We’re going to talk even more about grace this week and try to unpack why Jesus and some other biblical writers had so much to say about it. Our conversation will takes us from one of Shakespeare’s most eloquent speeches to U2’s latest record with a short stop over in the land of Seinfeld.

Don’t forget that Sunday, December 21st is our Christmas gathering. We will only meet in the evening on that Sunday, not in the morning.

Kid’s table will be happening this week!

Here’s a followup from Judi Heppner regarding her request from last week for help furnishing the apartment of a young mother:

Thanks to all the people who came forward with offers. She is on her way to having a furnished apartment with kitchen stuff and linens; it’s so great and she has been so grateful. Second, a donation of a couch and bed made me realize we need manpower and truck power to get them to her. If anyone can help with the heavy lifting side of things, that would be so great. I’m at judi.heppner@hotmail.com.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on Sunday morning at 10:30, second floor of Independent Jewellers.

In preparing for this week I began to think about the sorts of things we Canadians tend to be thankful for, and the one thing that is at least given token acknowledgement by politicians and Facebook users far more patriotic than I am, is the idea of freedom.

Freedom is an interesting concept, and one that becomes far more intangible the more we try to understand it. Yet it has a constant presence in our political discourses; our personal interactions; our complaints about social media; and our advertisements for everything from cars to underwear.

This Sunday come ready to chat, there’ll be no formal singing (because I got double booked) so we’ll have time to explore what some songwriters, authors, filmmakers, New Testament writers and all of us have to say about this amorphous and highly contentious idea that we all hold so dear.

I’m looking forward to a cornucopia of ideas this weekend; see you Sunday!

Tim (Penner)

Don’t forget that next week is our community breakfast, there are still some items that need volunteers.

This week at The Table we are set to enjoy something I’ve been looking forward to for quite a while. As you will see in the paragraph below, Christina has been not just on a “trip”, but on a “journey”. And she has made what I regard as the kind and courageous choice to share some of what she encountered with all of us. I expect that what she has to say will not be simple to hear, but it will be both needful and good. This is how Christina describes where she will be headed when we gather this week:

What does it look like for a person to live in a country filled with violence due to religious and ethnic divides, and to witness on a daily basis the extreme fragility of life?  Secondly, what does it look like to live in a place that is recovering from such violence?  And most importantly, where are the glimmers of hope in what far too often looks like a bleak and hopeless reality?  What does it look like when people commit themselves to stopping the cycle of hostility and working towards building peaceful communities; choosing to forgive when everything in their body says to kill?

Christina.

As great as Lennon was, he was hardly the first to realize that human beings spend far too much of their lives in the planning phases. One profound thinker to mull this idea over was King Solomon, often thought to be the wisest of all the kings of Israel. He wrote his ruminations down in the book of Ecclesiastes, easily one of the most difficult, enlightening, and ignored books of the Bible. I often wonder if the books of the Bible were to be re-evaluated today by the modern church if Ecclesiastes wouldn’t go the way of Maccabees.

This week we’re going to crack open Solomon’s tome and spend some time trying to figure out just how to make the most of the meaningless days of our lives (his words, not mine). If you have a chance before Wednesday give it a read. It’s not very long, but chances are you’ll have to stop more than once to scratch your head and (maybe) rethink your life.

We’ll see you at 6:30 on Wednesday night. The tea will be iced and the conversations will be waiting!

Tim (Penner)

In our Canadian society these days we emphasize the importance of being tolerant and exhibiting polite company. There are certain topics we do not discuss in social contexts, and there are certainly ways we do not talk within varying social contexts. Rudeness and crudeness are off-limits. Although there are some valid historical reasons, or at the very least, some interesting questions which can account for the emphasis on tolerance within Canadian society, it is important to imagine the kinds of things that are lost when politeness is uncomfortably overdrawn and key issues are not brought forth for discussion. Would Jesus be a fine Canadian or would we consider him a social deviant?

In Matt. 10:16, when Jesus was instructing his disciples, he tells them that they are going out “like lambs into a pack of wolves. So be as wise as snakes and innocent as doves.” In this case, if these qualities of the snake and the dove are assumed to be possessed by Christ, and if the dove like innocence is reflective of Canadian culture, then how do we receive texts of Scripture where Jesus seems to be snake like; where is just plainly rude?The dove like qualities–the meek and gentle attributes that are lovely– are generally easily accepted elements of Christ. But what do we do about a passage like John 8:49-59, where Jesus seems like he is looking to pick a fight with the Pharisees? How does this passage offend and confuse my Canadian sensibilities of common public decency and politeness? What do I do when I am confronted with the intense snake-likeness of Christ?

These are the questions I will be drawing on Wed. evening.

I hope to see you all out there!

Hello hello,

Tuesday is still upon us, but Wednesday fast approaches and you may have been wondering “gee, I haven’t heard about the Table’s weekly gathering, that’s odd!” Well folks, not to worry… there is indeed a gathering tomorrow at 630pm and I will be sharing with you some of my reflections/learnings from my time spent in the Downtown Eastside in Vancouver. I have only been back for four days so you are getting the unrefined version but sometimes that is the best; however, no guarantees. Looking forward to spending the evening with whomever stops in.

Donavan.

We’re meeting at 6:30 above Independent Jewellers on Notre Dame.

See you then!

Over the years some things have come close to eclipsing my passion for music (movies, for one, oh and being married and raising a child, I suppose); but I keep coming back to my desire to discover, dissect and discuss any song, genre, artist or performance that captures my attention.

For those of you still with me, here is the point: This week at the table I’m going spend some time in conversation with two of my favourite people to talk to about both music and spirituality: Tim Plett and my friend Tim Dyck. (Yes, I’m aware that we’re all named Tim, it’s a coincidence, not a conspiracy.) We’re going to be discussing one of the seminal records of the 1980s, Paul Simon’s Graceland, an album that moves with virtuosity through diverging realms of culture, spirituality, faith and doubt all while providing infectious rhythms, catchy melodies, and the most brilliantly realized blend of jubilance and melancholy every found on a record that sold over 14 millions copies. It is my hope that we will come away with a better understanding of how art that is not overtly spiritual, and music in particular, can reveal truths about who God is and how we are connected to him.

If you want to read ahead (so to speak) someone on the Youtubes has compiled Graceland into a playlist, so you can know what you’re getting into.

Here’s the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiJxFvd65QU&list=PL8EEB33B6C1214854

Looking forward to seeing you all there this Sunday morning at 10:30 above Independent Jewelers on Notre Dame

Tim (Penner)

Of course, I wouldn’t say that his story should also be our story; I can’t even say for sure that his story is a accurate account; I can say, however, that his story makes me wonder.  Why do some people experience God in miraculous ways, while others of us feel like our prayers are met with silence?

This Sunday at The Table I’m going to share a bit of Steve Lightle’s story, a story that inspired and encouraged me when I first heard it.  We’ll be looking at where Steve’s journey started and what makes him – what makes others like him – “worthy” of such an experience.

Looking forward to it!
Carolyn