Summer is a time of growth. Spring buds come into full flower. The trees are lush and full. Worship attendance lags, in part because people take the time to go on vacation. In part because some people just take the summer off of church. No programming. Nothing much going on.

Why not turn that on its end? I used to dream of increasing attendance during the summer. We never achieved it, but a couple of year we maintained. We’d have a summer festival one Sunday. Another Sunday we’d have an event for the families in our preschool. In June we’d have a BBQ for dads on father’s day, honoring the oldest and youngest dads. We’d have a Sunday when the vbs kids sang. One Sunday we’d send off our kids to the ELCA youth gathering. Another Sunday we’d have them talk about their experience. Another Sunday the folks that went to Peru would present. We saved baptisms for one or two Sundays to build a mob, and make people feel growth. Nearly every Sunday had a special emphasis. We pushed casual, come-as-you-are dress. Summer is about shorts and flip-flops.

All these things are helpful tactics, but engaging, moving, inspiring, motivating gospel-centered preaching is probably the most likely thing to make people want to come. Everyone is spiritually hungry. They will gravitate to where they are fed. Preaching that frees people with grace, and gives them practical ways to live and follow Jesus, making sense out of life, will make them come, and invite their friends.

Summer is the time for growth, so why not do a series on Growth? Of course, we’ll focus on spiritual growth, but a more ambiguous “Growth” leaves room for the imagination. How do we grow as people? Men? Women? Young adults? Seniors?

The texts for June, July and August begin with Trinity Sunday, the Sunday after Memorial Day weekend, where Pentecost Sunday falls this year. Give Pentecost and Trinity their dues as major festivals of the church year. Use them, and June 10 to splash a series on Growth.

The Growth series will run June 17 and 24 and July 1, 8, 15 and 22. It begins with Jesus saying that the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed: small but with such growth that birds make their nests there.

This is just a quick concept I’m throwing together of the top of my head. You could adapt it for your style and context, but the Growth series could look like this:

GROWTH

1. ATTENDING TO OUR GROWTH

Pentecost 3B – June 17, 2012 –Mark 4:26-34– Intro the theme. We are meant to grow. The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, which so small, yet grows and provides branches for the birds to make nests. When we allow God to grow us, others benefit as well. We become a blessing to those around us. Seeds are meant to grow. We are meant to grow. Even when physical growth stops, spiritual growth continues. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed daily. What does it mean to grow, to become?

2. GROWTH THROUGH THE STORMS

Pentecost 4B – June 24, 2012. Mark 4:35-41– Jesus asleep in the boat, wakes and calms the sea: Peace. Be still. How do we become more peaceful? Trusting in life? How do we endure the storms of life, when it seems the master is asleep in the boat? As much as we dislike them, the storms of life often bring growth. Jesus brings peace in the storm. Give a personal example. I have grown the most in the storms of life. How do we leverage our storms?

3. HEALING AND GROWTH

Pentecost 5B – July 1, 2012. Mark 5:21-43 – Inclusio: Jairus’ daughter and the woman with the 12-year hemorrhage. Growth means healing. We have to confront the brokenness in our lives. Addiction. History of abuse. What things in our past keep us from the natural growth that God intends? God promises healing, though healing is slow. What do you need to do to remove the roadblocks for healing and growth? A broken bone heals stronger than the original. How is the church a place of healing? Do you have divorce care classes? AA groups? Could someone share their story? Since healing is the theme, this could also be a good day for an emphasis on malaria, a disease which could be contained by 2015 if we continue to work together. http://www.gulfcoastsynod.org/malaria.html

4. GROWTH AND MISSION

Pentecost 6B – July 8, 2012. Mark 6:1-13– A prophet is not without honor except in his own country. Jesus sends the twelve two-by-two. We grow from the missions on which we are sent. Christ calls us to go out and share the faith, hope and love we have. As we tell the story of what God is doing in our lives and in the world, we grow. Who could share a story about how they came to faith, who helped along the way, and how?

5. GROWTH AND MINISTRY

Pentecost 7B – July 15, 2012. Mark 6:14-29– Herod, Herodias and John the Baptist’s head on a platter. Herod symbolizes abuse of power in the world. We are called to serve those who are oppressed in the world. As we encounter those in need, we grow through serving and through encountering Christ in face of those who suffer. Do you have groups doing mission trips? Could someone share? How are you battling oppression in your own community?

ELCA Youth Gathering: July 18-22, 2012  www.elca.org/gathering
MYLE: July 16-18, 2012
DAYLE: July 16-18, 2012

6. GROWTH AND SABBATH

Pentecost 8B – July 22, 2012. Mark 6:30-34, 53-56– Jesus to his disciples: “Come away to a deserted place and rest for a while.” We cannot grow without taking time for prayer, Scripture study, worship. These are essential components of growing. Jesus models Sabbath, making space in hectic schedules for renewal, growth. Bring in daily Sabbath, weekly Sabbath and yearly Sabbath (vacation).

As I said above, this is just a concept. You may have summer events to work in, or work around. Adapt to your context, and mold it to the pressing issues and needs in your community.

The texts July 29 through the end of August are the familiar “bread texts.” So, perhaps a second series in the summer is called “Bread for Life.” This could focus on feeding the hungry, and even include an offering for World Hunger or Malaria.

BREAD FOR LIFE

The Fourth Petition.

Give us this day our daily bread.

What does this mean? God gives daily bread, even without our prayer, to all wicked men; but we pray in this petition that He would lead us to know it, and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.

What is meant by daily bread?  Everything that belongs to the support and wants of the body, such as meat, drink, clothing, shoes, house, homestead, field, cattle, money, goods, a pious spouse, pious children, pious servants, pious and faithful magistrates, good government, good weather, peace, health, discipline, honor, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.

Jesus is the bread of life. This means we are encouraged to trust him for all our earthly and heavenly needs. Food, clothing, relationships, government, and so on. You could consider the texts below as an opportunity to talk about some of these needs. Talk about world hunger. Housing issues. Health issues. Spiritual issues. Do we trust God? The sermons could move from physical hunger toward spiritual hunger. We move from bread in this world, to the spiritual food that gives eternal life.

In the early church, worship took place in the context of a meal. Afterwards food was taken to the poor, to orphans and widows. Once communion was separated from the meal, the offering became the way the community shared. Worship was about sharing, about participating in God’s work of providing daily bread for the world.

You could invite families to bake different kinds of bread for communion each week. You could invite people to come and speak about world hunger. Someone from the local shelter or food pantry could speak about local needs. People from other synod congregations could speak about hunger in our companion synods. Folks from the malaria campaign could talk about those efforts.

Pentecost 9B – July 29, 2012. Hebrew lesson: David and Bathsheba. John 6:1-21 – Feeding of the 5,000. Jesus walks on water.

Pentecost 10B – August 5, 2012. John 6:24-35 – I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me will never be hungry.

Pentecost 11B – August 12, 2012. John 6:35, 41-51 – I am the bread of life, the living bread which comes down from heaven. No one comes unless the Father draws, and I will raise you up on the last day.

Pentecost 12B – August 19, 2012. John 6:51-58 – Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me and I in them. The one who eats this bread will live forever.

Pentecost 13B – August 26, 2012. John 6:56-69  – Eat my flesh for eternal life. This is a difficult teaching; who can accept it? Does this bother you? Do you also wish to go away? Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life…