Early on, we talked about the need for a safe space to share our faith journeys, confess our failings, and wonder and doubt together. We agreed on some ground rules, like listening with respect, appreciating the sharer’s courage, seeking to understand, and coming to the table with a curious mind and an open heart.
This culture of respect still continues these years later—even through conversations about almost any current hot topic you can imagine. We admit that we don’t know everything. We encourage each other and challenge each other. We strive to find the common ground that we can. But regardless of whether we discover agreement in words, there is the greatest common ground to be claimed in the Lord’s Supper—the act of communion. Throughout all of our conversation, whether we agree or disagree, we lean into the breaking of bread and lifting of cup. Sitting at the Lord’s table, and finally passing the cup and bread to one another, we receive reconciliation. We embrace the great mystery of God that is beyond our comprehension; we recognize that we are all children of God, and we love one another. There is the potluck meal, of course—the setting for our worship. And we always have the open communion of the Lord’s Supper—the bread and cup. What gives the worship its structure is less a liturgy, and more of a series of questions:
Would anyone like to pray for our meal? Where did you see/experience God this week? What is your prayer today? Is anyone feeling called to pray for our prayers tonight? What is your word of blessing upon this gathering? What word or phrase will you take with you from this worship tonight? About the time we pass around the cookies and cut the desserts, we ask questions that help us explore scripture or our discussion topic for the evening. Questions are so powerful—often more powerful than answers. So, we live the questions together. Somewhere in this midst of all of this, we hope that worship occurs and that God is pleased. |
written by RachelSet a table, invite Christ and others, leave an empty chair, serve up some powerful questions, and break bread. Archives
January 2021
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