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
 Gather the cup, the plate and the bowl, and set them before you as you consider the following. If you have any bread or crackers, put them on the plate (and eat them during or after!). Scripture Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him…. As they came near the village to which they were going, Jesus walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. - Luke 24:13-16, 28-35 Reflection There are lots of stories in the Bible that involve eating. It seems like Jesus loved to sit down and have meal with people. In this particular story, two people are experiencing sadness and confusion; their world has been turned upside down. They’re so wrapped up in it that they don’t even realize that it’s Jesus walking beside them. It’s only when they start to eat dinner together with him that the Resurrected Jesus is finally recognized by his fellow travelers. A lot of life happens around the dining table. We reflect on the day; we listen to each others’ stories and feelings; we get to know strangers; and we grow in friendship with others. It’s a place where we gather not only to nourish our bodies, but our own souls and relationships. But during this time of separation, our tables may be emptier than they normally would be. We are perhaps sad and confused, and our worlds have been turned upside down. In the practice of communion, we believe that we are eating a meal together- with the body of Christ both past and present, and with Jesus himself. We believe that when we eat the bread and drink from the cup that Christ makes himself known to us in a special and unique way- that we are nourished both in body and soul. While we are no longer coming together in the same way to worship and to partake of the Lord’s Supper, we can create space for Jesus to walk beside us. We can continue to break bread, and when we eat, remember the One who nourishes us. We can open our eyes to recognize God in even the most ordinary experience of eating so that our hearts may burn and we may come to know Him more deeply. We can allow Jesus to nourish us. Questions/Practices 1. Eat a meal with someone this week. You could have a picnic outside or perhaps a “digital dinner” when you eat with someone while video chatting. Be intentional about the conversation: reflect on the day, listen to each others’ stories and feelings, ask questions, share freely. 2. What does it look like or feel like for Jesus to nourish your soul? Prayer God, You are the One who provides us all that we need. You nourish our bodies as well as our souls. Walk with us and feed us so that we may recognize you at work in the world and participate with you. Activity Suggestions for Young Ones - Coloring page below. - There are two prayers that devout Jews say before eating. They might have even been the same prayers that Jesus said when he blessed the food. Try praying them before a meal and/or memorizing them. Blessed are you, O Lord, our God, Ruler of the universe Who brings forth bread from the earth. Blessed are you, O Lord, our God, Ruler of the universe Creator of the fruit of the vine. - In the video below, you’ll find instructions on how to make the bread made by the Blystras typically used for communion at Maple Ave. Featured Artwork: Communion by Dani Suhy 
 Gather the cup, the plate and the bowl, and set them before you as you consider the following: Scripture Directed by God, the whole company of Israel moved on by stages from the Wilderness of Sin. They set camp at Rephidim. And there wasn’t a drop of water for the people to drink. The people took Moses to task: “Give us water to drink.” But Moses said, “Why pester me? Why are you testing God?” But the people were thirsty for water there. They complained to Moses, “Why did you take us from Egypt and drag us out here with our children and animals to die of thirst?” Moses cried out in prayer to God, “What can I do with these people? Any minute now they’ll kill me!” God said to Moses, “Go on out ahead of the people taking with you some of the elders of Israel. Take the staff you used to strike the Nile. And go. I’m going to be present before you there on the rock at Horeb. You are to strike the rock. Water will gush out of it and the people will drink.” Moses did what he said, with the elders of Israel right there watching. He named the place Massah (Testing-Place) and Meribah (Quarreling) because of the quarreling of the Israelites and because of their testing of God when they said, “Is God here with us, or not?” - Exodus 17:1-7 Reflection Today we find ourselves in a time like no other in recent history. We are separated from one another, isolated in our homes, distanced from the people and places we love. We are thirsty for life; we are hungry for togetherness. It might be easy for us to ask: “Is God here with us, or not?” As a church, we are experiencing a sense of longing. We are longing to be together, to pass the peace of Christ with our hugs and handshakes. We are longing to worship with each other, to speak face to face, to sing as one voice, to baptize our new babies, and to share the bread and the cup at the Table with one another. We currently find ourselves in the wilderness, and just like the Israelites, we are thirsty. And just as in Exodus, God will provide in our wilderness. Until we can be together again and share from the abundance of the Table with Christ and with one another, God will somehow find a way to bring forth water from a rock to nourish us. Questions 1. What do you find yourself longing for? What would it look like for you to be “nourished”? 2. Have you ever felt like asking the question: “Is God here with us, or not?” Prayer God, You make a way when there is no way. You provide water in the wilderness, nourishment when we need it because You are the Living Water and the Bread of Life. Amen. Activity Suggestions for Young Ones - Coloring page below - Paint rocks and place them on a shelf or in a garden so that you can see them and remember them as a symbol that God shows up for us. - Fill a glass with water and with each sip say a prayer telling God about something you miss or long for (example: sip- “God, I miss seeing my grandparents.” sip- “God, I really wish I could be at school.”) Featured Artwork: Promises from At God’s Table/En La Mesa de Dios by Joel Schoon Tanis 
