Happy January 14th, friends of The Table community,
It was good to see old friends and meet new ones Sunday night. Everyone is always welcome to the table. We sincerely mean this, amigos… We missed a few regulars the other night, and hope to see everyone this coming Sunday as we continue to dive into The Table’s values: Community, Nourishment & Grace. We’ll feast in potluck style… bring a dish to share with the community (Note: We arrive at 5pm to help set up the feast, and begin the procession to the tables at 5:30pm)! There will be singing, scripture reading, partaking in the Eucharist, a time for reflection and great dialogue. Ryan Miller will be doing a teaching on the benefits of community this weekend (short blurb and questions, below). Craig & Jeanine will be having fun and teaching the kids during that time. They will link the blessing of authentic community with prayer, and will be making community prayer pails to send home. If you’d like to get involved in the rotation of childcare, please let us know. Also, if you have any prayer requests, concerns or you’d like to share a blessing, don’t hesitate to contact us. Invite a friend and don’t forget to RSVP on our MeetUp site.
Thanks.
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Most people have been blessed to know the feeling of being a part of a tribe. Maybe you felt that feeling on someone’s wedding day. Perhaps you’ve experienced this during a sports season when your team wins the championship and everyone wearing your team’s colors is giving hugs and high fives (shameless plug for Craig’s KC Royals!). This could have happened during a yoga class you’ve taken, or maybe it’s the feeling you’ve had from being in a supper club or a personal interest group. By nature, we are tribal creatures. And now that we live in a post-tribal world where we can work at home and live isolated lives, many people are depressed, disconnected and spiritually lost – even within the local church world. What might it look like to revisit the timeless benefits and the sheer blessing of being a part of the local and universal church – the community of Christ’s body – in a dynamic, life-giving way?
Questions during meal time
*Last Sunday, Craig talked about his family’s nightly tradition around the dinner table, asking one another, “What was your BEST today?” as an example to rejoice in one another’s celebrations. In order for us to begin celebrating with one another around this table tonight, what was your BEST this week?
* Think back to when you were a child. Where did you find community and a sense of belonging? What did community look like to you growing up?
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Post message questions
* To achieve the benefits of community, you and others around you have to be devoted to one another and have a cause worth fighting for (like the early church). Looking back at the communal benefits laid out in Acts 2, where do you yourself and our community succeeding and lacking? How? Give examples.
* Prolific author, farmer and activist, Wendell Berry, states, “Healing is impossible in loneliness; it is the opposite of loneliness. Conviviality is healing. To be healed we must come with all the other creatures to the feast of Creation.” Talk about a time in your life when you came to this realization and allowed genuine community to help heal you &/or your family/ friends…
* What are some things you (and your family/ friends) can do that would help bless & benefit others in your community (‘hood, school, work, etc.) and this Table community in Denver? How we can best hold one another accountable (in grace and truth) to be a blessing in our community?
