Since Signs of Life is quite different from SSJE’s previous video offerings, we wanted to share a glimpse of the series in advance, to give you a taste of what it will be like.
As you’ll see in the sample video, “Week 2: Water,” this year we will be offering a single,longer video each week. You’ll find the weekly topic explored through group conversation,individual interviews, and beautiful footage of life and worship at SSJE.
We hope that these weekly videos will fold well into parish use, whether as part of a Sunday forum, or in weekly small-group meetings. To accompany the videos, we’re producingtwo Facilitators’ Guides: one for use in an adult forum; the other to guide deeper interactions in the small group setting. We are also producing a range of supplementalmaterials, including podcasts, posters, bulletin inserts, and a supplementary reader – all offered without cost on the website. We hope that this new format will support parish ministries and small groups interested in exploring “why church matters.”
During Lent 2020, SSJE will also enhance its daily offering, Brother, Give Us A Word, with questions and practices related to Signs of Life, to inspire those who wish to go deeper on their own.
We invite you to explore this sample video and hope very much that you’ll consider this resource for Lent 2020. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at resources@signsoflife.org.
Signs of Life Sample Video: Water
In this video, The Rev. Becky Zartman is in conversation with Brs. Jonathan Maury, Keith Nelson, James Koester and Lucas Hall to discuss Water.
Questions for Meditation
At the end of the service of Compline, one Brother sprinkles the gathered community with holy water, praying for “a peaceful night and a perfect end.” This ritual reminds us of our mortality. How might you hand your own life back to God at the end of each day?
Surrendering to the water of baptism allows for us to be reborn by the Holy Spirit into the new life of God. How are you adrift? What keeps you afloat?
Practice:
- This week, when you wash your hands, notice the water, really feel the water as it flows over your hands.
Facilitator Support
Words of support:
Text in progress.
Worship engages our deepest human needs and has the power to transform our lives. Join the Brothers of SSJE in exploring the signs and symbols at the heart of Christian worship.
This free 5-week offering encourages individuals and groups to explore the riches of our worship traditions, liturgy and sacraments, and the art and architecture of our worship spaces, revealing the full meaning of these signs, deepening our experience of Christian vocation and guiding us toward ongoing conversion.