 Gather the cup, the plate and the bowl that were set aside last week
and set them before you as you consider the following: Scripture I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. - Genesis 17:7 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. -John 1:12-13 Jesus got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” - John 13:4-9 Reflection Washing in the waters of baptism is a sign of God claiming us as God’s people. It marks us as members of the covenant community, the Church. Baptism continually points us to God’s love and grace through the simple, everyday element of water. Washing, and particularly washing our hands, has perhaps become a reminder of the current social distancing protocols. There are advertisements everywhere encouraging us to wash our hands, from commercials to billboards to songs on Sesame Street, and in so doing, reminding us of the distance that separates us. All for our own health and the common good. The washing of baptism has a different approach: we are taken in as children of God, and united with Christ and with others through the waters of baptism. By washing in the baptismal waters, we- with our brothers and sisters in Christ- are claimed as offspring in God’s covenant with Abraham; we are given power to become children of God; and together we share in the life of Jesus. Though we are currently scattered and separated from one another physically, we are gathered together as family in Christ, and claimed together with an inseparable bond by the Spirit, all through the waters of baptism. Instructions & Questions Fill the bowl with water. Dip your hands in the water, and let it run through your fingers. 1. Do you remember your own baptism or have you witnessed another’s? What do you remember about it? 2. What does it mean to you to be “a child of God” and to be connected, through baptism, to brothers and sisters in Christ, the other “children of God”? Prayer God, we give you thanks for the gift of water that washes and cleanses us. We give you thanks for the gift of baptism that washes and gathers us closer to You and to our siblings in Christ. Amen. Featured Artwork: Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet by the Mafa Christian Communities in Cameroon in the 1970s  Gather the cup, the plate and the bowl that were set aside last week
and set them before you as you consider the following: Scripture Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look ash this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” - Exodus 3:1-5 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people. - 1 Peter 2:9-10 Reflection Holy. The author, Frederick Buechner, wrote that “Only God is holy, just as only people are human. God’s holiness is God’s Godness. To speak of anything else as holy is to say that it has something of God’s mark upon it. Times, places, things, and people can all be holy, and when they are, they are usually not hard to recognize.” To be holy means “to be set apart.” It’s the ordinary dirt on the ground in front of Moses, the ordinary group of people named in 1 Peter that are set apart for God and God’s purposes. At the Lord’s Table, an ordinary plate of bread and cup of juice are somehow holy, a meal set apart for God and God’s purposes. At the baptismal font, the ordinary bowl of water is somehow holy, a washing set apart for God and God’s purposes. And we, those of us who love to come to the Table and who have washed in the Font, we are also called holy. We have “something of God’s mark upon” us. We are people who are set apart by God and for God because of God’s great love for us. Questions 1. What are holy places, spaces, moments that you’ve experienced or encountered? 2. How might we, as the church, live into our call to be a holy people? How might you live in a way that is set apart for God and God’s purposes? Prayer God, You are holy, set apart and like no other. Thank you for your holy love and the holy gifts of communion and baptism. Help us to live holy lives set apart for You and Your purposes. Amen. Featured Artwork: Fruits of the Spirit by John Stushie  Scripture
Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” - Luke 22:19-20 Then Ananias said to Paul, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear his voice; for you will be his witness to all the world of what you have seen and heard. And now why do you delay? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on his name.’ - Acts 22:12-16 Reflection In our church tradition and as part of our faith, we practice two sacraments: communion and baptism. These sacraments are physical, tangible ways that we remember and put into practice the covenant God made to us as God’s people. We get to taste, smell, and touch the grace of God in the ordinary, everyday elements of the bread and juice of communion, and the waters of baptism. During this time when we are separated, we are unable to come to the Table or to the Font with one another. However, as we continue on the journey of faith together (always together), we would like to invite you into a weekly practice of meditating on scripture, engaging questions, and praying- all while pondering and wondering about communion and baptism and our life together as the MAMily. And we look forward with great hope to the day when we will able to reunited in physical space and come to the Table and the Font to celebrate God’s grace and love in the bread, the cup and the waters. Instructions & Questions Gather a cup, a plate and a bowl to set aside. We will use these ordinary, everyday items in our weekly practice- the cup and plate to symbolize communion, and the bowl to remind us of baptism. Put them in a place that is set apart but still visible, and bring them out each week when you participate in this practice. Question to consider: When you think about communion and baptism, what comes to mind? What words, stories, tastes, smells, sounds, etc.? Prayer God, we look forward to the day when we are back together with the people we love in the places we love. Until then, help us to grow in faith and hope, and love for You and for one another. Amen. Featured artwork: Broken for You by Joel Schoon-Tanis |
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