peacemeal community blog

VISIT OUR NEW PEACEMEAL WEBSITE

2008-09-16T19:53:00.001-05:00

Peacemeal is no longer using this as a blog site. Please visit our new blog/website. Thanks!

Soundtrack for Ordinary Time

2008-05-12T08:30:00.005-05:00

I just read an interesting post by Kimberly Roth over at Jesus Manifesto about creating a soundtrack for ordinary time. Among other things, she writes:

Today, we start counting Ordinary Time.
Ordinary Time…
The time of growth…
The time of day to day clinging to the vine and working out our faith with fear and trembling…
The time of going beyond the hopefulness, the waiting, the celebrating, the preparing…
The time of fleshing out what it means to be the Church and bring the Kingdom here on earth as it is in Heaven.
Ordinary time is when the Body of Christ stops staring up into the sky and starts living as the type of community that becomes the hands and feet of God toward a watching, waiting world.
Ordinary time deserves a soundtrack of its own

She follows this with her list of soundtrack suggestions.

Ordinary time takes its cues from Pentecost (it is often counted as the "Sundays after Pentecost), so themes of wind, fire, spirit, new life, empowerment, and community stay with us throughout these next 28 weeks or "Propers." I thought it would be interesting for Peacemeal to put together our own soundtrack for ordinary time, which we could then draw from in creating playlists for our gathering and meal times as well as worship music. If you have song suggestions, please post them as comments.

Peace,

Scott

wednesdays at northern light

2008-02-12T21:24:00.000-05:00

An invitation:

During lent, the season leading up to Easter, Peacemeal will be offering a time for spiritual conversation at Northern Light Espresso Bar (536 Spruce St. in Scranton.) This gathering is on Wednesday evenings (Feb. 13, 20, 27, Mar. 5, 12, 19) from 7:30 - 9:00 - and will happen in addition to our regular weekly gathering for worship and food. Feel free to come every week, or as many or as few times as you are able!

The theme is "Discovering Abundance" and our conversation time, though relaxed and informal, will be gently guided by a member of the leadership team. We will also spend a bit of time each week talking about Peacemeal - answering questions, listening for ideas, asking questions and sharing ideas that the leadership team is considering these days.

Everyone is welcome.

Tomorrow evening we'll be considering some thoughts and ideas from an article called "Getting to No" by Barbara Brown Taylor, a talented Episcopal preacher. The article, from the Christian Century, considers the spiritual discipline of saying no - how by cultivating the practices of resistance, discernment, ego-evacuation and compassion, we can make room in our lives "for a few carefully planted 'yeses' to grow." If you'd like to get a peek at it before tomorrow, you can find it online:

http://www.christiancentury.org/article.lasso?id=3667

I'll bring printed copies for everyone tomorrow.

Blessings,
Demery

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for jude

2007-10-20T21:04:00.000-05:00

Peacemeal had our first baptism this week! Josh and Jill's bright and beautiful boy was baptized on Friday night. What a joy for us all. Continued love, joy and the blessings of Christ, baby Jude.

Peace,
Demery

The Rev. Demery Bader-Saye
Homily for the Occasion
of Jude Isaac’s Baptism
in the 23rd week of Pentecost
Friday, October 19, 2007
Peacemeal Community, Scranton

Canticle 9, from the first Song of Isaiah
Mark 10:13-16

“Sing praises of the Lord, for he has done great things, and this is known in all the world. Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion, ring out your joy.” And what joy we have on this special day, the day we welcome Jude Isaac officially into God’s family – the day that we pray for the Holy Spirit to pour out God’s blessing on Jude, sealing him as Christ’s own forever.
Today Josh and Jill and Helen and Jer, Jude’s Godparents, and we, Jude’s family and his Christian community, make vows, proclaim faithfulness and love for God on Jude’s behalf – we say words he doesn’t yet understand, we do gestures he can only wonder at. And yet, because of God’s faithfulness to us, and our faithfulness to God, week by week, year by year, as we continue to speak these words, do these gestures, they will become his own. And his life will be shaped by a community of faith, a family who loves and cares for him, and by the God who knit him together in his mother’s womb.

Jude one day I hope you’ll read this sermon (there’s a copy of it in your card) – and that you’ll know more about your baptism day because of it. If there is one sentence that speaks the words I would want you to know, it is this sentence from tonight’s gospel lesson “Let the little children come to me...” It is this spirit of generosity, of longing, of joy and love, which is the reason for your birth. Your mommy and daddy wanted you so much! With undisguised longing and (sometimes impatient :) expectancy, they wanted you and how they and we here rejoiced on the day that you were born! “Let the little children come to me” – these words express the hopes of your parents, but they are also the words of Jesus, the son of God, the King of all Creation, who came to us not on a golden throne from the clouds, not by apparating to us from his castle in the sky, but as a child, as a baby, a tiny, defenseless baby, born to a young and willing mother and a devoted father of exceptional character. These words were spoken by that same baby, all grown up – a carpenter, a healer, a teacher, a friend, a miracle worker, a Savior of boundless love and the unimaginable ability to live at peace with those around him, even those who wanted to do him harm. And when parents, who wanted the best for their children, who wanted to protect them, for goodness all around them, when those most attentive of parents drew near to Jesus, seeking his blessing upon their children, the disciples tried to shoo those children and their parents away. They thought they were doing Jesus a favor – they assumed that he was much too busy and important to take the time to be with children. But on this point, Jesus made himself ever so clear. “Let the little children come to me, do not stop them: for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. And – moreover – whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”

So Jude – you’ve got it all right here... attentive and loving parents and a big extended family who love you, Godparents who today promise to stand with you as long as they live, and a community of believers ready to welcome you in the way Christ commanded us. For not only are we excited to see you grow, to teach you all we know and model for you a life of joy and service in Christ, we have much to learn from you. For it is your trust, your wonder, your vulnerability, your joy, your contagious laughter, your uninhibited tears that teach us how to approach the throne of God, who will always and forever, from this day forward, know you and love you as his own child, no matter how old and self-sufficient you come to be.

For surely it is God who saves us; We will trust in God and not be afraid. For the Lord is our stronghold and our sure defense, and the Lord will be our Savior. Therefore tonight we draw water with rejoicing from the springs of salvation. And tonight we say, give thanks to the Lord and call upon God’s name; Make God’s deeds known among the people; see that they remember that God’s Name is exalted. Sing praises of the Lord, for he has done great things, and this is known to Peacemeal, and the city of Scranton, and the state of Pennsylvania and in North America and, indeed in all the world. Welcome to the family of God, Jude Isaac!

And let the people say, AMEN!

And now I invite Jude and his parents and Godparents to come forward for the Sacrament of baptism.

Website Updated; New Meeting Space!

2007-08-28T21:29:00.000-05:00

I was able to find some time yesterday morning to update the main peacemeal site.

The most significant change is that we now have a public meeting space for our weekly gathering! Read on...

peacemeal has a public space! we've made arrangements with covenant presbyterian church to rent their manse (the large home next to the church where the pastors previously lived). this makes our weekly gathering much more accessible to university of scranton students and, hopefully, to our friends that come to FreeSpace. we're closer to the heart of scranton, where we feel a strong call and desire to serve. the address is 816 Olive Street, Scranton, PA, 18510. click there for google maps; it's near the corner of madison ave. and olive st., and there is plenty of parking in the church lot. you should definitely come join us! we're currently meeting:

fridays
5:30-6:30 p.m. - community dinner
6:30-7 p.m. - clean-up and set-up for worship
7-8 p.m. - eucharist
8-8:30 p.m. - tidy up

the manse allows us to keep the intimate, relational feel of meeting in people's homes (this one being a rather large, rather beautiful one at that!) while alleviating some of the pressure for one family to prep their house each and every week. it has a large kitchen and a large dining room, which are important to us, too (i mean, come on, we are peaceMEAL, right? would you expect less?).

finally, there are 2 rooms we hope will be cleaned and renovated in the near future to accommodate the growing number of young children in our midst. people are stepping up to provide care and faith-growing activities for the kids during the first parts of our worship time, and we look forward to seeing that part of our community life blossom.

We hope you'll accept our open invitation to come and eat and worship with us soon!

when life gives you wild grapes...

2007-08-20T09:52:00.000-05:00

On friday night we had our first gathering at the manse! It was wonderful. During worship we had an incredible discussion of the scripture passages for the night, scriptures that I was to preach on this Sunday. The conversation of the group helped immensely as I wrote my sermon on Saturday. Thank you, PeaceMeal, for your insights and faithfulness. Many in our group have the opportunity to preach in other settings - we talked about sharing our sermons on the blog. So here it is... Peace!
Demery

The Rev. Demery Bader-Saye
Homily for Grace Church, Allentown
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Isaiah 5:1-7; Luke 12:49-56

God knows something about dashed expectations, about dreams unrealized. Our first lesson, from the prophet Isaiah unfolds in the form of a song – a song of hope, sadness, longing, questions. Isaiah’s song takes us to a vineyard – it is a parable of our God, a rugged, determined grape farmer. He has found a choice piece of land on a hill – fertile. He has cleared away every stone with his own two hands and planted choice vines with those same hands. And again, on his own he has put up a watchtower and dug out a wine vat. Everything is ready. Everything is in place for an excellent harvest – for the best ‘crop’ of grapes. He anticipates it. He expects it to yield big, heavy, juicy, sweet grapes. But it yields only wild grapes.
Wild grapes – tough but not so sweet.

Wild grapes – more resistant to pests and disease and to weather. But wild grapes – not so profitable, not so pure, not so fine wine-worthy. Only good for foxes, deer, bears and for the grubby hands of little children climbing trees (see the poem Wild Grapes by Robert Frost, 1920).

What more – said the farmer – what more I have done for the vineyard? And why – why, when I expected it to yield grapes, when I did everything right, when I planned and worked and gave to it days and days of my life - why did it yield wild grapes? I give up. I will tear down the hedge that protect it, break down the wall – let it be overgrown with briers and thorns – command the rain not to fall. My pleasant planting has brought me nothing but pain. And, if – as the scripture says – the pleasant planting was the people of Israel – then God did have reason to feel upset, to be disappointed. For God had been working for generations to cultivate a relationship with this beloved, this chosen people, the ancestors of Abraham and Sarah – the people of Israel – a relationship meant to bless the world, to show the world what it looks like to be faithful and live rightly alongside our creator. But most of the time they did not live up to the covenant; they – much like the rest of us – seemed continually to run wild – worshipping false gods, choosing again and again a path that took them away from God’s love – away from the law God had given them.

