Cuaresma

Unrevealed Until Its Season

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 22:38:03 GMT

Unrevealed Until Its Season

Walking In The Wilderness

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 15:12:22 GMT

Living through social and political upheaval can sometimes feel a lot like wandering in exile through a spiritual desert.

The Upper Room invites you to join us this Lent for an online retreat in which we will hold sacred space for one another and connect with God throughout each day. You may feel like you are walking in the wilderness, but you are not alone. The Holy Spirit travels with us.

The book of Joel reminds us:

"Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for [God] is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing" (Joel 2:12-13, NRSV).

Together, we will embrace the challenge of remembering God?not just during formal worship or daily meditation but throughout the day, a skill to be developed over time, a practice learned over a lifetime. We will also gather weekly for online worship and engage in times of prayer and reflection on scripture. We come hungry to this season of Lent?hungry for words of life, for rituals of preparation, for practices to help us on our way.

Together, let's remember God, receive words of life, and walk through the days of Lent.

Featuring Beth A. Richardson's book Walking in the Wilderness: Seeking God During Lent, our online retreat will include a variety of elements available to you anytime in our online classroom:

Daily devotional readings from the book, available in the online classroom
Space for comments and interaction with other eCourse registrants
Recordings of live sessions from 2021, available for viewing.
Optional: private classrooms and closed discussions are available just for your group or congregation.**

Walking in the Wilderness: Seeking God During Lent is an honest Lenten devotional that invites us to remember God as much as we can; in doing so, we will maintain a true center during this holy time.

We invite you to engage as you are able. You are not required to participate in every element of the online retreat.

Join our open group and make new friends, or request a private classroom for your group of 5 or more and delve into Walking in the Wilderness: An Online Lenten Retreat with The Upper Room with those you know.

Week One: Entering the Wilderness | Isaiah 58
Week Two: Wandering in the Wilderness | Exodus 16
Week Three: The experience of Exile | Ezekiel 37:1-14
Week Four: Singing the Songs of Exile | Psalm 137
Week Five: Jesus in the Wilderness | Luke 4:1-13
Week Six: The Wilderness of Holy Week

Private group breakout rooms are available during these live events.

* For private classroom pricing and information, contact us at UReLearning@UpperRoom.org.

Listening Through Lent

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 15:10:42 GMT

Do you love hymns? Songs of faith shape our understanding of spiritual truths; they remind us who God is. When we listen to hymns, the music awakens our auditory imagination and embeds the words into our memories. Lingering in our hearts and minds, hymns offer a regular reminder of God's loving and compassionate presence with us. This artful combination of music and lyric is a great gift.

Our Lenten eCourse, featuring James C. Howell's Unrevealed Until Its Season: A Lenten Journey with Hymns, centers on key phrases of well-loved hymns. "Take My Moments," "One Little Word Shall Fell Him," "Mystic Sweet Communion," and "Wonderful Words"?phrases like these become the rich subject matter for daily readings from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday. Join us for this Lenten reflection of hymns as we explore these themes:

Merciful and Mighty: Hymns Praising God
Beautiful Savior: Hymns About Jesus
Prone to Wander: Hymns of Forgiveness
Thy Presence My Light: Hymns of Vision
With Joy Surround You: Hymns of Beauty
Stony the Road: Hymns of Holy Week
Love's Redeeming Work: Hymns of Easter

Our eCourse includes:

A daily meditation (reading) for each of the 40 days of Lent
Weekly recorded videos with author James C. Howell
A live webinar with author Rev. Dr. James C. Howell on Tuesday, February 15 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. (CST)*
Weekly live sessions with Upper Room staff each Wednesday from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. (CST)

The Upper Room's live sessions will be offered on Zoom and include teaching as well as group discussion. They will begin March 9 and will conclude April 13.

*To prepare for the upcoming Lenten season, join author Rev. Dr. James C. Howell and The Upper Room Publisher Rev. Kimberly Orr as they talk about music, life, and Lent. Register for the free webinar here.

