Announcing a New Resource Blog

The board of the Association of Lutheran Resource Centers has begun a blog! It’s a new opportunity for learning about and highlighting best resources, This is a team effort to serve pastors, teachers, and lay leaders around the church. The blog is best suited to announcements and posts from the board that benefit from “tagging” about different topics. The posts become part of a “feed” that anyone can subscribe to or put on their center’s website. The blog provides a way of categorizing and saving the best resources through posts, pages, and tags. It also makes more public and visible what resource centers have to offer. Unlike a listserv or e-mail group that requires joining, anyone can browse a blog.

You’re invited to visit at http://blogs.elca.org/alrc

Choral Music on Loan

Looking for a piece of choral music? Stop looking and check out The Resource Center in Clear Lake, Iowa. Choral music is available for loan from The Resource Center. You may contact them by phone at 641-357-4451 or email lrc@netins.com Multiple copies of traditional choral music can be found in their online catalog.

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: Open for Exploration: Two places for great resources

Among the many privileges of the work I do is the opportunity to explore resources from a wide spectrum of writers, producers, and publishers. To this rich mix, add the bonus of regular conversations with colleagues, pastors, and teachers whose passion for learning and teaching is contagious. The result continues to be an almost insatiable appetite on my part for reading and learning, hearing and viewing books and tapes, lectures and presentations, travel related to study, and opportunities of all kinds for continuing education.

You will find here a “working list” of some resources which continue to be life-giving and faith-stretching! These people, themes and metaphors, films and books celebrate paradox, mystery, ambiguity. Even more than providing a new lens through which to experience God’s presence, the resources described here are well-springs of grace and truth that continue to nourish and sustain. These extraordinary people and their enduring gifts of interpretation can help us experience the mystery of God’s love and the wonder of being
human.

The Resource Center functions as a center for learning, a crossroad for sharing best resources and best practices. It’s a deep well! I hope you will “dig deeply” so that this center helps serve as a creative source for your life and ministry.

Julie K. Aageson
Director, The Resource Center
Coordinator, ELCA Resource Centers

Themes and Metaphors

• grace and gratitude
• the book and the meal
• God as indiscriminate host
• emerging church
• learning to be “we”
• Body of Christ
• God resting on our eyelids
• the book and the bath
• worship as rehearsal for bearing
• God’s work, our hands
• faith practices the reign of God to the world
• liturgy and learning
• tree of life
• bread of life
• original blessing

Liturgy and Learning

Go to Lifelong Faith (external link) for the very best resources for Christian education and lifelong faith formation. We subscribe to The Lifelong Faith Journal (external link), available for loan.

Liturgy and Learning Through the Life Cycle by Westerhoff and Willimon
In this classic study linking liturgy and learning, the authors provide a framework for parish life that celebrates the essential acts of the church as nourishing and enduring anchors of faith.

The Religious Potential of the Child by Sophia Cavalletti
This groundbreaking approach to faith formation is based on encounter with the mystery of God in liturgy, scripture, and life and is as important for adults as for children.

To Dance with God by Gertrud Mueller Nelson
Rhythms and rituals of Christian life are described in this beautiful celebration of Christian life as it is shaped by the seasons of the church year.

Holy Things and Holy People by Gordon Lathrop
Both books are a feast of riches about the power of the liturgy to renew and transform the church.

Worship Matters Series
Each of these little booklets from Augsburg Fortress provides rich insights into all aspects of worship.

Emerging Church

The Practicing Congregation: Imagining a New Old Church and Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith both by Diana Butler Bass
Both books offer compelling descriptions of vital congregational life and new birth among Christians. See also www.dianabutlerbass.com (external link)

A New Kind of Christian and Finding Our Way Again (and others) by Brian McLaren
A voice to be reckoned with as the church continues to wrestle with ongoing reformation. See also www.brianmclaren.net (external link)

Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith by Rob Bell
An edgy, insightfully honest look about what it means to be Christian. See also www.robbell.com (external link)

Reflections on Faith

Turn My Heart: A Sacred Journey from Brokenness to Healing by Briehl and Haugen
This collection of music, poetry and texts is for all of us who at one time or another are broken and longing for healing and hope.

Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion by Sara Miles
“A love song to the feast at the altar and the feast of a food pantry…” A truly stunning story of Christian conversion. See also www.stgregorys.org (external link)

An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith by Barbara Brown Taylor
There are not two worlds–secular and sacred–God is present everywhere. God’s kingdom is here and now. See also www.barbarabrowntaylor.com (external link)

Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott
A raw and compelling confession of faith that graphically illustrates the light of Christ and its persistent ability to penetrate darkness.

Radical Amazement: Contemplative Lessons by Judy Cannato
Pay attention to the universe we’re part of–it speaks of God at every turn.

Under the Tree of Life-the Religion of a Feminist Christian by Gail Ramshaw
This lovely confession echoes much of my own faith journey and struggle. Ramshaw’s elegant use of language and her scholarly yet common insights about corporate Christian life are profound and truthful.

Sacrament of Life, A Life of the Sacraments by Leonardo Boff
Taking ordinary elements of daily life–a journey, a mug, his father’s cigarette butt, water–Boff illustrates God’s presence in this beautiful little study of sacramentality.

Wisdom Distilled from the Daily by Joan Chittister
Following the Rule of St. Benedict, Chittister clearly describes the richness of daily life when guided by attention to St. Benedict’s common sense reverence for God, self, and others.

Original Blessing by Matthew Fox
Fox’s daring view of historical Christianity and his theologically sound basis for celebrating the goodness of God’s creation is life-giving and grace-filled.

A Metaphorical God by Gail Ramshaw
A feast of images for God!

I Asked for Wonder-A Spiritual Anthology-Abraham Joshua Heschel ed. by Samuel Dresner
I first read Heschel thirty years ago. This collection of his most vivid observations about God’s presence and our meager interpretations is a jewel.

Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation by Parker Palmer
Compassionate and compelling meditation about vocation and call

Stories of Faith by John Shea
Shea the storyteller has an uncanny gift for cracking open scripture to unleash the transforming power of the biblical stories.

The Preaching Life by Barbara Brown Taylor
“You will find an altar in nearly every paragraph of this book …she works with God’s word, God’s people, God’s gifts, God’s hope for the world.”

Listening for God–Contemporary Literature and the Life of Faith I & II
This uncommon collection of short stories by some uncommon writers addresses the convergence of faith and life in memorable and graphic storytelling.

In Search of Belief by Joan Chittister
A challenging and profoundly thoughtful confession of faith. See also www.benetvision.org (external link)

Rapture Exposed by Barbara Rossing
An important contribution to conversations about end times and the book of Revelation

Treasures Old and New: Images in the Lectionary by Gail Ramshaw
A collection of 40 images most used in the lectionary texts

Video / DVD / Film

The Nooma Films – this series of 10-12 minute films by Rob Bell uses the experiences of life to teach forgiveness, discipleship, unconditional love and more

Celebrate What’s Right with the World – photography and dialogue about beauty and how we look at the world

Differences – a short film that makes provocative comments about difference

The Rapture Racket – informed and thoughtful presentation about the book of Revelation

Babette’s Feast – Isak Dinesen’s tale of Babette and the meal she prepares for a pious congregation isolated on the coast of Denmark

The Gods Aren’t Angry – Rob Bell’s discussion of our struggle to define God and the origins of religion

Everyday Creativity – inspiring ways for fostering creativity and seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary

Making the Connections: Worship and Evangelism – Gordon Lathrop and Walter Kallestad discuss the relatedness of worship and outreach

Sacred Stories – three storytellers, Maya Angelou, Frederick Buechner, and James Carroll, reveal the power of faith and the presence of God in the stories of their lives.

The Rabbi’s Gift - an unforgettable allegory about a community’s longing for Christ’s presence

Elie Wiesel’s Greatest Figures of the Bible – beautiful “tellings” of the big stories, based in part on Wiesel’s Messengers of God and Biblical Portraits and Legends

Everything is Spiritual – for Jesus and his tradition, all of life is spiritual

The Overwhelming Love of God – a passionate and persuasive confession of God’s grace and love by Brennan Manning

How Do We Help? The Goal of Christian Ministry – insightful observations about the purpose of Christian life and ministry

A Second Chance – a short film about grace and forgiveness

CD’s

Turn My Heart: A Sacred Journey from Brokenness to Healing by Susan Briehl and Marty Haugen

Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith by Rob Bell

Our Search for the Living God by Elizabeth Johnson

In God’s Eyes, We’re All Minorities by Krister Stendahl

A Christian Theology of Religious Pluralism by Krister Stendahl

The Gods Aren’t Angry by Rob Bell

The Rise and Fall of Christendom by Douglas John Hall

A New Vision of the Parish by William Willimon

Bread from Heaven by Richard Hays

How Shall We Worship by John Westerhoff

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: Nourished and Sustained: Celebrating Faith and Life

The following list is a sampling of resources for those who preach. The Resource Center maintains a large collection of additional resources on preaching and homiletics. Your inquiries, suggestions, and input are welcome!

• Preaching, worship planning, Christian education resources and more at TextWeek.com (external link)
• Additional preaching helps from Luther Seminary at WorkingPreacher.org
• The annual Festival of Homiletics features “best preaching” from pastors across the church. Check out information for the next event on the Good Preacher website (external link).
• A rich well of resources including preaching helps can be found online at the Congregational Resource Guide (external link) including the web resource, “Preaching Today: Sorting It Out (external link)”
• SundaysandSeasons.com (external link) now includes a preaching module with reference tools and a flexible platform for writing sermons
• Series of videos on particular texts: “Preaching from the Periscopes” available for loan from the Resource Center
• Series of videos on the art and practice of preaching called “Great Preachers” available for loan from the Resource Center
• Books of children’s sermons
• Sundays and Seasons follows the church year and the three-year Revised Common Lectionary to help worship planners, preachers, lay leaders, and others as they prepare for weekly worship—available for loan
• Sermons and presentations including sermons from the annual Festival of Homiletics are available on CD – for loan from the Resource Center
• Copies of lectionary preaching aid, New Proclamation, are available for loan from the Resource Center

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: Open for Exploration: Resources for Preaching

Creation Waits with Eager Longing (external link) is a set of resources from Living Earth: A Lenten Journey. It includes a worship series and weekly themes of reflection, remembrance, rediscovery, repentance, reconciliation, and recommitment about becoming more faithful stewards of God’s creation.

For helpful information about the season of Lent, Palm/Passion Sunday, the Three Days and services of daily prayer, take a look at the third volume in the Using Evangelical Lutheran Worship series, Keeping Time: The Church’s Years.

A Lenten devotional series called Holy Lent Holy Land Holy People: A Journey Through the Sermon on the Mount includes true stories from the Holy Land, journeys through the Sermon on the Mount with copy-ready biblical commentary and preaching reflections, and original art from Bethlehem. The adaptable Word document (download .doc file) also contains music, prayers, litanies, questions for reflection and discussion, and can be used for Lenten mid-week worship or Bible study. It was developed in 2008 by the Peace Not Walls task force of the Southwestern Texas Synod (external link) and is offered as a free resource to the church at-large. Visit the ELCA Peace Not Walls (external link) for more information and resources.

For a Lenten DVD series on grace, check out Down and Out: Where Grace Takes You. This six part series reintroduces viewers to the life-changing reality of God’s promises and points the way to a completely different view of life in light of grace. Sessions are 19-25 minutes each. Available for loan.

In the six part series, What’s God Up To? Bible Stories Through New Eyes, provocative and thoughtful biblical teacher, Amy-Jill Levine asks edgy questions about familiar bible stories. Sessions are 25 minutes each. DVD available for loan.

Many additional series are available for small groups, individual study, and reflection. See the online catalog and the e-resource for December 2009, Open for Exploration for additional recommendations.

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: Open for Exploration: More Resources for Lent

For a rich Lenten worship experience, be sure to consider the new Holden Prayer Around the Cross, a set of resources by Susan Briehl, Tom Witt, and Marty Haugen adapted from Holden Evening Prayer and Prayer Around the Cross. It includes fourteen sample liturgies that could be used in a variety of settings. To accompany Holden Prayer Around the Cross, a set of musical resources is available in Singing Our Prayer: Companion to Holden Prayer Around the Cross.

Ask about a new Lenten series called Water for Your Soul: Living in Baptism Every Day by Glenn Borreson. It’s a powerful way to focus on baptismal catechesis and includes material for Ash Wednesday to Holy Week.

