The Table Church

Sunday, June 12, 2022. Preacher Pastor Tonetta Landis-Aina. Being called together as a community of the Spirit meaans being called to convert not just once but repeatedly.

If you are the one on the underside of power, speaking up on behalf of yourself or your group is not wrong. It's not complaining. It's the right thing to do. If you are the one holding the power, we get to imitate the way of Jesus by giving away power and privilege.

Sunday, May 29, 2022. Preacher Bekki Fahrer. 

Sunday, May 22, 2022. Preacher Pastor Tonetta Landis-Aina. 

Sunday, May 15, 2022. Preacher Anselm Beach. 

Sunday, May 1, 2022. Preachers Tonetta Landis-Aina and Anthony Parrott. In this team sermon, Pastors Tonetta and Anthony explore the implications of the Spirit falling on the first Christians and the fact that the sign of that was tongues—speaking different languages. What implications does this have for how we understand diversity, culture, and race? 

How is the church to balance the calling to both stay and to go? What does it mean to receive power from the Holy Spirit? How do we think about the Spirit's role in the creation and maintenance of the church as well as in our own individual spiritual journeys?

Sunday, April 17, 2022. Preacher: Anthony Parrott. There are two kinds of faith. One is toothless and dangerous. One is tangible and can heal the world.

Sunday, April 10, 2022. Preacher: Tonetta Landis-Aina

Sunday, April 3, 2022. Preacher: Anthony Parrott. Words and phrases change meaning over time. "Forgiveness of Sin" is a phrase that has dramatically been shrunk in scope and meaning since it's use in Scripture. We explore the earth-changing implications of this phrase and contrast them to the privatized, individualistic meaning it has today.

From Sunday, March 27, 2022. Preacher Lexi Mairone preaches on the "Song of the Sea" in Exodus 15. Celebration is a discipline, a form of resistance, and an invitation to joy. 

Sunday, March 20, 2022. Preacher Erin Byrne. This week we're continuing our series on the story of the Exodus, digging into what it means to think of God as a deliverer. Last week, Pastor Tonetta gave us the context that at the time of today's story, the Israelites are living as slaves in Egypt. Many of them are brickmakers, building homes and temples and pyramids for the Egyptians, their oppressors. For a few chapters now, our Israelite heroes Moses and his brother Aaron have been going back and forth to the Pharaoh, the Egyptian ruler, asking him, famously, to “Let my people go.” Pharaoh responds, “Who is this God, that I should heed them and let Israel go? I do not know your God, and I will not let Israel go. .

Praying the questions of Jesus Resource: 50 Ways to Pray Lectio Divina Lectio Divina is one of the great treasures of the Christian tradition of prayer. It means Divine Reading, which is reading the book we believe to be divinely inspired. This tradition of prayer flows out of a Hebrew method of studying the Scriptures which was an interactive interpretation of the Scriptures by means of the free use of the text to explore its inner meaning. It was part of the devotional practice of the Jews in the days of Jesus. Lectio Divina is the most traditional way of cultivating friendship with Christ. It is a way of listening to the texts of scripture as if we were in conversation with Christ and He was suggesting the topics of conversation. It is listening with the “ear” of the heart. The daily encounter with Christ and reflection on His Word leads beyond mere acquaintanceship to an attitude of friendship, trust and love. Lectio Divina and Bible Study Bible Study is the reading of the scriptures for information and an understanding of the context of the passage. It provides a solid conceptual background for the practice of Lectio Divina. Lectio Divina is a reflective reading of scripture. It is a method of prayer that leads us into the deeper meaning of scripture and the transformation of our lives. A contemplative reading of the Scriptures is compatible with well-grounded interpretation of the Bible. Guidelines for Lectio Divina Moment One: Lectio. Read the Scripture Read passage as slowly as you can. Listen with the “ear of your heart.” What phrase, sentence or even single word stands out to you? Begin to repeat that phrase, sentence or one word over and over, allowing it to settle deeply in your heart. And then read the passage slowly at least two more times, stopping to consider certain phrases or words or questions that may arise. Pause to write down that word or phrase, and any reflections you may have at this point. Moment Two: Meditatio. Reflect. Read the passage yet again, but now attempt to place yourself into the story or passage. Place yourself as one the characters within the story. Or simply imagine that the words on the page are words that you yourself are speaking to God. Use your senses. If you were a character, would you be seeing, touching, tasting, hearing, smelling? What emotions would be rising up within you? Reflect on and relish the words, thoughts, and feelings. Let them resound in your heart. Let an attitude of quiet receptiveness permeate the prayer time. Be attentive to what speaks to your heart. Again, pause to write down what you may be thinking or feeling at this point. Moment Three: Oratio. Pray. Speak to God as you continue to listen to a phrase, sentence or word. A prayer of praise, thanksgiving or petition may arise. It may arise out of the emotions or feeling you're having as you consider the passage. Once again, it may be appropriate to write down a prayer. Moment Four: Contemplatio. Rest in God. Simply “be with” God's presence as you open yourself to a deeper hearing of the Word of God. Sit in silence, allowing the choppy waves of your soul to come to place of stillness and rest. If you feel drawn back to the scriptures, follow the lead of the Spirit. Praying the Hours https://www.amazon.com/Divine-HoursTM-Pocket-Phyllis-Tickle-ebook/dp/B000S1LX16/ref=sr_1_5?crid=25IULSM74GI79&keywords=divine+hours+phyllis+tickle&qid=1647446976&s=digital-text&sprefix=divine+hours%2Cdigital-text%2C79&sr=1-5&pldnSite=1 Writing Psalms Other Resources https://pray-as-you-go.org/ https://www.harrypottersacredtext.com/resources

