It's Just A Sweet, Sweet Fantasy Baby | Oh Baby! God's Happy Lil' Surprises pt. 1
Zoom Link for The Sunday Liturgy | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89752784023
The Call to Worship
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.
A Prayer of Process (adapted from bell hooks)
Dominator culture has tried to keep us all afraid,
It has tried to make us choose safety instead of risk,
It has tried to make us choose sameness instead of diversity.
Moving through that fear,
finding out what connects us,
revelling in our differences;
this is the process that brings us closer,
the process that gives us a world of shared values,
the process of meaningful community.
Amen.
Scripture
And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”
—Luke 1:46-55
The Message
Conversation Series | Oh Baby! God's Happy Lil' Surprises
All birth is generative. It speaks to the possibility that yet exists in this world. As we move into the Advent season, we wanted to explore various birth narratives from within the biblical text read in light of Jesus’ birth in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. What possibilities do these stories still hold for us today?
Message | It’s Just A Sweet, Sweet Fantasy Baby
This week, Carl opens our new conversation series by exploring the birth of the child in Revelation 12. In literature that could easily be compared with contemporary fantasy, we see a story that confronts the fantasy we create in the service of oppression and Empire. So what does a baby have to say about liberation in the face of imperial oppression?
The Eucharist Litany (portions of this litany were written by Naomi Lippett)
Reader: This is Christ's table
The table of communion and relationship, where through the work of Christ and the power the Holy Spirit as we feast together on this single loaf and single cup, we are brought into union with the Triune God.
All: This is Christ's table
Reader: The table of shared human life, where no one is excluded and no one unwelcome, where unity is found in difference, where the other is embraced and seen.
All: This is Christ's table
Reader: The table of mystery, where this food nourishes more than just our physical hunger.
All: This is Christ's table
Reader: The table of thanksgiving and joy, where we lift up our lives in response to God's outrageous goodness.
All: This is Christ's table
Reader: 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.
Remembering, therefore, this command of the Saviour, and all that came to pass, we pray:
All: Come Holy Spirit and transform these gifts into the means of grace that we need in this moment.
Reader: The gifts of god for the people of God.
Run to Christ's table.
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?
What changes when we see the gift of Christmas is healing, liberation, and restoration?
(Heart) What do I feel as I am reflecting?
Christmas for many has been a time of cultivating life long memories. What is your favorite Christmas memory, and how does it intersect with the themes of healing, liberation, and restoration?
(Hands) What do I do to respond?
This Advent season what is one thing you can do that contributes to the healing, liberation, and restoration needed in this world?
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.
Where did I experience or participate in healing, liberation, or restoration today?
Where did I receive healing, liberation, or restoration as gift today?
How can I orient myself to better witness and participate in the healing, liberation, and restoration needed in the world?
Announcements
We have a Slow-Cooker Spirituality group that meets online at 9:30am PST every Thursday. This coming week’s reading will be Isaiah 7:1-17. 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?
Thank you, Sam, for helping us to hold space with our Mental-Health Check-ins. With the hectic nature of the Christmas season for many people, we will need to get back to you with the next Check-in date.
We are getting ready for a very merry FōS Christmas Party. It will be held at 6pm on Saturday, December 3, at Kurt and Lu's place. We will post the address in the FB Messenger chat, and you can also email us at hello@fos.church to get the address. Looking forward to seeing everyone who can make it.
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.*
*Claiborne, Shane. Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals (p. 52). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.