Brand new from Augsburg Fortress, Worship Guidebook for Lent and the Three Days is a must-have for worship planners and leaders. The Music Sourcebook for Lent and the Three Days is also new. Preview copies available.

The 40 Day Journey books for small group study or individual use are ideal for Lent. The newest is Book of Faith Lenten Journey: Marks of the Christian (based on Romans 12). Additional titles include 40 Days with the Lord’s Prayer;

40 Day Journeys with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Joan Chittister, Julian of Norwich, Martin Luther, Madeleine L’Engle and others.

Find complete worship planning beginning with Ash Wednesday see the newly expanded resources online at Sundays and Seasons (external link).

Gail Ramshaw’s 40 Days and 40 Nights is a beautiful collection of readings for the weeks of Lent.

The Three Day Feast (by Gail Ramshaw) from Worship Matters gives worshipers and worship planners much to ponder – a feast itself!

Lutheran poet and writer, Herb Brokering, has given us Stations of the Heart, a beautiful book of devotional reflections.

Finally, take a look at From Death to Life, a new book about resurrection hope by EaND synod pastor Scott Block, Grace / Oakes and Nazareth/Cogswell.

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: Open for Exploration: Lent

• The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder is a wonderful read about a magical Advent calendar and an incredible journey for individuals and families. (B3457)
• For worship planners and others involved in creating sacred space for Advent and Christmas, be sure to check the updated Sundays and Seasons (external link) from Augsburg Fortress. It includes many more resources for comprehensive planning including music, images, and background information.
• Prophets and Angels: An Advent Festival of Lessons and Carols from AFP includes an audio CD, the service of lessons and carols, and full instrumental score.
• Family Advent-ures is a guide to help families observe each day of Advent. For all ages, it includes scripture, storytelling, and activities. (PR1010)
• Check out Text Week: Year C (external link) for texts, images, articles, preaching helps, reflections and more.
• Check out the Saint Nicholas Center (external link) For unique ideas for giving and celebrating
• Visit www.elca.org and search for Advent resources (external link), especially ideas (external link) for alternative Christmas giving (external link).
• Discover new stories that embrace the joy of the Christ child’s birth while uncovering your own personal Advent stories in In My Heart I Carry a Star: Stories for Advent by Derek Maul. (B3649)
• Resources for midweek Advent worship include Joyous Light by Ray McKeever; Holden Evening Prayer by Marty Haugen; Prayer Around the Cross, a reflective service of prayer and meditation; and Unfailing Light by Marty Haugen and Susan Briehl. Additional options include a midweek service based on the O Antiphons in Sundays and Seasons 2010; and evening prayer in LBW and ELW.

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: Open for Exploration: Advent

The following resources are available immediately by calling the Resource Center in the synod office.  These are for worship, individual use, and community gatherings.  Most are reproducible and can be adapted to fit different community and congregational settings.

Worship Resources:

• Marty Haugen and Susan Briehl’s Turn My Heart is a collection of worship litanies, hymns and scripture that can be used in small groups, for community prayer, or individually. CD and book for loan.
• Suggested hymns:
  • Healer of Our Every Ill (ELW, WOV)
  • Shepherd Me, O God (ELW)
  • Out of the Depths I Cry to You (ELW)
  • Thy Holy Wings (ELW, LBW)
  • You Are Mine (ELW)
  • On Eagle’s Wings (WOV, ELW)
• A Rite for Marking a Time of Natural Disaster by Pastor Linda Henke (from Marking Time: Christian Rituals for All Our Days) includes a prayer and liturgy that can be reproduced for one-time use with the inclusion of a copy statement.
• Services that can be adapted and/or reproduced include the following:
  • A Light to Lighten Our Darkness
  • Paraphrases from Psalms 61 and 62
  • A Prayer for Those Distressed (said or sung to “Take My Life, That I Might Be”
  • A Service of Word and Prayer based on Isaiah 35, 2 Corinthians, and Psalm 23
  • A Community Gathering to Share Winter Stories, Offer Help, Encourage One Another, and Give Thanks for the Gifts God Has Given Us to Share

Web Resources:

• ELCA.feautor.org > Resources in times of disaster
  Two downloadable hymns for times of disaster
• ELCA Disaster Response
  Multiple downloadable resources that may be helpful during this difficult time
• Lutheran Disaster Response
  Additional resources appropriate for worship and individual use

