December 26, 2009 and January 2, 2010 Gatherings

Happy Holidays!

The Dugout is closed the next two Saturdays, Dec. 26th and Jan. 2nd, so instead of gathering at our favorite pub, we will gather at our place: 124 Hamilton St. Cambridge. Home #617-714-4184.

We will meet at the same time as usual, 5pm, and we will have some food as usual, but we will be a little less structured than usual. :-)

Also, Jan. 2nd, John Gerard will join us to play his wonderful music and if you all stick around after pub church (6pm), we will also be celebrating my birthday then! :-P

Merry, merry Christmas and I hope to see you all soon!

-Xochitl

December 19, 2009 Gathering

PRELUDE

Music by Andrew Prete

WELCOME

Welcome to The Pub Church! As a church in a pub, the Spirit is with us. In this space feel free to move about, help yourself to food and drinks, doodle, and express yourself openly!

We come together with diversity of thoughts, stories, talents, hopes and hurts. All we bring is welcome. Our prayer is that in coming together with all our differences and with Spirit, we participate toward a new divine reality.

This is sacred space.

OPENING PRAYER

Loving Goddess, open our hearts and minds to the truth made manifest in Jesus --- That you are with us. You took flesh, dwelt among us, and offered us an embodied witness to your divine way. May the simple beauty of the birth of Jesus summon us always to love what is most deeply human, and to see your love reflected in the humblest of lives. May the testimony of this incarnation summon us to new life and inspire us to share this table in openness and truth, so that the fruits of this gathering may be hope, and love, and friendship.

TELLING OUR STORY

PEACE – TOAST

In this place we creatively express;

Some of us are focused, some are a mess!

We participate during the sermon

And people do connect, we are learnin’

Greet all with a handshake, toast or a wave

At all times feel free to yell, rant or rave

Fake not friends, we can arrive as we are.

Cheers! Here’s to sacred space in a bar!

CREATIVE EXPRESSION

By Andrew

CONVERSATIONAL SERMON

“Mark is not very helpful in the season of advent.”

At that time, Mary set out in haste for a town in the hill country of Judah, where she entered Zechariah’s house and greeted her Elizabeth. And it so happened, when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, that the baby jumped in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with holy spirit and proclaimed at the top of her voice, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! Who am I that the mother of my lord should visit me? You see, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby jumped for joy in my womb. Congratulations to her who trusted that what the Lord promised her would come true.”

And Mary said, "My soul extols the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has shown consideration for the lowly status of his slave. As a consequence, from now on every generation will congratulate me; the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name, and his mercy will come to generation after generation of those who fear him. He has shown strength of his arm; he has put the arrogant to rout (retreat/defeat), along with their private schemes; he has pulled the mighty down from their thrones, and exalted the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has come to the aid of his servant Israel, remembering his mercy, as he spoke to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

Silent Meditation: Be still and aware of the Divine presence within and all around us…

v What is advent?

v Is Mark really not helpful in advent?

COMMUNION AND SHARING OF RESOURCES

God is with us.

Yes she is.

FEEDBACK AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

BENEDICTION

In this holy season of winter-darkness hearth-time, welcome the stranger you have feared:

your own desires, your memories, your losses.

And in the quiet of candlelight,

may you hold hope again,

like a newborn child in your arms,

cradle hope again.

Blessed be your holidays and

Go forth in hope, in peace, in joy, and in love.

POSTLUDE

By Andrew

December 12, 2009 Gathering

PRELUDE

Music by John Gerard

WELCOME

Welcome to The Pub Church! As a church in a pub, the Spirit is with us. In this space feel free to move about, help yourself to food and drinks, doodle, and express yourself openly!

We come together with diversity of thoughts, stories, talents, hopes and hurts. All we bring is welcome. Our prayer is that in coming together with all our differences and with Spirit, we participate toward a new divine reality.

This is sacred space.

OPENING PRAYER

Holy Spirit, in Jesus the Anointed one you took flesh and dwelt among us, offering us an embodied witness to a divine way of living and relating in this world. May we be inspired to follow, to act, and to share this table in openness and truth, so that the fruits of this gathering may be loving friendship and new life.

TELLING OUR STORY

What do we wish we had enough trust in?

PEACE – TOAST

In this place we creatively express;

Some of us are focused, some are a mess!

We participate during the sermon

And people do connect, we are learnin’

Greet all with a handshake, toast or a wave

At all times feel free to yell, rant or rave

Fake not friends, we can arrive as we are.

Cheers! Here’s to sacred space in a bar!

CREATIVE EXPRESSION

By John

CONVERSATIONAL SERMON

Mark 6:30-45

Then the apostles regrouped around Jesus and they reported to him everything that they had done and taught.

And he says to them, “You come privately to an isolated place and rest a little.” (Remember, many were coming and going and they didn’t even have a chance to eat.)

So they went away in a boat privately to an isolated place. But many noticed them leaving and figured it out and raced there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When he came ashore, he saw a huge crowd and was moved by them, because they ‘resembled sheep without a shepherd,’ and he started teaching them at length.

