay renewed in God’s love for you and to share that love with our world.

Blessings to you – today, this whole year, and forever.

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

More from our ministry:

365 days of inspiration: Subscribe to Forward Day by Day

From Grow Christians: Summer at the Pool – Remembering Our Baptisms

Pre-order today: Devotions for People who Don’t Do Devotions

Dear friends in Christ,

As you read this, I have gone on a bit of summer holiday. I love seeing new places, so we’ve gone to explore a couple of countries that we’ve never seen. Perhaps you will have some holiday time, too, as summer continues.

One of my favorite things to do when I’m away is visit churches on Sunday mornings. Usually I try to find Episcopal or Anglican churches, but I’ve visited many other denominations over the years. Of course, it’s always a joy to offer thanks and praise to Almighty God for his grace and mercy. And I enjoy seeing what feels familiar and what feels strange when worshiping away from home.

Some of my most memorable experiences in life are connected to receiving the gift of hospitality from churches when I was a first-time guest. People have been welcoming in all sorts of ways.

If you are traveling, I encourage you to visit churches. For one thing, setting aside the Lord’s Day for worship is the duty and delight of all Christians. But beyond that, in our seemingly divided world, it never fails to bring joy when people offer hospitality to me, a stranger, in the name of Jesus Christ. I always leave inspired to offer hospitality myself, when I have the opportunity to welcome strangers.

If you have a story to tell of receiving or giving hospitality in Christ’s name, please share it with us on social media. You can find and tag Forward Movement on Twitter or Facebook.

Yours faithfully,

Scott Gunn
Executive Director

More from our ministry:

From Grow Christians: Experiencing Thin Places as a Family

Pocket-sized inspiration for travel: Forward Day by Day

Create a spirit of hospitality at your church: Invite Welcome Connect

Welcome newcomers to the Prayer Book tradition: Inwardly Digest

Dear friends in Christ,

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
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.