When I was a young theology student some 100 years ago (it seems) I remember taking a preaching class where I was told to preach what I know. That’s exactly what I’m going to do this week as I borrow from the academic work I spend most of my life engaged in by using the sparse, minimalist literature of Ernest Hemingway to think about what the spaces, the omissions, the gaps and the silences tell us about the stories we read (and write), the relationships we maintain, the faiths we explore and the world we inhabit.

If that doesn’t make a lot of sense, don’t sweat it, just show up and we’ll work through it with a little help from icebergs, Frank Lloyd Wright, the King James Bible and good old ‘Papa’ Hemingway.

Coffee and Kid’s Table will both be on and my phone tells me it’s supposed to be a balmy -8 on Sunday, so break your hibernation and join us!

Happy New Year to you all! Well, let me make a small adjustment to that. A Meaningful New Year to you all!  A friend of mine once pointed out that having a “happy” life probably isn’t a great goal. Life is just too complex and uncertain for us to pin our hopes on something as ephemeral as “happy”. But, he said, having a meaningful life was a different matter. Life can be filled with meaning and purpose and still embrace the whole range of human experience, including the bright colors of happiness and the darker hues of suffering and sadness.

Seeking out and working at making such a life requires what I’m calling “seeing”. It means that we have to learn how to look at, attend to and make meaning of the events of both our own lives and those around us. And for most of us, that means having an evolving understanding. It means we can’t just figure things out once and for all, and then work with that paradigm for the rest of our lives. And changing our understanding, changing our way of seeing, can be pretty tough going.

This Sunday morning (at Pantages – we’re just not quite sure if it’ll be on the main floor or lower level), we’ll explore the story of someone that thought they had it all figured out…until life threw them a curve ball and their way of seeing was altered. It’s a good news story, particularly if we’re inclined to be skeptical.

I’m looking forward to being with all of you.

Peace,

Tim Plett

Hello Blurb-Receivers! (I know…you are all unique individuals, and I wouldn’t change that for the world, but I’m sending the same thing to each of you, so in this instant you are a group. Hope that doesn’t feel injurious to anyone.)  A few more details than usual to follow, so I’m going to keep the Talky Bit description brief.

Symbols, even dearly loved ones like the ones we may encounter in the season we call Christmas, can mean more than one thing. That means that they can also be re-invented, or understood differently than they were before. It’s a normal, and even important, human project. I would also suggest that it’s a normal and important project in the realm of faith and / or spirituality. It’s not new. It’s pretty much as old as the oldest parts of the story we have in Christendoms sacred texts. This Sunday, we’re going to poke around in that terrain a bit – sort of toy with the history of the re-invention of Advent in particular, and Christmas in general.

Now, on the the details:

-In a place that is as hot as this one is cold (Mwenize province in Africa, to be precise), 70% of the project farmers involved with Score Against Poverty are done planting. This is very good news! Pugeni asks us all to keep these folks in our thoughts and prayers. Try this – whenever you feel like you are too cold, pray for the Mwenize farmers. That should get a couple of prayers zipping around!

-Not Quite Christmas At The Table…it’s shaping up nicely! December 29th, Pantages, doors at 5:30, Feast at 6:00, Program at 7:00. No shepherds in bathrobes, but I think it’ll be something not to miss even without that. It’s a BYOB event; The Table will buy some hams and perogies (we need one more person to cook a ham, but the other hams and perogies have found hosts), Ray has promised to cook a turkey and the rest of it will be potluck. I’ll have a sign up sheet with me on Sunday to give us a clue about who might bring what. Also, this is an event folks have often invited friends and family to. They don’t need to bring anything – just show up. Same goes for anyone that doesn’t feel they can contribute to the potluck in general. Just come…you won’t go home hungry. On the eco-friendly front…feel very free to bring your own glasses / mugs, etc to this event or to any Table event. The more we do this, the less we trash out.

–This Sunday will be our last gathering before the 29th, as we are NOT meeting on December 25th.