Fast forward thousands of years to our gospel lesson where we hear in the telling of Luke the evangelist – the same sentiment – still in the mouth of God, this time God incarnate, God in flesh, Jesus the Christ. He is talking to his disciples and to a crowd of thousands. “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I am under a tremendous stress – until what is going to happen will finally happen. Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division... generation to generation it will happen – households will be divided one against another. You can predict the weather, so why can’t you people read the signs of the times?” He knew what horror was in store for him in the unfolding days of his young life – and he was preaching and teaching in the very presence of those who would hassle him for healing people on the Sabbath day, who would grill him on questions of scripture and theology, who would ultimately betray, abandon, torture and kill him. Yes, he is under a bit of stress – as even he will admit. Is he ready to torch it all? To conquer and divide households – tearing families apart - even mothers and daughters? fathers and sons?

Perhaps. Or perhaps the fire he speaks of is not a fire of destruction – but the fire of passion, of Pentecost. And perhaps the peace he wants to upend is the peace that keeps so many of them – so many thousands of people in that crowd – so many of us - nodding and smiling as they listen to his message – only to return to their cozy homes, to their impervious family units, unchanged. No matter how we read it, the disappointment is clear. Somehow – even though Jesus knew that this was exactly how it would go – his frustration is evident – because still surely he hoped, he prayed that he could change the world without having to be crucified first.

But that’s the incredible thing about our God. Our God knows what it is to feel disappointment – to give everything for your dream, toward your goal – only to have it go in exactly the opposite way from how what you planned... to try and grow a vineyard – to plant a lovely planting and have it go wild, to send your son as a gift to the world, only to have him destroyed by it.

The power of the story, the gift of the story of scripture, is that God knows that disappointment over and again and never gives up. The story of our faith shows us how to name that disappointment, that hurt, that sorrow, to grieve the loss of what we hoped it would be – and to move forward anyway – to make another way, to forge a new path, to take the reality that is and work it into the plan. And God’s plan – from Genesis to Revelation, from Isaiah to Luke, from the grape farmer to the carpenter from Nazareth – is simple. It is to love us. To bring us - wild grapes, thorns, briers, Pharisees, cynics, people-pleasers and cowards alike - into his vineyard. To feed us with good food – wheat grown from the best soil – with the body of his son – and quench our thirst with good drink – with sweet, pure grapes from the vineyard of his kingdom, the rich, dark blood of his only son, who gave himself as a sacrifice, who hung on the hard wood of the cross which kindled the fire of Pentecost (see Acts 2).

Pentecost – the day when the story of God’s most radical plan, most stunning effort at getting our attention, spread around the world – a story about a savior who never gives up, of a God who has even battled and conquered death, of a God who will try and try again to win our love.

In very simple terms, our scriptures today are about holding on and letting go. But as anyone who has lived for any amount of time knows – there is nothing simple when it comes to dashed expectations. There is nothing easy about holding on to the broad strokes of a dream but letting go of our detailed vision of what how, exactly, that dream, and the path to that dream, has to look... especially when the world around us is chaos – when the wars our country is fighting spin more and more out of control, when the lives of astronauts are once again on the line, when the murder rate in New Orleans is at an all-time high since Hurricane Katrina - not to mention the struggles we face in our own lives. There is nothing uncomplicated about holding on to hope no matter how disappointed, how tired, how lonely, how frustrated and stressed out we may be.

Some of us may simply have to be in that place where today’s scriptures leave us – a place of exhaustion and on the brink of giving up, but next to our mournful farmer God, wiped out on that beautiful, fertile soil with weeds and thorns in our clenched hands. But some of us may be in a place where we are ready to get up, get our bearings and take a few steps forward, ready to hear what comes next, to turn the pages of scripture and history to see what it looks like when God tries again, how the story goes for the grape-farming Lord of Israel and for the carpenter, God’s Son, our savior, Jesus Christ. Wherever we are in the process of holding on and letting go, we are not alone. Thanks be to God.

church as improvisation

2007-06-18T09:30:00.000-05:00

As we are working on our mission statement(s), I've been on the looking for thoughts, ideas, and images that could inspire our own self-descriptions. I just came across this wonderful poem by Stephen Dobyns called "Thelonious Monk" (click here for the whole poem). Here's an excerpt from it that makes me imagine what it could be like to embody church as improvisation:

Thelonious Monk

A record store on Wabash was where
I bought my first album. I was a freshman
in college and played the record in my room

over and over. I was caught by how he took
the musical phrase and seemed to find a new
way out, the next note was never the note

you thought would turn up and yet seemed
correct. . . .

What Monk banged out was the conviction
of innumerable directions. Years later
I felt he's been blueprint, map and education:

no streets, we bushwhacked through the underbrush;
not timid, why open your mouth if not to shout?
not scared, the only road lay straight in front;

not polite, the notes themselves were sneak attacks;
not quiet—look, can't you see the sky will soon
collapse and we must keep dancing till it cracks?

Artist Feature: Rebekah Cummings

2007-06-04T15:25:00.001-05:00

While browsing my blog feeds today, I saw a new post from the Freeway Church Community's companion blog for their coffeehouse promoting the opening of their next art show. It features Rebekah Cummings. I wandered over to her website and really liked what I saw.

On a side note, I really like what I know about Freeway. I e-mailed their pastor when Peacemeal went on retreat and asked him to pray for us and for discernment. They are a Salvation Army church plant that is doing things a very different way. Check them out while you're poking around online. I couldn't help but transplant our ministry's name, FreeSpace, onto the face of Freeway and wonder about the possibilities...

This Weekend

2007-06-01T07:33:00.000-05:00

Yes, yes, I know I need to get the entry page to the website updated. I have a good excuse for being a little busy lately! Anyway, here's what's up for this week (AKA - tomorrow):

weekly gathering

[ directions : e-mail ]

FreeSpace

2007-05-22T21:48:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful FreeSpace on Saturday! I was so happy that we were able to find the necessary volunteers. I felt particularly blessed by the interactions I had with the people there, and I was pleased to see many of the volunteers engaged in significant conversation with those we came to serve. Toward the end of the afternoon I was at a table with four people with whom I had been playing Monopoly (having taken over from Fred). We ended up in a conversation (not begun by me) about how people saw God's presence in their lives. It was moving to hear those who were poor and struggling affirm with such faith that God was with them, watching over them, and giving them things to be thankful for. As they rose to leave one man said "this was a real blessing to me" and the others nodded. It's this kind of unplanned, deeply human interaction that makes FreeSpace different from other ministries, and I want to thank everyone who made it possible on Saturday. As I said to Rachel and Aaron, we in Peacemeal decided to start FreeSpace before we really had the resouces to do it, but we were sure that being church in a new way would have to mean, for us, to be church in solidarity with the poor - to see in them the face of Christ and seek to know Christ better as we serve them. In the end, of course, the blessing goes both ways.

Weekly Schedule

2007-05-16T13:14:00.000-05:00

This week we'll be at our summer location - Stefanie's house (more specifically, on her back deck and yard enjoying the weather!) for Friday night and at St. Luke's for FreeSpace on Saturday.

Come and join us; we'll be glad to have you.

weekly gathering

fri. 05.18 5-8 p.m.
community meal (pizza & sides, bring a few dollars for pizza)
+
eucharist
stefanie's back yard & deck
(lots of parking)
[ directions : e-mail ]

freespace

sat. 05.19 1-5:30 p.m.
st. luke's church
downtown scranton
[ email: lend a hand ]

weekly gathering

sat. 05.26 4:30-7:30 p.m.
community meal
+
eucharist
stefanie's back yard & deck
(lots of parking)
[ directions : e-mail ]

Weekly Schedule Update

2007-05-09T07:54:00.000-05:00

It really IS a good time for visitors - last week 4 people traveled up from the Wilkes-Barre end of the valley to be with us. This weekend we anticipate 4 other visitors. We'll be at our summer location - Stefanie's house (more specifically, on her back deck and yard enjoying the weather!).

Come and join us; we'll be glad to have you.

weekly gathering

[ directions : e-mail ]

weekly gathering

[ directions : e-mail ]

freespace? - no coordinator yet

[ e-mail : lend a hand ]

Weekly Gathering

2007-05-03T09:35:00.000-05:00

If you have been thinking of checking out what Peacemeal is or what we do, there's no better way than to join us for our weekly gathering. We can try to explain our values, our ethos, why we do what we do, and many other things through tangled words and confusing e-mails.

But frankly, doing so in person over good food, wine, beer, juice or water is just so much more fun (and informative)! So, drop me a line ( i am josh frank [at] g mail [dot] com ) and join us this week or next.

weekly gathering

directions : e-mail

weekly gathering

directions : e-mail

Peace to you,
Josh

Re:start - Community Meal and Worship

2007-04-27T20:51:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to say I really enjoyed our time together this evening. Dinner was marvelous (spanish rice, refried beans, hard and soft shells, and the fixins), meeting a new person was great, and worship felt inspired. I was able to hold little Luke on my lap while we sang our first song and it was so great!

We had a great discussion about the readings tonight (from Sunday's Revised Common Lectionary...Acts 9, Psalm 23, Revelation 7, and John 10 - lots o' shepherd imagery goin'on). Lots of voices adding to the discussion. There was even a Pink Floyd reference.

Good times with Peacemeal. Looking forward to meeting some new people these next few weeks!

updated schedule: 04.27-05.26

2007-04-24T13:03:00.000-05:00

due to scheduling conflicts, there have been some slight changes to our calendar. they've been noted in the previous post, but for the sake of those who only notice new posts, here's the latest info as well as dates through the end of may:

weekly gathering

directions : e-mail

weekly gathering

directions : e-mail

weekly gathering

directions : e-mail

weekly gathering

contact : e-mail

freespace

we could really use some help

e-mail : lend a hand

weekly gathering

directions : e-mail

upcoming schedule: 04.28 - 05.05

2007-04-23T09:53:00.000-05:00

weekly gathering

~~5:30-8 p.m.~~

~~evening prayer~~

st. luke's episcopal church
232 wyoming avenue
downtown scranton

directions : e-mail

~~freespace~~ - cancelled

we could really use some help
sat. 04.28 1-5:30 p.m.
st. luke's church
downtown scranton

e-mail : lend a hand

weekly gathering

directions : e-mail

Peacemeal: Retreat and Re:vision

2007-04-19T17:13:00.000-05:00

Below is the copy from an e-mail that went out Tuesday night to people connected to our community. It is in anticipation of this weekend's retreat, Peacemeal's first as a community. We are in an exciting time of transition and will be working together (and by together, I mean with each other and the Holy Spirit) to vision the next leg of the journey.

This morning via e-mail I contacted about 20 different people and communities who have been an inspiration to myself or others in Peacemeal, asking them to pray for us as we spend this time together. The response has been great so far.

So I'm extending that invitation to you, whoever you might be, that you would pray for us this weekend. It would be wonderful if you'd leave a comment for us here on the blog to let us know who you are, what church or community you are a part of, and feel free to include an inspiring word, a joke, a challenge, a limerick, or any kind of general hijinx to get us going!

Thanks, and may the Peace of the Lord be with you. Christ is Risen!

