A Legacy Of Hope (November)

James Cathcart October 30, 2022 0

November 2022 (30 October - 26 November). See the Resource Pack PDF for information on the weekly subthemes and the daily prompts and Bible readings which shape our Daily Worship. See the Bible Study Questions PDF to see the material adapted for small Connect groups or personal Bible study.

We have been entrusted with a legacy of hope

We have been entrusted with a legacy of hope by all the saints that have gone before us! Not a legacy of fear, or suspicion or bitterness, but one of hope! We are responsible for nurturing a legacy that has sustained, inspired and comforted generations over the centuries.

We begin by reflecting on All Saints Day, exploring the legacy that the Communion of Saints have carried with them and subsequently handed on to us. Over the month we want to ask, what legacies do we rely on and draw strength from? And what legacies will we leave behind? Are we leaving legacies of hope?

Our hope is a rich, transformative thing. Hope is not optimism, or foolhardiness, or cheerfulness, or a denial of reality. Our hope is knowing that the deep love at the heart of the universe — the deep love of God — loves us, and cares for us and considers us all worthy of that love. Life is incredibly hard and complex but we live hopefully in the light of that world-changing love, hoping to do our bit as we can, relying on God and one another.

As we enter a time of turmoil and change in our lives, churches and society — how can we ensure that we hold on to this hope? Our proud inheritance — handmade by God, given to us by Jesus, and instilled more each day through the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit — is an invaluable resource.

We shall end the month with the beautiful legacy of hope spoken from the cross, as Jesus turns to the suffering man in agony next to him and says, ”Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”(see Luke 23:33-43).

SETTING THE SCENE: This month we are experimenting with having a visual/multi-sensory motif for each week. The idea is that this word provides an additional focus point for preparing services or multimedia from the material. It is not intended to be restrictive and is simply a suggestion to combine with the theme prompts to inspire creativity.

SEEDS TO SOW: Additional suggestions to facilitate varied ways of responding to the readings and sub-themes for the month. These are open-ended and optional and are designed especially for people creating worship resources in response to the material.

A beautiful legacy of hope spoken from the cross

Each week of the four week theme runs Sunday-Saturday and has its own subtheme, which contains daily Bible readings and prompts for thought (see the Resource Pack PDF for more information). See the Bible Study Questions PDF to see the material adapted for personal Bible study or small Connect groups.