-Location: Pantages – both for this Sunday and on the 29th. That will be the case ongoing, with the exception of one date in January. I’ll keep you posted.

I’m looking forward to being together on Sunday.

Peace to you,

Tim Plett

Hey all…I find it curious that so many of us seem to experience Christmas as uniquely fatiguing. I know this isn’t the case for everyone, so if you’re a Christmas fan my apologies in advance. Perhaps this will help you understand those that are not. In any case, I suspect the reasons for this phenomenon are multi-faceted and complex so I’m not going to try to offer something definitive, but I also think there are some ways to look in on the dilemma that might be illuminating. This Sunday morning I’m going to explore some of the impact of both history and human nature on the thing we call “Christmas”, and in particular on some of the ways we make it too small an idea. (If your thinking “Oh no…not a BIGGER version of Christmas!”, you can relax. This exploration is intended to provide relief, not to add to the load.)

We’re at Pantages this week, and for the weeks to come. Kid’s Table is in full swing, and we’re working on putting together the details of our “Not Quite Christmas” gathering on the evening of December 29th. That will also take place at Pantages. The schedule for that evening is doors open at 5:30, Feast at 6:00, Gathering at 7:00…hang out until it’s apparent to everyone that the part is over. A general outline of how we’re approaching the food part of the evening is that we’ll need a few volunteers to take home, prepare and bring hams that The Table will purchase. The Table will also purchase some perogies that need to be heated up and brought. The rest of us can contribute to the pot luck – salad, buns, desserts. It’s a BYOB event, so start thinking now about what festive beverage pairs perfectly with a “Ukrainian meets Mennonite meets Manitoban” Christmas meal. Ask Google that one…

I look forward to being together on Sunday.

Peace to you all,

Right – so, for those of you that keep track of such things, or even for those of you that find it curious how the marketing mavens can co-opt just about anything, last Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent. Advent, despite the way it often gets treated, is NOT an extension of Christmas. That said, it aims at Christmas…not unlike the way in which Lent aims at Easter. Waiting, self-examination, and yes, anticipation are all key features of this season. This week, Kathy is going to be taking on the Talky Bit. It sounds to me like a good fit for the “anticipation” part of the season.

Here’s what she wrote about what she will be considering:

Kathy 

NOTE: We will be at Sam’s Place this week. Coffee (fair trade, organic…all things good) will be ready when you get there.

I’m looking forward to being with you.

Peace,

Hey all…I was in a conversation with one of our kid’s music teachers this past week who said that the upheaval of the American election results was like an elephant in the room. You’re pretty confident that everyone is aware of it’s presence (it is, after all, rather large and orange in color), but you’re not sure if you should mention it or not. So, although it won’t be the core of what we’re exploring this week, it’ll certainly factor in to our consideration of alternative orthodoxies, in this case the particular belief that no one needs to be scapegoated or excluded. That sounds like a tough sell, particularly in the face of not just binary politics but dramatic polarization of opinions, but we’re going to wade on in there anyway. I will endeavor to stick to my notes…

Other important matters:

Location: Pantages.

Please note: next week (November 20th) we will be gathering at Sam’s Place (159 Henderson).

Kid’s Table: We’re planning to send them off to the turret, once again. They seem to like it up there…

Other Dates To Note: The “Christmas Season” dates are unique this year in that Christmas Day falls directly on a Sunday, as does New Years Day. Our experience has been that a high percentage of our community spends those days at locations other than The Table, so we won’t be meeting on either the 25th or the 1st. However, we have made it our practice (and a delightful one, I would say) to have some gathering during this time of year where we can enjoy a feast of relationship, food, and music. We’re going to do that this year as well, and just to cover all the bases we will have that gathering on the EVENING of December 29th. We’ll be at Pantages. Doors at 5:30, Dinner at 6:00, Gathering at 7:00.

I’ll keep the reminders coming, but for now HOLD THE DATE!

I’ll see you on Sunday.

