This year Christ Kaleidoscope is learning about and leaning into the practice of Sabbath. During the Lenten season we are entering this practice by participating in a weekly Shabbat Dinner.
Shabbat dinner marks the event that transitions us between the everyday ordinary and the holy and sacred day of Sabbath. It is a meal, usually with others, that welcomes in this holy day of rest.
To follow along with this practice as designed, you’ll need a candle and a lighter/matches as well as a meal and ideally others to share it with. Either choose a host to read through this liturgy and prayers for you, or split the job up among those attending.
Finally after the meal has begun, we’ve provided some discussion questions for conversation around specific parts of Sabbath, to help you consider and plan what it means to practice the Sabbath yourself.
Shabbat Dinner Liturgy
Welcome:
Today we come together to practice the act of setting aside time as sacred. To pause and remember the goodness and provision of our Lord, and do so alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ in fellowship and community. We eat this meal together tonight as a rehearsal of what is to come and all that we have to look forward to when the Kingdom of God is fully present.
Light a candle and pray together:
Blessed are You, Eternal our God, Sovereign of time and space.
You hallow us with Your teachings and guidance and command us to kindle the lights of Shabbat.
Prayer of Blessing over the meal:
(adapted from the Jewish prayer of Birkat HaMazon)
Sovereign God of the universe, we praise You: Your goodness sustains the world. You are the God of grace, love, and compassion, the Source of bread for all who live; for Your love is everlasting. In Your great goodness we need never lack for food; You provide food enough for all. We praise You, O God, Source of food for all who live.
As it is written: When you have eaten and are satisfied, give praise to your God who has given you this good earth. We praise You, O God, for the earth and for its sustenance.
Merciful One, be our God forever. Merciful One, heaven and earth alike are blessed by Your presence. Merciful One, bless this house, this table at which we will eat. Merciful One, send us glimpses of good to come, redemption and consolation. Merciful One, help us to see the coming of a time when all is Shabbat.
May the Source of peace grant peace to us, to all Israel, and to all the world. May the Eternal grant strength to our people. May the Eternal bless our people with peace. Amen.
Discussion Topic: Closer to God
We are taking this time of Lent to learn more about Sabbath and how we can practice it. Discuss as a group the idea of drawing closer to God. Here are some prompts to help with the conversation:
In what physical places do you feel closest to God?
When you feel distant from God, is there anything you have done that helped you feel closer again? What was it?
How do you connect with God on a regular basis? What’s the most natural way you feel his presence?
Can you identify any barriers in your life between you and God? Doubts, questions, anger, indifference, overwhelm, etc. that put space between you?
This year Christ Kaleidoscope is learning about and leaning into the practice of Sabbath. During the Lenten season we are entering this practice by participating in a weekly Shabbat Dinner.
Shabbat dinner marks the event that transitions us between the everyday ordinary and the holy and sacred day of Sabbath. It is a meal, usually with others, that welcomes in this holy day of rest.
To follow along with this practice as designed, you’ll need a candle and a lighter/matches as well as a meal and ideally others to share it with. Either choose a host to read through this liturgy and prayers for you, or split the job up among those attending.
Finally after the meal has begun, we’ve provided some discussion questions for conversation around specific parts of Sabbath, to help you consider and plan what it means to practice the Sabbath yourself.
Shabbat Dinner Liturgy
Welcome:
Host read aloud:
Today we come together to practice the act of setting aside time as sacred. To pause and remember the goodness and provision of our Lord, and do so alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ in fellowship and community. We eat this meal together tonight as a rehearsal of what is to come and all that we have to look forward to when the Kingdom of God is fully present.
Prayer for the time together
Light a candle and pray together:
Blessed are You, Eternal our God, Sovereign of time and space.
You hallow us with Your teachings and guidance and command us to kindle the lights of Shabbat.
Prayer of Blessing over the meal:
(adapted from the Jewish prayer of Birkat HaMazon)
Host read aloud:
Sovereign God of the universe, we praise You: Your goodness sustains the world. You are the God of grace, love, and compassion, the Source of bread for all who live; for Your love is everlasting. In Your great goodness we need never lack for food; You provide food enough for all. We praise You, O God, Source of food for all who live.
As it is written: When you have eaten and are satisfied, give praise to your God who has given you this good earth. We praise You, O God, for the earth and for its sustenance.
