Week 3 - "Give More" (12/13/15)

Hey Feasters!

It’s time to get our Feast ON again this Sunday as we dive into Week 3 of our Advent Conspiracy - "Give More!"

5pm  - Come join the community in the kitchen & setting up the worship space. Around 5:40pm, we will process to the tables with food, wine and candles in hand… Jeanine Broek will be hosting this week. After the feast and the Eucharist, Allie Card will be teaching (notes and questions, below). Ryan and Lauren Miller will be hanging with the children. The kids will be making "bags of kindness" with goodies of love to hand out to homeless people at intersections during the holiday season. This goes along with our ongoing themes to "Worship Fully," "Spend Less," "Give More" & "Love All!"

Big reminder… as we spend less on frivolous & joyless gifts this year, be praying and thinking about what you and your family will be able to donate toward Living Water International the following week (12/20) as we do our small part this season to help bring clean water to the 663 million people around the world who need this tangible act of grace! We will end the Advent season with a Winter Solstice celebration and commitment to bring love to 1 out of 12 people in our world who need water!

Please, remember to RSVP on our MeetUp site and spread the word. Find us on Twitter (@denverthetable), Instagram (@denverthetable) and “like” on Facebook.

P.S. We would love to hear all kinds of feedback throughout the year… Blessings, prayers, requests, concerns, etc. Don’t hesitate to contact us via email, phone, social media, etc. Also, if you would like to serve in our developing children’s ministry or if you have any other gifts to bring the “the table,” don’t hesitate to let The Table know… it’s a round table kinda community, indeed!

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Advent Conspiracy – Week 3 “Give More”

We are a very giving country, often with slanted intentions. Giving can easily become a competition or an obligation. So how can we show people we love and care about them without giving for the sake of it? God's greatest present to us was his presence on earth, in Christ. God invites us into this presence, as we learn to give to things beyond ourselves. So, instead of giving more presents this season, perhaps we can offer more presence. 

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Questions

During the meal:

1. Everyone makes jokes about the infamous fruitcake, that sweater you'd never wear in public, or any number of other gifts that didn't really have you in mind when they were given. Without naming names or getting in trouble with anyone in your group, what's the most impersonal gift you've been given? How about the most impersonal gift you have given?

2. We live in a material world, for better or for worse. What are some of the dangers when we associate love solely with the giving of material objects? What are some other ways that we can give that clearly communicate love?

After the message:

1. The incarnation is the ultimate gift from God, making himself known to us in a whole new way. What aspects of the incarnation will you remember this Advent?

2. As you consider what it means to give of yourself relationally, what is excites you most? What part of this kind of giving will be the biggest challenge for you? What's the biggest risk?

3. How can you give to causes and missions beyond yourself? What is one mission/organization/local effort that you can give to this holiday season?

Week 2 - Spend Less (12/6/15)

Hey Feast crew,

A BIG “Thank You!” to every single one of you that gathered with us Sunday night for the 1st Feast worship gathering. I hope you had a great time, and are inspired to conspire with us in the days ahead as we 1.) Worship Fully 2.) Spend Less 3.) Give More & 4.) Love All while moving toward Christmas. Here’s a quick snippet of what’s to come on Sunday – Week 2 of Advent, below.

Come join the fun at 5pm (Platt Park Church - lower level) to help cook in the kitchen with Super Chef "Damonius"(Vegan Curry goodness this week) or help set up & beautify the worship space with Allie and friends. We will be mixing up some our leadership roles each week. Craig will be hosting this week, and I'll be teaching. Craig and Jeanine will do the children's teaching time after the Eucharist/ Communion where our very own "Garden Guru" AND "Creative Kid Guru," Jeanine, is going to be making piggy banks with the children by teaching them to save more $, which goes along with our theme... Fun times, indeed!

Please, remember to RSVP on our MeetUp site and spread the word. You can follow us on Twitter, Instagram& Facebook and retweet/reshare to help spread the word in Denver as well. If you have any questions or feedback, please, do not hesitate to send us a message. We’d love to hear from you.

P.S. Time is running out... Don't forget to buy a Holiday Wreath from the Table this week. Link - HERE!

Peace

Ryan

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Quick question for you: What was the one gift you remember getting for Christmas last year? Next question: What about the fourth gift? Do you remember that one? Truth is many of us don’t because it wasn’t something we necessarily wanted or needed. Spending Less isn’t a call to stop giving gifts; it’s a call to stop spending money on gifts we won’t remember in less than a year. America spends around $600 billion dollars during the Christmas season, and much of that it joyless and goes right onto a credit card. By spending wisely on gifts we free ourselves from the anxiety associated with debt so we can take in the season with a full heart.

Table Questions 

1.)  Be honest. What do you want for Christmas? Share with one another about a time when you didn’t get what you wanted. How did you respond to the disappointed? Now, talk about a time when you got exactly what you wanted. How long were you satisfied? What can we learn from these experiences?

2.)  Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: Consumerism is fastest growing religion in the world. In what ways are we drawn into this kind of worship?

3.)  When you consider all of the advertisements you are exposed to during the holiday season, what emotions do they arouse in you? Do they contribute to a sense of lacking in your life? How can we become less susceptible to these types of messages?

4.)  Read James 5:1-6 as a small group. In what ways have you experienced the truth of this passage in your life?

5.)  As parents, teachers and adult role models, what does your approach to gift-giving at Christmas teach children about worship? Contentment? What are some practical ways that you can use this season as an opportunity to teach children about finances, gifts and other lessons?

Week 1 - Worship Fully (11/29/15)

Feasting friends!

On behalf of The Table, I whole-heartedly welcome all of you to our new worship gathering in the basement of Platt Park Church, beginning weekly on November 29 at 5pm. The Table exists to engage our neighbors and communities with the tangible grace of Jesus, and the feast is simply an expression of worship where grace is shared around the table with a participatory meal, teaching, conversation, and opportunities for personal reflection and spiritual expression. During the season of Advent (4 weeks before Christmas), we will journey through an amazing curriculum called Advent Conspiracy together. Week 1 theme: Worship Fully!

Here’s a snippet from AC Week 1…

The Christmas season has seemingly morphed into one extended shopping season. The idea that this time of year could possibly be about something more than the buying and giving of stuff has been buried beneath a pile of credit card debt and anxiety. And yet, none of the things we've bought has ever brought lasting joy, meaning, and satisfaction to us. The conspiracy of Advent (which simply means, "the coming") is that there is something much deeper and much more satisfying at the heart of this season than the pursuit of the best Black Friday doorbuster event. Not even Cyber Monday can offer the same promise as Isaiah when he told us about the one who would be born on Christmas Day: "Immanuel, which means, God is with us". This Sunday we will gather to encourage and challenge one another to reorient our hearts and the Christmas season around the gift of a person - Jesus - who is truly worthy of our hearts.

Once you arrive in the basement at PPC at 5pm, I will personally greet you at the door, give you a name tag and you’ll be guided to either the kitchen with Damon Card or the worship space with Allie Card to help set up. We believe this to be a much better way of getting to know the person next you before we start talking around the table…  Like I said, it’s a participatory gathering, indeed! A little after 5:30pm everyone will gather back together, and we’ll read some Scripture aloud, participate in responsive readings, sing some songs and partake in the Eucharist/ Communion during the course of the meal. After the meal, the children will be dismissed, and Craig Broek will provide a short teaching. This week, Jeanine Broek and Sharon Withers will have a blast with the children doing everything from the Hokey Pokey to dancing, singing and doing a craft that goes along with the theme of the night.

Below, you will find the questions we will use as a guide for intentional conversation during the meal…

1.) Most of us have very specific memories about the Christmas season, both positive and negative. What are some of those positive memories? How would you describe the best Christmas you ever had as a child? What made it special?

2.) Do you still look forward to the Christmas season? If so, what do you enjoy about the season? If you no longer look forward to Christmas, why not? What word would best describe what you want to experience this year during the Christmas season?

These are the questions that will guide the table conversations after Craig’s teaching….

1.) One of the names used to describe the one God would be sending is Immanuel, which means “God with us.” God coming to earth to be with us is a huge gift and deserving of our worship. What are some of the other names used to describe the one God would be sending? What do they mean?

2.) Shepherds of Jesus day were considered outcasts and had the reputation as “unsavory characters” yet they were the ones to whom the angels first announced the birth of Jesus. What does this tell you about the heart of God? How do the shepherds respond to this news? In what ways does the worship of the shepherds differ from our celebration of Christmas?

3.) At Christmas in stores, on TV, on the internet, we are confronted by the worship of things. In what ways might we worship things? How might we reorient ourselves to remembering that Christmas is about worshiping Jesus? What practical choices do you need to make to ensure this happens as an individual? As a family? As a community?

We will end the night with a final song, blessing, some announcements and a ‘lil thing called clean up!

Invite a friend or come alone… you’ll make friends either way. Looking forward to it.

Peace,

Ryan Miller