by Rodney Marsh
For about 15 years I have been using John Main’s trinitarian prayer to introduce my twice daily, thirty minute meditation sessions: “Heavenly Father, open our hearts to the silent presence of the spirit of your Son. Lead us into that mysterious silence where your love is revealed to all who call, ‘Maranatha…Come, Lord Jesus” On Trinity Sunday I thought how immensely grateful I was that John Main left us this prayer.
When I was first struggling with the practicalities of meditation I thought of changing John Main’s prayer “my heart” and “lead me” but I remembered that Jesus himself taught us to say, “our Father” and when I meditated I was praying with all those who, in Jesus name and in the power of the Spirit, pray to the Father of every family in heaven and on earth.
The Worldwide Community for Christian Meditation has preserved this prayer as part of the goal of Community to “communicate and nurture meditation as passed on through the teaching of John Main in the Christian tradition in the spirit of serving the unity of all.” It is the trinitarian nature of John Main’s understanding of the ‘prayer of the heart’ that makes our meditation “Christian”. John Main makes clear that, through the work of meditation, we are joining our spirits with the Spirit of Jesus in communion with his and our Abba in our hearts.
John Main explains, “Meditation is …. an incredibly simple means of leading us into an integral awareness of the nature of our own being and of the central, authenticating fact of our being which is the Spirit (of Jesus) praying ‘Abba, Father’ in our heart.” Speaking of different forms of all prayer (including meditation), John Main says “There is only one prayer, the stream of love between the Spirit of the risen Jesus and His Father, in which we are incorporate.” (quotes from Word Into Silence)
Entering into the mystery of stillness and silence in meditation I experience my being resting in God’s being and, for me, John Main’s trinitarian model gives voice to my experience. As the Greeks say, “theology springs from prayer”.
I wrote this poem to signify the communion of all prayer.
What is Prayer?
The Spirit hovers over a deep darkness
God listens for the wordless sighs
Within me
Abba speaks again the first Word of creation
“Let there be light”
The suffering love of Christ shines
To me and through me
Returning glory to God
New Creation
by Christine Sine
A couple of weeks ago in my post A New Song for a New Day, I talked about how the COVID-19 lockdown has changed my morning routine so that I no longer start with gratitude but with hallowing of the name of God. It is this that has written a new name on my heart. My devotional time now extends from a time of contemplation, through my awe and wonder walk to a time of gratitude and prayer at the breakfast table. It is the awe and wonder walks particularly that have become the mainstay of my spiritual life during this time. They give me peace in the midst of chaos, and strength when I feel overwhelmed.
I believe that we need wonder to grasp the reality that we rarely acknowledged – we are immersed in the presence of God. It is all around us, deep within us, always embracing us and available to us at every moment.
I think that I first became aware of this as I studied Celtic Christian spirituality. Creation shimmered for the Celts with the glory of God. I experience this in my daily awe and wonder walks and could not help but think of this as last week I read an interview with Alice Walker, the author of The Colour Purple. She says:
“I think the foundation of everything in my life is wonder. We were way out in the country, and why wouldn’t you just absolutely wonder at the splendor of nature? It’s true I had various sufferings, but nothing really compares to understanding that you live in a place that, moment by moment, is incredible. ” (Read the entire interview here)
Alice Walker reminds me of so many other joy-filled people who in spite of their pain and suffering still live in a state of constant joy and childlike wonder. People like Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama who are such an inspiration to me.
This is what I experience on my awe and wonder walks and I wanted to share a little of what I experience through this poem I have written and the video below that contains a collection of photos from my awe and wonder walks over the last couple of months. I hope that this draws you into the presence of our awe inspiring God and deeper into the embrace of the divine presence.
The Wonder of Today
I grasp the wonder of today
I am awed by the beauty of God’s world.
The miracles of God embrace me.
They surround me with joy.
Sun bright and shining through clouds.
Leaves dappled with purple and green and gold.
Not autumn this but fruit of every season.
Each glance new shapes and sizes and colours.
Each breath new fragrances to tantalize the senses.
It stops me in my tracks with gasps of delight.
In this sacred space called Earth
I entwine my heart with God’s
Love comes, Light shines
All that is eternal in me
Welcomes the wonder of this day.
