{ Worship in Lutheran schools 11 th February 2014

Reflect on your own spirituality. What has shaped it and helped it grow? What part has worship played in your spiritual journey? Join with a partner and share your thoughts.

 Faith (or at least and interest in matters of faith) can be legitimately presupposed for the majority  Most of the congregation is baptised  Previous involvement in Christian worship - congregational worship practices presupposed for the majority  Some level of biblical literacy presupposed for the majority  Voluntary attendance Regular congregational worship

Changing context Then…

Now…

 God’s action and people’s response  …God conveys love, grace and mercy to human beings through readings from the Bible, forgiveness of sins, proclamation of the gospel, the enactment of Baptism, the celebration of Holy Communion, and the performance of blessing. Statement on School worship BLEA GCC 2002 Worship in Lutheran schools

 No presupposition of a participant’s faith  No presupposition of baptism  No presupposition of involvement in congregational worship practices  No presupposition of biblical literacy  Compulsory attendance School worship

‘Only those who believe in God can worship God!’ Marva Dawn Discuss: What are the implications for schools?

Understanding the spirituality of children holistic ways of seeing – capacity for mystical open and curious – capacity for wonder discover new things daily – capacity for thinking and inquiring

Children’s spirituality feelings matter – importance of relationships know that there is more than they know – capacity for awe and the desire to search for meaning

Young people long for: 1. Experiences of deep connection to themselves, others nature, a higher power (relationships that are caring, resonant with meaning) 2. Longing for silence and solitude – stillness, reflection, rest, prayer, contemplation Understanding the spirituality of young people

Young people long for: 3. Exploration of big questions – Why am I here? What is life for? What does my future hold? Is there a God? 4. Experiences of joy and delight through play, celebration, gratitude, beauty, power, brilliance Understanding the spirituality of young people

13 What implications does this have for:  the physical environment – spaces, furniture, materials, objects, other resources?  social environment- involvement of community, family, diversity of experiences?  nature of sensory, language experiences students are given?

 daily staff devotions, staff prayer, Bible study, staff retreats, staff worship  classroom worship - class devotions, grace prior to lunch, blessing at the end of the school day  school worship  school and congregational worship In Lutheran schools they set aside special times to worship through:

 Bible reading  Telling Bible stories  Prayers of request and thanks – for students, school and the world for students, school and the world  Blessing  Singing  Group silence for meditation and contemplation  Appropriate ritual acts (eg candles, signing of the cross for blessing etc) Appropriate Elements for School Worship

 Confession of sins  Confession of faith  Responsive prayers  Calls for commitment Inappropriate elements may include:

 be accessible to students  be in language and style which witnesses to the relevance of the gospel and the mystery of God.  provide for a variety of expressions of worship as God works differently in different people at different times. Worship and devotions in the school context needs to:

What understandings are important for our teachers?

Our world is desperate for God. In the face of growing postmodern despair and chaos, the escalating gap between rich and poor, the intensifying violence and global political and economic confusions, our world desperately needs worship services where God is encountered in as much as his fullness as possible. [1999 M Dawn]

 Is God kept the subject?  Does worship nurture participant’s character?  Does it deepen the community? Criteria for planning worship

Bible verse or a Bible story  Stories and Christian Studies  Read  Tell  Dramatise  View Starting points

Ritual

Sight Sight Sound Sound Feel Feel Taste Taste Smell Smell Multi sensory

ARTWORKARTWORK

Story: secular and Christian

Devotional books

Meditation