Translations I Use NRSV NIV (2011 or TNIV) CEB NASB (2021) Avoid ESV KJV The Living Bible Special The Message First Nations Version John 3:16 "The Great Spirit loves this world of human beings so deeply he gave us his Son―the only Son who fully represents him.** All who trust in him and his way will not come to a bad end, but will have the life of the world to come that never fades―full of beauty and harmony. Creator did not send his Son to decide against the people of this world, but to set them free from the worthless ways of the world." Single Author Translations Study bibles Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible CEB Study Bible Africana Study Bible (OT) True to Our Native Land (NT) Oxford and Harper Collins Annotated Study Bibles Jewish Study Bible & Jewish Annotated New Testament Avoid Study Bibles from Someone's Name or Face on Them Online Tools BibleGateway.com Plus $40 / year Best Tools on Bible Gateway NIV or NRSV Cultural Background Study Bible NIV Application Commentary Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary of the New Testament Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary Mounce's Interlinear Surveys A Survey of the Old Testament (Hill & Walton) A Survey of the New Testament (Gundry) Toward Decentering the New Testament (Mitzi J. Smith, Yung Suk Kim) If you want to understand a verse you need to understand it's Genre Book Audience and Context Chapter Paragraph Single Volume Commentaries https://www.amazon.com/Womens-Bible-Commentary-Third-Revised/dp/066423707X https://www.amazon.com/Queer-Bible-Commentary-Deryn-Guest/dp/0334054427/?pldnSite=1 https://www.amazon.com/Peoples-Companion-Bible-Curtiss-Deyoung/dp/0800697022?pldnSite=1 https://www.amazon.com/Voices-Margin-Interpreting-Bible-World-ebook/dp/B00U7XTRT0/?pldnSite=1

Disarming Bible Bombs Trauma How did Trauma affect the writing of Scripture? Story of Audrey reading Battle of Jericho How to respond, internally and to others, to the concept of "the Bible clearly says...." Probably a hint that a more nuanced conversation isn't in the cards at the moment Go up one level: recognize that people have said, "The Bible clearly says" in contradictory ways; which then means maybe it's not as "clear" as we thought If Jesus were to confront this passage what would He say? "You've heard it said; I say unto you..." What to do when you run into a verse, passage that gives a strong response; what tools, not just backing off Name the internal feelings and emotions; identify the strong response or trauma If Jesus were to confront this passage what would He say. "You've heard it said; I say unto you..."

Exodus 5 shows us two worlds with entirely opposed organizing ideas. Is there hope for the healthier one to prevail?

Sunday, March 6, 2022. We take a look at Moses' encounters with God and how God wants to free us from misconceptions about God.

Small actions, done with great love, can make all the difference. Sometimes, I'm convinced that those small actions, taken faithfully day after day, by each and every one of us, is the only thing that has ever managed to change the world, to bend the universe toward justice and righteousness.    Any action that says, “You are not alone,” is a sign of new life springing out from old ground. Any time we care for ourselves, we are breathing new life into these old bones. Any time we stand up to a person of authority and say “Enough is enough” to the culture of death, that is new life. When we work together to protect the least of these, the marginalized, the oppressed, the outsiders, the persecuted, that is a form of rebirth.   It is life springing forth from death.   Let us together become people who bring forth life, not death.

