Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Life @ The Crossing: We're Back!

Back to work and back to school is hard enough. Getting back to church? That takes a small miracle. But we're gonna try to smooth things out, get re-grounded in the groove, see how the Spirit's fire can burn even brighter in our hearts and in our lives. Bring your friends and come to play, pray, dance, sit and serve with a worship community that's got room at the table for ALL God's children (and yeah, that means YOU):

THURSDAYS IN SEPTEMBER / Spiritual practice & Worship: We start @ 6pm, when Edith Bross leads us in the month's spiritual practice: praying with a partner. Worship begins at 6:30pm, with Ben Garren and Lynn Campbell (and others) alternately leading our reflections on the gospel. (Scroll to the bottom for September's scriptures, and if you've got an insight, share it!).

EVERY MONDAY IN SEPTEMBER / Monday Lunch Volunteers: Volunteer any Monday at The Cathedral @ 11:30am-12:30pm to serve lunch and build community with our hungry neighbors. See
www.thecrossingboston.org/events for more details, or get in touch with Rev. Steph at sspellers@diomass.org or 617.482.4826, x318.

3rd MONDAY - 9/17 / Faith-Sharing Group: Jason Long and Kendra McLaughlin co-lead this new, monthly home-based small group, where you can read parts of the book, "Simpler Living, Compassionate Life" and then reflect on how faith shapes our choices and how God moves in our lives. Contact Jason at
jason.long.1@googlemail.com; for directions, contact Kendra at kendra.mclaughlin@gmail.com or 857.939.0353.

4th MONDAY - 9/24 / Scripture Chat: Join us 2nd and 4th Mondays (okay, this month it's just the 4th Monday) for our Harvard Square Scripture Chat. Bring your deep thoughts AND your dumb questions to Grendel's Den as we share Bible study over brews & super-cheap dinner. Contact Chris Ashley at chris.ashley@gmail.com or 312.451.5124 Get details at
http://thecrossingboston.org/events.html.

BONUS POINTS / Jobs Available: We're hunting for two special people: an intern from a local seminary who wants to learn and explore with The Crossing throughout the fall and spring; and an assistant music director who will lead singing, stir energy and partner with Ed Broms, our music director. Email Rev. Steph for intern info (
sspellers@diomass.org) or Ed for music info (ebroms@diomass.org).

AND NOW, FOR THE MONTH'S SCRIPTURES (each Thursday's reading is taken from the Revised Common Lectionary readings for the following Sunday:
http://www.io.com/~kellywp/#September)

September 6: Luke 14:25-33
Now large crowds were traveling with Jesus; and he turned and said to them, "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, `This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions."


September 13: Luke 15:1-10
All the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."

So he told them this parable: "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, `Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
"Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, `Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.' Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

September 20: Luke 16:1-13
Jesus said to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. So he summoned him and said to him, `What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.' Then the manager said to himself, `What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.' So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he asked the first, `How much do you owe my master?' He answered, `A hundred jugs of olive oil.' He said to him, `Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.' Then he asked another, `And how much do you owe?' He replied, `A hundred containers of wheat.' He said to him, `Take your bill and make it eighty.' And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.

"Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."

September 27: Luke 16:19-31
Jesus said, "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, `Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.' But Abraham said, `Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.' He said, `Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father's house-- for I have five brothers-- that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.' Abraham replied, `They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.' He said, `No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' He said to him, `If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"


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