I felt very blessed to be given permission by Richard Irwin to use his music for All Things Bright And Beautiful which I found on his site hymnswithoutwords.com. He even sent me a special high quality copy that has greatly enriched the recording.
Performance ℗ 2018 Richard M S Irwin. All rights reserved. It is used with permission.
For a more in depth study of awe and wonder check out my online course The Gift of Wonder.
Gift of Wonder Online Retreat
Today I am posting real treat of contemplative services in addition to the usual contemplative service from St Andrews .
As many of us continue to struggle with our pain and the pain of others, we feel the call to lament. The Many, an indie, intentionally diverse music collective from Chicago singing music of faith and doubt, hope and lament sing new songs made for reflection, for protest, for healing and worship. Together, this unique group of musicians, songwriters, poets, activists, uneasy prophets and unsaintly saints, remind us over and over again that we aren’t alone, that God so loves every one of us, and we all belong here.
Every Wednesday, they are making space for people to grieve losses and name the sorrows we’re all walking through with this pandemic, as well as find community and possibly even some things to be grateful for. I though that for this week’s contemplative service that you might enjoy this service This service, which was posted on June 17th is an example of the good work that they do. Enjoy
Here is the Taize style contemplative service from St Andrews Episcopal Church in Seattle with Carrie Grace Littauer, prayer leader, with music by Kester Limner and Andy Myers.
I am also posting a Taize song from St Andrews Episcopal Church in Seattle sung by Kester Limner and Andy Myers
Nada te Turbe, nada te espante
Qien a Dios tiene, nada le falta
Nada te turbe, nada te espante
Solo Dios basta
(Nothing can trouble, nothing can frighten
Those who seek God shall never go wanting
Nothing can trouble, nothing can frighten
God alone fills us
Todo se pasa, Dios no se muda;
La paciencia todo lo alcanza.
(Everything passes, God does not change,
With patience all shall be won)
En Cristo mi confianza,
y de El solo mi asimiento,
en sus cansacios mi aliento,
y en su imitacion mi hoganza.
(In Christ is my confidence,
And in Him only is my affection,
In whom my breath shall rest,
and my hope is to be his likeness)
Aqu estriba mi firmeza,
aqui mi seguridad,
la preba de mi verdad,
la muestra di mi firmeza.
(Here is my steadfastness,
Here is my safety,
the proof of my truth,
and testament of my faith)
Copyright and all rights reserved by GIA/Les Presses de Taizé Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-710-756.
Ever since I worked with refugees in the mid 80s, those who are displaced from their homes by war and violence have held a special place in my heart. Because I feel so deeply about this, it has been hard for me to write, but there are others who have written very eloquently from a Christian perspective that you might be interested in.
The following, I think, are must read articles:
Craig Greenfield’s post: Jesus Was A Refugee
Pope Francis’ call to Catholic congregations to shelter Syrian refugees.
And if you are looking for a way to respond check out “We Welcome Refugees” and the UNHCR website.
photo by Jennifer Hamlett Herrick
The plight of 70.8 million refugees hangs in the balance and we can make a difference. Why not start by saying this prayer from our good friend, John Birch?
by Kate Kennington Steer – (All images by Kate Kennington Steer)
I am drawn to light, of all kinds, in all shapes. I am pulled towards the symbols and manifestations of the Great Light. And yet, paradoxically, through chronic ill health, I am often dragged into the most shadowed places within. The darknesses of depression are a constant companion lurking not far from my surface, but this very presence of darkness also provides a constant metaphor for my seeking of the Holy. I long to behold the face of God in these places where, as Barbara Taylor Brown summarises, ‘Dark is not Dark to God’. Over the years it has become clear that in order to examine the nature of Light I often need to stand still in a place of contrasting, but corresponding, shadow.