See also, Resource Center Recommended Collection: “A Time to Mourn, A Time to Dance: Resources for Difficult Times“

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: Resources in the Midst of Floods

» Download: Taste and See! (download pdf file)

Eat this bread, drink this cup. Taste and see the goodness of God. Bread of life, cup of love, we rejoice in your presence. (ELW, #492)

The haunting melody and beautiful words found in “Eat This Bread, Drink This Cup” are for me among the richest and most meaningful for describing the celebration of the Eucharist. You will find the verses of this lovely communion hymn interspersed here with a collection of resources meant to illumine our experience of the Lord’s Supper.

Our core identity and central commitment as Lutherans to word and sacrament ministry is a key component of faith formation. The selection of multimedia and print resources found here represents some classic “takes” on sacramental life and the many meanings of Holy Communion. Please note the use of the word, classic. Several resources have been around for a long time but continue to speak meaningfully the multiple meanings of the Lord’s Supper, the meal around which Christians identify and find themselves sent into the world. Being nourished at the Table of the Lord and being food and drink for one another is at the heart of all these resources.

Julie K. Aageson
Director, The Resource Center
Coordinator, ELCA Resource Centers

I will bless the Lord at all times, praise with heart and voice; in my God I glory forever: listen and rejoice!

6 Books for Small Group Bible Study

Breaking Bread: The Spiritual Significance of Food

by Sara Covin Juengst (Westminster John Knox, 1992)
Food and feasting are major biblical themes. Juengst has taken these Eucharistic themes to create a resource that will enrich readers’ understandings of the spiritual significance of meals, Holy Communion, and rituals of sharing, celebrating, learning, and more. Each chapter focuses on biblical customs related to food and feasting and concludes with brief “recipes” for action. From Walter Brueggemann: “…the book lets us retaste, renotice, and reswallow our life from God.”

Gathering at the Table

by Elizabeth Hoffman Reed (Liturgy Training Publications)
This small booklet is sure to stimulate conversation about the sacredness of meals and the ways in which the communion table is about all the other tables in our lives. Brief reflections in praise of dining, meals, manners, and sharing are interspersed with poignant quotations.

Daily Bread, Holy Meal: Opening the Gifts of Holy Communion

by Samuel Torvend (Augsburg Fortress, 2004)
From the Worship Matters series, this rich treasure offers an ideal format and fertile content for adult study. Beginning and ending with his grandmother’s gift of golden molasses bread, Torvend brilliantly unwraps the gifts of the Lord’s Supper. He invites conversation and reflection that will enrich and deepen every readers’ experience of the Eucharist. This book is a banquet for all who long for a deeper understanding of the generosity of God.

Let Us Break Bread Together: A Passover Haggadah for Christians

by Michael Smith and Rami Shapiro (Paraclete Press, 2005)
This lovely guide for planning and hosting a meaningful seder meal brings together the great themes of the Exodus story as a lens for understanding the Last Supper. In providing a helpful guide to an authentic Jewish Passover meal, Christians will experience a deeper knowledge of the themes of slavery, freedom, and community. Let Us Break Bread Together is an extraordinary learning opportunity for adults and youth.

Sunday Dinner: the Lord’s Supper and the Christian Life

by William Willimon (Upper Room)
Another classic that begins with the ritual of our own Sunday dinners, this book about meals will help groups see the Lord’s Supper as the primary place for understanding Christian identity, sustenance, conversion, and growth.

Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion

by Sara Miles (Ballantine Books, 2007)
Stunning best describes the story that unfolds here. This beautifully written spiritual memoir vividly illustrates the power of the Eucharist to transform and reveal the presence of God. It’s a remarkable telling of meals that are more than meals, communion that goes beyond our own tables and churches, conversion that truly is about being food and drink for one another. Sara Miles’ story captures the wonder of sacramental life and the meaning of radical hospitality. It is nothing less than a vision of the kingdom and will give adult groups much to ponder about the many meanings of Holy Communion.

Look upon the Lord, be radiant, never turn away. God will save in every affliction, hear us when we pray.

