A chubby baby is born
Sunday, September 5th
We’ve been expecting for about twelve months now, and this Sunday will be the official birth day of the Table.
In September 2009 we started as group of familiar strangers sitting in a few pews in the sanctuary of Church of Our Lord, wondering if this idea was just crazy enough that it might actually work. Today as we sat looking at each other in those church pews, we realized that not only had it worked but that in the process these strangers had become a family. The faces wearing kooky grins and few bleary eyes have become as familiar as sisters and brothers. Some faces are newer, as sign that our family is still growing and expanding. We’ve gone through a year of the beautiful mess of community. Yes, we would say it has worked.
We went around and reflected on what The Table has been in the last year. “Family” was a word that kept coming up. Community. Belonging. The body of Christ. Then: a chubby baby. What?
Rachel, one of our newest family members, said that the church reminds her of a chubby, healthy baby that’s just learning to walk/crawl.
We as the church are the body of Christ, and even Christ himself began as a baby. So it’s fitting that we are launching our church with a Christmas party. We’re celebrating God becoming a human in a smelly stable 2000 years ago, as well as the birth of this baby church in Victoria.
Christmas in September? Sounds about as odd as New Years in February (see blog archives for February 2010). That’s how we roll. We’re just a bit odd. We’re also familiar. Familiar as the smell of gingerbread and turkey stuffing in your Granny’s kitchen.
Familiar yet Odd. That’s our theme for our launch Christmas party, on Sunday September 12th. We’re kicking off with a big homestyle Christmas dinner at 4pm in the hall and a service themed The God Who Wore Sweatpants on Christmas at 5pm in the sanctuary of Church of Our Lord.
And if you really want to dive into the Christmas spirit, come join our cooking/baking/decorating/movie-watching extravaganza on Saturday night. Sept 11. 6-10 pm. Don’t forget your favourite reindeer Christmas sweater you’re been dying to wear.
This launch means the end of what has been the Launch Team. It’s just the beginning of this family. As Christ said his last words to his disciples before going up in the clouds he told them to continue to do what he had taught them to do. Make disciples. Eat, pray, talk and live together. Love God and each another. As we begin with the baby steps of our new church we’ll be extending the conversation that we’ve begun this past year, to show Jesus to our neighbours.