Easter Week Schedule and Beyond

2007-04-11T10:49:00.000-05:00

christ is risen!
the lord is risen indeed!

weekly gathering

community retreat

freespace

e-mail us for directions to fred's or to lend a hand at freespace.

Life, Death, Resurrection, Ascension

2007-04-11T09:19:00.000-05:00

without his life, i don’t know how to live. without his death, i cannot die. without his resurection, i cannot live a new life. without his ascension, i am powerless over the enemy and have no authority to partner in the restoration of all creation.

Connecting the dots: Rick Meigs posts, Brad Grinnen comments, and Mark Berry snags it.

Thanks guys.

Holy Week Schedule

2007-04-02T23:04:00.000-05:00

Good Friday
7:30 p.m.
Fred's House

Easter Vigil (Saturday)
7:00 p.m.
Scott & Dem's House

Party (Saturday)
8:00 p.m.
Scott & Dem's House

If you're looking to meet some of the Peacemeal crew for the first time, come and celebrate Holy Week with us. If the worship doesn't seem like the right fit for you at this time, come and party with us Saturday night! E-mail for directions to any or all of these gatherings.

p.s. - made a Holy Week 2007 splash page on the website

Updates: Long Overdue

2007-03-29T08:21:00.000-05:00

Okay, here's a brief update:

Yes, we're still meeting!
(On Saturdays from 4-6 p.m. during Lent; keep an eye here for Holy Week services for next week)

Yes, we're trying to figure out where God wants us to go next
(If you have any suggestions of spaces to rent/share/co-op in downtown Scranton, let us know. We're thinking about "going public")

Yes, we've backed off our Tuesday night conversations at Northern Light due to busy schedules
(but please e-mail us if you want to meet up informally - we definitely will!)

We've had e-mail or personal contact with at least 4 new people in the last month
(If you're one of those people, we hope we get to meet you soon!)

Yes, FreeSpace has been continuing
(Our hope of having it the second Saturday of each month has been interrupted a bit, but it is still happening monthly. March's FreeSpace was great, and we had several people from outside our little community help. Thanks!)

Oh, and yes, I really need to update the peacemealcommunity.org website with all of this info. That takes a bit longer, and I've been swamped, stressed, and overwhelmed with my jobs lately. Hopefully I'll get to it by the middle of next week.

| discernment, emerging church, peacemeal |

Advent Antiphons: Day 7

2006-12-22T10:25:00.000-05:00

Advent antiphon VII (Dec. 23)

O Immanuel,
You are our King and judge,
the One whom the peoples await, and their Saviour.
O come and save us, Lord, our God.

(verse) O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear:

(chorus) Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel

Advent Antiphons: Day 6

2006-12-22T09:42:00.000-05:00

Advent antiphon VI (Dec. 22)

O King whom all the peoples desire,
You are the cornerstone which makes all one.
O come and save us whom You made from clay.

(verse) O come, Desire of Nations, bind
all peoples in one heart and mind.
Bid the strife and quarrels cease.
Fill all the world with heaven's peace.

(chorus) Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.

Advent Antiphons: Day 4

2006-12-20T14:25:00.000-05:00

Advent antiphon IV (Dec. 20)

O Key of David and sceptre of Israel,
what You open, no one can close again;
what You close, no one can open.
O come to lead the captive from prison;
free those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

(verse) O come, Thou Key of David, come,
and open wide our heav'nly home;
make safe the way that leads on high,
and close the path to misery:

(chorus) Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.

Advent Antiphons: Day 3

2006-12-19T17:18:00.000-05:00

Advent antiphon III (Dec. 19)

O Stock of Jesse,
You stand as a signal for the nations.
Kings fall silent before You whom the peoples acclaim.
O come to deliver us, and do not delay.

(verse) O come, Thou rod of Jesse, free
thine own from Satan's tyranny;
from depths of hell Thy people save;
and give them vict'ry o'er the grave:

(chorus) Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.

Advent Antiphons: Day 2

2006-12-18T15:50:00.000-05:00

Advent antiphon II (December 18)

O Adonai and leader of Israel,
You appeared to Moses in a burning bush
and You gave him the law on Sinai.
O come and save us with Your mighty power.

(verse) O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
who to Thy tribes on Sinai's height,
in ancient times didst give the law
in cloud, and majesty and awe:

(chorus) Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel

Advent Antiphons: Day 1

2006-12-17T21:16:00.000-05:00

The Advent antiphons are ancient prayers traditionally used in the days between December 17 and 23. I'll be sending these out via e-mail and posting them here, one per day, from now through the 23rd to help guide us to Christmas and to hopefully give us a sense of presence with each other in community even as we pray them on our own in different places. The short prayer ends with a verse of the popular Advent hymn, "O come, O come, Immanuel," which is based upon the antiphon prayers. Feel free to sing it as a conclusion to the prayer. I am using the antiphons as written in the Northumbria Community's "Celtic Daily Prayer" book.

Antiphon I (December 17)
O Wisdom,
You come forth from the mouth of the Most High.
You fill the universe and hold all things together
in a strong yet gentle manner.
O come to teach us the way of truth.

(verse) O come, O come, Thou wisdom from above;
the universe sustaining with Thy love.
Thou springest forth from the Almighty's mouth.
Subdue us now, and lead us in Thy truth.

(chorus) Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel

Homeless Awareness Week

2006-11-14T09:45:00.000-05:00

Did you know that it is Homeless Awareness Week? It is: November 12-18. For more information, check out the National Coalition for the Homeless.

Participating in the mission of FreeSpace has hepled me tremendously in putting faces to the issue of homelessness and poverty. If you are interested in meeting people, talking with them, sharing stories with them, watching movies with them, just BEING with them, you are always invited to join us when we hold FreeSpace, an afternoon of rest, relaxation, and recreation for the poor and homeless of Scranton. For more info, check out our website.

Thanks to Cool People Care for the notice about Homeless Awareness Week. Cool People Care is an online initiative based in Nashville to help people find simple ways of engaging the world to make a difference. They have a feature on their website called 5 Minutes of Caring, which offers nearly daily suggestions of ways you can care for the world around you. I've added their RSS feed to my feed reader. It's a great way to include some direction towards compassion into your day. If you don't like RSS syndication or don't get what it is, you can also register and receive the 5 Minutes of Caring via e-mail. How simple is that?

| homeless, homelessness awareness week, cool people care, freespace, peacemeal, |

Looking to the Saints

2006-11-02T09:11:00.000-05:00

We've made it a semi-regular practice during worship at our Friday night gatherings to center the time around the life of a Saint whose feast day has just passed or is upcoming.

My friend Phil sent me a message today that I found to be inspiring and explanatory for those who wonder why people honor the saints. Phil is a part of the landing place in Columbus, Ohio, and the brief times I've spent with them have blessed me, encouraged me, and challenged me. This past spring, they lost their shepherd, Mark Palmer. In honor of him and the generations of saints who have gone before us, a quote from Palmer:

In celebration of All Saint's Day, I was going to offer some quotes from those who have gone before, giving us an example of how to live well in the Story. But I quickly realized that the quotes were to random, meaningful to me for a certain time and a certain place, but probably not meaningful to you. So instead, I will just encourage you with this...chase after the stories of those saints who have gone before us. They offer us so much, and too often their lives have been ignored or dismissed, mostly out of indifference, sometimes out of disdain. But if we do not learn from those who have gone before, who then do we learn from?

So read the stories and the writings of the men and women who have lived the life of discipleship to Jesus over the last 2,000 years. Allow their stories to transform your story. You will be all the better for your effort.
2005-11-01
-palmer

| landing place, all saints day, saints, palmer, mark palmer |

U2charist: Saturday, Oct. 28, 8pm

2006-10-17T22:21:00.000-05:00

Peacemeal will be presenting a U2charist at Test Pattern, 334 Adams Ave, Scranton, on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 8pm. A U2charist is a worship service combining the traditional elements of word and sacrament with the music of U2. We hope to create an ancient-future worship experience that brings the best of the past into creative fusion with contemporary culture. Our goal is not just to tap into the spirituality of U2's music, but to raise awareness about the One campaign and the Millenium Development Goals. All offerings received at the service will be directed toward the Millenium Development Goals through the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem.

| U2charist, test pattern, One, U2 |

Jesus Camp

2006-10-10T09:48:00.000-05:00

I remember seeing something about Jesus Camp on Good Morning America some time ago. And recently my friend Sarah blogged about her experience seeing the film with friends. This compelled me to check out the trailer. It's subject? From the film's website:

A growing number of Evangelical Christians believe there is a revival underway in America that requires Christian youth to assume leadership roles in advocating the causes of their religious movement.

Jesus Camp follows a group of young children to Pastor Becky Fischer's "Kids on Fire Summer Camp," where kids are taught to be dedicated Christian soldiers in God's army and are schooled in how to take back America for Christ. The film is a first-ever look into an intense training ground that recruits born-again Christian children to become an active part of America's political future.

It scares me.

Some quotes from the trailer:

"There are two kinds of people in the world: people who love Jesus, and people who don't."

"I've got Jesus, yes I do. I've got Jesus, how 'bout you?"

"I really feel that we're a key generation to Jesus coming back."

"At 5 I got saved because I just wanted more of life."

"You go into Palestine and they're taking their kids to camp like we take our kids to Bible camps and they're putting hand grenades in their hands."

"We're being trained to be God's army."

"Raise up righteous judges."

"Righteous judges, righteous judges."

"There's a new church like this every 2 days in America."

"End of the wooooorld...end of the woooooorld."

"This means war! This means war! Are you a part of it or not?"

According to the film's website and my own search at the 4 area theaters, Jesus Camp is not currently showing and won't be in the area any time soon.

I'd like to keep my eye on this and watch it on DVD with some people when it becomes available. Who's in?

| jesus camp, evangelical, fundamentalist, church and state |

into the caverns of tomorrow . . .

2006-10-06T23:06:00.001-05:00

I'm listening to the Bright Eyes CD, I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning while trying to get an article written (it's late, I'm tired, and even moderately interesting things seem profound!). But this quote from "At the Bottom of Everything" actually is profound (or at least inspiring):

"into the caverns of tomorrow
with just our flashlights and our love,
we must plunge, we must plunge, we must plunge"

Well, that's it, isn't it? That's what it's like to be the church leaning into the future. What a great song. What a hopeful plunge!

| bright eyes, i'm wide awake, it's morning, at the bottom of everything |

episcopal and emergent, part 1 -- via media

2006-09-25T11:13:00.000-05:00

I've sometimes been asked why we are an Episcopal community. Many emergent experiments, especially in the U.S., have chosen to go it alone as independent churches. So, why is it important to us to be linked to a tradition and specifically to the Anglican tradition?

(For those of you who don't know, the Episcopal Church USA is the U.S. branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion--having a spiritual link to all the churches that have emerged from the Church of England and maintain a tie to one another through the spiritual leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury.)

