New Day @ The Crossing

the crossing's leadership had an amazing retreat this weekend, and you'll see those developments rolling out throughout the summer. thanks to jason for putting in a TON of work, from developing the retreat design to facilitating and keeping us moving through some important work. thanks to brent for offering us all radical hospitality in west newbury. (if you've never gone to emery house, the episcopal monastic retreat center where brent lives and works, you just gotta make it happen.)

tonight we begin moving in some fresh directions:
-- a greater emphasis on developing common spiritual practices;
-- a more focused "sound" for the crossing (more chant and gospel, with space for original arrangements and pieces by our music minister, rosanne hebert);
-- more conversation & reflection between the whole group (stick around after each worship gathering and talk with the next week's leader about her/his ideas and plans; at the start of each month we meet for a "scrum" to look at the past month and ahead to the month following, i.e., talk about september at the start of july);
-- greater consistency of voice & practice from week to week (one person with a fairly deep practice leads the reflection and practice for an entire month - andy is up for tonight and all of july).

to see how some of these pieces flow together, have a look at the worship outline, pasted below.

thanks and blessings to all who are on this journey. let's keep talking and praying and dreaming together. god is up to something good!

pace,
rev. steph

[GATHERING]
SONG “Sanctuary”
WELCOME
SHARING GOD’S PEACE
PRAYER

[PRACTICE AND REFLECTION]
THE GOOD NEWS Mark 5:24b-34
PRACTICE
OTHER WORDS A Review of Reinventing Medicine: Beyond Mind-Body to a New Era of Healing by Larry Dossey (review by Erica Jorgensen)
SONG “Balm in Gilead”
REFLECTION
OPEN SPACE Your chance to respond to The Word ...
OUR PRAYERS We respond to each set of prayers by singing,“O Lord, hear our prayer, O Lord hear our prayer, come and listen to us.”

[GOD’S TABLE]
SHARING THE MEAL Close saying Lord's Prayer together
BLESSING
SENDING
Leader: Go in peace to love and serve God.
All: Thanks be to God!
SONG “Wade in the Water”

The Good News: Mark 5:24b-34
A large crowd followed Jesus and pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from internal bleeding for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but actually grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, saying, "If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well." Immediately her bleeding stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.

Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched my clothes?" And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?' " He looked all around to see who had done it. The woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."