New Year’s Eve Open House

We’re having another New Year’s Eve party this year. Like last year it will be at Andy & Beckie’s home (see the image below for the address). Everyone’s welcome and it’s friendly for humans of all ages. There will be fun and games, fire and a sauna. Bring a snack to share (and a bathing suit & towel if you want to try the sauna). It starts at 7pm.

Good Friday Stations – Fasting & Prayer – Resurrection Sunday

The events celebrated during Holy Week are epic. Jesus’ passion, crucifixion, burial and resurrection are not only central to the Christian calendar, they are the central events of all of history. However, most of us skip over the discomfort and pain of Good Friday preferring to jump straight to Easter Sunday – joyfully imbibing all the excitement and energy of the resurrection. We are right to be excited and energized by Jesus’ resurrection (and our eventual resurrection too, by the way!). However, in our excitement for Sunday, we miss the gifts offered in Good Friday and Holy Saturday. If we resist the urge to short-circuit, and if we linger in the way of the cross on Good Friday, and the nothingness of Holy Saturday, our celebration on Sunday will take on a whole other quality. Light is most brilliant when juxtaposed with darkness.

Here’s what’s up this Easter at the Vineyard:

Palm Sunday (April 14, 10am):

Andy will be teaching about Fasting in order to prepare us for our community fast from Good Friday to Resurrection Sunday.

Good Friday (April 19, 7pm)

Stations of the Cross Service & Exhibit

This year we will be worshipping together, and considering the Stations of the Cross through the eyes of one particular artist along with meditations from Scripture. Here’s what he writes about the images like the one above:

“The Stations of the Cross began as a practice of pilgrims going to Jerusalem who would retrace the final journey of Jesus to the hill where He was crucified. For the many who wanted to pass along the same route, but couldn’t make the trip to Jerusalem, a practice developed that eventually took the form of the Stations of the Cross that you can find in many churches today.

This journey to the cross is not only a meditation of Jesus accomplishing what He came to do – the redemption of humanity through His own willful sacrifice – but its also a contemplation of Jesus silently participating in some of the worst aspects of being human. Being tempted. Being betrayed by a friend. Being convicted in an unjust system. Physical pain. Mockery. Broken family relationships. Public humiliation. And a lot of our greatest fears… having to die. These are all aspects of human life that he was not insulated from. In fact on the cross he quotes King David saying “My God My God, Why have you forsaken me?”… as if to say ”Why is it like this?” He was one who was not separate from our own pain.

I don’t think our deepest question is “Is there a God?”
I think our deepest question is “Is there a God that’s with us in all this?”

These stations are a cross-section of elements, ideas, and objects from Jesus’ journey of being with us. As you work through these stations, may you see the that we are not troubled guests in this world… that we are not forgotten… and that the good news of this season was expressed best by Jesus when he said “in this world you’ll experience many trials. But take heart…. I have overcome the world.”

~ Scott Erickson

Fasting & Prayer: Friday – Sunday

Our Fasting will begin on Friday continue through Holy Saturday, a day of apparent nothingness, and be broken on Sunday.  The seed placed in the ground. Waiting. Our fasting echoes this “giving up” that Jesus did. This discipline isn’t to earn favour, nor is it an attempt to twist God’s arm into getting something you want. Rather, it’s a physical act of solidarity with Jesus. It’s a discipline and it’s a pain. Every time your stomach reminds you that you’re hungry you can recall what Jesus did and is doing, and you can offer a prayer – you can be reminded that ultimately we rely on Jesus for sustenance. When we break the fast on Sunday morning, we are rising with him – emerging from darkness to the glorious light of his resurrection – feasting on the new life He has for us and the whole world!

 

Resurrection Sunday (April 21, 10am)

Of course, this brings us to Easter Sunday. We will party, worship and celebrate God’s accomplishment all morning. Emerging from the shadows of the weekend, and blinking from the dazzling, blinding light of the resurrection, we will celebrate the first stunning glimmers of the new creation – and we’ll invite more (and He’ll show up)!

You are encouraged to contribute to the festive atmosphere in any number of the following ways:

>>Bring an acoustic instrument (drums, rattles, guitars, etc) or any other tool of worship.

>>Bring plants or flowers to decorate the space with signs of life.

>>Bring your Dancing Shoes (literally and figuratively).

 

New Years Eve Party

Beckie and Andy are opening their doors for a family friendly New Years Eve Bash and they’d love for you to come! 729 College Avenue. Drop in any time after 7pm. Bring a suit and a towel for the sauna and a snack to share. There will be a campfire and games as well. Everyone is invited!

