October 25th Gathering

WELCOME

Welcome to The Pub Church! We are a church in a pub and the Spirit is with us. In this space you are free to move about, order drinks/food, doodle, and express your ideas openly!

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

SILENT MEDITATION

Be still and aware of the Divine Presence within and all around us…

OPENING PRAYER

Divine presence within and all around us, lure us out, so that the best of ourselves, the divine that is within us, can sing out loud!

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!

TELLING OUR STORY

Coming Out – to Hope!

CONVERSATIONAL SERMON

The Content of our Hope

Last week we talked about coming out…

A Reading from Is It Too Late? John B. Cobb, Jr.
”It is the belief in this Spirit, the giver of life and love, that is the basis of hope. In spite of all the destructive forces we let loose against life on this planet, the Spirit of Life is at work in ever new and unforeseeable ways, countering and circumventing the obstacles we put in its path. In spite of my strong tendencies to complacency and despair, I experience the Spirit in myself as calling forth the realistic hope apart from which there is no hope, and I am confident that what I find in myself is occurring in others also.

Since what makes for life and love and hope is not simply the decision of one individual or another, but a Spirit that moves us all, I do not have to suppose that my own efforts are of great consequence in order to believe them to be worthwhile. I can recognize that they may even be futile or misdirected and still persist in them as long as no clearer light is given, for I see what I do as part of something much greater, something in which all persons participate to whatever extent they sensitively respond to the insights and opportunities that come their way. Belief in the Spirit is belief that I am not alone, that in working for life and love in hope, I am working with something much greater than myself, that there are possibilities for the future that cannot be simply projected out of the past, that even my mistakes and failures may be woven into a healing pattern of which I am not now aware.

Belief in the Spirit is no ground for complacency. There is no guarantee that people will respond to the Spirit’s prompting in sufficient numbers and with sufficient sensitivity to begin the healing of the planet. But there is the possibility. The future can be different from the past. Therefore there is hope. Where there is life, there is hope."

ENACTED HOPE

~~~~~~~~~~

- Does the Spirit Cobb speaks of resonate with us?

- Do we believe in a Spirit that moves us all?

- What is the character of that Spirit? How did we come to know it? How do we recognize it?

SHARING RESOURCES AT THE TABLE

COMMUNION

Led by Xochitl

FEEDBACK AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Updates on thepubchurch.blogspot.com

November 1, 2008 gathering.

CLOSING

Radiant Source of Life,

You Are Who You Are and we have been created in your Divine image, alike, yet diverse. Birthed in your image, we are born into possibility, each of us a mystery ever unfolding. Help us to honor the rich complexities of who we are; deepen and unite us in you, so that we may know ourselves and others to be bearers of creativity and of your transforming love.

Let us go forth then knowing our place, answering the call, and living in Spirit.

*Inspired by, Transgendering Faith, (p. 129-130)

October 18th Gathering - Posted Late!

PRELUDE
Music by Maggie Keelan

WELCOME

Welcome to The Pub Church! We are a church in a pub and the Spirit is with us. In this space you are free to move about, order drinks/food, doodle, and express your ideas openly!

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

OPENING PRAYER

Trapped by expectations, I kept the best of me hidden and shushed her when she spoke – Divine presence within and all around us, call us out, so that the best of ourselves, the divine that is within us, can sing out loud!

PEACE – TOAST
Followed with music by Maggie

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!

TELLING OUR STORY
Coming Out!

CONVERSATIONAL SERMON
National Coming Out day was October 11th

“The word ‘out’ seems to suggest opening a door and walking through a portal and suddenly the world changes. It’s really not like that. I use the metaphor of a long, narrow corridor which is dark at first, then there are little glimmers of light coming in, then it starts to widen, and then there’s a window opening. And you peek out, and you see some possibilities. And then there are doors ajar, and you might step out briefly and then come back in. So, it is a long process. It’s not as the word “out” suggests – a sudden decision and you step into another world.”
From an interview with George Takei, as quoted in God Comes Out: A Queer Homiletic.
~~~~~~~~~~
- What process of coming out have we found ourselves in? Do we find ourselves in now?
- In what ways have we found the strength to keep walking through the dimness?
- What have been our glimmers of light?

