At the Table

Seeing the Sacred in the Everyday

barrpres1 — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:00:01 +0000

People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child - our own two eyes. All is a miracle.
Thich Nhat Hanh

The beyond is not what is infinitely remote, but what is nearest at hand.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

We came to look for the sacred
On a Saturday in Rehoboth
So we had to exercise
Our eyes and ears and all our senses
Especially the extra ones that have no name
We had to wait

We talked
About the holy and the ordinary
The transcendent and the commonplace
The consecrated and the everyday
We talked
About the irruption of the sacred into the world
And the mark it makes on what we believe is real
We came to look for the sacred

We walked out
Into the world of color
And light and sound
That sharp smell of pine
Geese calling across the lake
To see if we could capture it
To see if it would show itself

We were equipped
We had cameras! We had camera phones!
We walked out and looked around
Everything was there

The rain stopped
The sun came out
The creation opened
Here is what we saw

Worship service for January 22

barrpres1 — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 14:10:29 +0000

We invite you to join us for praise and fellowship on Sunday! Click here to see the order of worship this week: this Sunday’s bulletin

Weekly Update 1-19-12

barrpres1 — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 13:00:45 +0000

Want to know what’s going on at Barrington Presbyterian Church? Just read Reverend Patrick Notley’s Weekly Update! Get the latest news by clicking here: 01-19-2012. If you would like to receive an emailed copy of our Weekly Update, send a request to bpc400@barrpres.org. If you have news you’d like us to cover, let us know!

Men Who Cook is almost here!

barrpres1 — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:13:39 +0000

Fat Tuesday is on its way! Tickets for Barrington Presbyterian Church’s famous Men Who Cook 2012 community dinner on Tues February 21 are now available, so act fast and reserve some for your friends and family. Our chefs are gathering ingredients for another irresistible menu and look forward to serving you and the rest of the festive Mardi Gras crowd. Are you hungry yet? Come in and pull up a chair! Not only will you have a great meal, but all proceeds from Men Who Cook will benefit TAP-IN and the East Bay Coalition for the Homeless.

Men Who Cook is Tues February 21. Dinner starts at 6:30 sharp. Tickets are $15 for adults, $7.50 for children 6-12, and $40 for a family. To purchase tickets, call us at 401-245-2218. Thanks to photographer Andrew Christhilf for these photos from last year’s feast!

The Invasion of Earth

barrpres1 — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:49:55 +0000

Sermon by Rev. Patrick Notley
January 8, 2012
Mark 1:4-11

Using the words Schisomenous, which literally means to rip open or to tear apart, to describe the opening of the heavens that Jesus witnessed after his baptism and Katabainon, which contains the meanings of being thrown down or plummeting down, to describe the descending of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus, the writer of Mark paints a picture that is far from the more serene images we often hold about the aftermath of Jesus’ baptism.

To read Rev. Notley’s sermon, go to the pdf file: 01-08-2012 — The Invasion of Earth

Epiphany soup and song!

barrpres1 — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 22:51:12 +0000

We celebrated Epiphany with ten different kinds of soups, coins in cupcakes, and a round of singing. All in one take! See this link to watch the video and see who got the crowns this year!

Weekly update 1-12-12

barrpres1 — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 22:51:29 +0000

Want to know what’s going on at Barrington Presbyterian Church? Just read Reverend Patrick Notley’s Weekly Update! Get the latest news by clicking here: 01-12-2012. If you would like to receive an emailed copy of our Weekly Update, send a request to bpc400@barrpres.org. If you have news you’d like us to cover, let us know!

A Christmas message that lasts

barrpres1 — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 02:53:27 +0000

The Baby is here. Here to stay, and we are now called to be the witnesses for this baby who grows, who preaches and teaches and who lives, dies and lives again for all. We who are here in this place on this day, this Christmas day, are called to be the voices who cry out in the wilderness of our day and age that God is not absent, that Christmas is not over, that the gift that was given so long ago is still present, still viable and no matter what can never be taken away.

Regardless of how many Christmas trees we pass by on the way home today that are already out on the curbside announcing to the world that Christmas is over, the truth is that Christmas has barely just begun, for the gift that was given to humanity in the form of a helpless child continues to call us even today to move out from this place and proclaim to the world that God’s love has been, is and will continue to be present and available to all.

- from Christmas Day sermon 2011, Rev. Patrick Notley

New Beginnings

barrpres1 — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 02:22:03 +0000

Sermon by Rev. Patrick Notley
January 1, 2012
Luke 2:21-40

Whether it is on this day when we will be offered innumerable opportunities to remake and reinvigorate our lives or whether it is on any other day, the simple reality of our faith is that God is present with us all of the time.

To read Rev. Notley’s sermon, go to the pdf file: 01-01-2012 — New Beginnings

The Baby’s Here! Now What?

barrpres1 — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 02:01:40 +0000

Sermon by Rev. Patrick Notley
December 25, 2011
John 1:1-14

From the very first phrase in this text we learn that we are being called to recall the entire story of God’s presence in the world from before creation, through the act of creation to the present time of our lives.

To read Rev. Notley’s sermon, go to the pdf file: 12-25-2011 — The Babys Here Now What