Together We Will Create Brave Space | There is No Safe Space pt. 1
Zoom Link for The Sunday Liturgy | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89752784023
The Call to Worship
FōS is a community creating space for everyone to find hope, beauty, and possibility in the story of Jesus by reimagining faith together.
We are a community practicing Big Tent Christianity.
We include because we have been included.
We love because we have been loved.
We invite because we have been invited.
We welcome diversity through open tables and open conversations.
We create space for God's generous guest list to be present and to participate fully.
The Lord's Prayer
Our Father in heaven, let Your name remain holy.
Bring about Your kingdom.
Manifest Your will here on earth, as it is manifest in heaven.
Give us each day that day’s bread—no more, no less—
And forgive us our debts as we forgive those who owe us something.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Brave Space by Micky Scott Bey Jones
Together we will create brave space
Because there is no such thing as a “safe space”
We exist in the real world
We all carry scars and we have all caused wounds.
In this space
We seek to turn down the volume of the outside world,
We amplify voices that fight to be heard elsewhere,
We call each other to more truth and love
We have the right to start somewhere and continue to grow.
We have the responsibility to examine what we think we know.
We will not be perfect.
This space will not be perfect.
It will not always be what we wish it to be
But
It will be our brave space together,
And, we will work on it side by side.
The Message
Conversation Series | There is No Safe Space
In this conversation series, There is No Safe Space, we are diving deeper into the Brave Space Litany together. We have used this litany in FōS for the past few years as a way of helping us show up and imagine what a Brave Space could be for us as a community. We wanted to take the opportunity to explore and expand the different lines of the poem in order to help us embody and enact those words together here in FōS.
Message | Together We Will Create Brave Space
This week, Carl starts off our new conversation series, There is No Safe Space, by inviting us to ask the question, what is Brave Space?
The Eucharist Litany (portions of this litany were written by Naomi Lippett)
Reader: This is Christ's table. The table of remembrance, which on the night He was betrayed, in the company of friends, he took bread and broke it saying, this is my body given for you, eat this in remembrance of me. He then took the cup of wine, and gave thanks saying this is my blood of the new covenant. Drink this in remembrance of me.
All: This is Christ's table
Reader: Remembering, therefore, this command of the Saviour, and all that came to pass, we pray:
All: We consume the broken body of Christ becoming the broken body of Christ present in a broken world.
Formational Learning
Rules of the Table
It’s Christ’s table, and we are all guests, a good guest makes sure everyone present can stay at the table.
This is a place to process together. Questions of curiosity and process are encouraged, not questions to force agreement or coerce a specific answer.
Keep answers to 1-2 minutes so everyone has room to share.
The facilitator will interject when the conversation moves too far away from our explicit topic. All questions are good but they are not all useful for this specific time.
Brave Space Ideals for the Conversation
Controversy with civility
Own your intentions and your impact
Challenge by choice (allow ourselves to be challenged by what others share)
Respect
No Attacks
(Opening Question)
What stood out to you from the liturgy? What is one point of curiosity or a question that emerged as we walked through the liturgy together?
(Head) What do I think?
For so long, our culture has taught us to seek out safe spaces as a response to fear. What changes when we realize there is no such thing as a safe space and instead choose to courageously create Brave Space together?
What does it mean to own our intent and our impact?
(Heart) What do I feel as I am reflecting?
What feelings emerged for you when you heard, or first heard, the words, "there is no such thing as a safe space?"
What feelings show up for you, and what is your response to Sam's words, "We were hurt in community, and we will find our healing in community?"
(Hands) What do I do to respond?
Sister Souljah offers us sage advice when she says, "counsel me; don't cancel me." What is a situation where you needed to be counseled and not canceled? How can you extend the grace needed to counsel instead of cancel others?
Examen
The Examen is a daily practice of reflection and prayer that helps us introspectively look at ourselves. Spend a few moments at the end of your day prayerfully reflecting. Grab a pen and journal and write your response out.
When did you notice that you needed courage to enter into a space today?
When did you notice fear causing you to step out of a space today?
How can you cultivate courage to create Brave Space tomorrow?
Announcements
We have a Slow-Cooker Spirituality group that meets online at 9:30am PST every Thursday. This coming week’s reading will be Mark 7:26-37. Using the Head, Heart, Hands questions, spend some time reflecting on the passage and writing down what emerges for you.
(Head) What do I think about what I read?
(Heart) What do I feel as I am reflecting?
(Hands) What do I do to respond?
Be sure to look out for the latest episode of our Continuing the Conversation Podcast, which we just relaunched with an episode wrapping up our most recent series, This Land. Find it on Apple Podcasts under FōS Church or on our website under the Podcasts tab. www.fos.church/podcast
Our next Mental Health Check-in will be Mental Health Check-in, April 26, at 7pm (pacific time). It will be an opportunity to talk and explore wholeness and grounding together. We will use the same link as The Sunday Liturgy
One of the ways we invest in the future of FōS is through tithes and offering, generous giving. You can give online at www.fos.church/partner. Make sure to follow the instructions.
Our Benediction
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever they may send you;
may Christ guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm;
may Christ bring you home rejoicing: at the wonders they have shown you;
may Christ bring you home rejoicing: once again into our doors.*
Amen …
*Claiborne, Shane. Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals (p. 52). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.