SHARING OF RESOURCES

COMMUNION
Led by Xochitl

FEEDBACK AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Updates on thepubchurch.blogspot.com
November 1, 2008 gathering?

CLOSING
Followed with music by Maggie

Radiant Source of Life,
You Are Who You Are , and we have been created in your Divine image, alike, yet diverse. Birthed in your image, we are born into possibility, each of us a mystery ever unfolding. Help us to honor the rich complexities of who we are; deepen and unite us in you, so that we may know ourselves and others to be bearers of creative power and channels of your transforming love.
Let us now go, called out to be who we are, and to sing out loud!
*Inspired by, Transgendering Faith, (p. 129-130)

Fun with Wordle

This was just a fun thing to do: On the Wordle site, you can create a "word cloud" that is generated from a text one provides, in this case The Pub Church blog. The sizes of the words correspond to their frequency

Use this link below to see ours in their gallery - cool huh? :-)
title="Wordle: The Pub Church"> src="http://wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/227980/The_Pub_Church"
style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd">

Thanks http://wordle.net/ for your creativity!

September 27, 2008 Gathering

PRELUDE

Andrew Prete

WELCOME

Welcome to The Pub Church! We are a church in a pub and the Spirit is with us. In this space you are free to move about, order drinks/food, and express your thoughts and ideas openly!

We come together with diversity of thoughts, stories, talents, hopes and hurts. Our prayer is that in coming together with all our differences we participate in a new divine reality and drink in the Spirit! This is sacred space.

OPENING READING

Spirit who is in all places, when we meditate on what we will say and how we will say it, you are present; when we have resolved to come into your sacredness, you are present, but perhaps this truth is not always real to us. So bless this gathering in order that each of us individually and communally will in this hour feel your presence and know that we are with you. **Adapted from The Prayers of Kierkegaard, p. 59.

PEACE – TOAST

Followed by Andrew

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!

TELLING OUR STORY

Story from last week

CONVERSATIONAL SERMON

What new reality?

Last week we ended with communion and with these words:

“As we gather in this present moment

Let us remember that in every moment we are cooperating in some reality, we make something real by our very presence and participation, by our embodied reality, by how we live and relate to one another.

In this moment then, let us make real a community of the Spirit, a people who are peaceable and beautiful in our relations with one another, with the earth, and with the Divine. Let us do that even as we share this bread and this wine now...”