Merciful One, be our God forever.
Merciful One, heaven and earth alike are blessed by Your presence.
Merciful One, bless this house,
this table at which we will eat.
Merciful One, send us glimpses of good to come, redemption and consolation.
Merciful One, help us to see the coming of a time when all is Shabbat.
May the Source of peace grant peace to us, to all Israel, and to all the world. May the Eternal grant strength to our people. May the Eternal bless our people with peace. Amen.
Discussion Topic:
We are taking this time of Lent to learn more about Sabbath and how we can practice it. Discuss as a group the idea of work. Here are some prompts to help with the conversation:
What are the kinds of tasks that make up your occupation? Reading emails? Gathering or analyzing data? Making reports?
What are the kinds of tasks that make up your chores at home? The things that keep your place in order and stocked up?
What are the things you enjoy about your work (occupationally and domestically)?
Why might it be good to take a break from even the things we enjoy?
What would you have to plan for and do to make it so that you don’t need to work for a set amount of time each week?
This year Christ Kaleidoscope is learning about and leaning into the practice of Sabbath. During the Lenten season we are entering this practice by participating in a weekly Shabbat Dinner.
Shabbat dinner marks the event that transitions us between the everyday ordinary and the holy and sacred day of Sabbath. It is a meal, usually with others, that welcomes in this holy day of rest.
To follow along with this practice as designed, you’ll need a candle and a lighter/matches as well as a meal and ideally others to share it with. Either choose a host to read through this liturgy and prayers for you, or split the job up among those attending.
Finally after the meal has begun, we’ve provided some discussion questions for conversation around specific parts of Sabbath, to help you consider and plan what it means to practice the Sabbath yourself.
Shabbat Dinner Liturgy
Welcome
Host read aloud:
Today we come together to practice the act of setting aside time as sacred. To pause and remember the goodness and provision of our Lord, and do so alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ in fellowship and community. We eat this meal together tonight as a rehearsal of what is to come and all that we have to look forward to when the Kingdom of God is fully present.
Prayer for the time together
Light a candle and pray together:
Blessed are You, Eternal our God, Sovereign of time and space.
You hallow us with Your teachings and guidance and command us to kindle the lights of Shabbat.
Prayer of Blessing over the meal
(adapted from the Jewish prayer of Birkat HaMazon)
Host read aloud:
Sovereign God of the universe, we praise You: Your goodness sustains the world. You are the God of grace, love, and compassion, the Source of bread for all who live; for Your love is everlasting. In Your great goodness we need never lack for food; You provide food enough for all. We praise You, O God, Source of food for all who live.
As it is written: When you have eaten and are satisfied, give praise to your God who has given you this good earth. We praise You, O God, for the earth and for its sustenance.
Merciful One, be our God forever.
Merciful One, heaven and earth alike are blessed by Your presence.
Merciful One, bless this house,
this table at which we will eat.
Merciful One, send us glimpses of good to come, redemption and consolation.
Merciful One, help us to see the coming of a time when all is Shabbat.
May the Source of peace grant peace to us, to all Israel, and to all the world. Amen. May the Eternal grant strength to our people. May the Eternal bless our people with peace.
Discussion Topic: Rest
We are taking this time of Lent to learn more about Sabbath and how we can practice it. One very important part of the Sabbath is learning how to rest. Discuss as a group the idea of rest. Here are some prompts to help with the conversation:
Is resting hard or easy for you? Why do you think that is?
What seems restful on paper, but leaves you empty or drained instead?
What helps your body rest? Your mind? Your spirit?
Every week on Sunday we will be posting a new set of reflection questions based on themes and areas of our lives that are important to look at on a deeper level. We hope this is a chance to take some time to look inward, to process, to ask intentional questions about your life and bring those reflections to God, asking him to show us what is going well and what might need to change.
The sixth area of life we are going to reflect on is Jesus.
Why Jesus: Reflecting on how we think of Jesus can give us a lot of insight into how we are doing spiritually. Just as we can get into relational ruts with others, we can get into a relational rut with Jesus too if we allow the status quo to just keep us going. Taking time to ask ourselves how things are going and how we are feeling about a certain relationship is a great health check to see if everything is going well or if some things might need to change.
