Worship @ The Welcome Table

As we move toward our first Welcome Table worship gathering, here's a reprise of last year's blog post about the name, The Welcome Table...

On Sunday, June 3, from 5:00-7:00, we’ll gather at the Winthrop Wesley Center for our first Welcome Table worship gathering.

The earliest Christians framed worship, Communion, and their community life together around the table. Their gatherings happened in homes, where sharing food, building community, and growing in faith happened simultaneously. Acts 2 tells us that "the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to the community, to shared meals, and to their prayers."

Jesus used the image of the Great Banquet to teach his followers about God’s unfolding kingdom. The bountiful table, with room for whoever may come, paints a picture of God’s lavish grace, God’s boundless love for us. The welcome table is the heavenly banquet where God’s people will gather in eternity and at the same time it is each and every simple table around which God’s people gather on earth to fellowship, worship, and serve.

African-American slaves sang with expectation: “I’m gonna sit at the welcome table… I’m gonna sit at the welcome table, one of these days.” Jesus taught us to pray that kingdom would "come on earth as it is in heaven.”

The communion table provides a central gathering place for Christian worship. We gather around the table to remember the sacrificial love of Jesus, to be nourished by our connection with Christ, to proclaim that Christ's table extends to welcome his people in all places and at all times, and to be sent out into God's world to be agents of grace.

When we gather around the table, with all our imperfections and with all our our brokenness, with all our wishful thinking and bone-weary longing, we anticipate the kingdom of God that is already beginning to break into our world. We catch glimpses of the great redemption project that God is already working out for us and for all of creation.

If you are a seeker, a doubter, a do-gooder, or a backslider, you are welcome at Jesus’ table. If you are an outcast, a misfit, or a loner, you are welcome at Jesus’ table. If you are struggling or stable, anxious or ecstatic. If you are stuck in a rut or living on the edge, you are welcome at Jesus’ table. No matter where you are from, what you are going through, or how you feel about yourself, you are welcome at Jesus’ table.

And you are invited to our table - to The Welcome Table - Sunday, June 3. Worship will begin at 5:00pm and a short organizational meeting will follow. So, come, pull up a chair... There's a place at the Table for you!

Surprised by Resurrection

We weren’t living in this house last year at this time. We owned the house, but were in the midst of renovations and were still living in an apartment.

A few weeks ago - around Holy Week - with recent rains and unseasonably warm weather, lots of green things began poking their heads up out of the ground around here. By the big oak tree, thirty daffodils sprouted in unison, overnight it seemed. The first green leaves of iris emerged from the pine needles in front of the house. Will their flowers be white, purple, yellow? (They turned out to be a beautiful peach I’d never seen before.) Of course, the white blossoms of those infernal Bradford pears had also appeared, and with them the smell…


We had watched as things died back last fall. We saw grasses and brambles in the fields brown and harden and return to the ground. We watched as leaves flashed brilliant reds, yellows, and oranges, before littering the yard and filling the gutters. We put the lawn mower into hibernation in the barn. As days grew shorter and temperatures colder, we looked out over silent, barren fields.

We had watched as things died, as things went undercover, dormant for a season. But we hadn’t yet experienced the new life of spring.

In Romans 6:5, Paul writes:

“For if we have been united with [Christ] in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.”

In the midst of death and despair, anxiety and loneliness, monotony and madness, may we be surprised by resurrection. May we experience the creative presence of God pushing new life up to the surface from places we imagined only to be dead.

Where do you see (or desperately want to see) signs of new life in yourself, your relationships, your family? In your church or community or workplace? In the wider world?

Welcome Table Liturgy - January 2018

Lighting of the Christ Candle

This Little Light of Mine 

This little light of mine,
I’m gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine,
I’m gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine,
I’m gonna let it shine.
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!

Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love.
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee
Opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness,
Drive the dark of doubt away.
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!

Opening Reflections

Moravian Table Prayer
Come Lord Jesus, our Guest to be
And bless these gifts bestowed by Thee.
Bless Thy dear ones everywhere
And keep them in Thy loving care.

[DINNER]

Invitation to Communion

Welcome Table

I'm gonna sit at the welcome table

I'm gonna sit at the welcome table, one of these days

I'm gonna sit at the welcome table

I'm gonna sit at the welcome table, one of these days

I'm gonna feast on milk and honey...

All God's children gonna sit together...

God Sightings
Where have you seen God this week?
What has brought you life, hope, peace, joy, love?

Prayers of the People

Reading from Scripture
Revelation 21:1-5
Reader 1: The Apostle John was given a vision of how God’s world redemption plan would play out in the end. He described it this way:
Reader 2: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
Reader 3: And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Reader 1: And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them;
Reader 2: He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.”
Reader 3: And the one who was seated on the throne - Jesus - said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

Start with the Ending...

Movie: Alyssa

Benediction
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May God’s face shine upon you and be gracious unto you.
May God give you the grace never to sell yourself short;
Grace to risk something big for something good;
Grace to remember that the world is too dangerous for anything but truth
And too small for anything but love.
So, may God take your minds and think through them;
May God take your lips and speak through them;
May God take your hearts and set them on fire. Amen

The Welcome Table - Sunday, January 21

You are invited to the first Welcome Table gathering of 2018!

