Feasting
Psalm 23 is a reflection on the provision of God our Shepherd who, “prepares a table before me, […] anointing my head with oil, my cup overflows.” The spiritual practice of feasting or celebrating is when we set aside time to taste and see that the Lord is good. It’s when we enter into the story of God’s people as those who regularly set aside times to party with praise.
The main practice this week is to plan to throw a party with the people in your Discipleship Group in the coming weeks. (Groups may want to pair together depending on spouses and families!)
The invitation is not to throw a party the way the world throws parties, but to have a Kingdom-type of celebration in which you get together to celebrate the joy of life with God and to enjoy food and drink as Jesus would. This is a form of worship as you draw near to God through gratitude. In Kingdom parties, everybody is invited to revel in God’s presence and to leave with joy.
The purpose of your discussion today is to start planning, so spend some time brainstorming what you want this celebration to look like. And by the end of your time, hopefully you have at least a rough sketch of a feast. Now, it should be said that if your Discipleship Group doesn’t have the extra cash to put towards this, that’s not a problem at all! There are so many creative ways to throw a party on a budget and the internet is full of ideas!
Some questions and ideas that can help you get started:
What kinds of things is God doing amongst us that we want to celebrate? How can we recount stories of God’s work in Collective Church over the past seven years? Possibly by going around the table like Thanksgiving celebrating God’s provision to us individually or as a community. Maybe by working around the table each celebrating God’s work in one another’s life. What are your enemies which sit by while you feast that you can name and celebrate Jesus’ victory over (death, Satan, Sin, addiction, past wounds, etc.)? A recommended element would be opening or ending the dinner with a reading from Psalm 23.
Consider beginning the meal with someone praying “A Liturgy for Feasting with Friends.”
Do you want this party to happen when we already meet? Or do we want to plan it on a different day? If we are needing to partner with other DGs, how can we make sure they are invited and involved?
What resources do we have to put towards this? (e.g.time, money, energy, access to venue, etc.)
Where do we want to have the party? Dinner at one of our homes? Get dressed up for a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant?
What kinds of food and drink do we want? How can we prepare a table before us? How will our cupss overflow?
What kind of dress do we want for thee feasst? For some DGs, getting dressed up would heighten the celebrations!
What games do we want there, if any?
If we have children present, how can we include them in the party and praise? This would be an incredible moment for parents and other members of the community to bless the children of our church by speaking God’s love for them!