Reflect: Here are some reflection questions to help you work through this topic. Feel free to answer all of them or just some, and if you’re not sure of the answer, try journaling about why you’re not sure of it…it may just help you figure it out! If you’re an extrovert or a verbal processor, try going through these questions with a friend!
Who do I picture Jesus to be? What attributes do I associate with him? What do I think his personality was like?
How connected or close to Jesus do I feel? What do I think is causing that closeness or distance?
How do I think about Jesus’ dying on the cross? Grateful? Ashamed? Questioning its necessity? Confused?
If Jesus was sitting right across from me now, what would I ask him or say to him?
What do I think Jesus would say back to me?
How do I think Jesus fits into the “good life” God wants for me?
Pray with me: Jesus, you are an important part of my life. Show me where you want to meet me today. Reveal to me your true self and strip away all the misconceptions I have of you. Increase the intimacy of our relationship and open my heart to you. Help me follow you in your way, everlasting. Amen.
Bonus: If you make it through the thematic list of journaling prompts this week and would like some more general ones to guide you, try some of these:
Am I noticing any changes in myself or my spiritual life as I journey through Lent?
What has been heavy on my heart or mind today?
How do I feel today? What am I worried about or excited for?
How do I need God to show up for me today? Is there anything I need to ask him for?
How have I seen God show up for me in the past? What has he already done or been doing in my life?
Every week on Sunday we will be posting a new set of reflection questions based on themes and areas of our lives that are important to look at on a deeper level. We hope this is a chance to take some time to look inward, to process, to ask intentional questions about your life and bring those reflections to God, asking him to show us what is going well and what might need to change.
The fifth area of life we are going to reflect on is church.
Why Church: Church with a capital “C” is the corporate body of believers around the world. Church with a lowercase “c” is the specific community I worship God with at any given time. The church is meant to be a reflection of the Church in a tangible way, a fellowship of believers coming together to encourage one another in the life God has given all of us on the earth in the here and now. The Church and church, however, are imperfect places of imperfect people reflecting and sharing the love of God as best we can, however far we fall short. Taking time to reflect on our experience of church, why we go, what we do there, what we receive and what we give to others, can help the Church move closer to a true reflection of God’s love and what he hopes we as his hands and feet can do in this world.
Reflection: Here are some reflection questions to help you work through this topic. Feel free to answer all of them or just some, and if you’re not sure of the answer, try journaling about why you’re not sure of it…it may just help you figure it out! If you’re an extrovert or a verbal processor, try going through these questions with a friend!
Why do I (or don’t I) go to church?
What do I think the point of church should be? How do I think the church lacks these things? What can I do to help change that?
How do I give to my church community?
How do I receive from my church community?
How do I think church fits into the “good life” God wants for me?
Pray with me: God thank you for the body of believers here in this world. Help me see my role and my part in this body, both as one that is cared for by it and also cares for it in return. Give us wisdom and direction as your church to do your will in this world, loving others as you have loved us. Amen.
Bonus: If you make it through the thematic list of journaling prompts this week and would like some more general ones to guide you, try some of these:
Am I noticing any changes in myself or my spiritual life as I journey through Lent?
What has been heavy on my heart or mind today?
How do I feel today? What am I worried about or excited for?
How do I need God to show up for me today? Is there anything I need to ask him for?
How have I seen God show up for me in the past? What has he already done or been doing in my life?
Every week on Sunday we will be posting a new set of reflection questions based on themes and areas of our lives that are important to look at on a deeper level. We hope this is a chance to take some time to look inward, to process, to ask intentional questions about your life and bring those reflections to God, asking him to show us what is going well and what might need to change.
The fourth area of life we are going to reflect on is our mind.
Why Our Mind: The things we think about and give our attention to matter. For most of us, the majority of our thoughts will be about what we do for work, the thing we do to make a living. Outside of that, though, how do we engage our mind? God has made our minds a powerful thing – we have incredible imaginations and power to understand so much, therefore it is good to reflect on what we think about and how we choose to engage our mind with the world around us.
Reflection: Here are some reflection questions to help you work through this topic. Feel free to answer all of them or just some, and if you’re not sure of the answer, try journaling about why you’re not sure of it…it may just help you figure it out! If you’re an extrovert or a verbal processor, try going through these questions with a friend!