On Sunday evening, January 21, from 5:00-7:00, we’ll gather at 1486 Falls Road to share a meal and time of worship.

The earliest Christians framed worship, Communion, and their community life together around the table. Their gatherings happened in homes, where sharing food, building community, and growing in faith happened simultaneously. Acts 2 tells us that "the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to the community, to shared meals, and to their prayers... They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts."

We enjoyed the two Welcome Table gatherings in November and December, and are excited to continue them in the new year! So, come on over, we'll set a place for you...

David (803) 984-6964

Sarah (803) 984-4313

Another Road Home

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” 

...And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

            - Matthew 2:1-2, 12 (NRSV)

Only a careful observer would have noticed the new star's quiet announcement. 

This was no angelic visitation. No "unto you is born this day." No heavenly host singing praises and shouting directions. The new star that appeared on the horizon seems to have  been overlooked by everyone except those who intentionally observed and patiently charted the celestial happenings.

The keen observation and careful record keeping of the magi prepared them to see the Messiah's star as it rose.

But this special star's appearance on the horizon beckoned these thinkers to become doers. They knew that something once-in-a-lifetime was happening, though they couldn't have been sure precisely what it was. They had a decision to make. Continue in their usual routines and practices, staying where they were, and waiting to hear news from Judea. Or they could take a chance, set out on a journey, and see for themselves what was about to happen.

They made the decision. And with the same meticulous care they gave to star-searching, they outfitted their camels, organized their provisions, and charted a course across the desert. Rising early in the morning they traveled several hours before pitching tents and seeking shade, perhaps journeying on a bit further in the late evening. They wove across the wilderness, connecting the dots between oasis and river and stream.

When they arrived in Judea, they headed for the capital, and in perhaps the least wise move of the story, they go directly to King Herod and ask: "Where is the child who has been born the king of the Jews?” Nearly 30 years earlier, Herod had consolidated power in the region and was proclaimed “King of the Jews.” This earthly king had ruled with an iron fist for more than a generation.

Immediately, the magi were caught between two worlds. When Herod realized the object of their quest, he was immediately threatened. He marshaled all of his advisors and secretly met with the magi. Herod knew how to protect power. He had snuffed out challengers before and this time, he thought, would be no different.

The empire of Casear was about to clash with the kingdom of God. A new ruler was on the scene in Judea, and the man on the throne was not at all happy. The Prince of Peace had come, but he was born into a world of ruthless power politics. And as soon as God breathed that first breath of oxygen, earthly powers were threatened and threatening.

It was a brutal and violent world. The unintended consequences of the magi’s visit were lethal.

The king was threatened, and when the magi did not return with the information he wanted, Herod unleashed a bloodbath in Bethlehem, murdering every toddler boy in the area. The murder of the innocents is a stark reminder that God became flesh and blood in the real world – a world that desperately needed a savior.

-----

The magi, however, weren’t looking for a savior. They were following a star to discover a new ruler. These foreign men had no history with the God of the Jews.

And yet when they finally arrive at the house, and found Mary and Jesus inside, in the words of the King James Version "rejoiced with an exceeding great joy."

Theologian Ronald Goetz writes: "The wise men, having achieved the object of their trek, succumbed to their feelings of joy and awe. They had lost the composure and reserve of scholars and sages, giving way to an ecstasy of naked adoration. There was no possibility of rational detachment in the situation; they could only praise and pour out their gifts in their dumbfounded worship of the newborn infant.”

Their intellect, observation, and commitment led them into the presence of Jesus. They weren’t looking for a savior, but when they came face to face with Jesus, they were overwhelmed by joy and moved to worship. Their encounter with the infant Messiah would change them, sending them home another way. Bethlehem was not their final destination. It was not the end of their journey. In fact, it was a new beginning. 

-----

But what about us? What about our post-Christmas journeys? What can we learn from the magi? Here are a few thoughts:

Look to the skies!
Do you ever find yourself in the middle of a conversation looking down at your phone or your watch? Too often my eyes are drawn away from what ought to be my focus in the moment. It is easy, physically and spiritually, to move through life never looking to the skies. We are too distracted to notice. Too preoccupied with important things for something so frivolous. Too wounded by past experience to dare to hope that something bigger, something grander really is out there. So we don't even look to the sky. We don't make space for wonder and hope and mystery in our lives.

Follow the right star!
What stars are you following? How do you chart the journey of your life? Many of us are following stars that we know in our hearts will never come to stop at any place we could ever call home. But we follow them anyway. 

When we pay attention to who God has created us to be, and when we are on the lookout for God’s work in and around our lives, we can set our sights on the right stars, stars that have meaning and purpose for our lives. Stars that lead us toward the Light of the World and toward a new way of living. Find these stars and set your life toward following them.

Don't give up on the journey!
The magi saw the star at its rising, but they saw more than just a star, they saw an invitation to something a new journey. They certainly crossed difficult physical terrain... They must have wrestled with doubt as to whether they should have set out on such a quest in the first place... They probably lost sight of the star for periods of time... Don’t give up when the journey gets tough or when the way forward is unclear. Often God’s work in our life happens in those moments.

Don't give in to Herod!
When violence, excess, selfishness, and indulgence become characteristic of our culture, we all bear responsibility. We live within and contribute to the status quo. We protect our power and privilege and status as soon as we acquire it. We all face the temptation to give in to the Herod within ourselves and within our culture. 

But as Christmas people, we believe God's best intentions for the world were unveiled in the extreme vulnerability, unconditional love, and unbridled potential of a newborn baby. Instead of living in the fear and anxiety so easily evoked by the world around us, we can push back against the way things are and imagine the way they might be.

Don't stop at the manger!
What a wonderful, mysterious, miraculous thing to somehow find the Christ child in the midst of the craziness of our world. To find peace in the midst of chaos. To find hope in the midst of despair. To find meaning in the midst of aimless wandering.

But if we stop there, our journey is only halfway done! The wise men found another road home. They took what they discovered back to their everyday lives. They must have remembered the joy of that moment for the rest of their lives. But they could not stay. Their journey continues and so does ours.

So, even on the darkest of nights, take a hopeful glance toward what lies on the far horizon.

-----

Every Christmas, the church I grew up in put on a living Christmas tree. A crew assembled the huge steel frame, which was then covered in greenery and strung with miles of lights. Nearly a hundred voices sang in the choir, a full orchestra accompanied, and a cast of teenagers and adults enacted the Christmas story, all for a week’s worth of evening performances, open to the community. Through the years, the music would change - new songs would be added, others left out. But several favorite songs became the unchanging center pieces of the living Christmas tree.

During one of them, a song called "Wise Men Still Seek Him," the magi process onto stage. Each of the regal seekers wearing long robes and accompanied a page bearing his gift for the Christ child. They each bow low, worshiping the baby, placing their gifts before him. As the choir sings: "Wise men still seek him today. His light still shines to point them to the way," modern day seekers approach the manger. A nurse, a fire fighter, a high school football player, a businessman, a teacher, a Marine. Each kneeling before the baby Jesus.

Today, wise men and women do still seek the Messiah, the savior of the world. We journey to the manger from all sorts of places, along a variety of paths. Perhaps we, like those initial wise men, will set our minds and our hearts toward seeking this surprising King, using all the resources at our disposal. 

And when we find the Messiah and spend time in his presence, chances are we will be sent home by another road.

The Welcome Table Liturgy

This is the Day

This is the day, this is the day
That the Lord has made, that the Lord has made
Let us rejoice, let us rejoice
And be glad in it, and be glad in it.
This is the day that the Lord has made,
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
This is the day, this is the day, that the Lord has made.

Welcome Table

I'm gonna sit at the welcome table

I'm gonna sit at the welcome table, one of these days

I'm gonna sit at the welcome table

I'm gonna sit at the welcome table, one of these days

I'm gonna feast on milk and honey...

All God's children gonna sit together...

Moravian Table Prayer
Come Lord Jesus, our Guest to be
And bless these gifts bestowed by Thee.
Bless Thy dear ones everywhere
And keep them in Thy loving care.

[DINNER]

God Sightings
Where have you seen God this week?
What has brought you life, hope, peace, joy, love?

Jesse Tree Reflection


Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.

Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.

Prayers of the People

Questions from the Advent Stories 
1 - “How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.” (Zechariah)
2 - “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” (Mary)
3 - “And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?” (Elizabeth)
4 - “What then will this child become?” (all the people, asking about John)
5 - “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?” (the magi)

Reading from Scripture
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

- Luke 2:15-20


Advent Reflections


O Little Town of Bethlehem
O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight

How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven
No ear may hear His coming
But in this world of sin
Where meek souls will receive him still
The dear Christ enters in

O holy Child of Bethlehem
Descend to us, we pray
Cast out our sin and enter in
Be born to us today
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell
O come to us, abide with us
Our Lord Emmanuel
O come to us, abide with us
Our Lord Emmanuel


Benediction
"In the Advent season, when the year has fled, unasked, away and there is nothing left to do but wait, God, shelter us. Be our surrounding darkness; be the fertile soil out of which hope springs in due time. In uncertain times, help us to greet the dawn and labor on, love on, in faith awaiting your purpose hid in you waiting to be born in due time. Amen." 

- United Methodist Book of Worship, 253

The ADVENT Welcome Table

You are invited to The ADVENT Welcome Table - Sunday, December 17 at 5:00pm at 1486 Falls Rd. We enjoyed our first Welcome Table experience last month, and are excited to host another. 

The season leading up to Christmas can be full of busy-ness, stress, and anxiety. We'll carve out some time and space for "treasuring" and "pondering," as we gather around tables to share a meal and worship. Dinner and worship will begin around 5:30pm, but you are welcome to come earlier and stay later.

We'll set a place at the Table for you!

If you know you are planning to come, let us know so we can have a baseline idea for food prep. But please don’t hesitate to come, even if you aren't able to call/text ahead!

David (803) 984-6964

Sarah (803) 984-4313