The God We Can Know

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 15:06:26 GMT

God wants to be known!

The Gospel of John records several declarations by Jesus known as "I Am" sayings. With each statement, Jesus uses vivid images to capture our imagination, revealing more about his identity and purpose.

In this 7-week eCourse, we'll explore along with author Rob Fuquay what Jesus meant when he said, "I Am...the Bread of Life; the Light of the World; the Good Shepherd; the True Vine; the Way, the Truth, and the Life; the Resurrection and the Life."

Videos of Rob's teaching in the Holy Land will capture your imagination. Readings that offer deeper insight into each week's topic will give you food for thought. Opportunities to discuss with others what you are learning will enrich your experience.

Private eCourse classrooms with group rates are available upon request. If you are interested, email us at UReLearning@UpperRoom.org.

Walking in the Wilderness

Tue, 24 May 2022 18:21:15 GMT

Walking in the Wilderness

Unrevealed Until Its Season

Fri, 20 May 2022 15:39:34 GMT

Author James Howell believes in the power of song to teach spiritual truths. "Hymns embed faith into the marrow of the soul," he writes. In Unrevealed Until Its Season, Howell takes us on a 40-day journey through well-loved hymns.

A meaningful Lenten devotional guide for individuals and small groups, Unrevealed Until Its Season is also a valuable resource and perfect gift for musicians as they prepare for worship, and for ministers as they lead worship.

Weekly themes include Praising God, Hymns About Jesus, Hymns of Forgiveness, Hymns of Vision, Hymns of Beauty, Hymns of Holy Week, and Hymns of Easter. Howell ponders phrases from old and new hymns, such as "Be Thou My Vision," "Hymn of Promise," "All Creatures of Our God and King," "For Everyone Born," "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing," "Lift High the Cross," and "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross."

The God We Can Know Small-Group Package

Wed, 18 May 2022 21:51:19 GMT

This small-group package includes one copy of the DVD and 7 participant books.

My Body Is Good

Wed, 18 May 2022 21:27:24 GMT

Author Anne Cumings recalls growing up in a culture that scrutinized her body as a source of weakness and sin. Her church warned of "slippery slides into debauchery," and modern culture taught her that she must look a certain way to be attractive, acceptable, even lovable—something to which most women will relate. Now, equipped with a body-positive mindset, she has created an engaging and uplifting study, My Body Is Good, to guide readers through a Lenten season of celebrating their bodies.

Written specifically for women, each daily meditation offers a scripture passage, a reflection, and a prayer. Readers are encouraged to capture their questions, ideas, and thoughts through journaling and other spiritual practices, all with the intention of healing from diet culture. Join her on this Lenten journey and never again forget that your God-given body, made from dust, is good.

The God We Can Know Session 7 - Knowing God's Possibilities

Wed, 18 May 2022 21:18:48 GMT

This video segment takes us to the village of Bethany, 1½ miles east of Jerusalem. As the video opens, Rob Fuquay stands in front of a first-century tomb carved out of limestone. We learn that it is Lazarus's tomb. Fuquay recalls the story of Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha, all good friends of Jesus. Lazarus becomes ill and dies. By the time Jesus reaches Bethany, Lazarus has been dead for four days. As he stands at the door to Lazarus's tomb, Fuquay says he's always wondered why Jesus took his time getting to Bethany—why he didn't spare Mary and Martha from their brother's death. He feels the emotion of Martha's words, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn't have died." She is disappointed in Jesus. "Do you know what it's like to be disappointed in God?" Fuquay asks. We go down into Lazarus's tomb with Fuquay as we ponder those words.

The scene shifts to the Garden Tomb. Over the years Christians have come here to pray, worship, and celebrate that Jesus is not dead—he is risen! The Garden Tomb reminds us that God does not have to sidestep death to be powerful. Christ's resurrection shows us that nothing can stop God from working. "Have you ever experienced God bringing new possibilities when you thought all hope was lost?" Fuquay asks. "That's the power of the one who said, 'I am the resurrection and the life.'" We review scenes from Lazarus's tomb and the Garden Tomb as we reflect on God's power to bring new possibilities into our lives.

The God We Can Know Session 6 - Knowing God's Way

Wed, 18 May 2022 21:18:39 GMT

At the beginning of this video, we see Rob Fuquay walking on an ancient Roman road—the Via Maris, one of the highways the Romans built in the Middle East. Jesus might have been thinking of this highway when he said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."

We move with Fuquay to the Upper Room, where Jesus shared his last meal with the disciples and saddened them by telling them he was going away. Thomas asked, "Where are you going?" Jesus said, "I am going to prepare a place for you. You know the way to that place." Then Thomas asked, "But how can we know the way?" Jesus replied, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). Fuquay remarks that this is probably the most controversial of Jesus' "I am" sayings.

Our next visit is to Jerusalem, where we peer over Fuquay's shoulder to see the Dome of the Rock, a sacred site for Muslims. Looking down, we can see the Western Wall, where many Jewish people come to pray and place written prayers in the wall. Nearby is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a major pilgrimage site for Christians. Fuquay leads us to think about how Jesus would handle encounters with people of other faiths.

Finally, Fuquay leads us along a path in the Galilean hills called the Jesus Trail. People come to walk this trail and remember many activities of Jesus' early ministry. Fuquay reminds us that Jesus came to teach us about knowing God's way, offering us a new way to live.

The God We Can Know Session 5 - Knowing God's Power

Wed, 18 May 2022 21:18:30 GMT

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower," Jesus declares in John 15:1. Grapes are one of the oldest agricultural products in the world—no wonder Jesus used the grapevine as an illustration of his relationship with his followers, Rob Fuquay says. The video opens in a vineyard at the foot of Mount Tabor in Israel. In this video segment, we travel with Fuquay to the Israel Museum, an outdoor model of Jerusalem as it was in Jesus' day. We also see the Cenacle, the site built to commemorate the upper room where Jesus shared the Last Supper with his disciples. Finally, we visit the owners of a vineyard as Fuquay talks with them about the care of grapevines. Pruning is an important part of maintaining healthy vines, the vineyard owners emphasize. Without pruning, the vine suffers. Jesus says the same is true in our spiritual lives. Fuquay leaves us to reflect on the importance of the connection we have with the Vinegrower (God) through Jesus.

The God We Can Know Session 4 - Knowing God's Care

Wed, 18 May 2022 21:18:22 GMT

This video segment begins in a sheep pen as Rob Fuquay talks about shepherding. Shepherds have been around for at least 6,000 years, he says. In Jesus' day, shepherds sometimes rented a safe place to keep their sheep at night, in an enclosure with a locked gate. Often several flocks of sheep were kept in the same enclosure. This setting brings life to Jesus' words "I am the good shepherd" and "I am the door and gate of the sheep."

We travel out to the countryside, where Fuquay remarks that shepherding was hard, dangerous work. Shepherds had to keep sheep on the move to keep them from overgrazing any one area, and this made them vulnerable to attacks. We see Qumran, the site where a shepherd boy discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947. This site is a good place to think about Jesus' image "I am the door to the sheep," Fuquay says.

The video winds up at the Lions Gate, the oldest gate in the wall around Jerusalem. In the time when Nehemiah rebuilt the temple, this was called the Sheep's Gate because it was the gate through which sheep were brought into the Temple for sacrifice.

The God We Can Know Session 3 - Knowing God's Guidance

Wed, 18 May 2022 21:18:14 GMT

In this video segment Rob Fuquay takes us to Jerusalem during the Feast of Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of Booths. This festival commemorates and celebrates God's guiding the people of Israel through the desert, leading them with a pillar of fire. Fuquay notes that the feast is a reminder that we are still people on a journey.

We visit the Western Wall of Jerusalem, also known as the Wailing Wall. On top of that wall was the courtyard where Jesus stood on the Night of Grand Illumination and declared, "I am the light of the world." On the Night of Grand Illumination, giant torches lined the Temple courtyard and lit up the entire city of Jerusalem. Nearby the Sanhedrin was meeting on that night, plotting to put Jesus to death.

Fuquay reminds us of the drama taking place when Jesus said he was the light of the world. This session leads us to reflect on ways God has guided us in the past and continues to guide us in our daily lives.

The God We Can Know Session 2 - Knowing God's Satisfaction

Wed, 18 May 2022 21:18:06 GMT

This video segment takes us to the Mount of Beatitudes, the site that commemorates Jesus' feeding the 5,000. Fuquay notes that the crowd consisted of 5,000 men; with women and children, it could have been as many as 15,000 people. Besides the Resurrection, the story of Jesus' miracle of feeding the crowd is the only miracle story told in all four Gospels.

Next, we go with Fuquay to Capernaum, an outpost of Jesus' ministry that was located on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus came to Capernaum after the feeding of the crowd. Less than 24 hours after this miracle, people in the crowd asked Jesus, "What will you do for us?"

The last part of this video shows Fuquay standing on the banks of the Jordan River, a significant site because this is where the people of Israel entered the Promised Land after forty years of wandering in the desert. When the Hebrews finally reached the Promised Land, God's daily provision of manna stopped, and they had to seek God's provision in a new way. This video helps us explore the question "What does it mean to trust God and find our satisfaction in Jesus?"

The God We Can Know Session 1 - Knowing the Great "I Am"

Wed, 18 May 2022 21:17:58 GMT

In this video, Rob Fuquay helps us learn the background of the words "I Am" in scripture.

Filmed in the Holy Land, the video begins in the desert, where God spoke the words "I Am" to Moses. Through Moses's encounter with the burning bush, God called Moses to return to Egypt and tell Pharaoh, "Let my people go!" Moses asked God, "If the people ask who sent me, what shall I say?" God replied, "Tell the Israelites 'I Am' has sent you."

Twelve hundred years later, Jesus used the words "I Am" to refer to himself, employing images of bread, light, shepherding, and grapevines. Rob Fuquay takes us to Congregation Beth-El Zedeck in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he speaks with senior rabbi Dennis Sasso.

Jesus' language in the "I Am" statements is straight out of first-century Judaism, Sasso says, and Jesus' Jewish audience would have resonated with his statements. In Jewish teaching, the Torah is often referred to as the bread of life. Sasso explains that light symbolizes the soul. He also mentions the vine as a symbol of the people, or community, that God protects, nurtures, and keeps. The Ten Commandments open with the words "I Am," he notes. In this video you will hear cantor Melissa Cohen chant the opening words of the Ten Commandments in Hebrew.

Cada celebración: Cuaresma y temporada de Resurrección

Wed, 18 May 2022 21:10:01 GMT

PDF Download

Este recurso cumple una variedad de propósitos al ofrecer ayuda en la planificación de la adoración, sugerencias para ayudas visuales, ideas para la liturgia, e información concisa sobre celebraciones litúrgicas relacionadas con la Cuaresma y Temporada de Resurrección.

Disponible sólo para ser bajado como un documento PDF.

Notas:

Se concede permiso para fotocopiar con la compra de este recurso.
¡Lo sentimos! Este recurso no tiene descuento de promoción o por la compra de múltiples copias.
No se aceptan devoluciones o reembolsos de dinero.

The God We Can Know

Tue, 17 May 2022 01:09:43 GMT

Getting to know God means getting to know ourselves. The more we know who God is the more we know who we are. The Gospel of John records several declarations of Jesus known as the "I Am" sayings. This 7-week study is designed for the entire congregation to explore each of those sayings and will help you find and form an answer to the most essential question in the Christian faith, "Who do you say I am?"

One by one, Jesus' statements grab our imagination, reveal more about his identity and purpose, and connect us to the God of Moses, who spoke the first "I Am." These significant yet ordinary images (bread, light, shepherd, vine, and more) give us insightful ways to experience Jesus and point us to a God who wants to be known.

What is included in the study?

BOOK INCLUDES:

Exploration and commentary on the images Jesus uses in the "I Am" statements
Fuquay's personal experiences to help connect the "I Am" sayings into your life
Reflection questions

THE DVD FEATURES:

Age-level guides for children, youth, and adults
6 sessions filmed on location in the Holy Land, allows you to travel with Rob Fuquay and actually see the places where Jesus stood when he disclosed his true identity, and in what context he spoke each "I Am." The video sessions for this study are as follows:
- Introduction: "Knowing the Great I Am" — 10:07
- Session 1: "I Am the Bread of Life" — 8:45
- Session 2: "I Am the Light of the World" — 6:35
- Session 3: "I Am the Good Shepherd" — 8:03
- Session 4: "I Am the True Vine" — 8:24
- Session 5: "I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" — 8:56
- Session 6: "I Am the Resurrection and the Life" — 7:59

To purchase the DVD click here.

For more information and samples, visit TheGodWeCanKnow.UpperRoomBooks.com.

The God We Can Know DVD

Sat, 14 May 2022 04:26:49 GMT

What is included in the study?

BOOK INCLUDES:

Exploration and commentary on the images Jesus uses in the "I Am" statements
Fuquay's personal experiences to help connect the "I Am" sayings into your life
Reflection questions

THE DVD FEATURES:

Age-level guides for children, youth, and adults
6 sessions filmed on location in the Holy Land, allows you to travel with Rob Fuquay and actually see the places where Jesus stood when he disclosed his true identity, and in what context he spoke each "I Am." The video sessions for this study are as follows:
- Introduction: "Knowing the Great I Am" — 10:07
- Session 1: "I Am the Bread of Life" — 8:45
- Session 2: "I Am the Light of the World" — 6:35
- Session 3: "I Am the Good Shepherd" — 8:03
- Session 4: "I Am the True Vine" — 8:24
- Session 5: "I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" — 8:56
- Session 6: "I Am the Resurrection and the Life" — 7:59

To purchase the BOOK click here.

For more information and samples, visit TheGodWeCanKnow.UpperRoomBooks.com.

Walking in the Wilderness

Sat, 14 May 2022 04:13:28 GMT

People of faith are struggling these days as they watch unbelievable events unfold. The United States, once a refuge for immigrants, has closed its borders to many of the world's most vulnerable citizens. Fear of people different from us has created an atmosphere of hatred, incivility, and violence. We are living in a time of wilderness and exile.

Yet the wilderness is a familiar place for those who follow Jesus. Like Jesus, we spend 40 days in the wilderness. During Lent God calls us to examine ourselves, repent, and make room in our lives for the Holy One.

Walking in the Wilderness is meant to be a companion for readers' journey through Lent. It may be studied by individuals or groups. The book includes daily reflections for Ash Wednesday through Easter. Sunday of each week introduces a spiritual practice for the wilderness. The practices for the six Sundays of Lent are Being Present, Lament, Lectio Divina, Trust, Compassion, and Hospitality.

Each reading contains a quotation from an Upper Room resource, a short scripture passage, an insightful reflection and prayer written by Richardson, and a single word for readers to carry with them throughout the day.

"We come hungry to this season of Lent," Richardson writes, "hungry for words of life, for rituals of preparation, for disciplines to help us on our way." Walking in the Wilderness provides a spiritual feast for readers during what is often the most challenging season of the Christian year.

Walking through Lent

Sat, 14 May 2022 04:08:36 GMT

Walking through Lent is a selection from The Upper Room Disciplines. These seven devotionals focus on renewing our commitment to God through self-reflection and repentance.

For the current edition of The Upper Room Disciplines click here.