The truth is, we have people in our community who come from Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, Presbyterian, and Episcopal backgrounds. So to what extent does being part of the Anglican tradition make a difference to who we are as Peacemeal?

In short, I believe we are Anglican just to the extent that the Anglican tribe provides a hopeful and helpful band of fellow travelers as we seek to follow God in the way of Jesus. In this tribe we have both a link to the past and permission to explore the future. As the Church of England community, mayBe, puts it on their website:

"The bible is the text that forms us. We are nourished by Jesus's meal - the Eucharist. We are part of the Church of England. And we stand in the tradition of our brother and sister Christians down the centuries and around the world. It's this grounding that gives us confidence to explore. With these roots down, our walls can come down."

Scripture, eucharist, and the tradition together create strong enough roots that we can experiment with confidence that we will not lose our center.

In this and a series of posts to come, I will explore different aspects of Anglican identity that help us live as a faithful, missional community in today's culture.

The first aspect I would emphasize is that the Anglican tradition has always been a "via media" tradition. "Via media" is Latin for "middle way" (or, as I prefer, "third way"--since sometimes the way out of a polarized situation is not to walk down the middle but to walk off the map).

This characteristic goes back to the beginning of the Church of England, when it attempted to find a middle ground between the Medieval Catholic church and the Reformation churches springing up on the European continent. It wanted to keep many of the spiritual and liturgical traditions of the medieval church while taking up much of the theology of the Reformation. You might say the Church of England was trying to be "ancient-future" before ancient-future was cool. In practice this meant that the Church of England left room for many varying theological perspectives within its churches. What united the people was common prayer. By worshipping the same God in the same way we had a unity that did not depend on perfect theological agreement.

For instance, unlike either the Reformation churches or the Catholic church, the Church of England allowed Christians to share in communion at the Lord's Table even if they did not agree on whether (or how) Christ was really present in the bread and wine. The most important thing was that we all shared the sacrament as a way of communing with Jesus and with one another, not that we held exactly the same belief about the elements themselves.

This desire to find the "via media" makes the Anglican Communion a natural place to live out an emerging church experiment. In the emergent conversation we tend to want to find the third way beyond the givens of the modern church: liberal/conservative, traditonal/contemporary, red state/blue state, etc. We're not happy joining either side or writing off either side. We want to embrace the best wisdom of each but move along a third path that does not allow the kingdom to be captured by cultural or political agendas.

In Peacemeal we are trying to embrace the third way of the kingdom and as we do that we draw guidance and inspiration from a Episcopal tradition that has always believed there is a way between (or above) the given options.

| episcopal, emerging church, emergent, via media, third way |

Emerging Church Learning Party

2006-09-19T14:34:00.000-05:00

Peacemeal ii
Originally uploaded by dydimustk.

Here's (from left) Lacey Brown and Karen Ward from Church of the Apostles, Seattle, and Bob Fisher, Assistant to the Bishop for Mission Interpretation, Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, ELCA (love that title!) hanging out at Scott and Demery's house this past Friday night. If you look closely, I'm in the background tipping Luke upside down!

Anyway, the three of them, as well as the great guy who snapped this picture, Thomas Knoll, led some of us from Peacemeal as well as around 50 others from the Northeast PA/Philly/NJ area through a one-day Emerging Church Learning Party on Saturday. It was a great time and we were wonderfully blessed by their presence!

Check out a few more pictures from Thomas below.

Praxis - Learning Party setup

2006-09-19T14:33:00.001-05:00

Praxis - Learning Party setup
Originally uploaded by dydimustk.

Praxis - Learning Party

2006-09-19T14:33:00.000-05:00

Praxis - Learning Party
Originally uploaded by dydimustk.

Learning Party Eucharist

2006-09-19T14:32:00.000-05:00

Praxi - Learning Party Eucharist
Originally uploaded by dydimustk.

Student Cafe Conversation

2006-09-18T10:56:00.000-05:00

This Tuesday, September 19, Peacemeal will be hosting our first "Student Cafe Conversation." Every third Tuesday of the month members of Peacemeal (for more about who Peacemeal is see this description from our website) will be gathering with students from the area at Northern Light from 8-10pm for conversation around theological topics. The conversations will be led by Scott Bader-Saye, a theology professor at the University of Scranton.

Our topic this month is "Faith and Culture" -- how can Christians live faithfully in postmodern culture? can we connect our faith with culture or is culture something to avoid? can we find God in culture (and not just in church)? how can students live their faith in a complex culture that offers both gifts and dangers?

If you are a college student in the Scranton area -- at the University of Scranton, Marywood, Lackawanna College, Penn State Worthington, Keystone, etc. -- please join us for conversation.

We seek to create a context for open, thoughtful exchange about matters of life and faith. We think asking good questions is just as important as finding answers. We welcome your presence and your ideas, even those that are unconventional!

We hope you will join us.

| faith and culture, scranton, university of scranton, marywood university, lackawanna college, keystone college, penn state worthington |

Something I Know Something About

2006-09-06T14:42:00.000-05:00

For some time now, I have been aware of the fact that I really ought to contribute something to this blog (I am on the list of contributors, as you can easily see). It isn’t that I haven’t had anything to say…I certainly haven’t been lacking in the opinions department… it’s just that when it comes to theology, to doctrine, to church tradition… I don’t know if what I have to say makes much sense. I’m right in the thick of questioning and learning. When I have something, anything, figured out (in regards to the above stated topics), I’ll write about it. Promise.

On to something I do know makes sense: Why I love my (emerging) church. The question of why people are drawn to the emergent movement came up at last night’s cohort meeting. I didn’t voice my opinion at the time, but I’ve been thinking about it and I would like to share my thoughts with the world at large (or rather, our three faithful readers).

I can’t say that I’m a really visual person. I don’t like comic books… all of the crazy illustrations and the dialogue set up really confuses me. In the same way, I don’t love my (emerging) church because of the awesome meditations my husband or Scott put together. I appreciate them… they’re always beautiful pieces of art, and they always force you to look at things differently. I like the fact that our (emerging) church is able to integrate different media into our worship services, but that’s not why I love my (emerging) church.

I have always considered myself to be a musical person. That’s not to say that I can play an instrument or read music (because trust me-and my old piano/violin/trumpet teachers-I can’t), but I’ve always connected with music. However, I can’t say that I love my (emerging) church because of the music that we use during worship. Truth be told, I really, really dislike contemporary Christian music (unless we’re talking Duvall. I really like those guys). I prefer to connect with songs that aren’t so in your face about what they’re about. I like the fact that my (emerging) church is able to integrate contemporary popular music (think Green Day, The Killers, and U2) into worship services, but that’s not why I love my (emerging) church.

Wait for it…

I am drawn to and love my (emerging) church for two very simplistic reasons:

(1.) They are a missional group of people. Each day I get up and go to a job that I really don’t care for where I do work that doesn’t make one ounce of difference in anyone’s life. Spending time with people who care enough about the world that they will actually get up and do something about it has been a real blessing to me. I love my (missional, emerging) church because, with them, I find fulfillment in my day-to-day life.

(2.) They are my family. I have never felt as loved by a group as I do by these people. To say that my (church) family is diverse would be quite the understatement. We range in age from 17 months to over 40. We’re made up of college professors, college students, artists, master cooks, computer geeks, rock climbers, writers, feminists, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, cuddly children, and too-cute babies. Each time we gather, I am floored by the intimacy that permeates the room, despite our differences. These people (most of whom I have only known for about a year) jump at the chance to help each other in every aspect of our daily (and not-so-daily) lives. Phone calls are constantly made to check up on those who have been away for us for even a few weeks. When any one person is gone, their absence is felt and their presence is deeply missed. I love my (emerging) church because I have found a home and an extended family with them.

| emerging church, emerging, emergent, peacemeal, scranton cohort |

Mid-Week Schedule Change

2006-08-22T12:27:00.000-05:00

Beginning TONIGHT, we've decided to change the nights/locations of our mid-week conversation time. Tuesday nights at the Banshee are no more; we're holding open the possibility of doing a limited series at the Banshee (like 4- or 6-weeks of a book group or Bible study), but for now one mid-week gathering seems to be enough.

So, beginning TONIGHT, we'll be meeting on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. at Northern Lights Espresso Bar on a come-as-you're-able basis for conversation and coffee. This change also opens up the possibility for others who have expressed an interest in being a part of the Scranton Emergent Cohort to now attend on the first Tuesday of the month (1st Wednesdays presented a conflict for some folks who had a commitment to Wednesday night worship in the area).

Coming September 16: Emerging Church Learning Party: Resources for Outreach, Worship, and Spiritual Formation in Today's Culture

2006-08-03T10:05:00.000-05:00

Peacemeal is helping to sponsor a major "Emergent" event in Northeast PA. Karen Ward, abbess of Church of the Apostles, Seattle and a key figure in the Emerging Church conversation in the US and the UK, will be leading a "learning party" at St. Stephens Episcopal Church. Here's a description of the event:

Date
Sep 16, 2006

Time
10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Location
St. Stephens Episcopal Church
35 South Franklin St.
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701
United States

A new movement being called the 'emerging church' is making a major impact on the landscape of North American Christianity and around the world. FIND OUT what it's about and DISCOVER its significance for re-shaping church and MISSION in today's culture.

EXPLORE how traditional mainline congregations can GET INVOLVED in and be enriched by insights from the emerging church movement.

This mission event will be helpful for those from mainline congregations (Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, UCC...) and also from traditional evangelical congregations.

Come to REIMAGINE CHURCH, and EXPERIENCE new ways to integrate ARTS, NEW MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES, and ANCIENT CHRISTIAN PRACTICES into worship and community mission for today's contexts.

Consider BRINGING A TEAM of 2-3 or more from your congregation with you to help fuel missional momentum when you get back home.

You will be ACCOMPANIED by native, postmodern guides, from Church of the Apostles (Seattle)--a leading edge, mainline (Episcopal/Lutheran), emerging congregation. Also giving a talk is Philadelphia based emergent leader Robert Fisher, from SE Penn Synod of the ELCA.

In the context of an experiential Kingdom PARTY, discover the new ways to RE-SHAPE CHURCH for the contours of mission in today's culture,

The Learning Party includes LUNCH and ends with a 5 pm emerging WORSHIP service with Church of the Apostles.

Early Registration (through Sept. 4) is $25
Regular Registration (Sept. 5-15) is $30

You may REGISTER ONLINE here: http://learningparty.mollyguard.com

Or you may register by sending a check to:

The Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem
c/o Barbara Lewis
Diocesan House
333 Wyandotte St.
Bethlehem, PA 18015

This event is sponsored by Church of the Apostles, Praxis Center in partnership with Peacemeal and the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem PA

| emerging church, learning party, diocese of bethlehem, church of the apostles, karen ward |

Scranton Emergent Cohort Tonight (8/2) at Borders

2006-08-02T09:30:00.000-05:00

Due to the lack of air conditioning at Northern Light and the oppressive heat outside, we are changing out conversation space to Borders tonight. We'll be gathering at 8:00pm in the Borders Cafe with others in the area who want to discuss the emerging church and share ideas about new expressions of church in our area. Hope to see you there.