Peace to you,

Tim Plett

Greetings to you all. I’m intrigued by the phrase “alternative orthodoxy”.  As you may know, the word “orthodoxy” can mean “right or authorized belief”. Operating as we do in a world in which the “authoriz-ers” of belief are rapidly loosing their cultural grip, I think the time is right for the kind of mash-up that an idea like “alternative right belief” can represent. So this week, we will return to our re-examination of some particular orthodox beliefs, in this case the idea of God as “one”. I won’t say much more about that here, except that I hope to illustrate the possible linkage between the implications of the reconsideration of that orthodoxy and the experiencing of hope in the midst of suffering. Hopefully that linkage will be less complicated than the previous sentence…

Other pertinent details:

Location: Pantages.

Kid’s Table: Good to go…

Also, a reminder that as mentioned the past two weeks, the crew that is helping the sustainable agriculture project happen in Zimbabwe need a couple of smart phones and laptop computers. They can be used, but should be in good working order. If you’ve got anything like that around the place, bring it on Sunday and I’ll get it to Pugeni. One of the people from the U of M is traveling out there in November and has room in their luggage to take these items along but this is probably the last opportunity we have to bring such things before they leave for Zimbabwe.

I’ll see you on Sunday.

Peace to you,

Tim Plett

All right – before someone accuses me of cultural appropriation, the subject line is quoting an old Veggie Tales clip, in which a wise, seasoned, road-worn character tells a young wanna-be musician that he can’t possibly know anything about the blues. He just plain hasn’t lived enough of life. It’s worth remembering that all the “actors” in said clip are talking vegetables. I’m not exactly sure what culture that is. In any case, the old sage proceeds to try to cause some “suffering-lite” to give the youngster a clue about the blues. Given the deeply troubling circumstances that are so significant in the history of the blues, I doubt if it worked.

I’m writing all of this as a set up, of course. It’s a set up for what I want to explore this Sunday, which might reasonably fall under the heading “Give God the Blues”. And no, I’m not going to tell us that if we feel down all we have to do is “give those blues to Jesus!” and watch them vanish. Not even close. Beyond that, I’m going to remain enigmatic and invite you to come and see. Except to say this – if you face challenges with mental health, depression, anxiety or related issues, as many of us do, I won’t be speaking directly to that. I hope that can help if you’re wondering if this Sunday will feel safe for you. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.

Other relevant details:

Location: Pantages. If you were at Sam’s Place last week and have any feedback about that location, please let me know.

Kids Table – Good to go!

That’s it for now. I’ll see you on Sunday.

Peace,

Hey folks – just a very quick blurb this week to deal with the essentials.

Location – we’ll be at Sam’s Place (159 Henderson Hwy). Time is the same (10:30). Parking is right beside the building.

Kids Table – good to go! We’re so pleased that this alternative location has a place for our little’s to gather. Yeah!

Talky Bit – We’ll be continuing our exploration of Alternative Orthodoxy with some consideration of the implications of a “multi-part” understanding of God, not the least of which is that such an understanding points toward a benevolent universe – a world in which we don’t need to be afraid to explore and engage. Sounds like good news for a faith community that exists to facilitate the exploration of belief…

I’ll see you tomorrow!

Peace,

Tim Plett

The quote in the subject line is courtesy of my three-year-old, who asks me that question (with the sort of inflection only toddlers pull off without sounding like jerks) more often than I would like to admit.

I feel like it’s an appropriate question because we’ll be talking about worship music, a subject that tends to be as contentious as it is amorphous, since everyone has his or her own way of defining and appreciating the act of singing together within a religious gathering.

So this week I’m going to spend some time working through my own evolving thinking about what constitutes worship as a sung activity and what defines a “worship song.” In doing so, we are going to dig into a song that at least one member of our community (who is not me) has called our church’s unofficial theme song.

We’re meeting at Pantages this week, in the lobby. Coffee and Kid’s Table will be on and waiting for you.

Hope to see you all on Sunday!

-Tim Penner