And the week before that we read from…

~~~~~~~

~ What would be the new reality we would like to see?

~ In what ways do we participate to make that reality real – embodied?

~ What practices contribute to this new reality?

~ Do we believe a new reality is even possible?

SHARING OF RESOURCES

COMMUNION

FEEDBACK AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Check the BLOG: thepubchurch.blogspot.com

CLOSING

Followed by music from Andrew

Openness to the divine is one of the important aspects of each occasion of experience. And that openness and responsiveness to the lure of the Spirit leads to further openness in the future. Faith can be interpreted as trusting that divine influence each moment.

- From “Process and Faith” (lectionary website)

May we go in peace, with Spirit, and as participants of a new Divine reality.

September 20, 2008 Gathering

WELCOME

Welcome to The Pub Church! We are a church in a pub. So please feel free to move around, order drinks and food, and above all express your thoughts and ideas freely!

We all come with stories, talents, gifts, and hopes. It is our prayer that with all our differences and all our strengths, we will come together and drink in the spirit! This is sacred space.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Food, sharing of resources, a reading,
and our stories

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!

A READING

- From Bryan Stone’s, Evangelism After Christendom, (12).

“Jesus talked about the reign of God as a radically new order that comes to put an end to age-old patterns of wealth and poverty, domination and subordination, insider and outsider that are deeply ingrained in the way we relate to one another on this planet. But in order for that new order to become a serious option for the world, it must be visibly and imaginatively embodied in the world. And if scripture is a faithful witness, the purpose of God throughout history is the creation and formation of a new people whose mission is to do just that…But (if that is to be so, then good news)* will have to be understood …as a fundamentally subversive activity, born out of a posture of eccentricity (living “off-center” or “outside the center,” at the margins) and out of the cultivation of such deviant practices as sharing bread with the poor, loving enemies, refusing violence, forgiving sins, and telling the truth.”

*my rewording

FEEDBACK AND FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Check the BLOG: thepubchurch.blogspot.com
Music

CLOSING COMMUNION

Our true home is in the present moment.

To live in the present moment is a miracle.
The miracle is to walk on the green earth in the present moment,
To appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now.
Peace is all around us.
* From Life Prayers, Thich Nhat Hanh p. 367

As we gather in this present moment
Let us remember that in every moment we are cooperating in some reality, we make something real by our very presence and participation, by our embodied reality, by how we live and relate to one another.

In this moment then, let us make real a community of the Spirit, a people who are peaceable and beautiful in our relations with one another, with the earth, and with the Divine. Let us do that even as we share this bread and this wine now...

The Dugout is remodeled!

Pretty fancy huh?! :-) So come and enjoy the comfy couches with us!

And don't forget, you can always bring your own shotglass to use for communion.

September 13, 2008 Gathering

WELCOME

Welcome to The Pub Church! We are a church in a pub. So please feel free to move around, order drinks and food, doodle on notepads, and above all express your thoughts and ideas freely!

We all come with stories, talents, gifts, and hopes. It is our prayer that with all our differences and all our strengths, we will come together and drink in the spirit! This is sacred space.

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!

OPENING READING

Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi

Spirit, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Spirit, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born anew. Amen

TELLING OUR STORY

By Andrew Tripp

CONVERSATIONAL SERMON

Reflections on Participating in Church

Last week we reflected on being church, and coming together with difference. We talked about how we do that; how do we have something in common that brings us together while at the same time acknowledging and taking our differences into account? We mentioned the importance of a few things: sharing our questions and our interests with one another, being open about them; not imposing our ways or understandings on each other, but being willing to be present with one another in our differences; and all this requires that we hold our own questions and understandings in openness.

If there is Sacredness, if there is Spirit, if there is God/ess, then movement, transformation, growth, healing and a new way of being and relating in the world and with one another is possible. And at the same time, conflict is inevitable…Matthew 18:15-20

- What are some of the practices that help us be together with difference, that help us work through the conflict that is inherent in difference?

SHARING OF RESOURCES

We will share resources with one another and toward The Pub Church.

COMMUNION

Led by Xochitl with a poem.

FEEDBACK AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Check the BLOG: thepubchurch.blogspot.com

September 20^th location??? Andrew

CLOSING

Radiant and unfading Wisdom, you are expansive,

holy, unique, manifold; you are more mobile than any motion; you are a breath of the power of the Divine. Enter into our souls and stay with us as we close our time today. Amen.

What does it mean to be Church?

Reflections from 9/6 Gathering :-)

Xochitl's Reflections:
I am making my life’s work out of asking two questions: What it mean to be a Christian, What it mean to be the church. And here we are church differently. It’s not surprising that some people do not think of us as church. We disrupt their definition, their ideas, of what church is. As people who think of themselves as Christian and as church, we probably also disrupt their own sense of identity because they do not see themselves in us.

One response can be - who cares? We can do what we do regardless of what others think or say. But for me, since theology will also be what I do with my life, I have to be able to answer the question; How are we, The Pub Church, church? Any response we have is a work in process of course! But here's a go at it...