What do I spend the most time thinking about throughout my days, besides my occupation? How do I feel about this?
What have I become an expert on? What does my mind understand really well?
Is there anything I avoid thinking about too much because I don’t understand it or it overwhelms or confuses me?
Beyond my occupation or what I do for work, what do I like to do that engages my mind? How often do I get to do this thing/these things?
What is my favorite thing to make? It doesn’t have to be a physical product like art, food, or crafts…it could be written like essays or poetry, or a tool like spreadsheets or event plans. What do you like to produce that’s helpful, good, or beautiful to you?
How do I think my mind and work fit into the “good life” God wants for me?
Pray with me: Creator God, you have made us in your image as creative beings with powerful minds. Help me use my mind and hone it. Help me engage with the passions and interests you have given me. Help me think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy (Phil 4:8). Amen.
Bonus: If you make it through the thematic list of journaling prompts this week and would like some more general ones to guide you, try some of these:
Am I noticing any changes in myself or my spiritual life as I journey through Lent?
What has been heavy on my heart or mind today?
How do I feel today? What am I worried about or excited for?
How do I need God to show up for me today? Is there anything I need to ask him for?
How have I seen God show up for me in the past? What has he already done or been doing in my life?
Every week on Sunday we will be posting a new set of reflection questions based on themes and areas of our lives that are important to look at on a deeper level. We hope this is a chance to take some time to look inward, to process, to ask intentional questions about your life and bring those reflections to God, asking him to show us what is going well and what might need to change.
The third area of life we are going to reflect on is our physical bodies.
Why Physical Bodies: Our bodies were formed by God, intentionally and with care. We were created as physical beings that need food, rest, and exercise. How we pay attention to our bodies (or not) greatly affects our life here on earth. Therefore it is important to reflect on how we are caring for our bodies, how we are giving it what it needs and keeping it from what harms it.
Reflection: Here are some reflection questions to help you work through this topic. Feel free to answer all of them or just some, and if you’re not sure of the answer, try journaling about why you’re not sure of it…it may just help you figure it out! If you’re an extrovert or a verbal processor, try going through these questions with a friend!
Do I find it difficult to take care of my physical body? Why or why not?
Why do I eat what I eat? Does what I eat energize me or weigh me down?
How much rest do I get? What does rest look like for me?
What is the most enjoyable type of physical activity for me? How often do I get to do this?
How often do I spend time outside? How do I feel after I’ve spent time outside?
What might my physical body and health have to do with the “good life” God wants for me?
Pray with me: Lord, help me see my body as a gift from you that needs tender loving care and sometimes tough love as well. Help me think of my physical self as just important as my spiritual and mental self. Help me be intentional with what I do with my body and keep me from temptation and harmful things that keep me from the good life you want for me. Amen.
Bonus: If you make it through the thematic list of journaling prompts this week and would like some more general ones to guide you, try some of these:
Am I noticing any changes in myself or my spiritual life as I journey through Lent?
What has been heavy on my heart or mind today?
How do I feel today? What am I worried about or excited for?
How do I need God to show up for me today? Is there anything I need to ask him for?
How have I seen God show up for me in the past? What has he already done or been doing in my life?
Every week on Sunday we will be posting a new set of reflection questions based on themes and areas of our lives that are important to look at on a deeper level. We hope this is a chance to take some time to look inward, to process, to ask intentional questions about your life and bring those reflections to God, asking him to show us what is going well and what might need to change.
The second area of life we are going to reflect on is community.
Why Community: We do not live in isolation. We live in a world surrounded by other human beings, most are strangers, some are friends. The people we choose to spend our time with and our energy thinking about have major effects on us and how we encounter the world. It is good, therefore, to take time to reflect on these communities we have built. To get curious about how they affect us. To get intentional about who we surround ourselves with on a regular basis.
Reflection: Here are some reflection questions to help you work through this topic. Feel free to answer all of them or just some, and if you’re not sure of the answer, try journaling about why you’re not sure of it…it may just help you figure it out! If you’re an extrovert or a verbal processor, try going through these questions with a friend!
Who do I spend most of my time with? Does spending time with this person/these people fill me? Edify me? Agitate me? Draw me closer to or further from God?
What do I tend to do with other people? Why?
Is there something I wish I did with others that I could start doing or do more of?