Tonight: Borders, not the Banshee

2006-07-25T14:19:00.000-05:00

Tonight's "Brews and Beans" (did we ever decide to make the name change?) will start around 8:00 at the newly renovated and re-branded cafe at Borders Bookstore near the Viewmont Mall in Dickson City. The cafe is now a "Seattle's Best." Since Scott and Dem are out of town, and because Jill and I have some coupons to share for free 12 oz. drinks at the new cafe, we decided to meet there tonight instead of the Banshee.

Hopefully we'll get back to the Banshee next week! And, we're hoping that maybe once the Fall semester is back in session that there will be some of-age University students (as well as anyone else!) who might be interested in hanging out with us there, too!

We'll meet as we usually do tomorrow, Wednesday, at 8 p.m. at Northern Light Espresso Bar, downtown Scranton.

Peace,
Josh

FreeSpace:7/22

2006-07-16T08:05:00.000-05:00

Peacemeal will be offering a FreeSpace day on Saturday 7/22 from 1:00-6:00pm at St. Luke's in Scranton. This is a day for the homeless and working poor in the area to hang out in a safe, welcoming environment with coffee, snacks, games, and family movies (St. Luke's has a great movie screen in their parish hall). We will also have a "clothes closet" with donated clothing for children and adults. We will end the day with a free dinner from 5:00-6:00. Anyone who wishes to help out or donate clothing may contact Scott (badersayes2@scranton.edu) or Josh (iamjoshfrank@gmail.com).

| homeless, working poor |

Boardroom Grace

2006-06-22T20:51:00.000-05:00

Hello All,

We had a fascinating discussion last night at Northern Light about God's grace, about heaven, world religions, salvation, redemption, sin, even hell -- we covered it all! What I love about our community as it grows is that we are able to talk and listen to each other with so much respect, though our ideas and opinions may vary widely. When we are together in this way, the Holy Spirit truly does move within and among us. I'm grateful for that kind of connection with other people.

I remembered a sermon I wrote when I was a deacon at Grace Church in Allentown (2004). It expresses much of what I was trying to say last night about the radical goodness and mercy of God in Jesus Christ. I'm going to cut and paste it here for now -- at the end of this post for anyone who might like to read it. When Josh is able I'm imagining that he might put it on our website with a link. The sermon is written about a story in the Bible found in the book of Luke, Chapter 16 verses 1-13.

A big welcome to anyone who would like to join the conversation (it's not always so intense!)on Wednesday nights at Northern Light or on Friday evenings at our house. As the saying goes, "We'll leave the light on for ya!"

Boardroom Grace

So I admit it. I have to admit it. Today’s parable makes me have to admit to you that I am a fan of ABC’s The Apprentice. I justify it to my husband Scott by reminding him that I hold a Bachelor’s degree in sociology – and watching this kind of reality TV is just an opportunity to observe human interaction at it’s most, well, human. And, it’s fun. Each week two teams made up of smart, attractive (or when not attractive at least quirky) young people compete in a business task for the final grand prize of working for Donald Trump. At the end of the season, one lucky winner will be hired to run one of his companies. The Donald gathers the troops, gives them their task for the week and sends them off with a promise that when their task is finished, they will meet in the boardroom and someone from the losing team will be fired. And, sure enough, the teams, work, they scrap, they cheat, they fight, they brilliantly or clumsily complete their business tasks and the audience watches the boardroom scene with glee as the losers are raked over the coals, pelted with questions from Mr. Trump that he may or may not let them answer, and to hear Donald’s now famous last words to the worst or most foolish fledgling business person – “You’re fired.” And that’s it. Once you’re fired, once you leave the boardroom, and the gold-plated door handle clicks into its place, you are on the down elevator home – no turning back. I mean, someone tried last season to come back in to the boardroom to argue and it wasn’t pretty. When it’s over, it’s over. Your fifteen minutes are up.

Today’s parable opens in the boardroom. The business tasks are done. The score is in and the business manager is summoned to the rich man’s table. “What is this that I hear about you?” booms the rich man, and not waiting for an answer, “Give me an accounting of your management” and then, not waiting for an accounting of the management, says, “You cannot be my manager any longer.” Game over. The door closes behind the manager. Questions about his future divebomb him as he struggles to get his bearings. “What will I do? I am not strong enough to do physical labor, and I am ashamed to beg... How will I live?” A solution forms quickly in his mind, and before he clears out his desk, before word gets out that he’s been fired, he uses his authority as an employee of the rich man to summon his master’s debtors, one by one, to their own little boardroom meetings. He needs friends. And fast. He says to the first delinquent scallywag, “How much do you owe my master?” The answer comes, perhaps tremulously, “A hundred jugs of olive oil.” “Make it fifty...” says the manager with a wink. To another, who owes a hundred containers of wheat, “Make it eighty.” And so on. Can you imagine the haggard faces of the debtors, who come thinking they are out of time on an unmanageable debt and leave with something they can handle, can you see the smile unfold, see the posture improve, see the hand reach across the table, the head nodding furiously. “Thank you, thank you, my friend!” How quickly they must have run home and back with their goods before the mistake was discovered – or lest the whole thing be a dream.

And yet... of course there is a problem. The ex-business manager sits in the boardroom of his ex-employer, surrounded by jugs of oil and containers of wheat - maybe chickens and eggs and maybe, even, in silver pile on the boardroom table, cash – or shekels. But, however much is there, it’s not enough. And it’s not his. Yet it is something. Something that gives him the power to summon the rich man back to his own boardroom. Now maybe the rich man was glad to get what he could out of debtors who might never have paid a penny; or maybe he was so rich the debts didn’t matter and it gave him a kick to see his employee take such a gutsy risk. Regardless, the rich man doesn’t put a hit out on his manager, he doesn’t call the police to have the manager thrown in jail. He “commends” the dishonest manager for acting shrewdly.” It takes one to know one, I guess. The question echoes through the marble hallways of the rich man’s estate – does the manager get his job back, or must he rely on the help of his new debtless friends? We’ll never know. It’s a parable after all. A glimpse into the kingdom of God. A story told by Jesus to his followers to give them a sense of who he was, what heaven is, who we are to be. The story ends with the perplexing words, “for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.”

Parables are both trouble and fun. They’re trouble because they are hard to interpret, hard to understand – they’re slippery, contradictory, mysterious. Overinterpreted, they are even dangerous... because they then become what Jesus never meant them to be – rigid, unyielding, weapon-like. Parables, especially this one, can leave us shaking our heads like Radar O’Reilly on M*A*S*H, who was given the advice to stroke his chin thoughtfully when he didn’t know much about a subject – to just smile thoughtfully and say, “Ahhh... Bach.” Today we shake our heads thoughtfully and say “Ahh... children of light... dishonest wealth... eternal homes.” Dishonest wealth is bad, right? But then why is the manager commended? Jesus is being sarcastic when he says ‘go ahead, make friends with these scoundrels who can’t pay what they owe, let them give you an eternal home, right?” Or does he really mean it that the down and out can welcome us into the eternal home they will finally win in the end? So we struggle to figure out what it means, and where we fit in the story.

Robert Farror Capon, author of Kingdom, Grace, Judgment (Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2002, ISBN 0-8028-3949-5)– a book which would make excellent devotional reading, by the way), reminds us where this parable fits in the life of Jesus. If you read the preceding fifteen chapters of Luke, he says, to cast this as a parable of judgement doesn’t work. “Jesus has been on a grace trip for seven chapters now,” writes Capon, “he has been talking lastness, lostness, death, and resurrection, and he has again and again made it clear that the bookkeeping department’s heyday is a thing of the past.” (p.304) The parable of the lost coin, the lost sheep, the lost son... the humility of Christ as he begins his final journey to Jerusalem don’t suggest that this is a parable meant simply to warn followers away from “shady dealings.” This parable, Capon suggests, is about death and resurrection – with a twist.

I don’t know about you, but when I first read or hear a parable I tend to cast myself as the main character. Narcissistic, I know, and I’m getting therapy for that... but I guess I figure that Jesus is trying to teach me something about how I’m supposed to be, behave, live – or not. The fun of parables is playing with them, turning them on their ears, trying the different costumes of each character on ourselves, on Jesus, on the God of the universe.

In this, “the hardest parable,” according to Capon, instead of casting ourselves in the starring role of the servant – called in judgement to the boardroom of God for an accounting of our works – Capon suggests that we cast ourselves as the debtors forgiven, and Jesus as the gutsy, calculating, servant. Capon submits that the dishonest manager is a “dead ringer for Jesus himself, because he dies and rises, because in that death and resurrection he raises others,” and, writes Capon, in the following long but glorious quote:

...and most important of all, the dishonest manager is the Christ-figure because he is a crook, like Jesus. The unique contribution of this parable to our understanding of Jesus is its insistence that grace cannot come to the world through respectablilty. Respectablility regards only life, success, winning; it will have no truck with the grace that works by death, by losing, which is the only kind of grace there is. This parable, therefore, says in story form what Jesus himself said by his life. He was not respectable. He broke the Sabbath. He consorted with crooks. He died as a criminal... and he did it all to catch a world that respectability could only terrify and condemn. He became sin for us sinners, weak for us weaklings, lost for us losers, and dead for us dead... Jesus baits us criminals with his own criminality... so we find ourselves drawn by the bait of a [Savior] who winks at iniquity and makes friends of sinners – of us crooks, that is – and of all the losers who would never in a million years go near...” [the big rich boss himself]. (pp.307-308)

And so we debtors come to the boardroom table - suspicious, scared, overwhelmed, because we know we can never pay what we owe, that we will never be able to catch up and be free... We enter the room and sit down, our eyes averted, braced against the wrath of a loan officer at the end of his rope. And instead we look up and see a sneaky new friend, pen in hand willing to take what we can give, and to write off the rest! We are set free to get on with it – with life -- transformed by his friendship, his risk, his grace, his sacrifice, his willingness to deal with the one in charge. We are in with the scoundrel Christ himself, and all he expects in return is that we become agents of the same kind of rebellious grace he slipped to us with such joy and abandon.

Thanks be to God. Amen!

No Banshee Tonight

2006-06-20T13:21:00.000-05:00

We're cancelling our regular pub conversation tonight. We will still be meeting tomorrow night for our usual cafe conversation at Northern Light at 8:00pm. See ya then.