I think of church as a people, who with the Spirit, participate in a new reality. We participate in embodying and making real something that is more in tune with a sacred vision for the universe. Now, of course, I understand that embodied vision through the divine incarnation of Jesus. But not all of us do – and to me, the fact that we can still come together, taking our differences into account, while seeking out our commonalities, is more church to me than anything else.

I think that very fact, that we all are willing to be together and participate in what each other brings to the table, in itself communicates what and who we are as church. We come together with many different perspectives, frameworks of thinking, experiences, values, but still open to one another. We are not imposing ourselves on each other, but are willing to come together in difference, with difference. We come together and we explore and we share a way of living and relating that can include us all. And because it actually includes us, we shape it along the way. We move in and with the sacred to explore and to learn, to experiment and try new things. And to me, this reflects a new and divine way of being and relating in the world that is what I call church – A people gathered in Spirit participating to embody a divine way, always in process, always held in openness.

This is my church – we are church. And I learn what it means to be Christian and what it means to be Church by being willing to hold my Christianity in openness here with you.

That’s why I picked those readings for today – because they capture some of the answers to my own questions.
~~~~~
So now I want to turn it to you all and ask what you all’s questions are? How do you answer your own questions – or do you have answers to them. What are the questions we want to keep asking?
~~~~~

Some of our responses were:

• What it means to be church is not my question. My question would be What is community and what does it mean to be a participant in community? How do we be community. But I see commonality in the community questions and the church questions so that we are able to come together even though we have much difference.
• There is a reality of power and abuse of power that Christianity has, so it is important for those of us that do have the church/christian question to be aware that we do not dominate or impose our questions on others.
• We have to continually seek out and ask questions so that we do connect in our commonalities but aware and open to our differences.
  

September 6, 2008 Gathering

WELCOME

Welcome to The Pub Church! We are a church in a pub. So please feel free to move around, order drinks and food, doodle on your placemat, and above all express your thoughts and ideas freely!

We all come with stories, talents, gifts, and hopes. It is our prayer that with all our differences and all our strengths, we will come together and drink in the spirit! This is sacred space.

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!

OPENING READING

“As a virtue solidarity becomes a way of life.

It becomes the new way of living out the ‘love your neighbor as yourself’ that up to now has been interpreted as giving out of largesse (generosity/bounty). Given the network of oppressive structures in our world today that so control and dominate the vast majority of human beings, the only way we can continue to claim the centrality of love of neighbor for Christians is to redefine what it means and what it demands of us. Solidarity, then, becomes the new way of understanding and living out this commandment of the gospel.”

- Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz, Mujerista Theology.

VOICES OF THE PEOPLE

By Jaclyn Jones

CONVERSATIONAL SERMON

Reflections on Be-ing Church

“We came from many nationalities and backgrounds. About half the women on the line were from Six Nations. We shared small bits of our culture, favorite foods, or revealed an embarrassing moment. It was just this potential for solidarity the foreman was always looking to sabotage. It was done in little ways, all the time: a whispered lie, a cruel suggestion, a vulgar joke. But it was hard to split us up. The conveyor belt held us together.

Within weeks I was welcomed into the circle, teased, pelted with questions. My differences were taken into account, my sameness sought out. We worked together, we talked, we listened.”

-From Leslie Feinberg’s Stone Butch Blues, p. 78. A novel about the experience of being “butch,” here she recounts about her work experience in a factory.

SHARING OF RESOURCES

We will share resources with one another and toward The Pub Church.

COMMUNION

Led by Xochitl with a poem.

FEEDBACK AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Check the BLOG: thepubchurch.blogspot.com

September 20^th location??? Andrew.

CLOSING

Radiant and unfading Wisdom,

you are expansive,

holy,

unique,

manifold;

you are more mobile than any motion; you are a breath of the power of the Divine.

Enter into our souls and stay with us as we close our time today. Amen.

Our Gathering on August 23rd

WELCOME

Welcome to The Pub Church! We are a church, in a pub. So please feel free to move around, order drinks and food, doodle on your placemat, and above all express your thoughts and ideas freely! This is sacred space.


OPENING READING

I do not have to go to
To Sacred Places
In far-off lands.
The ground I stand on
Is holy.

Here, in this little garden
I tend
My pilgrimage ends.
The wild honeybees
The hummingbirds moths
The flickering fireflies at dusk
Are a microcosm
Of the Universe.
Each seed that grows
Each spade of soil
Is full of miracles.

And I toil and sweat
And watch and wonder
And full of love.
Living in place
In this place.
For truth and beauty
Dwell here.

- By Mary de La Valette, Life Prayers, p. 398


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!


CONVERSATIONAL SERMON
Reflections on Place and Sacred Space

• Is our encounter with the Divine always a combination of the Divine, humanity and place?
• Do we have any particularly sacred place/space; “a little garden” of our own? How did we develop that relationship?
• What is the difference between space and place?
• Does our opening reading reflect more of a reference to place or space? Or both?
• What difference does it make that we are a church in a pub? Why does this place (a pub) matter? How?
• Do we need to mark or designate a place as a “sacred space”? If so, how do we do that?

SHARING OF RESOURCES
Today’s sharing of resources will be saved for the next inspiration that arises!

COMMUNION

FEEDBACK AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Check the BLOG: thepubchurch.blogspot.com
What will be our next place??

CLOSING

Be still and aware of the Divine presence
who is within us, who is with us, and
who goes before us as we leave this place.