“Unravel (v.): Untangle, unsnarl, unwind; elucidate, decipher, reveal, clarify.”
What happens when our world falls apart? What does it look like to search for God in the gray area of our lives? How do we press onward when our tightly-knit plans unravel into loose threads? Sometimes we need to be unraveled—from shame, fear, patterns, or identities that cause harm. To unravel is to acknowledge and grieve what has fallen apart to allow God's newness to unfurl.
This worship series explores 12 stories of unraveled shame, identity, fear, grief, dreams, and expectations. These are stories where God meets us in the spiraling, unraveling our plans—and us—into something new. We hope these stories and resources provide opportunities for deep reflection, meaningful connection, and perhaps a bit of clarity.
This 12-week series could be used at any time throughout the year. We hope you will customize it, arranging the stories into the order and duration that works best for your context.
To learn more about the Unraveled theme and the scriptures we’ve selected for this series, start by downloading our FREE THEME INFOGRAPHIC. We also include the theme infographic with every bundle purchase.
NOTE: All resources are digital files. Release date: 2019.
{We consider your purchase a form of patronage to support our work and ministry. To make our resources accessible to congregations of all sizes, we offer tiered pricing on our bundles. Please choose the bundle price you are able to give. Your support makes our ministry possible!}
$220 TOTAL BUNDLE VALUE (49 digital files)
WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THE BUNDLE:
{All of the following resources are included in the bundle, but each resource is also available separately for individual purchase}
1. Unraveled Study Journal
[Individual Price: $18-$85]
This printable study journal explores 12 stories of unraveling. For each scripture, we include: original visual art inspired by the text, an artist statement reflecting on how the scripture inspired the art, prompts for visual meditation to engage the art, prompts for individual or group reflection on the scripture, a prompt for journaling in response to the scripture, and a short closing prayer.
We invite you to complete this journal at the pace and order that suits you. We have designed this journal so that it might be used as a personal devotional or as the curriculum for a group study series.
[Individual Price: $15]
A collection of 28 liturgies, this resource provides language that brings the Unraveled theme to life. This resource includes a Call to Worship and Prayer of Confession inspired by each of the 12 scriptures in the Unraveled series. We hope you will use or adapt these prayers for your corporate worship (with credit).
I believe in the Church, and that like a quilt of different fabrics,
She is designed to be as diverse and beautiful as God’s creation.
And I believe that when life unravels
God is there to stitch my wounds together,
To hold me in the palm of God’s hand, to tell me of love,
And to invite me into a new journey.
—Excerpt from “Unraveled Affirmation of Faith”
[Individual Price: $15]
This intergenerational project tangibly portrays God’s presence in our moments of unraveling as well as the promise that God hems us in—behind and before. Throughout the worship series, members of your community will take torn strips from an “Unraveled” Communion Table installation to create beautifully-woven fabric medallions. In worship, members can write prayers on fabric strips that will get woven into the medallions.
We provide you curriculum (with photos and step by step instructions) to create this project with members of all ages in your congregation. We also include children’s message prompts + a script (to adapt) for each of the 12 scriptures in the Unraveled series. You can use this to invite children to engage with the art project during the Time with Children in worship.
[Individual Price: $15]
Want help connecting the texts we’ve chosen for the Unraveled series with the overall theme of Unraveled? We created this resource to help you bridge the gap.
Like biblical commentary, this 17-page guide offers you seeds of ideas, theme connections, questions for deeper study, and real-world intersections. For each text, we’ve included suggestions for how to connect the scripture to the theme, Unraveled, guiding questions for deeper study, a quote for inspiration, and links to articles and books that bring new perspectives.
We encourage you to use this guide as a starting point for your text study each week. Consider mapping out your ideas in our accompanying sermon-planning grid. This is also a great resource for teaching Sunday School or small groups, as the guiding questions are great for group discussion!
[Individual Price: $60]
This is a collection of 12 visuals inspired by the scriptures and stories in our Unraveled worship series. Download includes files formatted for print and web/projection, as well as artist statements for each visual, plus a visio divina bible study guide.
left: Pharaoh hardens his heart to Moses’ requests // right: Sarah laughs at the promise of bearing a chid in old age
[Individual Price: $30]
Whether you are a church with full-time communications staff or one whose pastor handles all communications (on top of everything else), this branding bundle provides everything you need to effectively share the theme, Unraveled, with your community. The download includes files for print and web so you can use them for projecting images and slides in worship, printing on bulletins, study materials, church publications, and advertising your worship on your website and online.
We’ve also included background images (featuring original photography) for you to create and customize your own graphics in the exact dimensions you need.
A SUPPLEMENT TO THE BUNDLE:
Unraveled Poetry
[Price: $10]
Written in the summer of 2020, a year after the release of the Unraveled series, this collection of 7 poems meditates on the heaviness of our collective unraveling. Informed by COVID-19 and the civil rights revolution ignited after George Floyd’s death, these poems speak to the turbulence of these times while also pointing us to God’s presence in the midst of it all. These poems were written as an add-on to our Unraveled series. No matter how you order or implement the series, we hope these poems can provide sacred pause for you and your community.