Is there something I do with others that I need a break from – it takes up too much time/energy/doesn’t bring me closer to the “good life” God wants for me?
Pray with me: Lord, you have created this world full of people. Show me the ones you have called into my life for a purpose and show me those that I may need to take some space from for a time. You have given us the gift of community, of togetherness. Please inspire me as to what this can look life in this life you have given me. Amen.
Bonus: If you make it through the thematic list of journaling prompts this week and would like some more general ones to guide you, try some of these:
Am I noticing any changes in myself or my spiritual life as I journey through Lent?
What has been heavy on my heart or mind today?
How do I feel today? What am I worried about or excited for?
How do I need God to show up for me today? Is there anything I need to ask him for?
How have I seen God show up for me in the past? What has he already done or been doing in my life?
Welcome to CK’s Lent Journey for 2024! The past few years our church has been looking at Lent through the lens of taking on certain practices with the intention of letting go of other things in our lives that distract or detract from our lives with God. This year, one of the practices we are recommending for Lent is reflection, whether that is by journaling or through talking with a trusted friend.
Every week on Sunday we will be posting a new set of reflection questions based on themes and areas of our lives that are important to look at on a deeper level. We hope this is a chance to take some time to look inward, to process, to ask intentional questions about your life and bring those reflections to God, asking him to show us what is going well and what might need to change.
The first area of life we are going to reflect on is time.
Why Time: Our days are marked by time. When we do things, what order we do them in, how much we are able to do, all depends on time and how we have ordered our day. It is important, therefore, to stop and reflect on how we spend our time. Our days are a gift from God and we choose how to fill them. Let’s take some time to reflect on our time and how we spend it and why we spend it the way we do.
Reflection: Here are some reflection questions to help you work through this topic. Feel free to answer all of them or just some, and if you’re not sure of the answer, try journaling about why you’re not sure of it…it may just help you figure it out! If you’re an extrovert or a verbal processor, try going through these questions with a friend!
Why do I wake up when I wake up? Why do I go to sleep when I go to sleep?
What do I do when I have free time?
Write out a typical schedule of your day, what takes up the most time? The least? Is this the ranking you want to see? What could change and how would it change?
Is there anything I spend my time doing that doesn’t draw me towards the “good life” that I think God wants for me? What is it?
Pray with me: Lord, you have given me my days and the time each one brings me to do and be. Guide me through my days and the decisions I make on how to spend them. Give me wisdom to know what can and should be done and what needs to be left for another time. Lead me towards good things to fill my time and away from things that are not. Amen.
Bonus: If you make it through the thematic list of journaling prompts this week and would like some more general ones to guide you, try some of these:
What hopes do I have for growth in my spiritual life as I journey through Lent?
What has been heavy on my heart or mind today?
How do I feel today? What am I worried about or excited for?
How do I need God to show up for me today? Is there anything I need to ask him for?
How have I seen God show up for me in the past? What has he already done or been doing in my life?
Last week we began to hint at how the implications of mimetic desire might lead to the events leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion on a Roman cross. There is a kind of domino affect. When we desire what others desire and others desire what we desire, this can give way to rivalries. We are all going after the same thing and therefore we are tempted to see ourselves in a competitive relationship with one another.
We see this most clearly in sports, which is often what we probably think of first when it comes to rivalries – Lakers vs Celtics, Yankees vs Red Sox, Giants vs. Cowboys. These teams are all going after the same thing – to be the last team standing. Their rival is the one that refuses to let that happen.
Rivals are those we come to recognize as the biggest threat to our getting what we want. But not all rivalries are bad. Sometimes they push us to heights we otherwise would not have been able to reach had it not been for the competitive fire fanned into flame by our rival. But rivalries, as we all know, also have the potential to bring out the ugliest parts of us. What begins as friendly competition can quickly turn into hostility and violence.
Building on the work of the French thinker René Girard, Luke Burgis, in his book “Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life,” provides a kind of roadmap as to what happens in society at large given our penchant for imitation. We might call it the Mimetic Cycle.
If our mimetic desires set us against one another and we see each other as rivals going after the same thing, this can lead to enmity and conflict. The life of the community is threatened if there is no way to resolve the escalating cycles of hostility and resentment caused by mimetic desire. As Burgis points out, what Girard saw was that throughout human history this kind of crisis was resolved by singling out a particular person or minority group against which all the people could be united. As a result, the violence of each against all is able to give way to the violence of all against one.