Sunday, February 20, 2022. Preacher: Anthony Parrott. Exodus is the origin story of all other stories of liberation, salvation, and freedom. In it we find ourselves and the possibility of the beautiful future that God is pulling us into.

In this session we put on two specific lens to read Scripture. The Cruciform lens and the Liberation lens. We then use these to take a look at two specific passages: Genesis 16 (the mistreatment of Hagar) and Mark 7 (the Syrophoenecian Woman). 

Sunday, February 13, 2022. Preacher: Tonetta Landis-Aina. As we begin a new series on the book of Exodus, thinking about salvation and liberation, Pastor Tonetta grounds us in the most important part of any sort of work that will matter: REST.

In this session, we explore the different "interpretive" lenses we put on when we read Scripture

Sunday, February 6, 2022. Pastor Tonetta continues our look into the story of Jesus and Legion. It's a story that lays the foundation of understanding why decolonizing is a deeply Jesus-centered work. 

In this session we explore the ways that ancient Christians and other cultures have read Scripture. We talk about The Great Tradition (capital T), and also the great traditions (little t), and how they ought to influence the conclusions we come to when reading the Bible. Class Notes here: https://www.craft.do/s/gCwpHcMBSYPKv6

Sunday, January 30, 2022. Preacher: Anthony Parrott. Every aspect of our society has both concrete and invisible realities that need to be named. Scripture calls these realities The Powers. Jesus heals us from The Powers that corrupt us and our world and sets us a mission to do the same. Click here for the full sermon notes

This week we explore the idea of inerrancy, where the Bible came from, and what are "the originals." Full show notes here: https://www.craft.do/s/H4tK6utydxtize

Sunday, January 23, 2022. Preacher: Meg Clark. Jesus' family comes looking for him, thinking he has lost his mind. Jesus, like so many of us, is offered the opportunity to find a new kind of family, one that he is not born into, but chooses.

In this week's session, we introduce what we're up to and share the metaphors that have helped us understand what the Bible even is. 

"If we believe we can be inferior to another, that mean we believe we can be superior to another." This Sunday we were honored to have Itzbeth Menjívar and Kristin Kumpf host a virtual Teach-In in honor of MLK Jr Day. We talked about re-imagining power and making the move from Allyship to Solidarity.

Sunday, January 11, 2022. Preacher: Tonetta Landis-Aina.

Sunday, January 2, 2022. Preacher: Anthony Parrott. Jesus is asked why he's letting his disciples break the sabbath. In his answer, he shows us a key principle in how to understand Scripture.

Why did Jesus come? How will His arrival save the world? We explore Mary's radical prophecy and song in Luke 1 to answer these questions.  Sunday, December 19, 2021. Preacher: Anthony Parrott

Pastor Richard preaches on the hope we have in the Gospel — a hope that isn't just flimsy optimism, but the courage to imagine a more just and beautiful world. Sunday, December 12, 2021. Preacher: Pastor Richard Kelley

Sunday, December 5, 2021. Preacher: Tonetta Landis-Aina. Pastor Tonetta speaks on the harm dualistic binaries have caused, their origins, and how the story of the Incarnation breaks through.

Sunday, November 28, 2021. Preacher: Heidi Mills

Sunday, November 21, 2021. Preacher: Meg Clark.

Jesus' call extends to those I would not call. Jesus' call will make the ritually pure uncomfortable. Grace is most effective for those who know they need it. Sunday, November 14, 2021. Preacher: Anthony Parrott

Sunday, November 7, 2021. Preacher: Heidi Mills. In this story, Jesus redefines what healing is and what healing is for.  Healing happens within community. Healing reminds us of our identity and our worth in God's sight. Healing restores us to a new way of living in the world.

Sunday, November 7, 2021. Preacher: Lexi Mairone. In Jesus, we see the God who forgives. Forgiveness is not only a central characteristic of God's nature, but it is the singular grace that enables God's people to have fellowship with God. Forgiveness is how we are reconciled back to God and invited to join God once again in the renewal of all things.