 

Easter at the Vineyard

The events celebrated during Holy Week are epic. Jesus’ passion, crucifixion, burial and resurrection are not only central to the Christian calendar, they are the central events of all of history. In terms of importance Easter ranks higher than Christmas – a fact that is lost on most of our children and many of us adults too. We just like the cradle more than the cross. In a similar way, we typically skip over the discomfort and pain of Good Friday preferring to jump straight to Easter Sunday – joyfully imbibing all the excitement and energy of the resurrection. We are right to be excited and energized by Jesus’ resurrection (and our eventual resurrection too, by the way!). However, in our excitement for Sunday, we miss the gifts offered in Good Friday and Holy Saturday.

If we resist the urge to short-circuit, and if we linger in the way of the cross on Good Friday, and the nothingness of Holy Saturday, our celebration on Sunday will take on a whole other quality. Light is most brilliant when juxtaposed with darkness.

Here’s what’s up this Easter at the Vineyard:

Palm Sunday (March 25):

Joyce Rees from Epic Vineyard in Calgary will be sharing with us. She will be here with a team.

 

Good Friday (March 30): Into the Shadows

Walk of the Cross, 6pm – 6:45pm

During this year’s Walk of the Cross we will journey with Jesus as we read and listen to the scriptures concerning his final supper in Jerusalem, the agony of the knowledge of what was to come in Gethsemane, his betrayal on the Mount of Olives and his Trial in Jerusalem. As we walk with the physical cross we will stop at various points throughout the neighbourhood to consider our own crosses – find our own ways to connect with Jesus on this guided journey. Wear appropriate attire and walking shoes. This event will be child friendly. The Walk of the Cross leads thematically into the Good Friday Service – we recommend that you participate in both.

Good Friday Service, 7pm – 8pm

Then we’ll come back to 782 Main St. for our Good Friday Service to consider and experience his journey to what they called Golgotha, the “place of the skull”, where he was crucified. We will also be with him as they laid his body in the tomb. This service will employ all the senses. It will be a visceral experience. We encourage everyone to participate in both the Walk of the Cross and this service, however if you can’t make it on the walk, you’re still welcome to join this Good Friday service. Children are welcome (we will talk about death and the crucifixion and will nail our own stuff to the cross, literally, but it won’t be gratuitous). We end by placing the cross in the basement.

Fasting: Friday – Sunday

Our Fasting will begin on Friday continue through Holy Saturday, a day of apparent nothingness, and be broken on Sunday.  The seed placed in the ground.  Waiting. Our fasting echoes this “giving up” that Jesus did. You can fast for the whole weekend, or part of it. You can choose to fast from food, or anything else you feel God may be inviting you to give up. Ask him. This small sacrifice isn’t to earn favour, nor is it an attempt to twist God’s arm into getting something you want. Rather, it’s a physical act of solidarity with Jesus. It’s a discipline and it’s a pain. Every time your stomach reminds you that you’re hungry (or every time you go to check your phone – if you’re fasting from social media), etc, you can recall what Jesus did and is doing, and you can offer a prayer. When we break the fast on Sunday morning, we are rising with him – emerging from darkness to the glorious light of his resurrection – feasting on the new life he has for us and the whole world!

 

Darkness to Light (God’s Joke): Sunday, 10am

Of course, this brings us to Easter Sunday. We will party, worship and celebrate God’s accomplishment all morning. Emerging from the shadows of the weekend, and blinking from the dazzling, blinding light of the resurrection, we will celebrate the first stunning glimmers of the new creation – and we’ll invite more (and he’ll show up)! On April Fool’s day, we will celebrate God’s great surprise ending – the ultimate joke.

You are encouraged to contribute to the festive atmosphere in any number of the following ways:

>>Bring an acoustic instrument (drums, rattles, guitars, etc) or any other tool of worship.

>>Bring plants or flowers to decorate the space with signs of life. You’ll be invited to bring your items forward at a specific time in the service. Afterwards, you can gift your flowers to someone in our community as an act of sharing God’s love with them. 

>>Bring your Dancing Shoes (literally and figuratively).

 

 

New Year Celebration!

Let’s welcome the New Year with a celebration!

On Sunday, Dec 31 at 10am we will have a Celebration Service. We will look back at 2017 and take it all in. The good, the bad, the ugly – and give it all to God with gratitude. We will look forward to 2018 with anticipation. We will come together to encounter the living God! Emmanuel – Jesus – the very representation of the Father made present to us by the Holy Spirit. Living in us – active amongst us. Healing, restoring, reconciling, renewing.

Join us!

 

Nuit Blanche / Wall-to-Wall 2017

We are hosting a party in our parking lot again this year!  

Saturday, Sept 30, 6pm – 9:30pm.  