As I come to the time in the annual calendar when I can join the millions reaching back down the centuries to mark this summer’s Solstice, I find myself contemplating how the roots of the word ‘solstice’ might illuminate a continued Covid-19 lockdown for my parents and I, as we continue to shield one another. Solstice is derived from the Latin root words sol (Sun) and sistere (to stand still). As a contemplative photographer, Sol is often my sole subject, as I play with perceptions of things others often overlook, as I draw attention to the revelation of Joy in a colour, or Peace in a shape. I seek out the places where, in my own immediate context, the Sun has made herself visible, and by Grace, can be encountered in the shrivelling of a leaf as much as in the blooming of a daylily.
photo by Kate Kennington Steer
Just as over the last few years I have learnt to welcome and accept the gifts of midwinter through celebrating the winter Solstice, the shortest day, as ‘Blue Christmas’, so I am aware of a balancing need to recalibrate my appreciation of the longest day. Noticing how light passes by and through me when the earth’s axial tilt towards the sun is at its greatest (in relation to the northern hemisphere), is not something to which I normally consciously remember to pay attention. Perhaps this is because I associate the summer Solstice so strongly with seeing the dawn, and normally, seeing dawn is problematic for me. Dawn is indicative of the fact I haven’t been able to sleep and is a sign of a rough day ahead, rather than what I long for it to be: a purposeful invitation to rise up with energy to enter the new day’s beginning.
I have long been fascinated by the mystery of Solstice rituals and myths surrounding Stonehenge, awed by ancient practices and connections. I am drawn towards the idea of celebrating seasonal cycles, and making my own thanksgiving rites so that I do not take the sun’s blessing on the earth for granted. Stonehenge’s alignment of certain stones in certain lights at particular moments of the year offers a thread of connection back to my Neolithic ancestors who seem to have been drawn to the place as a sacred spot to honour their ancestors in their turn. I am drawn towards the stones themselves, particularly those which literally become ‘ringing rocks’, mined in the far west of Wales, a land where some of my own ancestors were born. These Welsh ‘bluestones’ have old legends of healing attached to their peculiar acoustic properties, so it’s not difficult for me to make imaginative leaps, seeing how varying ritual alignments of light might bring shifts in meaning through thanksgiving to healing to blessing. For obvious reasons, being healed by the Shining One is one of my prayers of longing.
photo by Kate Kennington Steer
As I wrote at Beltane, the metaphor of fire has kept cropping up for me throughout the Resurrection season so perhaps this year, if I cannot get up at sunrise, I might join in with another Solstice tradition and light a fire at sunset? Hildegard of Bingen saw fire as the element associated with the South, and so with abundance, with energy, with power, with passion, and ripening. Fire could be the prompt I need to align myself with these qualities in this season of my life.
By conflating the Pagan and Christian calendars, marking Solstice (21/22 June) as the celebration of the start of summer, often became confused with St John’s Day (24 June), which marked Midsummer. During the Medieval period in England a ritual of lighting three ‘St John’s fires’ became popular, with one of these being a huge burning wheel, which was rolled downhill in a dramatic demonstration symbolising the sun’s turning. The festivities using light and fire on St John’s Eve marked the counterpoint to those used on Christmas Eve, making literal links between the birth of John the Baptist and the birth of Christ the Light-bringer, six months later (25 December).
So my Solstice celebration this year might act like a plumb line dropped through history; across space and time my stillness might join with that of others before the Light of the World. Solstice might present an opportunity for me to align myself anew, so that the dawn might brighten my soul, so that the midday might give me strength in its blazing.
In the fiery heat of summer, how may I fan my kindled flames into passionate outpourings? How might my small store of energy be amplified by the power of the Light which is infinite? How might I allow this abundant Light to flow through me, to overflow for the good of those around me?
As I stand on the threshold of summer, the season of slow ripening, may I raise my face to absorb God’s Glory. As I encounter the Creator, may I bow down, aligning my whole body with God’s Will. As I am raised up by Grace once again, may I rise impassioned and envisioned, filled with light distilled from shadow, ready to serve and ready to bless:
The Lord bless you and keep you
the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
(Numbers 6.24-5 NRSV)
photo by Kate Kennington Steer
Last week’s FreerangeFriday post was an example of the liturgy we use at thinplaceNASHVILLE and I’m continuing that this week along with an invitation to join us on Friday’s at 1pm central time via Zoom. If you need a break in your day, or you are feeling tired or burned out, or just want to experience a more interactive way to worship online, come join us. You also can use the hand out thinplaceWKofJUNE14AGAIN for your own devotions, or with your church community or small group. This week’s gospel reading is Matthew 10: 24-39 in the lectionary. We decided to combine this week and next’s readings and listen to, and reflect on Matthew 10: 24-42. Grab a cup of cold water and your hairbrush and pray with all your senses!
