November 2020: Cloud of witnesses
The phrase Cloud of Witnesses comes from Hebrews 12:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
All Saints is traditionally marked in church on November 1st, the day after Halloween, and is a time when we think of those who have shaped our faith, all of the saints who have gone before us, and also people who have passed away during the year.
We used the image of a murmuration of starlings as a symbol of the cloud of witnesses, in the flyer and in the final prayer section.
Slides here
for everything that follows
Welcome/intro
Reading
Hebrews 12:1
Looking back
The Quiz of Saints
Test your knowledge of historical saints
Iconostasis
Who are the saints that have inspired you - official or unofficial? Add to the Google Jamboard iconostasis
Shrine
The story of the shrine at Errwood Hall - images in the slideshow
Make an origami prayer shrine - illustrations in the slideshow.
Looking around - 2020
The pandemic and lockdowns have changed our geography - we are obliged to be local, we are cut off from people we love. Many people have lost loved ones, or are concerned but unable to be together. Everyone has had different experiences, but for some this is a time of grief and fear.
In the slideshow is a map of an island, with various elements that symbolise personal issues and states of being. We each drew our own copies of the map, using it to express our own current hopes and fears, and shared our maps on camera.
Gathering prayer
We all turned our cameras off and our microphones on. Each person in turn said "I am here" into the silence, and everyone else responded "We are with you". This was remarkably effective.
See the slideshow for the rest of the prayer.
Sharing of bread and wine
Looking forward
A Makaton prayer. Look behind, look around, look forward, look up. See pdf here.