Turn:   

• For this part, we’re going to turn inward and reflect on what we believe or think we know about our religion and other religions.

• Think about what it is that we believe as Christians. What do you like about it? What do you not like about it?

• What do you think about other faiths that you want to turn toward?

• What do you think about other faiths that you want to turn away from? Sometimes, we think or believe things about others that aren’t true or are harmful. It’s difficult to change our minds, but it’s what God calls us all to do. 

• Write or draw a picture about what you think, and share it with us!  

Learn: 

• Pick a faith tradition that’s different from Christianity. To learn more, watch a video about it, or talk to a neighbor or family friend who practices this tradition.

• You could learn about Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Taoism, indigenous religions, or another faith tradition. Need to back up a step and learn about what a religion is? You can learn about that, too. 

• Write a short paragraph or draw a picture about what you’ve learned. What does the faith tradition you learned about believe? How is it different from what we believe? How is it the same? 

Pray: 

• In the Baptismal Covenant, a list of promises to God we make at our Baptisms, we promise that we will “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.” Throughout history, Christians haven’t always been the best at understanding “all people” to include people who aren’t Christian. But God knows that all people, no matter what they believe, are worthy of love and deserve justice and peace. 

• Write or speak a prayer that celebrates God’s expansive love and care for all people, especially people who believe something different than we do. Then share your prayer in your notebook. 

Worship: 

• Experience how another faith tradition worships. Right now, many religious communities, like ours, have brought their worship services or other religious observances online. 

• Find an interfaith service, or a service of a different faith tradition altogether, and attend a service.

• Write or draw about something you experienced while worshipping with another faith tradition. Were there any similarities to how we worship at Grace?

Bless: 

• What is a blessing? In Christianity, a blessing is an act or word that is given from one person to another. In Judaism, blessings are a way to give thanks or praise to God, the source of all blessings. In Islam, blessings come from Allah (God), and those who follow Allah’s will are blessed. Buddhists blessing, often through chant, is important in rituals and ceremonies. Most, if not all, faith traditions have some understanding of blessing. 

• One way we might bless our neighbors of other faiths would be to offer love and goodwill by honoring a holiday of another religious tradition. You can make a poster, draw a picture, or write a spoken blessing. Ask a grownup if you need help! 

• Share a photo of what you have created, or share your written blessing! 

Go: 

• These days, yoga is known more for being a form of exercise or meditation than something that came from a religious tradition! Yoga is a group of spiritual, physical, and mental practices that arose thousands of years ago in the Indus valley and areas that are now part of India. Yoga isn’t connected to just one religious tradition; yoga is used by Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists as part of their religious practice. 

• If you haven’t tried yoga before, ask a parent for help finding a guided yoga practice online that you can try out. We love Yoga with Adriene (if you’ve done wake up yoga at one of our Grace retreats, you’ll recognize her!) but there are many options available. If you have done yoga before, go through some of the movements you have learned or use a video guided practice. As you practice yoga, try thinking about it from a spiritual point of view, and not just a physical one. What did you notice?

• Ask a grownup to take a photo of you practicing yoga, or draw your favorite pose. 

Rest: 

• Meditation is a spiritual practice that is used by many religious traditions. Different faith traditions practice meditation in different ways, though the intentions behind the practice are similar. Meditation is a way to still the mind and grow closer to God or the divine or transcendent. 

• With a grownup’s help, pick a meditation style to practice. You could try Centering Prayer, a Christian practice of sitting in silence to try to hear what God might be saying to you, or a form Buddhist meditation (there are several options to try here). But there are many others! 

• If you can try your meditation more than once, you might experience something different the second or third time you try! 

• Write a few sentences or draw a picture about what you experienced. (If you didn’t feel like anything happened for you, that’s okay too! Meditation is a practice that can take a lifetime to master).