OPENING PRAYER CANDLES (Pray /repeat after leader)
Lord we ask you to fill us with your Hope
Lord, fill us with your Peace
Lord fill us with your Joy
Lord, fill us with your Love
And Lord Help us to see your Light! AMEN
GIVING STUFF TO JESUS to HOLD FOR US: (body prayer practice)
We are all carrying many heavy things today… let us give them to God to hold and carry for us. Cup your hands in front of you and imagine all the heavy things your are holding…feel the weight. Now give these things into the hands of God to hold and carry for you today. And know God will hold them and be in charge of them, you don’t have to carry them anymore.
Praying the Psalm together
Psalm 86:1-11 A Prayer of Faith (from the Passion Translation)
King David’s prayer
1 Lord, bend down to listen to my prayer.
I am in deep trouble. I’m broken and humbled,
and I desperately need your help.
2 Guard my life, for I’m your faithful friend, your loyal servant for life.
I turn to you in faith, my God, my hero; come and rescue me!
3 Lord God, hear my constant cry for help;
show me your favor and bring me to your fountain of grace!
4 Restore joy to your loving servant once again,
for all I am is yours, O God.
5 Lord, you are so good to me, so kind in every way[a]
and ready to forgive,
for your grace-fountain keeps overflowing,
drenching all your lovers who pray to you.
6 God, won’t you pay attention to this urgent cry?
Lord, bend down to listen to my prayer.
7 Whenever trouble strikes, I will keep crying out to you,
for I know your help is on the way.
8 God, there’s no one like you;
there’s no other god as famous as you.
You outshine all others and your miracles make it easy to know you.
9 Lord Almighty, you are the one who created all the nations;
Look at them—they’re all on their way!
Yes, the day will come when they all will worship you
and put your glory on display.
10 You are the one and only God.
What miracles! What wonders! What greatness belongs to you!
11 Teach me more about you, how you work and how you move,
so that I can walk onward in your truth
until everything within me brings honor to your name. AMEN
LISTEN TO THE GOSPEL (LECTIO DIVINA)
We listen to it in three voices and in three translations, The New International Version, The Message, and The Passion Translation.
Matthew 10:24-42 The Message (MSG)
24-25 “A student doesn’t get a better desk than her teacher. A laborer doesn’t make more money than his boss. Be content—pleased, even—when you, my students, my harvest hands, get the same treatment I get. If they call me, the Master, ‘Dungface,’ what can the workers expect?
26-27 “Don’t be intimidated. Eventually everything is going to be out in the open, and everyone will know how things really are. So don’t hesitate to go public now.
28 “Don’t be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.
29-31 “What’s the price of a pet canary? Some loose change, right? And God cares what happens to it even more than you do. He pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don’t be intimidated by all this bully talk. You’re worth more than a million canaries.
32-33 “Stand up for me against world opinion and I’ll stand up for you before my Father in heaven. If you turn tail and run, do you think I’ll cover for you?
34-37 “Don’t think I’ve come to make life cozy. I’ve come to cut—make a sharp knife-cut between son and father, daughter and mother, bride and mother-in-law—cut through these cozy domestic arrangements and free you for God. Well-meaning family members can be your worst enemies. If you prefer father or mother over me, you don’t deserve me. If you prefer son or daughter over me, you don’t deserve me.
38-39 “If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.
40-42 “We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me. Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God’s messenger. Accepting someone’s help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I’ve called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. It’s best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won’t lose out on a thing.”
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER and Journal from this week:
After reading or listening to the psalm and the gospel passage, what do you notice that you haven’t noticed before? What is God speaking to you about TODAY as you read these passages? Take time to read them again, use different translations to hear it in fresh ways.
What questions do you have? What questions come up as you read the passage. Talk to Jesus about them.
How are you in need of help today? What are you crying out to God about today? What prayers do you want God to listen to right now?
How can you see God as your hero? (from the Psalm)
Considering all that is happening in our world right now, what things that are in the dark, do you want to be brought into the Light?
“Stand up for me against world opinion and I’ll stand up for you before my Father in heaven.” How can you stand up for Jesus and his kingdom work in the world right now? Pray about this and ask Jesus to show you.
Have you ever denied Jesus in front of people? Talk to him about this and if you still are carrying any guilt or shame, give this to Jesus to carry for you and ask him to forgive you.