Multimedia Resources

For Youth and Adults

Babette’s Feast

This award-winning 1987 Danish film will stimulate discussion about the richness of the ceremony of eating together. The captivating story of Babette and the meal she prepares for a motley band of pious Christians illustrates the power of the Eucharist to transform and shape a people. This multi-layered tale remains a classic for revealing the beauty of a meal not only as nourishment for body and soul but a means of reconciliation, generosity, forgiveness, and new life. Available on video from the Resource Center. View the trailer and more at IMDB.com (external link).

Beneath the Tree of Life: A Communion Service for All the Churches

(Music CD edited by Marty Haugen and Susan Briehl, GIA Publications)
Until the Reformation-and for some time after in a few Protestant denominations-Sunday celebration of the Eucharist was normative. Beneath the Tree of Life was created in the expectation of that day when all liturgical Christians can find common nourishment at the table of Jesus. Available from the Resource Center or GIA Publications (external link) (Download a .pdf of “Beneath the Tree of Life” (external link)).

Communion Ware from Bethlehem

Each synod in the ELCA loans a set of ceramic communion ware made by Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem to Lutheran congregations. A gift from the Division for Global Mission, this sharing of the vessels of Holy Communion is a way of connecting ELCA congregations to struggling Christians in the Middle East. Available from the Resource Center and from the Division for Global Mission.

God is Here!

(Initiatives for a New Century, ELCA, 1999)
These five video reflections on worship in the ELCA are intended for small group study and could be used during the Lenten season. The session on Holy Communion invites viewers to contemplate and meditate on the experience of God in this sacrament. It’s divided into two parts: “We Offer Ourselves” and “No Divisions” using a plate with bread, cup with wine, and a purificator as points of focus. A helpful study guide by Eileen Crowley-Horak is included. Available from the Resource Center or at the ELCA.org Worship Learning Center (external link).

Interview with Sara Miles about Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion

Published by Ballantine in 2007, the impact of Sara Miles’ spiritual memoir (see Books for Small Group Study) is discussed in this live interview about her radical conversion to Christianity. Discussion groups reading the book will find the interview compelling and enriching. This podcast can be found on Steve Brown, Etc., a nationally syndicated internet program (listen to the interview online (external link)).

Angels fold their wings around us, guard through good and ill. Those who seek the Lord will lack nothing; taste and have your fill.

Mosaic: Holy Communion

(ELCA, 2006)
This 31-minute video introduction explores biblical foundations and reviews Reformation history that defines modern Christian understandings of the Eucharist. It reminds adult learners of the gifts of the earth found in bread and wine and the many ways they convey God’s grace. DVD and web resource available from the Resource Center and online at ELCA.org Mosaic (external link).

Say Amen! To What You Are

(Liturgy Training Publications, 1994)
This 18-minute video documentary of the communion rite as celebrated in a parish setting provides deeply meaningful insights into the ways Christ comes to us in the Eucharist and how we are nourished at the Lord’s table. Available for loan from the Resource Center.

Supper at Emmaus

Supper at Emmaus by HeQi (from ELCA.org)

(Art work by Chinese contemporary Christian artist, He Qi)
This liturgical art is reminiscent of the piece commissioned to introduce the Holy Communion section in Evangelical Lutheran Worship. It depicts the supper at Emmaus in Luke 24:28-35. The risen Christ appears to two disciples and is made known to them “in the breaking of the bread.” The two banners are available for loan to ELCA synods from the ELCA (external link). Send requests to worship@elca.org

With Burning Hearts

(Orbis, 1995)
This 25-minute video by Henri Nouwen shows the Eucharist to be an intensely human event that reveals the depth of human experience: sadness and loss, attentiveness and invitation, intimacy and engagement. It reveals the power of the Lord’s Supper to transform Christians in their journey with God. Available from the Resource Center.

These Things ‘Matter: Word, Baptism, Communion

(ELCA, 1998)
These video reflections focus on the ELCA’s Use of the Means of Grace: A Statement on Word and Sacrament. The 20-minute video exploration of Holy Communion invites conversation and reflection on the ways we practice and celebrate the meal. A detailed study guide helps make this an excellent foundation for adult education, small group study, worship committees. Available from the Resource Center, from Augsburg Fortress (external link), and at the ELCA.org Learning Center (external link).

Saints of God, bow down and worship, bless the holy name. Rise to tell God’s greatness forever, wondrous deeds proclaim!