BBQ, musicians, arts and crafts, and artists working on a live collaborative graffiti piece – all at 782 Main St Parking Lot.

It’s the culmination of the Wall-to-Wall festival that has seen five new contemporary street art pieces emerge in the neighbourhood.  It’s also part of the North End Arts week and Nuit Blanche Winnipeg festivities.  And, as if that weren’t enough, our parking lot is the rendezvous point for the Rainbow Trout Music Festival Bike Jam.

Wall-to-Wall 2017 is a collaboration by Synonym Art Consultation, North End Community Renewal Corporation and Graffiti Art Programming (the same people who organized the murals on our building). The purpose of the Wall-to-Wall project is, in their own words, “to transform an under-utilized warehouse district and to provide platforms for under-represented voices to be heard.” We’re expecting 1,800 people this year.

Also, the Flatlanders Studio will be open all evening as an official venue of Nuit Blanche. It will be showcasing a show called “Selcouth: a look into the upbringing of Winnipeg’s metal musicians.”  The Bear Clan will be onsite for security in the Parking Lot.

Schedule:

    • 6pm – Free Hotdog BBQ

    • 6:30pm – Faouzia

  • 7:30pm – Super Duty Tough Work X Studio 393

  • 8:30pm – DJ Srub

  • 9:30pm – Rainbow Trout Music Festival Bike Jam Departs

 

Saturday, Sept 30, 6pm – 9:30pm.

 

 

 

A New Year Celebration – stomping on snake heads and other reasons to party

I came across this painting by Sister Grace Remington a few years ago while doing research for a sermon.  I can’t recall what the sermon was on but this painting has stayed with me, lingering in my inbox.  It moved me then and it still moves me now.  I find myself in it – perhaps you will too.

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Painting by Sister Grace Remington, OCSO Sisters of the Mississippi Abbey in Dubuque, Iowa

This painting speaks with a simple eloquence of the hope that Christmas points to.   But more than that it speaks to me of my condition as a descendant of Eve – as one who has been infected by the serpent’s venom – as one who has been tripped up too many times by the cunning temptations hung before me like plump juicy fruit (pears by the look of it in this rendition – I love pears…).  It reminds me that the rebellion of my ancient biblical ancestors lives in me too.

This painting also speaks to me of another reality I’m learning to live into.  It calls me to recall my position and identity within God’s family.  The snake has bitten my foot (“bruised” as the Hebrew puts it).  It hurts and the venom is deadly.  However, the head of that very same snake has been struck (again, bruised) by the baby in that womb.  The prophecy spoken to the serpent in Genesis 3 has been fulfilled in the coming of Jesus (he will bruise your head, you will bruise his heel).  In other words, the snake will go down fighting, but he will go down (technically he already has, but that’s for another post).  This picture is pregnant with this promise.  It beckons me to live up to this hope and to allow my life to be infused and transformed by it.

This is worth celebrating.  Not the shallow kind of celebration that denies the difficult parts of my reality, but the authentic and genuine praise that erupts from the throats of worshippers who have tasted of freedom and are longing for more!  The kind of deep celebration that happens when the one stuck in pain and loneliness feels hope communicated to them through the loving embrace of community.  It’s the joyful tears of forgiveness, and the melodies that well up from within when the sweet tastes of hope and freedom replace the bitter flavours of sin.  We have reason for hope and we have reason to celebrate!

Jesus has come.  Jesus is with us.  Jesus has the last word (and the word after that too).  

 

Let’s party.

This Sunday, January 1, 2017.  10am.

P.S.  We will start on time (as usual) – don’t miss out by being late.

 

Spread the Love! ~ Flatlanders Dance Party

Tomorrow, August 26th, 5:30 p.m. Flatlanders is hosting a dance party and potluck in the Flatlanders greenspace to celebrate our neighbourhood and summer! They have been given a gift from the Simple Way in Philadelphia and want to pass it on!  So Come and join the dance! This will be a great time to get to know people. They will be collecting donations to pass on to another community in the city.

Please bring a side or a dessert to share, a donation, and your dancing shoes!

*If the weather is unfavourable, we will move the potluck and dance party to Saturday instead!

Annual Vineyard Community Feast

It’s coming!  This Sunday, December 14th, right after our morning gathering (no upstairs service, and downstairs the kid’s will be sharing) we will party with our Vineyard community Christmas celebration.  Make sure you plan to join us for food and togetherness.  It’s a great time to enjoy a hot lunch together, and get to know some new people.  Both the main gathering area and Flatlanders Studio (3rd floor) will be set up directly after the service.  The Studio will be set up specifically for those with children.  Join us!