Starting over – that’s what the celebration of a new calendar year is all about, right? A chance to start from zero – a clean slate. A fresh budget. A diet and fitness routine. A new way to look at your world. 

For the past few months at The Table, we’ve been talking about another kind of starting over. We’ve been asking ourselves what “church” is really all about. When Jesus said “my church”, did he envision the complex corporate and geopolitical force of hierarchy, rules, and traditions the world at large has come to know? Or was His plan more primal, more elemental?

We’ve been wrestling with these questions through a series of gatherings we’ve called “The Jesus Sessions.” Each week we’ve gathered for communion, worship, and discussion centered around the attitudes, actions, and teachings of Jesus. We’ve learned a lot, asked a lot, and shared a lot. 

And now we look to the road ahead. 

The question now is simple: if we were truly starting over – if we had no concept of what “church” or “Christianity” should look like as an organizational structure, what would we build? What types of expressions, gatherings, and activities would be authentic to both the work of Jesus that has ransomed and transformed our hearts and the culture He has sent us to live, work, and share His good news in? 

This weekend we begin the next phase of our journey – we review what we’ve learned, and begin to lay the foundation for what we will become. To be honest, I’m not 100% sure what that will look like. I have some thoughts and dreams and a vision to be sure, but I haven’t seen it all yet. I know what is in the past, and I know Jesus calls us into His future. I think a lot of John’s words these days:

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be.

– I John 3

We know that Jesus is our model, and we desperately want to become more and more like Him. Now we set about the work of putting His actions, attitudes, and commandments into practice. 

If you’ve always been drawn to Jesus, but found church confusing, join us in this journey. We’re not working through a program or starting up an organization – The Table is just a group of people who love Jesus and want everyone they know to meet Him. The rest we’ll figure out as we go – starting January 5th @ 6pm. Join us as we begin to discuss “The Road Ahead” and develop our shared vision for 2014.

Jon