For Children

Davey and Goliath: The Family of God

This timeless classic from the Davey and Goliath series continues to help children understand Holy Communion as the special meal of the family of God. It expresses questions and feelings children may have about communion and helps develop a sense of belonging and community. Available from the Resource Center and for purchase from Augsburg Fortress (external link).

Eating and Drinking in the Word

Most often used for first communion instruction, this 20-minute video presentation for children, especially in grades 4-6, introduces a Lutheran understanding of the Eucharist. Available from the Resource Center on video and DVD and for purchase from Seraphim Communication and Augsburg Fortress (external link).

Grandma’s Bread

Another classic, this 17-minute video and DVD is a story children will remember about the power of relationships and the meaning of sharing bread. Available in English and Spanish, Grandma’s Bread tells a poignant story about the love of family and what it means to belong to one another. Available from the Resource Center and for purchase from St. Anthony Messenger Press (external link).

Table of the Lord

This four-part video resource helps prepare young children and their parents for participating in and receiving the Eucharist. Each program has a dramatic situation to help children understand how Jesus meets them in the sacrament, a gospel story, an activity, and an explanation about how giving, eating, and celebrating are central to communion. The fourth video is directed to parents and gives a clear idea of what children are being taught about Holy Communion. Available from the Resource Center and for purchase from St. Anthony Messenger Press (external link).

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: Taste and See!

The following resources may be helpful for your Lenten planning. They are available from the EaND Synod Resource Center.

40 Day Journeys

This series from Augsburg Fortress invites meditation, individual study, and group discussion. Journeys are with Joan Chittister, Martin Luther, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Kathleen Norris, Madeleine L’Engle, Parker Palmer, and Julian of Norwich. In addition, the Book of Faith 40-Day Lenten Journey includes forty personal daily readings and weekly worship with the study of scripture. Preview copies available. (AFP)

Signs of Lent

This adult study is a spiritual encounter with texts from Matthew and John.

• Lent 1 addresses Jesus’ encounter with solitude and self-denial in the wilderness.
• Lent 2 tells the story of Nicodemus coming to Jesus to reflect on his own spiritual journey. Lent 3 is the story of the Samaritan Woman.
• Lent 4 tells of the blind man seeking healing and its effect on the community.
• Lent 5 is about the death of a friend challenging Jesus to put his own life in jeopardy.
• Lent 6 describes Judas becoming the instrument of Jesus’ betrayal and crucifixion.
• The Easter segment shows the risen Christ meeting Mary Magdalene and commissioning her as the first evangelist.

Themes in order: Sand, Wind, Water, Earth, Rock, Tree, Light. PDF leader guide files included. (DVD185) (Logos)

Unfailing Light

This Lenten liturgy of evening prayer and communion includes the beautiful music of Marty Haugen and texts and images by Susan Briehl. (AFP) (GIA)

Journey Through the Psalms

Bring the Psalms to life for prayer and worship and learn to approach God with the emotional intensity of the ancient psalmists. Based on the book of the same name, this eight-session study is led by the book’s author. It includes a DVD, leader’s guide, participant book, a copy of the book, Journey Through the Psalms, and a set of promotional materials. It is a general bible study that immerses participants in the rich texts of the Psalms. Each DVD segment is 6-15 minutes. (K159) (Wesley Ministry Network)

God is Here!

This Lenten video series invites participants to reflect more deeply on worship life. Five sessions focus on liturgical objects and include video clips of congregational stories. (VT2114) (ELCA)

Bible People Monologues for Lent

This downloadable resource can be found online at Augsburg Fortress (external link) (AFP)

Were You There? Six Plays for the Lenten Season

These six biblical dramas reenact the sacred events of the passion. (AFP)

Journey Through Lent with Mark

This guide to the Gospel of Mark is for daily reflection and/or group study. (AFP)

The Death of Jesus in the Gospel of John

John’s account of Jesus’ arrest and trial unfolds in several stages which are carefully explored. His account of the crucifixion recognizes that Jesus suffered a brutal form of execution thus raising the question of what Jesus’ death means for us. Finally, John’s gospel also includes at least four different perspectives on the meaning of the crucifixion which are discussed extensively. This resource includes three lectures and a comprehensive study guide that poses provocative questions. It’s an excellent program for congregational study, especially during Lent and/or Holy Week. (DVD229) (Select Multimedia)

Lent: A Time of Renewal

A seven part program for reflecting on the gospels and our baptismal covenant, this series uses true stories, drama, music, and visual meditations with Lenten themes including temptation, Jesus as “living water”, “light of the world”, and “resurrection and life.” (DVD210) (St. Anthony Messenger Press)

Creative Communication Kits

The Resource Center has a wide selection of Lenten worship services available for preview.

Stations of the Cross

Magnificent visual images and a beautiful music score combine with thought provoking meditations for each of the 14 Stations of the Cross. Will help listeners relate events in Christ’s life to our own. (VT2286) We also have a set of sixteen Stations of the Cross posters. (K26) (Franciscan Communications)

Character Portrayals for Lent

This set of dramatic character portrayals for Lent includes scripts for many biblical characters as well as two video programs from Calvary Lutheran Church, Golden Valley, MN (external link), where these dramas have taken place. Author Rev. Steve Dornbusch wrote these in conjunction with Mark Holmen’s Lenten Faith Mentoring Program. (K145) (Youth and Family Institute)

Forty Days and Forty Nights: A Lenten Ark

Count down the days of Lent aboard an ark with Noah’s family and all the animals. The colorful ark has windows and doors to open for each day of Lent and the Easter Triduum. Open one window each day to discover who is on board. The accompanying booklet by Peter Mazar connects the animals on the ark to Lenten values and provides guidance for daily prayer. (K149) (Liturgy Training Publications)

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: Lent 2009

We do not celebrate Lent as mere remembrance of our mortality or as a brief period of artificially-induced repentance. We celebrate it as our communal preparation for the baptismal celebration that is Easter’s vigil. And we celebrate Easter’s Fifty Days in order to reflect on our baptismal mission in the wider world.

Featured Resources:

• Holden Evening Prayer by Marty Haugen
• The Matthew Passion
• Cross Examinations
• A Closer Walk
• Death: Doorway to Life
• God’s Love in Jesus of Nazareth
• The Heart of the Matter (based on Psalm 51)
• Jerusalem at Passover
• Unfailing Light, a Lenten liturgy – Marty Haugen and Susan Briehl
• Ray McKeever’s Joyous Light
• Scripture Out Loud!
• Can These Bones Live?
• Timothy Strommen’s Getting Mixed Up in the Passion Story
• The Life Teachers of Samuel Jacob
• The Temptations of Jesus
• Character Portrayals for Lent by Steve Dornbusch
• Sundays and Seasons 2008
• The Three Day Feast: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter
• Liturgy: from Ashes to Fire for Cycle A
• 40 Day Journey with Dietrich Bonhoeffer
• 40 Day Journey with Joan Chittister
• 40 Day Journey with Kathleen Norris
• Stations of the Heart by Herb Brokering
• Gospel Food for Hungry Christians: Matthew by John Shea (CD)
• The Visual Bible
• The Gospel According to Matthew
• Walter Wangerin’s Parables: A New Look at Familiar Stories (Video / DVD)
• Signs of the Times (video/book)
• Spirituality: An Invitation to a Closer Relationship with God (video/book)
• Genesis: A Living Conversation (video)
• A Lenten Sourcebook: the Forty Days I and II
• Triduum Sourcebook
• An Easter Sourcebook
• Parables: Stories for Life in God’s World
• Blessed Are You: the Beatitudes of Jesus in Scripture and Life
• Lord, Teach Us to Pray
• The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen
• The Cup of Our Life by Joyce Rupp
• Speaking of Trust and Places Along the Way by Martin Marty
• The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey
• What’s So Amazing About Grace by Philip Yancey
• Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope, Illuminated Life: Monastic Wisdom for Seekers of Light by Joan Chittister
• Called to Question by Joan Chittister

Featured Links:

• The Global Mission Lenten Worship Series (external link)
• Prophetic Voices: Witnesses to Radical Faith

The preceding resources are highlighted and recommended for your consideration. If you have questions or would like to reserve a resource, contact Julie Aageson at 701-232-3381 or julie.aageson@ecunet.org

Visit the EaND Resource Center | Search the Catalog

Eastern North Dakota Synod - ELCA: Lent, The Three Days, and Easter