Scranton Emergent Cohort meeting

2006-06-06T10:48:00.000-05:00

I just posted an announcement at the Scranton Cohort blog (www.scrantoncohort.blogspot.com) about the upcoming cohort conversation at Northern Light. Next Wednesday, the 14th, at 8:00 we will turn our regular Peacemeal conversation into an Emergent Conversation, inviting anyone who is interested to join us for a discussion of new expressions of church in the Scranton area. This will put us in touch with people who may have their own church home and not be interested in joining Peacemeal but are interested in sharing thoughts and ideas about the emerging church. I hope many of us can commit to be there, as I think we may be one of the few (or only) emergent-type communities already up and running in the area.

| peacemeal, scranton cohort, emerging church, |

Time Change

2006-06-06T10:22:00.000-05:00

Just a post to let everyone know that we will be changing our Friday Night Gathering this week from Friday to Sunday. I had earlier posted that we would gather on Saturday, but that's not working for too many people. So, we'll see everyone at our home this Sunday, the 11th, at 5:30 for potluck dinner, 7:00 for worship. After this week we will be back on our normal Friday schedule.

If you've never joined us but would be interested in coming send me an email and I'll give you directions.

Gospel and Nation

2006-05-29T11:18:00.000-05:00

So, yesterday while attending a traditional parish for morning worship, I had an experience that reminded me why it is so important to imagine and embody new forms of church life for today's world.

Churches in this country (and something similar is probably true in other countries as well, I just can't speak for them) have long thought of themselves as part of the great American project. It has been hard to distinguish the difference between church life and good citizenship. We long believed that being a good Christian and being a good American would never conflict. For many of us the war in Iraq is a powerful instance where the two do conflict, and we have had to make a choice whether to stand with Jesus or support an unjust war in the name of "patriotism." But the truth is, it's not just this war that poses a problem. It is the long history (some would say going all the way back to Constantine in the 4th century!) of the church aligning itself with worldly power (that is, the power to coerce and dominate through violence--which, as Jesus showed on the cross, is not true power at all).

So, back to yesterday. Our "sequence hymn" was "America the Beautiful" -- a nod toward the Memorial Day holiday. For those of you who are not Episcopalian, the sequence hymn takes place just before the Gospel reading. I once heard a priest refer to this as "traveling music" because we sing as the Gospel book is carried down into the congregation. The result of linking this song with this liturgical moment was that just as the congregation was singing, "America, America" I looked up to see the gospel book coming down the aisle raised high by the priest. I couldn't help but think of a passage from Walker Percy's Love in the Ruins. He describes a time in the not so distant future when American Catholics would break away from Rome forming the American Catholic Church and playing the Star Spangled Banner at the elevation. I realized that what was satire for Percy had become reality. One does not have to recall the Christian support for Nazi Germany (though this was an extreme and frightening case) to realize how dangerous it is to confuse national allegiances with our allegiance to Christ. But how tempting it is to think that being a Christian will be easily compatible with all the other claims people may want to make on us.

One of the exciting things about Peacemeal is that we are creating a space where conversations about competing allegiances can happen. This is not to say that we all agree, or that we all have to agree. It's just that starting something new allows us to ask questions about practices that other parishes are unable or unwilling to question precisely because they have become so habitual.

| politics, peacemeal, Walker Percy, Love in the Ruins, America |

Peacemeal Kids

2006-05-29T09:42:00.000-05:00

Last night we had our first children's worship experience. Our kids, the only children who are a part of Peacemeal so far, have kind of just wandered in and out of our worship experience. They would hang around with the adults for awhile and then get some snacks and go upstairs to watch a movie -- it has been one of the highlights of the "friday night gathering" for them. Since reading Reimagining Spiritual Formation, by Doug Pagitt and the Solomon's Porch community, and learning about the ways they involve their children in the community, we've been wanting to do something more for our children. So Peacemeal has decided to do a special Bible story and craft activity for kids, which will take place simultaneously with the first part of our regular worship. The kids' project will happen at the other end of the long room from where the adults worship. Adults in our group who feel called to plan and lead will take turns. Anyone else who is willing helps with operation keep-the-baby-safe. He still crawls arond trying to put his hand in people's drinks and to eat bits of snacks which have fallen on the floor.

I took the first turn at leadership last night and it was a really special time with my own kids. I told them to imagine that I was their Sunday School teacher (they still go to Sunday School in a traditional parish) -- I figured they would listen better to me if they imagined me to be someone other than their mom. We said a prayer together - like the three headed monster in Whose Line Is It Anyway -- each one of us adding the next word to the prayer. I wish I'd written it down as we did it - because even in its silliness it was actually quite beautiful and poetic. Then we read a Children's Bible version of the Ascension story. We made shrinky dinks of the characters or things in the story (the 11 disciples, Jesus -- complete with jets for getting to heaven -- a cloud, some flowers and a rainbow). As we made the shrinky dinks, we talked about how Jesus might have felt about going home, about how his disciples might have felt watching him go. By the time we baked the shrinky dinks, the adult worship had reached the time for passing of the peace. We passed the peace with the adults and then told our story and showed off our shrinky dinks. Hopefully on most nights the kids will remain with the rest of the group for Eucharist, but last night it was late enough that they needed to get to bed.

Because my guys liked their snacks and movie experience so much I feared they might complain about this new system, but they had a great time! As we sat by the oven watching our colorful pictures curl up and then flatten out, my four year old turned to me and said, "Mom I'm really glad we got to do this tonight!" So Peacemeal children are in the mix now. Many thanks to Solomon's Porch for the inspiration.

| kids in church, shrinky dinks, peacemeal, solomon's porch |

Coffee Talk

2006-05-25T23:25:00.000-05:00

Our Stammtisch last night at Northern Light was really interesting (missed out on what the heck this Stammtisch thing is? Read this post). Dan, Clare, Jillian, and myself were the people from our little community, and we were joined, some by invitation, but mostly by "coincidence," by several others. I think the group swelled to about 9 people before all was said and done. There were times when 3 or 4 conversations were happening at once. We ran into several people from Marywood, which has rarely happened to me while sipping a cup o' joe at Northern Light.

I'd like to personally give a shout-out (man, I'm so not hip!) to Bill and Matt. They happened to come in to Northern Light and join us. Matt (and Bill, too, I think) knows Clare and I've met them both on occassion. We had a great time talking, and Clare and I enjoyed the task of answering their question about how we all know each other. This led to some direct talk about Peacemeal, what we're about, how we started, who we are open to (anyone!), etc...Hopefully between Clare and I we made some sense. Of course, I probably rambled on and on. But it was great sharing with some new people a bit about our little community. What is even greater is being ASKED by others what we're all about. It makes it much more like a conversation and much less like an effort to proselytize.

So, here's to Stammtisch! Speaking of which, we're probably going to re-name our weekly hang-out time to something more accessible.

I've offered up "Brews and Beans." What do you think?

| christian community, northern light, peacemeal, emerging church, scranton |

Meeting Updates

2006-05-17T19:55:00.000-05:00

Because of some unavoidable Friday conflicts, we've had to change some of our upcoming meeting nights. Here's a quick update of the changes:

Sunday, May 21, 5:30 (no meeting this Friday the 19th)
Sunday, May 28, 5:30 (no meeting on Friday the 26th)
Friday, June 2, 5:30 (regular meeting time)
Saturday, June 10, 5:30 (no meeting on Friday the 9th)

After this we will go back to our regular Friday night meeting time. We will keep to the same format, potluck dinner at 5:30, worship at 7:00.

If you are interested in joining us some Friday night for our house church gathering contact Josh (iamjoshfrank@gmail.com) or Scott (badersayes2@scranton.edu).

Stammtisch Changes

2006-05-16T09:29:00.000-05:00

IMPORTANT CHANGE: Due to a change in their business hours (now closing at 9 instead of 10), we will be moving the just-inaugurated Wednesday night Stammtisch from the Aroma Cafe to Northern Light Espresso Bar, 536 Spruce Street, Scranton. This is still a downtown location, which is where we want to be.

Also, we are thinking that the name "Stammtisch" isn't the most accessible in the world, so keep your eyes peeled for a new moniker for our weekly hang-out/conversation times.

So, to recap:
TUESDAYS, 8:30ish - ??: the Banshee Irish Pub, 320 Penn Avenue, downtown Scranton

WEDNESDAYS, 8:00ish - ??: Northern Light Espresso Bar, 536 Spruce Street, downtown Scranton

Website Updates

2006-05-10T11:07:00.000-05:00

A quick plug for our main website, peacemealcommunity.org: I've updated our "Events" section to include pages and details for our 3 different weekly gatherings, as well as our monthly, special, and past events. I noted the changes in the "News" section on the home page.

I hope you are all having a wonderful and blessed week.

Peace to you,
Josh

Stammtisch - Join Us for Weekly Conversations

2006-05-08T08:15:00.000-05:00

In case you are familiar with what a "Stammtisch" is and are a bit confused, no, we are not a group of German speakers who are also interested in the emerging church.

Before I lose readers with shorter attention spans (hey, I know you're out there; I'm one when reading blogs at times, too!), here is the important info:

Stammtisch - a Weekly Time for Informal Conversation and Tomfoolery with Peacemeal

Tuesday nights, 8:30-??

Wednesday nights, 8:00-??

~~Aroma Cafe, 901 Mulberry Street, Scranton~~

Northern Light Espresso Bar

So, what is this weird word we're using? For most people, they may read the word "Stammtisch" and say, "Bless you!" But no, we didn't sneeze. From About.com:

"In Germany, a Stammtisch is a table reserved for regular customers at a restaurant or pub ... They go by various names—German Language Circle, Teestunde, German Happy Hour, Die Gruppe, Stammtisch—but they all have one thing in common: practicing and enjoying German in an informal setting. German conversational groups meet in private homes or local restaurants in places as diverse as Seattle, London, Berlin, or Sydney. Such groups may meet once a week, every two weeks, or monthly. (Weekly is best!)"For Peacemeal, you can replace in the above description of "Stammtisch" the "practicing and enjoying German in an informal setting" part with something like "practicing and enjoying a life modeled after Christ and the early Church." We have been dreaming since almost our inception about how to live together more as a community in ways that bring us together beyond just Friday night meals and worship. With that in mind, and also with a goal of being present in the world and to our larger community of the public in the Scranton area, we're going to try to start these two Stammtisches.

If you've been interested in who we are, what we're like, what we're doing ... please meet up with us on one of these two nights. We think this will be a great, informal, non-threatening, comfortable way for anyone who is intrigued by us to get to know us a bit better on their own terms. And for those that already feel like they are connecting with what we're doing, reading, and talking about but don't feel like they can make a huge commitment right now, please come and hang out and talk with us on these nights whenever you feel like you can.

