Week Two

Parchment

In the middle ages artists rendered beautiful texts painstakingly on expensive vellum parchment (stretched and dried animal hides) to help not just to repeat the Gospel but to express it in accessible ways, to convey it in a way that was both beautiful and relatable.

How are we doing that now in our day and age? The peat bog persevered that vellum psalter — what are we preserving and conserving? And where are we innovating and experimenting to make the Gospel message accessible for all? The medieval illuminators were using cutting edge technology to bring the Gospel to life in an eye-catching way. We tend to think about ‘illuminated manuscripts' as something from the past but we continue to illuminate the Gospel as the Holy Spirit inspires us — illustrating it through our artistry and through our everyday lives.

SEEDS TO SOW: What do we want to preserve from our time for future generations?

Read Matthew 28: 16-20

To the end of the age…

If last week we were thinking about how we describe the Good News of the Kingdom this week we want to think about how we picture it.

How do you picture the incredible scene in this reading? If you were a director or a painter how would you approach turning it into a film or a painting?

In what ways is imagery and visual art important for expressing our mission?

Read Psalm 67: 1-3

That your way may be known upon earth

As we continue to think about mission, the psalm we are carrying with us this week is the vibrant, sparkling Psalm 67.

What is our mission? Well Psalm 67: 1-3 is a pretty good mission statement!

These verses closely link praise and mission. Sharing our openhearted worship and making it accessible for others can be a crucial way of carrying out our mission.

How can we use our worship as a tool for mission to help people know God’s ways upon the earth?

As a group you could take your ideas to God in prayer.

Read Psalm 67: 4-7

Revered to the ends of the earth.

Nations, plural! God’s Kingdom transcends all our borders and divisions — it’s a multi-cultural, multi-lingual picture.

As communities of God’s people how can we ensure that we are accessible to all people regardless of background?

And how can we live our everyday lives in such a way that they invite others to ask us about our faith, our story, our mission? Share practical suggestions with one another.