“Well-meaning family members can be your worst enemies.” Do you have conflict with anyone in your family? Talk to Jesus about this. Take time to pray for your family members or friends with whom you have conflict, being reminded we are called to LOVE OUR ENEMIES and pray for those who persecute us.
“So don’t worry. For your Father cares deeply about even the smallest detail of your life. How does it feel to know that God the Father, Creator God, cares so deeply for you that God knows the number of hairs on your head?
RESPONSE: HOLD your cup of water in your hand… What things have been “cups of cold water” for you this week? Name them. What things have given you refreshment in the midst of this crazy season? Take time to thank Jesus for these things. Who are the people who’ve provided “cups of water”for you during the middle of covid19? Spend some time praying for these people to be refreshed by Jesus.
RESPONSE 2: How can we give away cups of water?
How can we give more “cups of cold water” to people in the days ahead? What does this look like in the middle of covid19 and the Black Lives Matter movement? Ask Jesus to show you! Make a plan. What are some practical ways you can do this in your neighborhood and with your friends and family?
CLOSING PRAYER:
Lord!
Give us grace today to love as you love.
Help us to love with extravagance.
Give us hope today for ourselves and others.
Heal our hurts and our hearts today,
So we can serve and help those around us.
Help us to know that you are enough.
And help us live today and everyday in thankfulness.
For all you’ve done and for all you bless us with.
In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. AMEN
HOMEWORK: Ways you can respond to and worship with this passage throughout the week!
PRAY WITH THE BIRDS: Watch for Sparrows/ Birds this week! Allow the birds to remind you of God’s great care and compassion for you! Remember that Jesus cares about the details of your life! You are worth more than a MILLION CANARIES!
PRAY WITH YOUR HAIRBRUSH: As you comb, brush, “do” your hair this week, take time to thanks Jesus for his care for you! Allow Jesus to love you as you do your hair. He knows and loves you so much that he counts the number of hairs on your head! Pray for yourself to receive this gift of love and pray for someone else who needs to know this care and love of Jesus. 
PRAY WITH ART: The ART above is by my friend Jill Hicks “common yellow throat” Use it as a reminder that Jesus is caring for you and watching over you! Create your own art work in response to this passage!
LISTEN: Listen to Father Richard Rohr’s sermon on this same passage! He can say more in 6 minutes than some people can say in 6 hours!
WATCH: Watch my friend Scott Erickson’s sermon on Hope (starting 20 minutes into the video) it’s great!
LISTEN AND SING: Listen to this beautiful version of “His Eye is on the Sparrow”. Learn more about the song here.
thinplaceWKofJUNE14AGAIN (HANDOUT PDF)
by Lisa DeRosa
Tomorrow, June 19th, is Juneteenth, a celebration of the true freedom of slaves in the US. This year, we celebrate 155 years since June 19, 1865. Instead of me trying to convey what this celebration is and means, I want to point you to resources so you can discover for yourself. In this time, we must be listeners and learners. I hope these resources help you discover something new that you may not have known before as they have done for me.
Websites for the History
Junteenth.com shares the extensive history behind this day of celebration including the historical and cultural reasons for why freedom took so long after the Emancipation Proclamation.
This New York Times article from Monday includes the relevancy of our current Black Lives Matter movement in the context of this holiday.
Also, check our History.com for their take on Juneteenth and more information.
An article unrelated to Juneteenth, but just a lovely interview with Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple by YES! Magazine.
Videos
How to Celebrate!
Juneteenth.com provides a diverse array of ways to celebrate at work, in your community, and at home. Based on where you are and what phase of reopening you are in, there are ideas for all! Consider a Zoom gathering with friends and family where you can talk about issues of slavery and race. Put up a sign in your neighborhood to raise awareness! I plan to make a special meal with my husband that includes biscuits with cheddar and green onions (from the garden) while we discuss how to respond with compassion to the Black Lives Matter movement from our privilege as a middle class white couple.
If you have celebrated Juneteenth before, what are some ways you have celebrated? Or is this your first year celebrating Juneteenth like me? Wherever you are in the awareness of this holiday, let’s not let it go by like any other Friday. Let’s choose to not only educate and understand, but celebrate together the freedom of African Americans from slavery in the US.
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