The Table Wk Seven // Neighboring
Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.
Matthew 5:29
Begin with prayer (5 minutes)
Gather together as a community in a comfortable setting (around a table, on the couch, the floor of the living room, etc.) Have somebody lead a prayer asking the Holy Spirit to guide your time together.
Spend a Little Time in Triads (10 minutes)
If you are short on time you can skip this section.
Spend a few minutes catching up on life…Then talk through the following debrief questions:
How was last weeks practice for you (Food as Justice)?
Did you listen to this week’s teaching? What stood out to you?
Transition Back to One Large Group (15-20 minutes)
Have a conversation around the following questions:
What factors did you consider before choosing your current residence?
Describe your neighborhood and the relationships that you currently have with your immediate neighbors. Do you have any ‘invisible’ neighbors (neighbors you don’t know at all)?
On a scale of 1 to 10 how hectic is your life right now?
Do you currently live at a pace that allows you to be present in your neighborhood?
Imagine yourself with the time it would take to be a great neighbor. What are the things you would have to sacrifice to make that a reality? Why would it be worth it? What could change in your life or in your neighborhood?
Talk About the Coming Week’s Practice as a Community (20-25 minutes)
Here’s the practice for the coming week:
Exercise #1: Block Map
The following is an exercise from artofneighboring.com
The center square is your home or apartment. The eight squares around it are your eight closest neighbors. Do the following for each neighbor:
On line A, fill in their name. Ideally first and last, but just put down what you know. If you don’t know their name yet, just put down question mark, or leave it blank. Do the same for the next two lines.
On line B, fill in any factoids you know that you couldn’t get from waving across the street: where they work, where they are from, how long they’ve lived there, what they do for fun, etc.
On line C, see if you can fill in any in-depth information: their dreams for the future, relationship status, their faith (or lack of it), experience with God or church, their childhood story, any pain, etc.
As a general rule, only 10% of people can fill in line A, only 3% can fill in line B, and less than 1% can fill in line C. The point here isn’t guilt and shame; it’s simply to plot out just how well you know (or don’t know) your neighbors, to get you started on the journey to loving them.
If you want to take this exercise even further, head to artofneighboring.com for more info or resources such as their block party kit, which is a great primer on how to throw your first block party.
Take time tonight in your group to have everyone fill out as much of the Block Map as they can.
Exercise #2: Brainstorming Session
The following exercise is from Bridgetown Church
Get out a whiteboard, journal, evernote file, or your word doc of choice, and brainstorm a list of creative ideas for neighboring (i.e., how to love your neighbors well by creating an environment of hospitality).
Feel free to do this by yourself via listening prayer or over food or drinks with your family, friends, or a few close neighbors.
Here’s our list to get you started:
Prayer walk your neighborhood and ask Jesus for his eyes and heart for your place
Go meet one of your neighbors that you don’t know yet
Invite all eight neighbors from your block map over for dinner over the next few months
Throw a block party on the next major holiday
Plan out holiday parties: 4th of July, Christmas, Super Bowl Sunday, May the 4th, etc.
Run a weekly neighbor night or BBQ through the summer
Start a Sunday dinner or sabbath dinner, where your table is open to family and friends
Do whatever you like to do, but with your neighbors: Into sports? Watch football. More of a reader? Start a book club. Like to cook? Start a supper club. Etc.
Make your home the hang out place for your kids’ friends. Invite kids over for a movie night. Have a special snack box in the pantry, etc.
Redo your budget and schedule to make room for hospitality
Practice reverse hospitality, where you bring food to someone - a sick neighbor, or a neighbor with a newborn, or somebody out of work, etc.
Once you have your list, pick out a few ideas and implement them in the coming weeks and/or months. Be intentional. Put it into your calendar!
As you practice hospitality, remember why we eat and drink with our neighbors, to“welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you.” (Romans 15v7)
And don’t forget to have fun as you go out and love your neighbors!
Work Through These Discussion Questions (15-20 minutes)
How much of your block map were you able to fill out? Any epiphanies as you did the exercise? What did you learn or feel as you did this exercise?
Any thoughts, creative ideas, or feedback on this coming week’s practice?
How do you feel about viewing your neighborhood as one of your primary callings form Jesus to Love Well?
Share one small “next step” that you feel God is calling you to take in the next 7 days.
Close in Prayer (10 -15 minutes)
Spend time in prayer for your neighbors. Take a moment to look at your Block Map, pause and ask the Holy Spirit to bring one neighbor to mind to pray for this next week, then take time as a group to each pray for a neighbor.
