On The Table

Howdy, kids!

Hi church,

As I write this, it's just a few minutes after midnight, and Ash Wednesday is now past. I still haven't washed the ashes off my forehead, but I've smudged them pretty well over the course of the day. (I should probably go to bed.)

We're starting our Lent kind of slowly, since this Sunday is a fourth Sunday and we're not going to be gathering at Jammin' Java. However, a bunch of us are planning to go to the Taizé Contemplative Worship with Healing Rite at the Church of the Holy Comforter in Vienna at 5pm on Sunday. We'd love for you to join us!

Another group is starting regular Friday gatherings during Lent to talk about spiritual formation and how we can become more like Jesus. They will be watching a DVD resource by Dallas Willard and sharing their own ideas about growth and transformation each Friday evening at 7:30pm in Falls Church. Contact us for more information.


Other than that, I guess I'd just just like to wish you a Lenten journey that's powerful and transforming. Hope we get to walk some of it together.

Peace,
Mike Croghan

Dear Church,

There is so much to be angry about these days:  politics (of both kinds), the fact that there are only two kinds of politics, traffic, the economy, report cards (giving and receiving), civil wars (and the fuel prices that get blamed on them), joblessness, sleeplessness, poor health, and mattress advertisements featuring dancing ex-Presidents. 

Even after Common Table's recent foray into 'turning the other cheek', it seems that anger is in the air.  So our Creative Team was inspired to explore this issue of anger-- how it works, how it harms us, how it benefits us, and how we can use it for good.  This Sunday at 10am at Jammin' Java, we'll be sending you on a multi-faceted journey through anger, then stopping to hear our collective wisdom.  We hope you can join us.

Don't forget to bring your grudges,
Mike Stavlund

Hi church,

As winter (such as it is) progresses toward spring, we also draw near to Lent. And it's a presidential election year, which (in Moff's words) "means that the candidates do everything they can to stir up our sense that We Are In Peril and Only They Can Save Us". Add that to the continued sluggish economy, an Occupy movement that flourished and then (perhaps) died in cities around the world, an Arab spring that has now continued through four seasons, and throw in a dash of Mayan apocalypse, and it's fair to say that many of us are feeling some ambient anxiety.

Hi church,

Say, did you hear about the groundhog? Seems he saw his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter. Which (it seems to me) is a bit like announcing that your crazy uncle who visits every year is planning to stay for another six weeks, when as far as you can tell he never got on the plane from Saginaw this time around. (I never put much stock in marmots, anyway.)

So what's going on this week? First of all, we'll be gathering at Jammin' Java at 10am on Sunday! Here's what P3T3 has to say about that:

This week, the normally uncontested, undebated and unpreached - yet very well-known, accepted, and even cherished teaching of "turn the other cheek" is put on trial in our third Radiolab-inspired service. What does "turn the other cheek" mean in your faith tradition or to you personally? Is it intrinsic to Christianity / Christ's teachings? If so, where do we see it at work in western Christianity?

There is still room to sign up for sharing five minutes of your thoughts on our planning google doc. You might also consider bringing a real-world scenario in which the group can discuss what a "turn the other cheek" response might be in a given circumstance.

And after that - well, there's been some talk of a possible Soopah Bowl gathering Sunday evening. Give us a shout if you want to be in on that, because plans haven't gelled yet as of this writing.

And that's all I know. What do you know? Come join us some time and share it with us!

Peace,
Mike Croghan

Hey folks,

This week is another "off week" for us - it's the 5th Sunday of the month, so we won't be gathering at Jammin' Java this weekend. (Actually, it could hardly be called an off week, filled as it was with cosmically wondrous MFA exhibitions, utter GRE dominations, and NEW BABY(!!!), among other tremendous events. But the fact remains: we aren't gathering for worship on Sunday.) And we don't have a service-worship project planned for this weekend either - though we did rake a few leaves earlier in the month.

So if you have any ideas for something fun and/or world-changing to do this weekend, please let us know.

There is a very cool conference called Mission Possible 2012 happening on Saturday. It's about getting young people excited about working on behalf of God's dream of social justice for all, so if you're a young person, or you work with young people, you might want to check it out.

You might also start getting excited about upcoming Sundays, including a RadioLab/Midrash service next Sunday (February 5th) examining "turn the other cheek", and an All-Ages service in two weeks, when we get to sit back and let the kids lead!

And that's about it for this week. God bless!

Peace,
Mike Croghan

Sheesh.The Season of Resolutions has barely begun to fade, and already Contrarian Ken Tennyson is pushing against the tide. Fortunately, it's a 'discussion format' this Sunday, so you can push right back if you'd like. Though if you're like me, you're nodding your head as you read his description, sure that he's on to something really wise here:

This week will be a discussion based service based on the pros/cons of quitting, how quitting and failure should (or should not) be related, and the deeply ingrained protestant ethic that I grew up in and will be sharing my perspective from. Discussion points will be prompted by a mash-up of some of my deeply ingrained protestant perceptions of quitting and failure juxtaposed against a short clip of “The Upside of Quitting” from Stephen Dubner’s Freakonomics podcast. It will be an epic show-down between stubborn tenacity and perseverance against all odds against a “pro quitting” perspective. How do we resolve the Biblical exhortations to put our shoulders to the plow versus a different spin seemingly offered by Jesus? Does our resolve in some areas of our life fall under steadfastness or self defeating stubbornness? Are we persevering or are we guilty of the “sunk cost” fallacy? Nothing ever comes easy right? How do we know if we are taking the easy road versus choosing to stop beating our head against the wall!If you have ever felt stuck, frustrated, or reflect back on “failures” in your life in ways that feel very self defeating, then this is a service for you!! Oh, and a little hint up front, there is NO easy way to resolve these tensions, but it should be fun unpacking them corporately! We will have plenty of time to share and reflect on what I hope will be a lively discussion!-Ken

Simmer on that, friend, and bring your good thoughts to Jammin' Java this Sunday morning at 10am. Or if you're feeling sleepy, just join us at Chipotle for Second Eucharist at about noon. We promise not to call you a 'quitter'.Cheers,Mike Stavlund