Sunday, October 31, 2021. Preacher: Anthony Parrott. This Sunday we talk about the step before translating the Bible. We talk about why Jesus gets angry — and we can too. And we briefly talk about "investing" in people isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Mark 1:35-39 Resistance Resistance is refusing to be defined by the powers that want to take hold of us. Capitalism. Toxic Family or Social Systems. Addiction or Compulsion. Inner and Outer Voices and Pressure. "Healthy boundaries are a form of rest." —Tricia Hersey (The Nap Ministry) “We must not confuse the command to love with the disease to please.” ― Lysa TerKeurst “Whenever you say yes to something, there is less of you for something else. Make sure your yes is worth the less.” ― Lysa TerKeurst (Non) Reactivity Self-Differentiation is the ability to separate your emotions and actions from the emotions and actions of others. It's different from detachment. Detachment is the inability to care about someone else's emotions. Self-differentiation is the ability to not let someone else's emotional state define yours. ‌Non-Anxious Presence. First, you must be present. This is not the same as avoidance. Second, deciding to not add anxiety to anxious situation. Not the same as denial. But rather, the choice to not add to or pass along anxiety. Non-Reactivity and Non-Judgment. To be able to respond instead of react. To thoughtfully consider, instead of instinctually knee-jerk. Rhythms Disciplines are activities within our power that enable us to accomplish what we cannot do by direct effort. The effect of discipline is to enable us to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done. (Dallas Willard) Solitude is choosing to step free from human relationships for a lengthy period of time, in isolation or anonymity, to make room for occupation of our lives by God. It is to do nothing and not try to make anything happen. It is the primary spiritual discipline which enables us to learn other disciplines Silence completes solitude. It is not an absence but a presence, a positive reality, in which we experience in quiet or are in a place with only natural sounds.

Mark 1:29-34 Simon's Mother In Law - yes Simon is married (this is later referenced in 1 Corinthians, that the apostles wives and family traveled with them) Sick with a fever - of course, couldn't go to synagogue. This was not because of the germ theory of disease. This was because of impurity, uncleanness. Perhaps inability; but even if she had been physically able, she would not allowed to go by the community.  Jesus' response - physical touch. To touch those that society had deemed unclean.  **Jesus has contagious purity.**  Why did the woman serve?   Because serving is the sign of being a disciple, in the way of Jesus   Her serving is not about her being a woman and therefore being put back in her rightful place.  Though, it is slight about being a woman, because women were not permitted to be disciples of a rabbi. They are not the people to whom you would be expected to look for an example of discipleship. But it is the woman who ends up being the example to which to follow. How do we know? Because there are only 3 examples in the whole of Mark's Gospel of people who serve. 1) The angels, who serve Jesus in the desert after his temptation. 2) This woman. 3) And Jesus Himself. "The Son of Man did not come into the world to be served, but to serve." Messianic secret (why does Jesus tell demons to be silent) Main Idea: The extraordinary kingdom of God is enacted through radical acts of hospitality and restoration.

In a more subtle way than the possession in our passage today, each of us too can be possessed by the initially small, subtle toe holds we allow evil to gain in our day-to-day life (e.g. anger, envy, grudges, us v. them politics, etc.). Our long journey, our very personal collaboration with God, to be more Christ-like is a long-term, gradual, non-linear exorcism/healing in slow motion.

Preacher: Heidi Mills Main Idea: Jesus' ministry of the Kingdom of God was about disrupting the unjust social order for the sake of creating a new social order. "Kairos time is the right or opportune time. It is a decisive moment in history that potentially has far-reaching impact. It is often a chaotic period, a time of crisis. However, it is through the chaos and crisis that God is fully present, disrupting things as they are and providing an opportunity to a new future--God's future.
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"Kairos time is, therefore, a time pregnant with infinite possibilities for new life. Kairos time is God's time. It is a time bursting forth with God's call to a new way of living in the world." Kelly Douglas Brown, Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God. Jesus disrupted the fishermen in the middle of their ordinary lives... so they can be a part of what Jesus doing.
 
The disciples don't know what the end result of this disruption will be, but they make the decision to follow anyway.  Pray: God, how are you disrupting my life, and what am I called to do or become in response?

