What do you feel about the world in which you live?
Do you see it as the best of all possible worlds? Or do you long for a world that is better—more compassionate, just, peaceful, secure, sustainable, and good for all its inhabitants? If you were to describe your dream of what your world could be, what would it look like?
We all yearn to live in peace and safety, to get along with our neighbours, and to have all the resources and opportunities we need for our family to thrive.
Yet somehow we just don’t seem to be able to create that world.
Polarisation, conflict, and inequality seem to be growing by the day. And religions, that are meant to bring wholeness and unity into the world, are a big part of the problem.
That’s why I am excited to introduce my new Liturgical and Devotional Guides,
Building Bridges
Across the globe, millions of people agree that the teachings of Jesus describe a way of being that can make our world the place we long for. And at the heart of Jesus’ way is the call to include one another, celebrate our differences, and build bridges of understanding, compassion, and connection between us. But this way of love and justice doesn’t come naturally to us. It requires us to make the difficult, daily choice to turn away from our self-interest and self-protection and reach out to one another in kindness, acceptance, and celebration of our uniqueness.
Building Bridges is both a Liturgical and Devotional Guide and a manual of sorts for learning to live in the inclusive way of Christ. It is a six-week journey based on the readings for Year A and beginning on Pentecost Sunday. But it can easily be used at any time during the Ordinary Time season.
The BUILDING BRIDGES Liturgical Guide includes:
● Purpose written prayers and liturgies for six Sundays;
● Sermon starter chapters for every Sunday of the series;
● A theme-based Table Liturgy that can be used on any Sunday
in the series;
● Theme-based graphics for your projection software, including
welcome screens and backgrounds for song lyrics, liturgies,
and sermon notes.
The BUILDING BRIDGES Devotional Guide includes:
● Preparing, responding, and integrating practices for every day
of the series to ensure that you can easily apply the message
of each day to your life;
● Copies of the Sermon Starters for each week for easy reference
while doing your daily practice;
● Daily reflection questions to enable you to listen more deeply
to the message of the Scriptures and apply it to your life
and relationships.
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The six chapters of BUILDING BRIDGES
are shaped around the following themes:
