Mtr Taylor Devine

Dear Friends,

A few weeks ago Forward Movement posted this image:

True confessions—I often fail to meet the expectation for priests to pray the Daily Office daily. There are seasons like the current one where the best I can do is to listen to a podcast of the readings. And that’s got me thinking…

Why is listening to the readings easier than reading them myself?

I think it’s because listening to the readings reminds me of listening to stories about my large, southern family. Those stories explained who was on whose team (similar to today’s reading), where that arm of the family’s cemetery plot is, why that new garment was “showy”…. They made clear that I am a part of my family’s story—just as I am part of God’s story because of Jesus’ invitation and the Spirit’s powerful work in us.

Our 4th, 5th, and 6th grade Sunday School uses a curriculum that is inspired by stories: it’s called StoryMakers. It teaches that God is the great StoryMaker, and we are Story Makers too. Our story and God’s story are tangled up together. The teachers use training and materials that are socially-emotionally responsive and theologically sound—two critical criteria for this tender age!

I appreciate that the StoryMakers curriculum invites play. The children are encouraged to act out a story or parable and create art describing the scripture. The process and the children’s engagement with it takes me back to times when I listened to stories, asked questions, and wondered where I fit into the scheme of things—beyond my large family.

How do you reflect on scripture? Are there ways you hope to grow in this practice? I am looking forward to the upcoming program year and the opportunities we’ll have to study, pray, and serve together—and live out our story encountering God through his words and people.

In Christ,

—Mtr Taylor