Walking with Jesus: Mercy, Justice, Humility

Sunday, June 4, 2017
Thursday, August 31, 2017

This summer, First Pres invites you to walk with Jesus in our worship, reading, talking, and, yes, – walking – as we lean into the ageless practices of mercy, justice, and humility. We are in constant motion – that’s a fact of modern life. Yet life never seems to settle down, or to fall out as we imagine, so we are constantly harried. In a world that teases us with its harsh edges and plentiful injustices, creating a workable hands-on Christian spirituality is a challenge.

Drawing on the timeless words of the prophet Micah, Walking with Jesus will be shaped by three themes: mercy, justice and humility. Daily email devotions authored by friends and members in our First Pres community and delivered daily to your inbox will set the tone. The rhythms of Sunday worship will follow these three themes. Walking—on your own or in a group – will get you moving in and about Ann Arbor. Like last summer, there will be open “ConnectED conversations” following the sermon and worship at 11:00 a.m. offering time and space for hearty conversation.

Summer Email Devotionals

From June 4 - September 3, there will be a daily devotional, written by a church member or staff member, which comes to your email inbox. Most are 100 words or less, and will be based on the theme for each month. If you have never received email devotions, you may sign up below. Stay in touch with your faith, our themes of mercy, justice, and humility, and get to know people at church who write for our devotion. We hope you will participate by reading along, praying, and growing deeper faith with our theme for summer 2017.

Sign up for Summer Devotionals here (no need to sign up if your a previous devotional subscriber)

First Pres Reads

Our First Pres Summer READS will be shaped by three books — in June: Hallelujah Anyway by Anne Lamott; in July – Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson; and in August – Reaching Out by Henri Nouwen. Micah, the prophet, gave us a question that resonates today, “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 (NRSV)

Purchase books here

First Pres Kids Read

We have a Children's Reading list too! To learn more, visit First Pres Kids Read.

Walking with Jesus

This summer there will be a series of five different “WALKS”, ranging from a few miles to thousands of miles. Each walk represents a time in history where God’s people chose or were forced to walk. You can do one or several walks. Those with greater distances can be done as a group or family. Running, swimming, roller skating, biking will all count as well as walking. Brochures for each walk, containing some history, questions to ponder, and a map, will be available June 18. The walks will continue throughout the summer, ending August 27. Here’s a short description of the five walks.

Selma – The 1965 Civil Rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. A total of 54 miles.

Women’s March of 1913 – This was the original Women’s March, taking place the day before Woodrow Wilson was inaugurated. There is the March in DC which was about 1 mile, and an additional march from NYC to DC in the weeks leading up to the Suffrage March – a distance of 234 miles.

The Trail of Tears – In 1838, the US forced the mass migration of the entire Cherokee Nation from their lands east of the Mississippi to central reservations west of the Mississippi (present day Oklahoma). This was an estimated walk of 2200 miles, through all kinds of weather.

“El Norte” – A walk from the Guatemalan border to the Texas border – to escape poverty and increasing violence. Individuals and families will walk a distance of 1000 miles.

The Salt March – In 1930, Ghandi walked 240 miles to the sea, in protest of British Authority. Gather your favorite group of walkers, and commit to completing one or more of these “Walks”. Questions? Contact Sandy Talbott at stalbott@firstpresbyterian.org or 662-4466.

Adventures with Flat Jesus

What? Adventures with Flat Jesus? To learn more, visit Adventures with Flat Jesus!