house church (7/29/10)

oh, i did that thing again. that thing where i go for a few months sending the weekly emails out to the community but not posting on the blog. my bad! here i am, dutifully catching up. somehow, it seems important to have this log. don't ask me why :)

first up, an entry from july 29, at the start of our summer sabbath:

Blessed Summer Sabbath! Every summer at The Crossing, we take a breather to get out of the hot Cathedral sanctuary and find God in smaller places. And so, for the next five weeks, at 6pm on Thursdays, instead of our usual worship, we're doing House Church: gathering in local homes to share some evening prayer, some food and community and (hopefully) some air-conditioning. Tonight, you're welcome to Beth Graham's house in Somerville (details below). It's a wonderful opportunity to grow relationships and get to know others' stories -- if we really rock this, imagine the community we'll return to when we return to the Cathedral on September 2 for our fall kick-off!

Speaking of September ... I need to offer up huge thanks and blessings for all those to whom we said goodbye at last week's worship gathering, and prayers for all those who are gonna miss them so much. It was an extraordinarily tender night -- yes, stuff got real -- with plenty of tears and ear-to-ear grins. It was especially poignant for me after my two-week trip to Italy. Every time I think my heart couldn't get more full with love for this circle of brothers and sisters, something like last week happens and I realize there's yet more room and more love. I thank God for this whole, beautiful body of Christ, and I pray God's grace over every one of us as the summer and our lives continue to unfold.