By sacrificing this one person or group, there is a kind of catharsis, the “air is cleared”, and peace is achieved. But this peace is only temporary. There is a lull in the mimetic machine, but then the engine starts up again. Our desires slowly begin to be drawn toward the desires of others. New rivalries arise, conflict ensues and the cycle continues with another sacrifice needed to calm the erupting volcano of hostility. All are united in blaming him, her or them and on and on it goes, repeating itself ad nauseam.
What is important to note is that this tendency toward ganging up on a sacrificial victim happens unconsciously. That is, we don’t know we are doing it. If we were aware of what was happening it wouldn’t produce the kind of catharsis needed to keep us from societal implosion.
This is why it is called a scapegoat mechanism.
Clearly, those we sacrifice are not guilty of the blame we pile on them. We are scapegoating them, heaping upon them our violence and hostility for reasons of expediency. But if we knew that that was what we were doing then we would know that what we were doing was unjust and wrong. And so this act of scapegoating happens beneath surface. It is a mechanism triggered unconsciously in us during moments of terrible crisis. We don’t think about it. It just happens.
This leads us to Good Friday. One way to understand the events that unfold in Jesus’ last week is that this scapegoating mechanism is triggered – in the crowds, in the religious leaders and in the Roman officials. These parties which have shown to be at rivalrous odds with one another are somehow all united by week’s end. What brings them together is these joint decision to execute a lowly carpenter from the marginalized town of Nazareth.
And so we hear the religious leaders say, “You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish,” (John 11:50). We find the crowd, who were proclaiming Jesus as the long awaited Messiah only a few days ago, screaming, “Crucify him!” (Matthew 27:22). Then there is Pilate, who we see give in to the mob for the sake of political expediency (Mark 15:15).
And at the end of it all, we hear Jesus pray from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,” (Luke 23:34).
The Last Scapegoat
What we find in this way of reading the events leading up to the crucifixion is that Jesus fulfills the need for a sacrifice. But it is important to recognize who it is that is demanding a sacrifice. To put it more sharply, God is not the one demanding the sacrifice. Jesus dies not to satisfy God’s desire for a sacrifice, but our desire for a sacrifice.
In this video clip, Irish writer and thinker Pete Rollins, gives a concise and eloquent summary of this way of understanding what is accomplished on the cross.
Scripture
We now come to our sixth and final reflection on Matthew 20:20-28. In past weeks we have pointed out how the disciples are prone to imitate the desire of “the Gentiles and their high officials.” These, in a sense, are their mimetic models. And what do the disciples see these models doing? As Jesus tells them, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them,” (Matthew 20:25).
This is the desire behind James and John’s request to sit at Jesus’ right and left in verses 20-21.
In response, Jesus tells them, “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mimetic desire becomes problematic when what is desired is something only a few can have. This is what turns our neighbor into a competitor and where rivalries are born. Notice in our passage that this is precisely what happens with the disciples. The others learn about James and John’s requests and Matthew tells us they are indignant. They are offended. Why? Presumably because they were each jockeying for the same thing. They had not yet understood the vastly different model confronting them in the life and teaching of the one they called Lord. And as a result, a rivalry was brewing among them.
Rather than climb higher, Jesus advises the disciples, and us, to reverse course. When we climb higher up the pyramid we find that there is less room for others and so, out of necessity, we need to knock off those who are above us and kick down those below us. But if we go with the way of downward mobility we find there’s room for everyone.
At the bottom we find that we don’t need to scapegoat anyone in order to bring peace to our enmity, because we have already done away with our enmity by receiving one another as friends.
What God does in Jesus is replace the mimetic cycle of scapegoating with one that begins and ends with the example of Christ.
We still begin with mimetic desire, but our model is no longer “the Gentiles and their high officials,” but Christ himself. And rather than invite us into a world of scarcity, Jesus graciously invites us to gather around the abundance of his table; a table where there is always room for more. At this table we are not afraid of losing our spot. So instead of looking at the speck in our rival’s eye, we are able to look at the log in our own. Rather than find a scapegoat to blame we are able to confess and receive one another as friends and in so doing, live into the peace made possible through Christ’s body broken for us, his blood shed for us.
