May’s Worship Theme at Follen is “Transformation.”

Spiritual Exercise

Got a Bible? Sure you do—at home or on the web, find a Bible and turn to the book of Psalms. There are 150 Psalms in the Hebrew Bible. Choose one—any one—and transform it. Rewrite, reinterpret, reimagine—transform the psalm into a psalm for today, a psalm for you, a psalm to share with others. (If you can, try to read several translations of the psalm you decide to work with, to see how translation can be its own act of transformation.) Why did you choose the psalm you chose? How did you transform it—and why?

For examples of people transforming psalms and other sacred texts, see:

laughingbird.net –an Australian pastor transforms biblical texts into colloquial Australian
giftsinopenhands.wordpress.com – a local UCC pastor, Rev. Maren Tirrabassi, reimagines psalms, liturgies, and prayer

A Book of Psalms by Stephen Mitchell – poetic reimaginations of the psalms, for our modern world
Prayers for Privileged People by Walter Brueggemann – poetic and prophetic prayers inspired by years of Biblical study

Prayers of the Cosmos: Meditations on the Aramaic Words of Jesus by Neil Douglas-Klotz – modernized and poetic transformations of Biblical writings

Covenant Groups

Read/Download May’s Covenant Group Session on Transformation

Suggested Community Reads

Every month Amy Newmark and Jane Spickett suggest some books related to the worship theme. For those who would like to connect a bit more with the theme of “Transformation,” here are this month’s selections:

Ages 3-6
Blue Chameleon (Emily Gravett) Perfect Square (Michael Hall)
When Spring Comes (Kevin Henkes)

Ages 5-7
Houdini the Amazing Caterpillar (Janet Pedersen) Little Rat Sets Sail (Monika Bang-Campbell)

Ages 8-12
One Halffrom the East (Nadia Hashimi) Sea Change (Frank Viva)

Adults
Chosen by a Horse (Susan Richards)