Communion & Welcoming The Spirit
Begin your night by taking communion together, whether a full meal together or some version of the bread and the cup. To facilitate your time, have someone read the liturgy we’ve provided below and spend a moment in silence before continuing:
As we eat and drink together tonight, help us to remember that we exist in and from the outpouring of your love – Father, Son, & Spirit.
As we talk and spend time together tonight, help us to take part in the divine, Trinitarian dance happening in our midst.
As we pray together, help us to remember that your base emotion towards us is love; let us dwell within the pleasure of your delight.
Fill us anew with Your Spirit;
Wash us anew in Your love;
Renew us again in Your strength.
Amen.
Read This Overview
Every year, Bridgetown Communities are invited to set aside some intentional time during our Vision Series to look at the year ahead and discern together where it is that the Spirit is leading. Last week, we spent some time naming what we loved about our Community before Covid, what God did in us during Covid, and what we want to see God do in our Community this coming year. And while dreaming about the future is integral to the health of a Community, simply naming these things doesn’t mean they will happen. This will also require commitment.
Do This Tonight
The Vision Series practice for tonight is two-fold: 1) we want to review the Commitments together and then 2) we want to spend some time celebrating together.
First, the Commitments. Please read the list of Bridgetown Community Commitments out loud for everyone. While we all hopefully read them on our own this week, it is important to read them together now so that we can all be sure that we’re on the same page. Remember that two marks of healthy expectations are that they’re spoken out loud and that they’re agreed upon. Once you read them out loud, spend some time working through the following questions. As best we can, let’s try and press into the honesty and vulnerability in this conversation that we will need for the season ahead. If possible, it would be good to hear from everyone, since we’re all a part of the Community.
- Reflect on what your commitment to Community has done for you in this last season. How has it shaped you or changed you?
- Based on these Commitments, share one or two areas that come naturally to you and that have been easy for you to commit to over the last season?
- Next, share one or two areas that you have struggled to commit to over the last 18 months.
- In light of all this, where do you need to welcome accountability and recommit yourself to this Community in the season ahead?
Next, the celebration! Spend the rest of the time tonight celebrating however your Community decided to last week. Go get some ice cream, play a board game, sing some songs! Do something fun together to celebrate everyone’s re-commitment.