Preacher: Richard Kelley   1) God's purpose is clear: to call us an others into God's story 2) God sees worth in everyone 3) God is not calling us to a new career; God is calling us to a new identity. "The claim of a God bigger than those who worship him, more gracious, more generous, more hospitable than they are, is at the core of what Jesus calls the good news, or the gospel, and it ought to be good news that God is bigger than we are." Reverend Peter Gomes

Mark 1:9-13 The Baptism of Jesus Main Idea God arrived in the person of Jesus to 1) Launch the New Creation; 2) show us what God is really like; and 3) to tell us how God really feels about us. New Creation Genesis 1 Separation of waters (where chaos lives) Living among the wild animals Spirit brooding above the waters Genesis 6—7 Heavens broke open Noah among the animals 40 Days/Nights Sign of New Creation is a dove Jesus' Baptism heavens are rent open Spirit descends like a dove Jesus in the wilderness 40 days With the wild animals What God Is Like Isaiah 64, "Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down." And then the rest of the chapter is about judgment Everything from here on shows us what it looks like for God to show up and render judgment How God Feels About Us Isaiah 42 - song of the suffering servant. "This is my son..." God says this to Jesus (notice the Trinity) God is saying this to you too

Mark 1:2-8 Something Old Opening Example: Favorite book/movie franchises? Question: What do we do with the Old Testament? Particularly the God of the OT? (Note: "Hebrew/Jewish Scriptures," "First Testament," "Old Testament" all refer to Genesis—Malichi) Marcion tried to answer this question by saying that the God of the OT was a different god than the God revealed in Christ. Therefore Christians should reject OT. Smacks of anti-semitism. Marcion wanted a Christinaity, "Untrammeled and undefiled by association with Judaism." But then we meet the opening of the book of Mark. "The beginning of the Gospel" begins with — the Old Testament. "Isaiah" quote is actually 3 Old Testament quotes. First Malachi 3:1, "Look, I am sending my messenger who will clear/prepare the path before me; Then suddenty the Lord (Yahweh) whom you are seeking will come to his temple." (God is going to come on the scene; but first a messenger). Which it self is a quote from Exodus 23 at Mt. Sinai, "I'm about to send a messenger/angel in front of you to guard you on your way and bring you to a place I've made ready." And a quote from Isaiah 40, "A voice one calling, 'In the wilderness prepare the way for Yahweh; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain shall become level, the rugged plaes a plain. And the glory of Yahweh will be revealed, all all people will see it together." (Which just a few verses later is the passage we talked about last week..."Tell the good news...here is your God!") Application: Jesus and NT is unintelligible without the OT. Something New Just because there's continuity with what came before doesn't mean something new isn't happening. In the stories of the first horseless carriages, the investors and inventors were ridiculed because what they were doing was "just a fad" or just a novelty. Cars were just doing the same thing horses had done for centuries. And horses were a lot easier to care for. John (and, we'll see, Jesus) had continuity with the past; but something brand new was happening as well. Wilderness. All the best stories happen in the wilderness. Wilderness was the place where God did new things. Red Sea, Sinai. Expectation was high that the messiah would show up in the wilderness to start the revolution. Baptism. This is what happened to Gentile converters to Judaism. John is doing it to Jews. Elijah. Same description as 2 Kings 1:8. And the expectation that Elijah would come back. "Look, I am sending Elijah the prophet to you, before the great and terrifyin day of the Lord arrives." Application: Reducing Jesus down to a "nice moral teacher" is an insult to what John proclaimed and the first Christians believed. Requires a Change of Direction John's message was to change direction. We think of repentance as negative. But it simply means to change direction. Repent is bit preachy. Christianeze. But, you know, we like it when people repent. Repentance can save lives. When people change their minds. (Gay marriage moved from being allowed in one state to all 50 from 2004-2015. One study showed that "Repentance" from banning gay marriage meant 134,000 fewer teens attempted suicide each year). Which, we also think of repentance and forgiveness of sins as an individual thing. And it can be. But it's also a community thing; a as-a-people thing. So, as we get closer to the death of Jesus, and we talk about "forgiveness of sins," remember that we're talking about a "nation-being-brought-of-an-exile" thing; not a "go-to-heaven-when-you-die, now-god-can-stand-to-be-around-you-thing." But here's the thing about repentance and forgiveness: Grace has little effect on those who feel they have no need of it.

Sunday, September 12, 2021. We begin a new series on the life of Jesus and the Gospel of Mark. We dive in deep on the opening verse of the gospel. It reveals to us that the Gospel is Political; the Gospel is News; and the Gospel is Good.   Read the full sermon notes by clicking here.

Pastor Anthony concludes our Race & Justice series. We talk about the need for starting the process over again, because it's not a one and done thing.

Lexi Mairone from The Table Church's preaching cohort preaches on how we must begin the conversation of "submission" in the right place.

Pastor Anthony teaches on how passages from Ephesians 6 and Colossians 3 have been misused. Did Paul really not have a problem with slavery? Or have we surrendered interpretation of the Bible to... people who really shouldn't be interpreting the Bible?