I'm not sure if we'll have a metal Stammtisch sign for our table, but look at our Flickr photo page and I'm sure you'll recognize one of us. See you there!

| stammtisch, emerging church, conversation, Scranton, the Banshee, Aroma Cafe |

Fridays at Our House

2006-05-05T09:23:00.000-05:00

My first post! Finally...It's Friday. Since Peacemeal was born last fall, Fridays have a rhythm at our house. It's 10 a.m. now and the house is a bit of a wreck, but already our little boys have asked if people are coming over. They love Friday nights. Maybe it's just that they love the sweet snacks, and going up to our room to watch movies during the meeting. But I think it's more than that. They love the Friday night people... Jillian, who always has a hug for our cuddly middle son ... Dan, whose job it seems to be now to help our 6 yr. old honey bear pour out a glass of caffeine free Pepsi... Josh, who patiently pulls the baby off of the stairs when the gate is left off. I have memories of Eric oohing and ahhing over a makeshift birthday card created for him by one of the boys, and of Pat coming early to help when the baby was small, holding him while I bustled around, bustling around for me when I needed to hold him. I've seen Clare cuddled up on the couch singing to our four year old and Christina being goofy with them in response to their corny jokes. Kelli always speaks directly to the baby in big people words, but with a friendly-to-little-people-voice -- she's expanding his vocabulary weekly, I think.

Bit by bit through the day -- or sometimes all at once in the last half hour before people arrive (and then often there is hollering involved) -- the house gets picked up. Some nights it's even clean. Some nights there is time to light candles and put on a CD with interesting music. Once in awhile I wonder where I will get the energy to carry me through until the gathering is over and I can rest. But every night, every single week, when our sisters and brothers walk through the door, the Spirit blows in too. At least once each night - without fail -- I find myself thinking how blessed we are that God has given us Peacemeal, that we are surrounded by such amazing people in a common life of faith.Since our community meal I've noticed a new energy, a new buzz in the midst of the collective "us" on friday nights. This is the joy that comes in looking for and finding Jesus among the poor. I wrote a bit about our first community meal in a sermon I delivered at the Cathedral Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem a few weeks ago. Here is a link to that sermon: http://nativitycathedral.blogspot.com/2006/04/second-sunday-of-easter-faithful.html

Peace to all from Peacemeal!

| peacemeal, christian community, jesus, house church, nativity cathedral |

A Quick Update

2006-05-02T21:40:00.000-05:00

Hello, everyone! I thought I'd write a quick line to let people know that we are still here, but since most of us have a connection to some sort of University setting (be it professor, student, or spouse of one or the other), we have been swamped with end of the semester stuff. Add to that a sick infant and a Diocesan youth retreat to lead, and you'll see why there hasn't been much activity on the blog.

SarahBelle asked how our first big event turned out. Stations went really well. I'd like to write a decent review of it (or someone else could do it, or once it's written we could all make comments on the post's comments page). So I'll simply say we worked really hard, met some great people, learned from those we ate and worshipped with, and came away inspired to continue our effort to reach out to the poor and homeless of the Scranton area. We're working on the idea of a monthly offering and will post more about that as it comes into place.

Stammtisch. Some of you may say "bless you" after reading that word. It is a German term that expresses the idea of a regular weekly gathering for conversation in a public place, usually in a setting like a cafe, pub, or restaurant. We are planning to adopt two nights of the week to be out in the city with no exact agenda other than to be there and hang out. We may decide to do an informal Bible study, or talk about emerging church stuff, but more importantly we simply want to be. To be out there, to be together, to be available, to be overheard. If you've been interested in what we're doing and who we are, this would be a great time for you to drop in and just hang out with us. More details on night/time/location to come (we're tentatively looking at later in the evening, 8:30ish, to allow parents to help each other get kids to bed before one of them leaves for the Stammtisch; we're considering one night for those over 21 and comfortable in the setting to be at a pub, more than likely the Banshee; and we're considering one night for those under 21 and comfortable with non-smoking/non-alcoholic settings to be at a cafe, more than likely either Northern Light or Cafe Aroma).

Also, we are shifting our gathering time and activities on Friday nights so that any that can will meet at 5:30 for a potluck/community meal where we'll try to get any planning/administrative stuff out of the way. Then we'll all pitch in to clean-up and transition into worship around 7, which should have us finishing up by 8. This will allow people to get home earlier, or feel more free to stay and hang out afterward, or watch a movie, or take the party elsewhere. If you're interested in joining us, let us know and we'll talk. We hope to continue to be flexible and welcome people to come to any or all of a Friday night gathering as their schedule permits.

Finally, we have some ideas for our next alt.worship offering to the community. More on that as it develops.

| homeless, Scranton, stammtisch, potluck, alt.worship, alt worship, emergent, emerging church |

Starting a new thing

2006-04-20T11:28:00.000-05:00

Here's a link to some helpful reflections on starting a new community. Bob Hyatt gives a critical evaluation of the "10 Keys to Effective Church Planting" -- thankfully leading us out of the madness of a marketing/managerial approach (focus on "effectiveness" and numbers) to a more organic and holistic approach (focus on "faithfulness" and community). I think his advice in #6, "quit being a builder, try being a gardener," gets the metaphor just right.

|next-wave, bob hyatt|

TONIGHT

2006-04-07T09:02:00.000-05:00

Click image for a higher resolution
8.5x11 size printable flyer

Stations: an evening of alt.worship in anticipation of Holy Week

Friday, April 7
7-8:30

Parish Hall
St. Luke's Episcopal Church

Wyoming Avenue
Downtown Scranton, PA

peacemealcommunity.org

The Suffering of God

2006-04-03T13:22:00.000-05:00

Came across this quote today while reading Barbara Brown Taylor (one of our best Episcopal preachers), and thought it connected beautifully the themes of lent/cross and our peacemeal/piecemeal identity:

"Christianity is the only world religion that confesses a God who suffers. It is not all that popular an idea, even among Christians. We prefer a God who perevents suffering, only that is not the God we have got. What the cross teaches us is that God's power is not the power to force human choices and end human pain. It is, instead, the power to pick up the shattered pieces and make something holy out of them--not from a distance but right close up" (God in Pain, p. 118).

| Barbara Brown Taylor, lent, cross |

Visual Prayer on Flickr

2006-03-31T13:46:00.000-05:00

We have started a new form of prayer for our community as well as visitors to our blog and website to use. For now I'm calling it "Visual Prayer." It is a collection of images put together in a Flickr photo set, each accompanied by a short prayer in the description field. Scott had the idea of compiling images to aid us in prayer, and this is the result. I am finding it a powerful way to connect even more to the prayers that we offer to God. Being able to focus on someone or something's image while praying about them/it helps emblazen that prayer into my mind's eye.

Our hope is that this will encourage you and strengthen your prayer life. Please let us know what you think, if you have suggestions, or if you have a prayer you'd like added. I added the link to our sidebar as well as below (I recommend the slideshow):

Prayer set

Prayer set as a slideshow - to see the prayer written for the images during the slideshow, simply click on the photo. It will pause the show and bring up the photo's description, all without leaving the page. You can then click on "resume show" to continue.

| flickr, prayer |

Let everyone have ideas

2006-03-27T09:42:00.000-05:00

I just read this article from yesterday's NY Times about a company that encourages new ideas to come from the ground up and has created a kind of internal "stock market" by which ideas can be "bought" and "sold." This parable from the business world parallels, I think, much of what is being sought in the emergent conversation--including much broader lay participation in the production of church structure, worship, and mission (and the willingness to float ideas, try new things, make mistakes, and even fail). I wonder if these business practices could stimulate us to reflect on analogous ways of exchanging and testing new ideas within the church?

|church|

Stations - Friday, April 7 [community dinner and alt worship]

2006-03-26T15:33:00.000-05:00

On Friday, April 7 Peacemeal will be offering a free community dinner and alt worship at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in downtown Scranton (on Wyoming Avenue between St. Peter's Cathedral and the Steamtown Mall).

St. Luke's has graciously allowed us to turn their parish hall into a food & worship space for the evening. We are inviting everyone in the community to come join us. The dinner will run from 5:30 to 6:30 with worship from 7:00-8:30. You may come to one or both parts of the evening. Our intent with the dinner is to combine the traditional church supper (where we gather family and friends for fellowship and conversation) with a meal for the homeless of Scranton. We are seeking to live into our name and explore ways of being/hosting/creating Peacemeal.

This will be the Friday before Holy Week, so in preparation for walking with Jesus in his final days, we will be experiencing "stations of the cross" within a creative, alternative liturgy. Our goal is to to explore what some are calling "ancient-future" worship--blending the best traditions of the past with music, media, and ambience that speak to postmodern culture. We hope you will come, bring a friend, and experience Christ's gift to us in a fresh and compelling way.

If you are interested in volunteering to help with the meal or the worship gathering please contact Scott (badersayes2@scranton.edu) or Josh (iamjoshfrank@gmail.com).

|peacemeal, stations of the cross, alternative worship|

Thinking About the Body of Christ

2006-03-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

From today's seasonal daily e-mail for Lent from The Upper Room:

THE WORKS OF MERCY

FEED THOSE who are hungry. Shelter the stranger. Visit the sick. Minister to the prisoners. Bury the dead. Convert sinners. Instruct the ignorant. Counsel the doubtful. Comfort the sorrowing. Bear wrongs patiently. Forgive injuries. Pray for others.

It is not necessary to sense the presence of angels or to feel the encircling energy of the communion of saints to live into the reality that someone is watching over us. We can BECOME presence for one another. We can be the arms, the legs, the feet, the heart of Christ in the world.

-- Wendy M. Wright
THE TIME BETWEEN (emphases mine)

Not only CAN we be the arms, the legs, the feet, the heart of Christ in the world, but we are CALLED to be, COMMANDED to be. This is the purpose of the church, is it not - to be the body of Christ in the world? We, as the church, are not just some mystical body, part of a metaphor about our relationship to Christ, the Father, the Spirit, and one another; but we are a physical body that also has flesh, just as Christ the incarnate Son of God had flesh and walked among us. Let us seriously contemplate what this means in our local area, and then join together with and act in the work that God is already doing among us.

| mission, body of Christ, church |

More About Who We Are

2006-03-18T21:29:00.000-05:00

Just posted over at the Diocese of Bethlehem's blog, newSpin, is a clip of a feature article that has been written introducing us to the Diocese. Go here for the blog entry; the full one-page article is available as a .PDF.

The article does a nice job of talking a bit more about our beginning and the motivations behind it.

| Diocese of Bethlehem, peacemeal, emerging church, emergent, fresh expressions |

40 and "Run"

2006-03-16T22:28:00.000-05:00

I just got an email back from Si Smith about his 40 illustrations of Jesus in the wilderness. He informed me that they are now available on CD for purchase from Revive, his community in Leeds. The CD contains the images as a 6 minute movie as well as a slide show. There are also about 4-5 original pieces of music from Revive on the CD. If you are interested, contact Si at si@simonsmithillustrator.co.uk. The CD is $11 including shipping.

For those of you who saw my presentation at the clergy retreat (putting the 40 illustrations in a powerpoint slide show to "Run" by Snow Patrol), here's how I did it. The illustrations are available on the mayBe website. I copied them into a slide show, set "Run" to begin automatically on the first slide (the title slide "40") and to play through 44 slides. I set the slides to advance automatically every 7 seconds. Then, I adjusted illustrations 33-38 to advance after 6 seconds so that the temptation scenes occur during the guitar break and the angels appear just as they lyrics come back in softly with "light up, light up." It turned out to be quite powerful (though I discovered the timing by accident).

