This Sunday we’re doing something I’m really excited about. We are going to set up “stations” around the meetinghouse to interact with the Disciple’s prayer in some creative and participative ways. After that, we will have a time of extended unprogrammed worship.
The Disciple’s Prayer:
“Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.”(Matthew 6:9-13)
The Mennonite Prayer:
Abba Father God, Bless your holy name.
Let your reign come now, Let your desires be carried out.
Bring your peace to birth, As in heav’n, so on Earth
Give us bread, daily; Free us, as we free.
When the way is hard, Be our guide and guard.
Your rule, power; and praise Reign supreme, always.
Query:
- What is the most meaningful part of the prayer for you and where you are at in your life right now?
Activity:
- If you could envision movements, and other physical ways to embody the petitions in this prayer, what would you do? Go through the prayer and draw up images, physical movements, etc. that help you express this prayer in a visceral way.
- Write up your own paraphrase of the prayer and share it on the blog and/or bring it to meeting for worship for possible sharing.
This Sunday we are talking about thanksgiving. We will hear from people in our meeting share about things they are thankful for and we will also have with us a couple of people from one of our alcoholic anonymous groups. They will share about their work and recovery they are involved with.
In preparation for Sunday we can all be thinking about the things we are most thankful for and reflect together on what it means for us to be a church that looks like what Paul writes about below?
Here is a passage from Paul’s Letter to the Colossians that deals with thanksgiving:
“As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:12-17)
Queries:
- What surprises you about what Paul has to say about thanksgiving here?
- Does anything stand out to you that you have never noticed before?
- What does your song, or hymn, of thanksgiving sound like?
Activity:
- List out some of the things you are thankful for, some moments, events, people, and turn it into a poem, prayer, or song.
- Tell three people something you are thankful about them. What did you notice from that experience?
- Leave a comment in the blog below saying something you are thankful for concerning Camas Friends.
For those of you planning a trip it’s always nice to know that there are more options than a hotel for you to stay in, especially if you’re interested in meeting Quakers (and making friends) along the way. We just got the Directory for Traveling Friends for anyone in our meeting to use.It will be kept on the recommendation table in the foyer for awhile so you can come and check it out. It may be really helpful for you if you’re traveling in the ministry, out on business or just turn a long road trip into something more communal.
Also, If you are planning a trip, or traveling in the ministry in the Northwest our Yearly Meeting has a directory available on its website called Friends House to House.
Come join Camas Friends Church on November 22 for our next monthly installment of Last Sunday’s for the Earth. We will be turning our attention to consumption and Christmas by watching the documentary, What Would Jesus Buy? This entertaining “docu-comedy” takes a peering, albeit often painful look, into our excessive consumer practices as Americans. Activist turned faux revival preacher Reverand Billy and his “Church of Stop Shopping” Choir set out on a cross-country tour which includes “retail interventions, corporate exorcisms, and some good old-fashioned preaching.” Rev. Billy sets out to call Americans back to a Christmas that does not rely on consumption. From comfy suburban homes to Wal-Mart, the Mall of America and even Disneyland, Billy and his traveling Choir reveal just what will happen if we surrender to the Shopocalypse. read more…
Abba Father God, Bless your holy name.
Let your reign come now, Let your desires be carried out.
Bring your peace to birth, As in heav’n, so on Earth
Give us bread, daily; Free us, as we free.
When the way is hard, Be our guide and guard.
Your rule, power; and praise Reign supreme, always.
Here is the passage we are reflecting on this week:
“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:12-13)
Queries:
- When was a time when you saw a debt canceled or you yourself canceled someone’s debt to you?
- When or what has caused you the most struggle in understanding and practicing forgiveness?
- In what ways could this passage possibly point outward to our witness in the world?
Possible activities:
- Take time to confess your your temptations, debts or “trespasses” to God and/or someone close to you.
- Make time to offer forgiveness to someone who needs it.
- Write out a plan to help “cancel a debt” of someone you know close to you.
- Draw connections between these lines in the prayer and other situations, events, parables and teachings in the Biblical narrative. What do you find out that elucidates this passage?
Feel free to share as little or as much as you want below in the comments concerning these queries and activities.
On Sunday I recommended a book and thought I’d post a link to it here for those of you interest. The book is called, The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical. It’s one of the best books I’ve read in recent years about sharing and living faithful to the way of Jesus. It’s provocative, at times offensive, and sure to stimulate your imagination, make you laugh, and cause you to stop and pray.
Here’s a review I wrote on it from a few years back now.
You can learn more about Claiborne and his community in Philly called “Simple Way,” here.
PS> I have one copy of the book in my office if you would like to borrow it.
This past Sunday we piled new and gently used items for homeless people in Camas into a new galvanized trashcan I picked up from the local hardware shop here in Camas. We did this as a part of our discussion on the Disciple’s Prayer and the petition/mission “Give us this day our daily bread.” We discussed what it looks like to be on both sides of the prayer, the side of desperation, “God, I really need something to eat,” and the side of enough, “God, we have enough, how can we be givers of bread instead of takers?” And earlier in the week I invited people to be prepared for this conversation and to bring things to give to homeless people. It was fantastic to see the response and that our can literally overflowed.
We are going to keep the can in the church building during the winter and work together to distribute the goods, we also registered it on the A Trashcan Can Make A Difference website. Anyone is welcome to come and take from it as he or she has need. I see it as being a kind of “common can” similar to what the disciple’s did in Acts 2.
I’ve set up a table in the foyer of the meetinghouse for book’s, movies, magazines and articles I’d love for you to borrow and share. Drop by for a visit and check something out. I also am happy to lend other things in my library if you want to take a look.
This past Sunday we discussed strand one of the prayer, the worshiping community strand found in the words “Our Father” and the challenge and privilege it is to be able to pray those words together. If you missed the sermon the podcast is online (via iTunes) and is also on the church blog for download (click here: http://wp.me/pzEU4-2w). You can also find the text for the sermon on my blog.
This week we look at the ethics strand of the prayer:
“Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11)
I invite you to share a story of a time when God supplied daily bread for you (it’s okay if it was not literal bread) in the comments below.
Queries:
- When was a time when you witnessed receiving daily bread when you needed it most?
- When was a time when you practiced being givers of daily bread?
- What does daily bread look like to you?
Activity: We are inviting everyone to bring new or (very) gently used clothing, food, and other items to be given to homeless people as the need arises this winter. We are going to place all of this into a “sharing” receptacle that looks a lot like a (clean, new) trash can (wink, wink), as we participate in a ministry called “Trash Cans Can Make A Difference.” There will be opportunity for people to bring things to the front and place them in the can.
Things to bring would include: camping gear, tents, sleeping bags, boots, hats, scarves, gloves, coats, backpacks and bags. We also want to have food items that require no preparation such as peanut butter, pop top cans, granola bars, etc. Also, vouchers for gas and certificates for places like Burgerville would be helpful. Please remember that many of these people will be constantly on the move, so items should be compact and portable. Also, items should be in new or gently used condition so they still have lots of use left. Please bring items for this Sunday.
