On Sunday, 19th June at 4pm (GMT) we will gather on Facebook Live (or on YouTube) with interactive discussions afterwards in Zoom. You can follow along with the running order below and find any links that you need.
We have an online worship gathering every Sunday at 4pm and we are also meeting for a weekly online prayer gathering Wednesdays at 7:30 via Zoom. If you would like to ALSO connect with one of our mid-week Zoom Community Groups email newchurchbirmingham@gmail.com.
This is our monthly Sunday where we take a look at a Book or Podcast. This Sunday, we’ll be drawing on themes from The Book of Joy – a conversation about joy and suffering between Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama. First, at 4pm we’ll meet together for songs, stories and reflections on the book on Facebook Live and YouTube.
We’ll also have an opportunity to ‘meet’ for discussion afterwards via ZOOM at 5:15 for our July Book & Podcast Discussion Club – The Book of Joy. Both this gathering and the discussion are open to ANYONE even if you haven’t read the book!
Welcome (Danielle)
Song – Lighthouse (IGB Band)
Question for Sharing (Molly & Adam):
Is there something in life that gives you joy? (It could be a special person, a place, a food, a piece of art or something else).
Prayer (Nettes)
Today’s prayer is attributed to Archbishop Desmond Tutu adapted from an original prayer by Sir Francis Drake.
Disturb us, O Lord
when we are too well-pleased with ourselves
when our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little,
because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, O Lord
when with the abundance of things we possess,
we have lost our thirst for the water of life
when, having fallen in love with time,
we have ceased to dream of eternity
and in our efforts to build a new earth,
we have allowed our vision of Heaven to grow dim.
Stir us, O Lord
to dare more boldly, to venture into wider seas
where storms show Thy mastery,
where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.
In the name of Him who pushed back the horizons of our hopes
and invited the brave to follow.
Amen
Song (Dave) – Your Love Feels Like TrumpetsReading (Martin):
Today’s gathering draws on themes from The Book of Joy, which is a conversation between The Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu about joy and suffering. For our reading today, I’ll be sharing two quotations from the book:
These word are from Desmond Tutu: “The Dead Sea in the Middle East receives fresh water, but it has no outlet, so it doesn’t pass the water out. It receives beautiful water from the rivers, and the water goes dank. I mean, it just goes bad. And that’s why it is the Dead Sea. It receives and does not give. In the end generosity is the best way of becoming more, more, and more joyful. If you are setting out to be joyful you are not going to end up being joyful. You’re going to find yourself turned in on yourself. It’s like a flower. You open, you blossom, really because of other people. And I think some suffering, maybe even intense suffering, is a necessary ingredient for life, certainly for developing compassion.”
These words are from the Dalai Lama: “Joy is the reward, really, of seeking to give joy to others. When you show compassion, when you show caring, when you show love to others, do things for others, in a wonderful way you have a deep joy that you can get in no other way. You can’t buy it with money. You can be the richest person on Earth, but if you care only about yourself, I can bet my bottom dollar you will not be happy and joyful. But when you are caring, compassionate, more concerned about the welfare of others than about your own, wonderfully, wonderfully, you suddenly feel a warm glow in your heart, because you have, in fact, wiped the tears from the eyes of another. “Reflection– (Julia & Sam) – The Book of Joy (Scroll down for details of our Zoom discussion at 5:15)
Story – An Autism Journey (David)
Song – Be Still (Ellie & Ali)
Love Feast (Danielle, Joel, Martin, Evie & Josie)
Song (IGB Band) – Joy of the Lord
What’s Coming up (Danielle) *
Blessing: “May we live fully, love wastefully and have the courage to be all that God has created us to be.”
*If you are part of our community and would like to make a gift toward Inclusive Gathering Birmingham, you can do that here. Anything you give helps to support the costs of making church happen and allows us to be generous as a community. There’s no pressure to give!
After our Worship Gathering, at 5:15 anyone who would like to continue to discuss these themes from the podcast ‘Is Deconstruction Bad?’ is invited to move over to Zoom for our Book & Podcast Discussion Club.
Here’s the direct link to today’s Zoom at 5:15…. full Zoom details available here.
If you’ve got any questions about Inclusive Gathering Birmingham or would like to have a chat with someone from our community, please email newchurchbirmingham@gmail.com and we’ll be in touch.