And when the hour had already grown late, his disciples would approach him and say, “This place is desolate and it’s late. Send them away so that they can go to the farms and villages around here to buy something to eat.”

But in response he said to them, “Give them something to eat yourselves!”

And they say to him, “Are we to go out and buy half a year’s wages worth of bread and donate it for the mean?!”

So he says to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go look.”

And when they find out, they say, “Five, and two fish.”

Next he instructs them all to sit down and eat, some over here, some over there, on the green grass. So they sat down group by group, in hundreds and in fifties. And he took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to the sky, gave a blessing, and broke the bread apart, and started giving it to his disciples to pass around to them, and even the two fish they shared with everyone. Everybody had more than enough to eat. Then they picked up twelve baskets full of leftovers, including some fish. And the number of men who had some bread came to five thousand.

And right away he made his disciples embark in the boat and go ahead to the opposite shore toward Bethsaida, while he himself dispersed the crowd. And once he got away from them, he went off to the mountain to pray.

Silent Meditation: Be still and aware of the Divine presence within and all around us as we prepare for our conversation.

COMMUNION AND SHARING OF RESOURCES

God is with us.

Yes she is.

FEEDBACK AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

v Dec. 26^th and Jan. 2 at

v John Gerard plays Tommy Doyle’s 12/15, 9:00pm

BENEDICTION

Go tell the earth to shake with marching feet

Of messengers of peace

For the old wrongs are over

The old days are gone

A new world is rising

Where god’s people shall be one.

Today is the beginning of everything.

Go in peace, with new life, and Drink in the Spirit!

POSTLUDE

By John

December 5, 2009 Gathering

PRELUDE

Music by John Gerard

WELCOME

Welcome to The Pub Church! As a church in a pub, the Spirit is with us. In this space feel free to move about, help yourself to food and drinks, doodle, and express yourself openly!

We come together with diversity of thoughts, stories, talents, hopes and hurts. All we bring is welcome. Our prayer is that in coming together with all our differences and with Spirit, we participate toward a new divine reality.

This is sacred space.

OPENING PRAYER

Holy Spirit, in Jesus the Anointed one you took flesh and dwelt among us, offering us an embodied witness to a divine way of living and relating in this world. May we be inspired to follow, to act, and to share this table in honesty and toward truth, so that the fruits of this gathering may be loving friendship and new life.

TELLING OUR STORY

PEACE – TOAST

In this place we creatively express;

Some of us are focused, some are a mess!

We participate during the sermon

And people do connect, we are learnin’

Greet all with a handshake, toast or a wave

At all times feel free to yell, rant or rave

Fake not friends, we can arrive as we are.

Cheers! Here’s to sacred space in a bar!

CREATIVE EXPRESSION

By John

CONVERSATIONAL SERMON

Mark 6:12-30

So they set out and announced that people should turn their lives around, and they often drove out demons, and they anointed many sick people with oil and healed [them].

King Herod heard about it – by now, [Jesus’] reputation had become well known – and people kept saying that John the Baptizer had been raised from the dead and that, as a consequence, miraculous powers were at work in him. Some spread the rumor that he was Elijah, while others reported that he was a prophet like one of the prophets.

When Herod got wind of it, he started declaring, “John, the one beheaded, has been raised!”

Earlier Herod himself had sent someone to arrest John and put him in chains in a dungeon, on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. You see, John had said to Herod, “It is not right for you to have your brother’s wife!”

So Herodias nursed a grudge against him and wanted to eliminate him, but she couldn’t manage it, because Herod was afraid of John. He knew that he was an upright and holy man, and so protected him, and, although he listened to him frequently, he was very confused, yet he listened to him eagerly.

Now a festival day came, when Herod gave a banquet on his birthday for his courtiers, and his commanders, and the leading citizens of Galilee. And the daughter of Herodias came in and captivated Herod and his dinner guests by dancing. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish and I’ll grant it to you!” Then he swore an oath to her: “I’ll grant you whatever you ask for, up to half my domain!”

She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?”

And she replied, “The head of John the Baptist!”

She promptly hastened back and made her request: “I want you to give me the head of John the Baptist on a platter, right now!”

The king grew regretful, but, on account of his oaths and the dinner guests, he didn’t want to refuse her. So right away the king sent for the executioner and commanded him to bring his head. And he went away and beheaded [John] in prison. He brought his head on a platter and presented it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and got his body and put it in a tomb.

Then the apostles regrouped around Jesus and they reported to him everything that they had done and taught.

Silent Meditation: Be still and aware of the Divine presence within and all around us as we prepare for our conversation.

COMMUNION AND SHARING OF RESOURCES

God is with us.

Yes she is.

FEEDBACK AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

v Dugout 12/26, 1/2 open?

BENEDICTION

Go tell the earth to shake with marching feet

Of messengers of peace

For the old wrongs are over

The old days are gone

A new world is rising

Where god’s people shall be one.

Today is the beginning of everything.

Go in peace, with new life, and Drink in the Spirit!

POSTLUDE

By John