Communion Liturgy

Here is a Communion Liturgy with great words.  It from a community on the other side of Australia but on the blog of someone on the other side of the world: how global are we!

It begins:

The table of bread and wine is now to be made ready.
It is the table of company with Jesus.
And of all those who love him
and choose the way of discipleship.

It is the table Jesus shared with all the wrong people
And its open boundaries challenge our selective friendships
It is the table of communion with creation
In which Christ became incarnate
And it anticipates the day when all creation
Will celebrate the fullness of life

So, come to the table,
You who have much faith
And you who would like to have more;
You who have been to this sacrament often,
And you who have not been for a long time;
You who have tried to follow Jesus,
And you who have failed.

Come.

It is Christ who invites us to meet him here.

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Read the post for more ...

Spiritual Practices

Embodying rhythms or practices into my life has been a constant journey for me over the last decade or so.  It feels like I'm finally getting somewhere in that pursuit.
This is a great post that speaks about practices - and links spiritual practices with any other practices in life.

America - Washington DC

I went to the US in May and I've been meaning to write some of the things from that trip up for some time.  I thought I would write up things from each city.

I was really in DC for the Children, Youth and a New Kind of Christianity Conference.  I will write up a post about the conference some other time.

I loved DC - and would love to go back.  So much history, so much of interest, so much to do and see. It was great staying really close to everything at a really basic but sufficient hotel - the Hotel Harrington.

We got a two day pass on one of the tourist buses - and that worked really well for me.  I loved seeing lots of things and being able to decide what I wanted to go back to.

Given the amount of time I had not at the conference, I ended up seeing a good amount of DC: the White House (from outside), the Natural History Museum, the American History Museum, into the Art Gallery to see the Impressionist section, the Air and Space Museum (including the biggest McDonalds!), Washington Monument, Martin Luther King Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Korean and Vietnam War Memorials, Capitol Hill, Georgetown and the National Cathedral.  Wow!

I loved so much - and would love to do it with more time, and to see some key things which I didn't get to see.  There was so much good stuff that I couldn't pick a favourite.  I was certainly struck by the Martin Luther King Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and the Korean War Memorial.  Amazing places of acknowledgement.  I had significant moments at all of these places.

Sacred Idleness

One of my favourite quotes is a George Macdonald one: "there is such a thing as sacred idleness, the cultivation of which is now fearfully neglected."

This post discusses a recent NY Times article about The Busy Trap - and discusses the benefits of the type of idleness George MacDonald is talking about.

The Girl with the Dove Tattoo

I don't think I've ever finished a book within one week of the publication date before - even an ebook!

Brian McLaren's latest short fictional ebook, The Girl with the Dove Tattoo, is somewhat paving the way for his new non-fiction book that will come out in September.

Once again, I enjoyed the way in which Brian uses fiction to help us think and reflect on the real issues at play.  However, it was a particular interaction in the book that most inspired and impacted me - where the character Jesus is urging the character Crystal to follow him.  

Once again, I felt myself urged to put everything else aside and follow Jesus in practical ways that make a difference in our world and bring about peace, love and justice.