“Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people”
No experience or knowledge is necessary.
You need bring only an open spirit!
We believe that the Holy Spirit continues to speak to us through the texts of the Bible; for this reason it is central in our worshipping life.
When passages from the Bible are read aloud in Sunday worship services, the reader concludes by saying “Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people”; the congregation responds, “Thanks be to God.” However, the texts of the Bible are neither simple nor easy.
In the Bible we read the story of God's love of humanity, but we also read of the struggles people have had over time with understanding and responding to God's love. Some have even used the Bible to promote a message of hate rather than a message of love. How we read the Bible matters.
Adults and children have many opportunities to increase and deepend their Biblical knowledge at All Saints’. Starting in September 2024, we will offer a “Bible Learning Time” for all ages 8 and up, at 8:45 AM on the second and fourth Sundays of the month. Our conversations will be based on Forward Movement’s “The Path” resources, including the Family Storybook: https://www.forwardmovement.org/Products/2430/the-path-family-storybook.aspx
We also have an adult group that meets once a month over a potluck dinner to read the adult version of The Path: A Journey Through the Bible: https://www.forwardmovement.org/Products/2418/the-path.aspx
All Saints’ also participates regularly in the high-quality online courses offered by Montreal Diocesan Theological College: https://montrealdio.ca/our-courses/.
If you're interested in lectionary studies of the Bible, check out textweek.com, which links to many resources, and the comments and clippings by All Saints’ member Chris Haslam. The Bible Project (https://bibleproject.com/) and Enter the Bible (https://enterthebible.org/) are other useful resources.
If you have ideas for other Christian formation topics or formats, please talk to Grace!
“Eternal God, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning, grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.”
— Book of Alternative Services, p. 391
