We find ourselves in ordinary time, a time in which we learn to pay attention to the good news in the particulars of that which is routine and regular. As a faith community, we are a collective of people who live in various geographical areas we call parishes. We are the Trinity Collective. In our everyday lives, we serve as “chaplains” offering spiritual care to our neighbors - care that is rooted in, motivated and shaped by our faith, in the particulars of that which is routine and regular. During this season, we put into practice spiritual care as the Trinity Collective as we: see no stranger, are on the move, on call, a listening presence, lifting and dispersing the weight, and return to sacred spaces (see more notes below on each theme carried over from the Pentecost series).
Week by Week*:
June 12 - Baptism Celebration + Brunch (and on Zoom)
June 19 - Juneteenth and Father’s Day - Lifting and Dispersing the Weight: Walk and Talk with Sampson/Through2Eyes + Brunch (starting from and ending @ Provider)
June 26 - Listening Presence (and on Zoom)
July 3 - Holiday Weekend Brunch Gathering
July 10, 9-11am - On Call: with Kheprw @ Lawrence Community Gardens (watch your email for details and location)
July 17 - On the Move: prayer walk in Broad Ripple from COhatch
July 24 - Sacred Spaces: Worship in the Park @ Holliday Park (watch your email for details)
July 31 - Lifting and Dispersing the Weight (again): with The Avenue Foundation @ The Avenue Coffeehouse
August 7 - Brunch Gathering
August 14 - On the Move (again): Parish Prayer Walks (watch your email for details on meeting locations within each parish)
Saturday evening, August 20 (NO GATHERING SUNDAY) - See No Stranger: 4:30pm MOTW Fishers and 5:45pm prayer at Al Huda (watch your emails for details)
August 28 - Lifting and Dispersing the Weight (again): back at COhatch with Zoom option
September 4 - Holiday Weekend Brunch Gathering
*Please note that the schedule may change. Details will be communicated via email and in week-to-week Gathering bulletins. To be added to emails, please contact us. Most Gatherings will NOT have a Zoom option, unless specified.
Discussion Prompts:
-What is your favorite form of connecting with God - putting yourself in an attentive, prayerful position?
-Evaluate your regular practices and the rhythms of your week. Where might you build in margin to allow more attentiveness to your neighbors?
-Find a sacred space this week to be refreshed (this could be with or without companions).
-In what ways have you noticed following Jesus on the Good Road and sharing the good news costing you this week? Discipleship is costly. Allow the Spirit to speak and prompt you to action.
-What practices are helpful for dispersing the weight of suffering you shoulder? Pick one to engage or try this week.
-Spend some time with your neighbors. Where do you notice the Spirit at work? How might you join in?
-What is the Spirit revealing to you in our collective body as the church as you engage in our neighborhoods/parishes? Where might there be healing needed or occuring?
-How has this week’s practice during the Gathering challenged or encouraged you? Talk about it with someone else.
Themes:
See No Stranger. Jesus visits the disciples after the resurrection (John 20.19-31), making multiple “house calls”. As we stop and visit with people, we engage with wonder/curiosity. We “see no stranger” as witness to the presence of Christ with us. We extend to those we visit, as Jesus does, “Peace be with you.”
On the Move. As we move from place to place, the Lord meets us (often when we least expect) and calls us to turn from persecuting ways (Acts 9.1-20), to be transformed, and to share the good news of Jesus. We keep moving, and remaining flexible to respond to new revelations.
On Call. Like Peter, we respond to the call of our neighbors (Acts 9.36-43). We pray for (over and with) our neighbors. We sit with our neighbors, ready to offer “sacraments or anoint with oil”. We also might consider how to invite others to join with on “rotation”/share in the spiritual care of our neighbors.
Listening Presence. Like Peter (Acts 11.1-18), we remain open. We listen. We are present to the voice of God/the Spirit and to those in front of us. We meet people - no one is “unclean” or beyond the reach of God’s loving care. And we recognize and call forth the gifts that God has given each one.
Lifting and Dispersing the Weight. Jesus bears witness to many people who have lived in pain for quite some time - those who have been cast out (to the gate/edge of the city). When no one else has offered care in the midst of pain/suffering/unknowing, Jesus responds (John 5.1-9). When we join the work of God in our midst, we also must learn to disperse the weight we’ve shouldered & “discharge” the pain, individually and collectively.
Sacred Spaces. As God’s beloved (Romans 8.14-17), we find refreshment in sacred spaces for the work ahead.
(Image credit: Bryan Plata)