together at home
a weekly practice of scripture, reflection, questions and prayer
 Gather the cup, the plate and the bowl. Fill the cup with juice, place a piece of bread or crackers on the plate, and set all the elements before you as you consider the following: Scripture They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts. - Acts 2:42-46 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty… This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day. - John 6:35, 40 Reflection Sharing at the Lord’s Table is a calling on our life. At the table, we are called to remembrance, communion, and hope. We are called to remember what Christ has done for us; we are called to come into union with Christ and with the fellowship of all believers; we are called to hope for the day that we will be feasting together at Christ’s banquet table. The remembering part perhaps comes easiest: we remember by telling the story of Christ, by reading Scripture, by singing our hymns and gospel songs. The communion piece may be a little harder due to the face that we are called to come into union- unity, fellowship, togetherness- with not just the people we like to gather with on Sunday mornings, but all the others who follow the apostles’ teaching and call on the name of the Lord who may be a bit more difficult to love- those we disagree with, those who are different than us, even those we may call enemies. We are called to togetherness with Christ and all the fellowship of believers. And last, the call to hope, which may be the most difficult of all. When the world seems to be falling apart around us, when we are separated from the community around us, when every decision or piece of news or [fill in the blank] seems to bring division, it can seem impossible to hope for something more. But, as we pray at the Table during our communion liturgy: “As this grain has been gathered from many fields into one loaf, and these grapes from many hills into one cup, grant, O Lord, that your whole Church may soon be gathered from the ends of the earth and into your kingdom. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” This is what our communal vocation is: to remember; to be together; to hope. For Christ, for the kingdom of God, for God’s shalom and the flourishing of all. Questions/Practices 1. In what ways do you remember, commune, and hope? How do you remember what Christ has done, be together with other believers, and hang on to hope? 2. Take the cup and the bread/crackers. While it isn’t actually partaking in the Lord’s Table, break the bread/crackers and dip it into the cup. Remember what it’s like to take communion with your church community. What comes to mind? What do you remember about the experience of communing with other believers? How does it give you hope? Prayer God, you have called us to remember who You are, to be united to You by the power of the Spirit, to be together with our brothers and sisters in Christ, and to hope for the day that You will raise us up to that great banquet table to partake in the heavenly feast. Prepare us, Lord. Give us the strength and the nourishment we need while we hope for that day. Amen. Activity Suggestions - Coloring page link below. Featured Artwork: Communion, by John Stushie 
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 Gather the cup, the plate and the bowl. Fill the bowl with water and set all the elements before you as you consider the following: Scripture John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”… Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” - Mark 1:4-11, 14-15 Reflection Baptism is a calling on our life; it proclaims our vocation as the people of God. In baptism, God declares that we are the beloved children of God. In baptism, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit. In baptism, Christ points us to the kingdom of God to which we are called. Lisa Sharon Harper writes in her book The Very Good Gospel, “John called [the people] to repent, to turn their backs on the human kind of peace that seeks the welfare of some through the domination and oppression of others. Be baptized, John preached, and embrace God’s peace for all!” She continues that when Christ came, he called out to the people (and us): “Repent and believe that God’s kind of peace- peace for all- is possible. Choose God’s way to shalom. Follow God. That is what citizenship in the Kingdom of God requires.” This is what our baptismal vocation is: to turn away from what is not of God; to seek peace for all people; to choose God’s way to shalom which is the flourishing of all things- the way of the kingdom of God. Questions 1. When you read Lisa Sharon Harper’s words “Believe that God’s kind of peace- peace for all- is possible,” what comes to mind? What do you see? How does that make you feel? What would God’s peace look like? 2. What do you think God is calling you specifically? How are you called to repent, seek peace, and choose shalom in your: work place, family, neighborhood, city, state, country- in your little piece of the world? Prayer God, you have called us your children. Christ, you have called us to be a part of the kingdom of God. Spirit, you descend to be with us as we move throughout this world. Help us to “be baptized… and embrace God’s peace for all!” Amen. Activity Suggestions - Link to coloring page below. Recommended children’s books: - At Your Baptism by Carrie Steenwyk, John Witvliet and Linda Saport - www.trillianewbell.com/gods-very-good-idea/God’s Very Good Idea by Trillia Newbell (If you need help finding these books, talk to Pastor Emily!) Featured Artwork: Bayou Baptism, by Lauren Wright Pittman 
