Hello, Friends of Sustainability! You and the rest of the world are invited to gather for a church service, followed by a dish-to-pass supper, at the
Old West Danby Church January 1, 2008 6 P.M. The church is in the middle of West Danby, on the west side of 34/96. The service will precede the supper, so a timely arrival is urged. This year the theme of the service is: Christianity and global warming, cause and effect? The beginning of a new year is a good time to take stock of our place in the universe and what we are called to do in relating to it. I hope to at least start the thinking. The conversation at dinner will allow for continued discussion. The service will be a Christian communion service. I hope all will be comfortable participating. To assist any of you who may be doubtful about that, let me offer a few words of explanation about how this particular service will be constructed. All Christian communion services involve in some measure a recalling of the Last Supper event. At that last meal before Christ's arrest and crucifixion, he used the ritual elements of the Seder (the Jewish Passover) to summarize his life and ministry and encouraged his followers to do the same in his memory. Those of us who look to Jesus for moral guidance find the essence of our mission reflected in the recapitulation of Christ's life found in the last supper events. This communion service will emphasize the commitment to service to others and the connections to each other in community that is expressed as a spiritual communion. It finds further expression in the sharing of the bread. It is a simple ritual with a highly relevant meaning. It is also inherently inclusive, aimed at building and strengthening a sense of being connected and interdependent. It helps us to overcome our tendency to isolation and fosters cooperation. That's a lot to expect from a simple ritual, but this particular ritual has been all that and more, which helps explain why it is so important to Christians. I don't mean to make light of the subtle (but important to some) doctrinal differences that separate the various denominations of Christians, but I do intend to circumvent them by emphasizing what we believe in common. In so doing I hope non-Christians will find the result welcoming. The pleasure of each-others' company can only enhance the evening! Feel free to bring friends, or anyone you would like to know better. Joel _______________________________________________ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
