On The Table

I write from the very place we meet each week, Jammin' Java in Vienna, Virginia. Except that this isn't Sunday, and we're not setting up for one of our worship experiences. There are three staff people here, but there aren't any customers for them to help. It's just me on a Wednesday afternoon, all alone but for the 90's mix of music pumping out of the speakers. I'm here to meet a new friend, to talk about our church and fill him in on some of the relational flavor that he just couldn't taste from the website. I figured since Vienna was between us, why not meet him here and let him get an idea of what we're about and where we meet? Except I'm sitting here thinking about all that's happened in this space, and how strange it is to be here by myself. I miss everyone, and I'm thankful for all we've shared together.

But in the middle of this day in the middle of the week, it's the space that really has my attention, this place clear of all chairs and tables and equipment, this palette upon which we try to do some collaborative art, inspire some worship, and spur one another's thoughts, each week. In a couple of days, we'll gather in this same space to talk about space. To talk about emptiness, actually, and the liturgical season of 'Ordinary Time'-- the comparatively quiet time between Christmas and Lent, on this especially lonely Sunday that holds a place between our Service Worship project last week, and the beginning of the 40 days of Lent next week. We hope you can join us this coming Sunday at the time of day we call 10am, where we'll talk about how space and emptiness and ordinariness is anything but nothingness-- it is the very place where our lives in God play out.

Mike Stavlund

Labels: space

Hey, Church--

We're rolling right along with our Sunday series on Sacred Space, finding fresh ideas and experiences as we discover the space that is all around us. Last week, Maranda helped us to see that 'the healing is in the space', punctuating our time with a very memorable group exercise and a compelling experience of Eucharist (led straight from the heart by Jackie). Great times, coming to a blog near you if you'd like to catch up. This week, our friend Teo will bring his bass to talk about space and time and how music truly happens in the space between the notes. 10am, at Jammin' Java.

Next week, we will once again be off the map as our great GNU Team gets us out of our comfy, self-reflective seats and helps us to engage with our neighbors. Stay tuned for details.

Looking ahead, on March 7, people from all over the country will be converging on Washington, DC to advocate for peace as we remember the anniversary of the War in Iraq. This year, various faith communities will be gathering in their respective places at noon, followed by a procession to the Capitol for a larger witness in the afternoon.

The organizers of the larger events have asked if a loose group of friends of Emergent would be willing to host a kind of artistic worship installation someplace near the Capital. Where other groups might do something more conventional (singing, a protest talk, etc.), we'd like to offer a more interactive environment of peace and hope. We've got a few church buildings that are available to us, though we'd like to explore the possibility of finding a more neutral space. So, if you'd like to lend your creativity or muscle to making this happen, please let me know.

That same evening, some of us will be gathering in Vienna to experience some Deep Shift with Brian McLaren and friends. On Friday and Saturday, March 7-8, we'll be joining some like-minded friends to consider how Jesus' Kingdom message might be the universalizing response to the many varied global crises we face. If you'd be willing to help out with the effort, a conference discount and free book can be yours through the DC Emergent Cohort.

Mike Stavlund

Labels: Deep Shift, peace, space

As I write this, the Democrats and Republicans are busy duking it out for our votes, and judging by the temperature outside, I'm supporting whomever can turn back the clock on climate change. Didn't Superman do something like that back in the first movie with Christopher Reeves? That's it! Superman for President!


Anyway, times are strange here on the late, great planet Earth, so we at CT are taking this season to explore space. Not just outer space - Sacred Space, which we're finding in all sorts of unexpected places. This week we will be talking about relational space. We expect to find more symmetries - in terms of physical space and emotional space - and ultimately discover that the healing is in the space. Please join us this Sunday, January 13th, when we gather at Jammin' Java at 10am.

Labels: Jesus for President, space

Dear Church:

On this day when many of us are getting back to work (in earnest, at least) for the first time in many days, let me wish you a very happy new year. Now is the time where we get back, isn't it? Back to our normal schedules, back to our regular floorplan as we take down our holiday decorations, back to a life with less travel, shipping, and shopping.

During this anticlimactic space in our lives, and the liturgical space between Christmas and Advent, a few of us are collaborating on a series of Sunday gatherings where we look at Sacred Space. Over the next four weeks, we'll look at physics and relationships, at music and the liturgical calendar, all where we find God-- not only and always in the Big Holidays or Bright Celebrations, but in the stuff that is all around us, but which we can't see or hear: space. We hope you'll bring your thoughts and insights this Sunday, January 6 when we gather at Jammin' Java at 10am.

Mike Stavlund

P.S., You may have seen us in a very nice cover story in the December 24 issue of U.S.News and World Report, on "A Return to Tradition". The article examines several Catholic, Jewish, and Protestant faith groups that are re-embracing ancient ritual and practice in innovative ways. The reporter, Jay Tolson, and the photographer, Jim Lo Scalzo, visited us on a recent Sunday morning, and Jay took the time to talk with several of us and to get to know us a little bit. There's also a sidebar article about our community in particular, called "Mixing Jesus With Java: The Appeal of New Religious Communities". If you're visiting us for the first time because you saw the articles, welcome! Feel free to take a little time to explore the web site, and we'd love to have you join us any time we gather, whether it's for service, for worship, or just for fun.

Labels: space, USNWR