 Gather the cup, the plate and the bowl. Fill the bowl with water, and set all the elements before you as you consider the following: Scripture For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body- Jews or Greeks, slaves or free- and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. Reflection In baptism, we enter the community of faith, and are joined to those who walk beside us as we take our faltering steps as disciples of Jesus, and who pick us up when we fall or are tempted to give up. In baptism, we enter the body of Christ, the dwelling place of the Spirit where all of God’s gifts are at work to take the word of Christ and make it alive and real to us. Here are brothers and sisters in Christ who will challenge us by their words, by their example, and by their love to recognize God’s goodness more clearly, to accept God’s gifts more openhandedly, to trust God more unreservedly, and to follow Jesus Christ more fearlessly. This is the life of faith - not just our own but the life of the body of Christ - to which our baptism summons us. - from The Promise of Baptism by James V. Brownson Questions 1. Who in your “community of faith” are the people who pick you up when you fall? Who challenges you, leads by example, and shows you how to follow Christ more fearlessly? 2. Who in your “community of faith” are you challenging, encouraging, leading? 3. Dr. Brownson names a few things that the body of Christ does for one another (helps us to recognize God’s goodness, accept God’s gifts, trust God and follow Jesus, etc.). What other things have you seen or experienced in the body of Christ? What do you do for and with your brothers and sisters in Christ? Prayer God, we thank you that in the gift of baptism we are joined together with our siblings in Christ into the community of faith. Give us a humble, bold and loving spirit so that together with the body of Christ, we may challenge and be challenged, encourage and be encouraged, lead and be led. All for your kingdom and your glory. Amen. Activity Suggestions - Coloring page below. - Looking back at Question #1, write a note to someone in your community of faith. Perhaps it’s a thank you note for being someone who shows you what it looks like to follow Jesus. Perhaps it’s a note of encouragement to someone who may feel like giving up on something right now. Maybe it’s just a note to say “we’re in this together” because we are all members of the body of Christ. (If you need someone's address and they attend Maple Ave., contact Jo in the church office and she'll be able to help you out.) Featured Artwork: Baptism, by Dani Suhy 
 Gather the cup, the plate and the bowl, and set them before you as you consider the following: Scripture For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. - 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Reflection Jesus says these elements are his body and blood and we must consume them to share his life. He must become part of us, literally and physically as well as spiritually… This table is a place of welcome and transformation. It is this transformation that equips us to survive the evils of the world and to do more than just survive them, transform the world that has spawned them to the image of the reign of God. We have all the strength we need in God no matter how often we commune. The Eucharist [another name for Communion] does not wear off. But coming to the table regularly reminds of who it is that empowers us. The same Jesus whom the grave could not hold stands with us and within us when we stand up to bigotry and hatred. The same Jesus who started throwing furniture in the temple when God’s house was polluted stands with us when we stand against the abuse of God’s children… Christ within us empowers us to do his work in the world. And we are reminded of that every time we receive the bread of life and cup of salvation. The elements are transformed and we who consume them are transformed by Christ’s very presence working in us. - from “This Is My Body: The Womb of God” by The Rev. Wil Gafney, Ph.D.; Biblical Scholar, Seminary Professor, Episcopal Priest Questions 1. Where do you see Jesus doing transformation work in your own life? What do you see changing within you because of the life you share in Christ? 2. What do you think Christ is empowering you to do in the world in the name of God? What is God calling you to that would be a part of the reign of God? Prayer God, You give us the bread and the cup, your body and blood, so that we may share life with you. By your Spirit, may we be transformed to survive the evils of this world, and empowered to do your work to participate in the reign of God. Amen. Activity Suggestions for Young Ones - Coloring page below. - Using the plate and cup that are set before you, enjoy a snack of bread/crackers and any kind of juice. You can even dip the bread/crackers into the cup, and share it with the family. Featured Artwork: The Lord’s Supper, by KC of BlackJesusArt
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