On The Table
The Weekly Announcement of Common Table ChurchTuesday, December 18, 2007
December 17th through 23rd
Hi church,
Well, we've come to the fourth week of Advent; this season of hopeful anticipation is about to come to fruition. Next week, we celebrate the two-thousand-somethingth anniversary of the coming of God into our world in a way that's wholly new.
Traditionally, the fourth Sunday of Advent is a time to turn our hope and expection toward the love of God, demonstrated so fully in Jesus' incarnation and life with us. On Sunday, and on Christmas Day, we'll celebrate the love that God has shown us; the love that we have for each other; and the unimaginable, not-yet-complete love that God has in mind for this world.
So it's fitting that we'll begin the weekend with a second Common Table Christmas party, celebrating the presence of our beloved friends Maggie, Schuyler, and Levi, back to visit us from the frozen suburban wastelands near Detroit. ;-) We'll gather on Saturday evening at stately Tennyson Manor (aka Maranda, Ken, and Kieran's place: 4415 Shari Ct., Catharpin, VA 20143) in the evening. Bring something yummy to eat or drink, and be ready for a low-key evening of enjoying the company of dear friends.
Then, on Sunday, we won't worshiping in the morning at Jammin' Java, but we will be gathering at 6pm in the basement of Fairlington Presbyterian Church for a joint Advent 4 / Christmas celebration with folks from some other unconventional Christian communities in the area which (like us) tend to find their congregations depleted around Christmas, as folks travel to visit far-away family and friends. Please join us!
That's it for this week, and possibly for this year - but watch this space next week for news about any opportunities to ring in the New Year together 'round the Table.
May the remainder of your Advent season be blessed, and have a very merry Christmas!
God's peace and love,
Mike Croghan
P.S., You may have seen us in a very nice cover story in this week's issue of U.S.News and World Report, on "A Return to Tradition". The article examines several Catholic, Jewish, and Protestant faith groups that are re-embracing ancient ritual and practice in innovative ways. The reporter, Jay Tolson, and the photographer, Jim Lo Scalzo, visited us on a recent Sunday morning, and Jay took the time to talk with several of us and to get to know us a little bit. There's also a sidebar article about our community in particular, called "Mixing Jesus With Java: The Appeal of New Religious Communities". If you're visiting us for the first time because you saw the articles, welcome! Feel free to take a little time to explore the web site, and we'd love to have you join us any time we gather, whether it's for service, for worship, or just for fun.
Well, we've come to the fourth week of Advent; this season of hopeful anticipation is about to come to fruition. Next week, we celebrate the two-thousand-somethingth anniversary of the coming of God into our world in a way that's wholly new.
Traditionally, the fourth Sunday of Advent is a time to turn our hope and expection toward the love of God, demonstrated so fully in Jesus' incarnation and life with us. On Sunday, and on Christmas Day, we'll celebrate the love that God has shown us; the love that we have for each other; and the unimaginable, not-yet-complete love that God has in mind for this world.
So it's fitting that we'll begin the weekend with a second Common Table Christmas party, celebrating the presence of our beloved friends Maggie, Schuyler, and Levi, back to visit us from the frozen suburban wastelands near Detroit. ;-) We'll gather on Saturday evening at stately Tennyson Manor (aka Maranda, Ken, and Kieran's place: 4415 Shari Ct., Catharpin, VA 20143) in the evening. Bring something yummy to eat or drink, and be ready for a low-key evening of enjoying the company of dear friends.
Then, on Sunday, we won't worshiping in the morning at Jammin' Java, but we will be gathering at 6pm in the basement of Fairlington Presbyterian Church for a joint Advent 4 / Christmas celebration with folks from some other unconventional Christian communities in the area which (like us) tend to find their congregations depleted around Christmas, as folks travel to visit far-away family and friends. Please join us!
That's it for this week, and possibly for this year - but watch this space next week for news about any opportunities to ring in the New Year together 'round the Table.
May the remainder of your Advent season be blessed, and have a very merry Christmas!
God's peace and love,
Mike Croghan
P.S., You may have seen us in a very nice cover story in this week's issue of U.S.News and World Report, on "A Return to Tradition". The article examines several Catholic, Jewish, and Protestant faith groups that are re-embracing ancient ritual and practice in innovative ways. The reporter, Jay Tolson, and the photographer, Jim Lo Scalzo, visited us on a recent Sunday morning, and Jay took the time to talk with several of us and to get to know us a little bit. There's also a sidebar article about our community in particular, called "Mixing Jesus With Java: The Appeal of New Religious Communities". If you're visiting us for the first time because you saw the articles, welcome! Feel free to take a little time to explore the web site, and we'd love to have you join us any time we gather, whether it's for service, for worship, or just for fun.
Labels: Advent, Christmas, USNWR
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
December 10 through 16
...okay, maybe I'm being converted towards this whole liturgical dealio...
As we journey through this season of Advent, I'm grateful for the juxtaposition of some ideas that can seem at odds: The hopes that Jesus fulfilled, and the places he disappoints. The peace he brought, and the conflict. The joy he brings, and the heartbreak he could prevent, but doesn't.
In this season of restraint and waiting, I'm glad for the chance to embrace the 'already' of Jesus' Kingdom, even as we honestly recognize the many examples of 'not yet'. This week, some of us will gather at our collaborative Advent wreath to light a candle of celebration, and others will light a candle of mourning. And what I love about this church is that those who have much to celebrate are just as likely to mourn for someone else, and vice-versa. Thanks be to God.
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As we journey through this season of Advent, I'm grateful for the juxtaposition of some ideas that can seem at odds: The hopes that Jesus fulfilled, and the places he disappoints. The peace he brought, and the conflict. The joy he brings, and the heartbreak he could prevent, but doesn't.
In this season of restraint and waiting, I'm glad for the chance to embrace the 'already' of Jesus' Kingdom, even as we honestly recognize the many examples of 'not yet'. This week, some of us will gather at our collaborative Advent wreath to light a candle of celebration, and others will light a candle of mourning. And what I love about this church is that those who have much to celebrate are just as likely to mourn for someone else, and vice-versa. Thanks be to God.
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Sunday morning at 10am, we'll gather for a worship service at Jammin' Java, and we'll continue to compare and contrast the promises of Caesar and his Empire on the one hand, and Christ and his Kingdom on the other - this time in relation to the promise of joy.
On Sunday night at 5pm, don't miss our annual Christmas Party and its attendant non-competitive competitions related to chili, gingerbread, and whatever else we can throw on the fire. This is a great time to hang out, to catch up, and to see the old friends who always seem to drop by. We'll be holding it again at the Fairfax Railroad Museum.
We're also excited to be joining forces with our friends at Fairlington Presbyterian Church and some other kindred congregations on December 23 for a Christmas Service. We'll have more details as the planning for the service develops, but if you'll be in the area for the holiday, plan to turn out for this great partnership with our friends Matt and Jan and others.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
December 3rd - 9th
Hi church,
It's the second week of Advent, in which the Church, in this season of anticipation, traditionally reflects on God's gifts of peace - past, present, and especially future. As we move from last week's focus on hope, we might be struck by the fact that we haven't really left that territory. While we long for peace in our lives and in our world, we remain, at best, in a posture of hope - waiting on Jesus, who still (as someone observed Sunday morning) owes us a lot of plowshares and pruning hooks.
If we reflect further on the deeper meaning of "peace" in a Hebrew (and hence a Jesus-y) context - "shalom" is not just the absence of violence, but a spiritual and relational health and wholeness - we may be saddened by all the promises of wholeness in our lives and communities that God has seemed to make, and not fulfill. Not yet, anyway. With God's help, though, let's remain, together, in hope, expectation, and anticipation of shalom. And let's be receptive and ready for God's call, to us, to bring a little peace to one another.
It's in that mode that we look forward to this Saturday, December 8th, when we'll gather at the Vienna Community Center for what's become a CT holiday tradition: the FACETS Parents' Shop (formerly Sibling Shop), which is an opportunity for homeless and low-income parents to "shop" for a gift for their children, plus craft activities for kids to create a gift for the parents. We'll be helping with setup and driving guests to the event (12-2pm), assisting folks selecting, creating, and wrapping gifts (2pm-5pm, the main event), and with cleanup (5pm-6pm). You're welcome to join us for any or all of this opportunity to help bring a little shalom to our wider community.
Then, Sunday morning (10am), we'll gather for a worship service at Jammin' Java, and we'll continue to compare and contrast the promises of Caesar and his empire one the one hand, and Christ and his kingdom on the other - this time in relation to the promise of peace. We'll look for clues in the birth stories of Augustus and Jesus, we'll bring our hope for peace to God through our collaborative Advent wreath, and we'll sing together of our yearning for the coming of our long-expected Lord. Please join us for a morning of worship and dreaming of God's peace.
Looking ahead, don't forget our annual Christmas Party and its attendant non-competitive competitions related to chili, gingerbread, and whatever else we can throw on the fire. This is a great time to hang out, to catch up, and to see the old friends who always seem to drop by. We'll be holding it again at the Fairfax Railroad Museum on the evening of Sunday, December 16.
We're also excited to be joining forces with our friends at Fairlington Presbyterian Church and some other kindred congregations on December 23 for a Christmas Service. We'll have more details as the planning for the service develops, but if you'll be in the area for the holiday, plan to turn out for this great partnership with our friends Matt and Jan and others.
Wishing you the peace of God that passes all understanding during this liminal season,
Mike Croghan
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