Thanks to Si for creating this great resource.

| Si Smith, 40, Snow Patrol, mayBe, Revive |

Update: link to "40" on the mayBe website is fixed - JF

Emergent Conversations

2006-03-16T09:05:00.000-05:00

If you have not yet noticed, we have a link in our sidebar category of "local conversations" to the Scranton Cohort, which is our attempt to gather a diverse group of people for conversations about faith and the emerging church in Northeast PA. I'm excited to let everyone know that we have been added to the Emergent-US list of cohorts, and that addition was announced via Emergent Village's mass e-mail update called Emergent/C. The word is getting out, and I am excited about more people getting connected in the Scranton/NEPA area.

Also on the list of new cohorts, I was pleased to find that there is one now listed in the Lehigh Valley! They are working on their first gathering for conversation, and are hoping to plan it around Brian McLaren's free talk at Moravian Seminary on April 21, 2006. Jillian and I have signed up to go to the morning/early afternoon lecture as has Scott or Demery (one of them has to be with the kids). I'm hoping that now we'll also be able to meet the people putting together the LeHigh Valley cohort.

| cohort, emergent, emerging church, Brian McLaren, Moravian Seminary, scranton, NEPA, Lehigh Valley |

Clergy Retreat

2006-03-13T18:09:00.000-05:00

I spent the morning speaking at a clergy retreat for the Diocese of Bethlehem. I presented on "episcopal evangelism and the emerging church," and the response was wonderful. The best comment was from one priest who said the presentation helped them to dream. For those of you from the retreat (or others) who are checking into the blog, here are links to some of the resources and communities I referenced: Rowan Williams' Presidential Address to the Church of England 2003 General Synod, jonny baker's blog (check out the "worship tricks" link), Church of the Apostles in Seattle, mayBe in Oxford, fresh expressions, and see our sidebar for a link to the "mission-shaped church" pdf. In our February archive (on sidebar) look for the post "A Little Taste" to find a link to Si Smith's "40" illustrations. I presented a slideshow of the illustrations accompanied by Snow Patrol's "Run" -- which turned out to be a remarkably powerful combination (lots of not-so-dry eyes after that one). For those of you asking for a copy of this powerpoint, I'll contact Si about the possibilities of posting it here. Stay tuned.

emerging church, Rowan Williams, mayBe, fresh expressions

Our Website is Up and Running

2006-03-09T15:46:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note to let everyone know that our website, peacemealcommunity.org, is up and running with its first design. There is not much content yet, but there will be in the days and weeks ahead. Let us know what you think of the design!

Keep your eyes peeled here and at the main site (the two will eventually be merged) for information on a public worhip/meal night and a cafe conversation, both to happen during this season of Lent. More details to come.

| graphic design, web design, peacemeal |

Lament

2006-03-08T22:22:00.000-05:00

I'm teaching a course on suffering this term. Fitting, since so much of the term falls during Lent. I was just reading Nicholas Wolterstorff's Lament for a Son, a book Wolterstorff wrote after the death of his 25 year-old son in a mountain climbing accident. I came across this powerful passage that seems to me to get at the heart of Lent:

"How is faith to endure, O God, when you allow all this scraping and tearing on us? You have allowed rivers of blood to flow, mountains of suffering to pile up, sobs to become humanity's song--all without lifting a finger that we could see. You have allowed bonds of love beyond number to be painfully snapped. If you have not abandoned us, explain yourself. We strain to hear. But instead of hearing an answer we catch sight of God himself scraped and torn. Through our tears we see the tears of God" (p.80).

The church has not always been good about raising these questions. They are raised more often by those outside the church--often as a critique. But Lent is a season that gives permission to ask, indeed invites the asking, of these kinds of questions. Lent asks us lament, to stand alongside all the suffering of the world--not to give an answer (what answer could we give?) but to image the God who suffers in our suffering. What would it take to be a community that invited lament? How can we overcome the temptation to dress ourselves up for church? How can we be a place where the broken know it is okay to rupture the formality with tears and heartache? Could we be that kind of church?

| lent, lament, Nicholas Wolterstorff, suffering, community |

What's in a Name?

2006-03-06T20:43:00.000-05:00

So, what about our name? For quite a while we were calling ourselves the "church of the good snacks." Right from the start we began to act on our conviction that church ought to feel a bit like a party (Jesus seemed to like party images: "the kingdom of God is like a man who threw a party . . ."). So, in anticipation of that great heavenly feast, we figured we ought to at least have some decent snacks, good wine, and tasty coffee. We also knew from the start that we wanted, needed, eucharist to be at the center of our life together. Except for the occasional compline service, we almost always celebrate eucharist when we gather (and since my wife, Demery, is an Episcopal priest it makes that a bit easier to do!). It took several months of talking about a name to land on Peacemeal. We liked the emphasis on the shared meal since it points to many different aspects of our mission: table fellowship, hospitality, eucharist, feeding the hungry. And throughout all of this we understand this feasting to be a feast of peace--making peace, being peace, sharing peace. We believe peacemaking is not an add-on to the gospel but at the heart of Jesus' life and message.

Finally, we liked the pun, not just because it's a pun (though I'm a sucker for a good pun, or, frankly, even a bad pun), but because the "piecemeal" pun suggests that we are committed to gathering up the pieces of our lives and of the culture around us, joining those pieces together, and making something of them. As a reflection of this commitment, we have a practice that we call "gathering the fragments." The idea behind this is the recognition that by all counts postmodernity is a time of fragmentation. Thus one of our deepest needs is to reconnect and find wholeness. Each week the members of the community are invited to bring some fragment of life that we've experienced or discovered during the week (a reading, a poem, a song, a scene from a movie, an experience), something that spoke to us as a kind of parable. As we gather we share these with each other as a way of "collecting the fragments" from the week. Sometimes the fragments witness to grace, other times to brokenness. In each case we believe in gathering these things in, weaving even the darkness into the fabric of our life together. From piecemeal to peacemeal.

eucharist, parable, hospitality, postmodernity

Emerging Church Article

2006-03-06T19:02:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to post a link to this article I wrote about the emerging church movement/conversation. It came out a little over a year ago in Christian Century magazine and was the culmination of about a year's worth of readings, interviews, and emails. If you are interested in finding out more about the emerging church and/or our Peacemeal community check it out.

Scott

| emerging church |

A Little Taste

2006-03-06T00:18:00.000-05:00

We thought it might be a good idea to give some of you, our precious anonymous readers (don't be shy, say hello in the comments!), a taste of what we like to do together as a community during our small Friday evening worship.

Friday night marked our first evening celebrating the season of Lent together. This is the time in the calendar of the church when many are making an effort to slow down, reflect, sacrifice, and repent. These 40 days leading up to Easter reflect the 40 days Christ spent in the desert fasting and being tempted after his baptism. In fact, this story was in this week's Gospel lesson from the first chapter of Mark. To pause and reflect on this time in the life of Jesus, we watched a film clip compiled by Mark Fletcher featuring the song "Sulpherman" by the Doves. The video collects Si Smith's pen and ink illustrations titled "40."

To check out Si's individual illustrations frame-by-frame, look here at the mayBe community's website. To watch or download the Quicktime video (8MB), get it here from Mark Fletcher's blog.

If you are in the Scranton area and as you read more about our little community, let us know what you think. Feel free to leave comments here, or contact us by e-mail through our profiles. If you are interested in exploring our unique sense of community, mission, and worship, we'd love to invite you to an evening of conversation and worship at Scott and Demery's home. Very soon we will be having a time for worship out in the community to give people more of a taste of what we're doing; we'll also be sponsoring some emerging church cafe conversations, all in the next month or two. Keep checking in here as well as at the Scranton Emergent Cohort blog that has just begun for more information.

Peace to you,
Josh

| lent, fast, fasting, Si Smith, Mark Fletcher, the doves |

Who We Are

2006-02-27T20:54:00.000-05:00

Who knows how to mark the beginning of a community? Perhaps Peacemeal began when we had our first meeting back in September 2005, but that would exclude all the time spent preparing the ground for that first meeting. I had been reading, conversing, and dreaming about vital new forms of church life at least since my sabbatical two years before, when I stumbled upon Brian McLaren's A New Kind of Christian while sipping coffee in Borders. My reading about the emerging church, combined with my participation in the Ekklesia Project, led me to imagine a church community that experimented with new patterns of worship, leadership, and mission while responding to the end of Christendom, the rise of postmodern culture, and the tendency of American churches to function as chaplains to the dominant social order. During the summer of 2005 I met with my Bishop, Paul Marshall, and a couple of priests in the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem, to brainstorm about renewal and evangelism in the diocese. The bold idea of trying to start a new community came from the bishop, himself, and I was happy to run with it. I contacted Josh Frank, with whom I had been having a sporadic email conversation for several months (sporadic because I ignored my email for a couple months right after our third child was born last April!) and we met for coffee and visioning. With our wives and a handful of interested friends we began our community with a eucharistic gathering in our home--at which the bishop presided (a visible sign that this was a work of the diocese and not some splinter group).

Our community attempts to combine the best ideas coming out of emergent and the Church of England "Fresh Expressions" in the context of the Episcopal Church. Our goal is to wed the creativity of new church expressions to the tradition and oversight of the Anglican communion. We have no desire to be "independent" of such structures, indeed, it's not clear to us what an "independent" church could mean given our belief in the communion of saints and the catholicity of the church. Nonetheless, we hope to embody a missional form of church life that is unlike the traditional parishes around us, to try to create in an American context something of the "mixed economy" of church life and structure that is being explored and encouraged in England. We are new and we are improvising and we will surely make mistakes. But we are being given the freedom to explore church in fresh ways, and we couldn't be more excited about that!

| emerging church, ekklesia project, episcopal |

"Advertising"

2006-02-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

Has anyone heard of Craig's List? Here's an interesting way to search for and let people know about your efforts to know Christ and learn to follow him. Found this over at the 9th Street Records blog, a collective effort from several guys living together in the Hunting Park section of North Philadelphia.

I'd be interested to hear from others who have taken non-traditional approaches to letting people know they're around. Comments are welcome!

| craigs list, evangelism |

Ikons

2006-02-21T10:46:00.000-05:00

I came across a blog post titled "Essential ikons for theologians" today over at a blog called Faith and Theology that I thought people might find interesting. I took particular interest because of how peacemeal worked through the Rowan Williams book Ponder These Things: Praying With Icons of the Virgin during Advent. ~~Unfortunately there is no direct link to the post...~~ Thanks to Ben Myers, the blog's author, for the direct link. And thanks, Ben, for the great list!

Here's an abbreviated version of the list, minus the details he provides: