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Liturgy comes from the Greek leitourgia which is composed from words for work (ergon) and people (laos).  In ancient Greece, a liturgy was a public work performed for the benefit of the city or state.  Its principle was the same as the one for paying taxes, but it could involve donated service as well as taxes. Paul speaks of the Roman authorities literally as “liturgists of God” (Romans 13:6) and of himself as “a liturgist of Christ Jesus to the…

Yesterday we made the first “stop” on our summer series, The Evolution of Church. Children danced, women sang as they tapped out rhythms and listened to the story shared by the voices of men. This week we will experience the basic form of Christian Worship.   We see how the Jewish understanding of the way to give thanks taught Christians to do likewise by reading the early communion prayers. Psalm 118:26 records the sentiment of a gathering that honored God.  Set in…

Is this really where it all began?  Can we imagine a group of people, so overjoyed that they have been delivered from a life of captivity to a life of freedom that they break into a victory song? What did the earliest gatherings of worship look like? Is this closer to your image of church? Describe church for yourself.  What does it feel like?  What does it look like?  What do you expect to hear in church?  What makes church…

The Beatitude Society is “a national progressive Christian leadership development organization that equips emerging entrepreneurial faith leaders.  The Beatitude Society is committed to creating new models for vibrant church life and the pursuit of social justice…to the welcoming and inclusive love of God expressed in the words and actions of Jesus; we are Christian at our roots and multi-faith in our reach.” We’re thrilled that one of our pastors, Matt Smith, was selected as one of the seven inaugural Beatitude…

On Sunday May 20, 60 folks from The Table gathered at Feeding Crane Farms to celebrate our life together.  The story of our time together at Feeding Crane Farms is told through pictures by local photographer Debbie Cunningham. You may enjoy them here:  The Table visits Feeding Crane Farms.  We are grateful to everyone who helped us create a wonderful event.

We begin The Evolution of Church this week.  This will be an 8 week worship series which will trace the unfolding of worship through the centuries.  WIth a focus on the shifts in music, prayer, gender roles, and location (as in architecture), we will “walk the paths” of those who came before us.  Beginning with the way the people of God worshipped following Exodus in the Hebrew Bible, we will stop each week to explore how our worship of God…

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAzcSkXhttw] Tomorrow we will share this song by David Scherer (AGAPE) as we imagine what it might be like to experience a visit by the Holy Spirit.  We appreciate his interpretation and translation of the Acts 2:1-21 story and we will hear this piece in worship as our own music team sings Tongues of Fire. Sak pa se N’ap Boule (What’s up? I’m managing) Ki Ki ki kote bondye (Where is God?) Rele Yele Tande (Call freedom.  Listen) Jezi Jezi  …

  We will be joined in worship Sunday by the musical group Sankofa. Anthony Coleman II, our musical director, named his group with intention.  The word Sankofa comes to us from the Akan language of Ghana and may be translated in english to mean “go back and get it”.  It is also represented by the Asante Adinkra symbol of a bird with its head turned backwards taking an egg of the future off its back or holding an egg of…

The Jewish day of Pentecost celebrated the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai.  The story in the book of Exodus of the giving of the law is marked by vivid imagery:  God appears on the top of a mountain, with thunder, lightning, cloud, and earthquake.  Exodus 10:19 says that when Moses talked with God, “God would answer him in thunder.”  So in Acts 2 God arrives in “a sound like the rush of a violent wind,” and fire appears,…

We move this Sunday to Pentecost and celebrate the Holy Spirit moving among God’s people.  You can read about this event here:  Acts 2:1-21.  Pentecost literally means “50th-day” and was used by the diaspora Jews for a day-long harvest festival more commonly know as the “Feast of Week” or Shavuot.  It was scheduled for the 50days following Passover.  Pentecost was one of three pilgrimage feasts when the entire household of Israel gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the goodness of God…

We will conclude our worship series, Farm to Table, this Sunday in worship.  We’ll focus on reaching in love and invite reflection on how our food choices might help us to love better love our neighbors and ourselves. Here is a link to the new HBO Documentary The Weight of the Nation which we’ll be referencing in worship on Sunday.

In John 15.12-17 we read “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you…You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last.” How might we celebrate the fruit of your labors?  What challenge and inspiration has this series “Farm to Table” provided for you?  We are sharing in the Sacrament of communion each week in this series. Jesus called his friends to gather…