Week One

ABCs

And so funnily enough we begin with A for Amen — typically the last word of our prayers, blessings and benedictions. But actually this is appropriate because those two syllables — that mean in effect ‘Let it be so’ — are not in fact an ending with God. Amen is more of a comma than a full stop. We don’t cease communicating with God at ‘Amen’. Amen is not a sign off, or a goodbye, it simply marks the resolution of one thing in the expectation of the next. A new beginning as it were. And so a rather apropos way to begin our series...

Check out the A to Z Resource Pack to see all the letters A to F.

SEEDS TO SOW: WHAT DOES THE WORD ‘DIVINITY’ MEAN TO YOU? *

Read Psalm 107: 1-3

A - Amen. And so we begin at the end, with the last word of our prayers: ‘Amen’.

When we say Amen we are saying ‘it is so’ like the redeemed of the Lord in the psalm. We are underlining that we mean what we have just said or heard, that we are sincere and in earnest. A bit like saying ‘I mean it’, or ‘I’m not joking’, or ‘100 percent!’ after saying something to a friend.

How do you feel when you say “Amen” at the end of a prayer? What does the word mean to you?

Read 1 Corinthians 11: 23-25

C - Communion. Timeless spine-tingling words that are woven into the fabric of our faith. How does it feel to hear these words read aloud? What words do you tend to associate in your mind with the word ‘Communion’? What comes into your head when you think about it?

If you have taken Communion before, look back over your life and consider: are there particular times that you can remember that have stood out for you for some reason? If so, why?

Read Hebrews 11: 1-3

F - Faith. What is faith? Our final reading for the section offers us a definition. But how does having an “assurance of things hoped for” and “conviction of things not seen” influence how we live our daily lives? Day by day what does ‘faith’ mean to you?

* SEEDS TO SOW: These are open-ended and optional prompts and are designed for people wanting to develop their own resources in response to the themes. Perhaps if you are using this material as a group you could use these prompts to inspire a time of prayer, or drawing, or creative writing? They are a short and sweet, simply a starting off place for you and your imagination. Tailor and develop as suits your group.