by Lilly Lewin
Opening Prayer
Lord, I know not what to ask of You.
You alone know what my true needs are.
You love me more than I myself know how to love.
Help me to see my real needs, which may be hidden from me.
I dare not ask for either a cross or a consolation.
I can only wait upon You; my heart is open to You.
Visit and help me in Your steadfast love.
Strike me and heal me; cast me down and raise me up.
I worship in silence Your holy will.
I offer myself to You as a living sacrifice.
I put all my trust in You.
I have no other desire than to fulfill Your will.
Teach me to pray. Pray Yourself in me. Amen.
A Prayer of Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow (a Russian Orthodox Priest)
This summer, I am introducing Parable Walks to our thinplace community here in Nashville. Parable Walks were a part of our Spiritual Practice in our days living in Cincinnati, Ohio and this practice is a great way to connect with God out in nature and/or in your own neighborhood. You can do a parable walk on your own, or with a small group, youth group, with friends, roommates or even an entire parish.
The way we traditionally did a Parable Walk with our Cincinnati community was set up a time to meet a local part on a Saturday or Sunday morning before it got too hot or too crowded. We got bagels and coffee from Panera Bread and ate together as people arrived at the park. Then we gathered for an opening prayer and a “Lectio Divina” of a passage of Scripture. Sometimes we used the gospel passage from the Lectionary of the week, and sometimes we chose a parable to consider as we walked.
Remind the group that this is their time to be with Jesus. Do this walk in silence. Remind them that cell phones should be avoided except as a timer/clock. If you have children doing this, they can and should go with a parent or in small group for safety, but everyone else should be encouraged do this practice on their own.
We had the Bible passage printed out and we’d told people that they could bring their journals and water for the walk. We had three people read the passage from the Bible invited people to listen to the passage and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to them in both words and images.
The hand out also included these directions:
Jesus used the lilies of the field and the stuff along the path where he walked to teach his disciples about the kingdom of God…Allow what you see on your walk, to be the teaching tool of Jesus for you! Let the beauty of Creation speak to you!
Walk in God’s Creation, or, you may
prefer to sit somewhere where you have an expansive view of God’s creation.
Keeping in mind God’s invitation to you in our scripture reading, invite the Holy
Spirit to speak to you through Creation and the things you see along the way.
Be open to noticing the beauty around you.
Listen to the sounds you hear.
What is God talking to you about today?
What does God use to speak to you? It might be a bird, a tree, a stone, a crack in the concrete….the Holy Spirit can speak to you through anything.
Watch for symbols of what God is doing in your life…
Or what God longs to do in your life.
Spend time reflecting on how God is speaking to you through this view or symbol.
Consider writing in your journal about what God showed you. Describe how Jesus revealed Himself to you today through creation.
In a half hour or when the signal calls, please gather with the group.
You can decide how long you want the walk to last. 30 minutes, 45, an hour…
And let people know when they are to meet back together.
When the group is back together, take time to process and share what the Holy Spirit showed people along the way. We would open the time for anyone who wanted to share, but NEVER require people to share.
You can end your time together with a prayer or a song, like the doxology. You might even take communion together, whatever fits your group.
Here is a way to practice doing a PARABLE WALK this in your neighborhood
As you begin your walk, open your hands to receive the gift of the Parable that Jesus has for you today.
As you take a walk around your neighborhood.
Ask Jesus to give you eyes to see and ears to hear.
Ask Jesus to speak to you through the things you see and hear.
Notice the colors around you.
Notice the weather, the clouds, the sky, the trees, plants, birds.
What if you live in an urban neighborhood or where there is lots of construction?
What is God constructing in your life right now?
What is might God be building or remodeling? What needs to be remodeled in your life?
Talk to Jesus about this as you walk.
What about the noise? Is your life feeling too noisy right now? Are you in need of clarity or quiet?
There might be trash, or garbage on your path, or on your walk…what garbage is in you way right now? What junk needs to be removed to make you clean?
Who has been throwing trash on your path recently? Do you need to have healing in this relationship? Do you need to forgive them? Do you need God’s help to forgive them?
Have you thrown trash on your own path? Have you been doing things to hurt yourself?
Spend some time talking to God/Jesus about this.
In a more suburban area…
Notice the toys in the yards, swings, bikes, basketball hoops. Kids know how to play and find joy in simple things. How are you doing with play or a playful spirit?
Talk to God about this.
How can you add play into your life?
What things bring you joy in you life? Talk to God about this.
Wild flowers, flowers planted …What is God growing in your life? What is being planted?
What would you like Jesus to plant in your life? How does the soil need to be turned, what weeds need to be dug up, what new things do you want to grow?
Do you notice the wind? Do you feel the breeze? Stop and notice the direction of the wind. Ask the Holy Spirit to open you up to new things. Ask the Holy Spirit to revive you as you walk.
What else do you notice on your walk? What else does the Holy Spirit highlight for you?
What else does Jesus show you as you spend time with him on this walk?
As you end your Parable Walk, spend time thanking God for what you’ve seen and heard. Allow this time of noticing to continue in the rest of your day, allowing Jesus to speak to you in the stuff along the way!
Prayer is waking up to the presence of God no matter where I am or what I am doing. Barbara Brown Taylor An Altar in the World.
There is a difference between prayer and prayers. We are called to co-create with the living God yet often feel that expressing our creativity is discouraged. What stirs our creativity to pray without ceasing? Here is a list of the best books we have found.
Bill, Brent and Booram, Beth: Awaken Your Senses: Exercises for Exploring the Wonder of God
Benner, Juliet: Contemplative Vision: A Guide to Christian Art and Prayer
Brazzeal, David: Pray Like a Gourmet: Creative Ways to Feed Your Soul
Brookes, Mona: Drawing with Children
Brussat, Frederic and Mary Ann: Spiritual Literacy: Reading the Sacred in Everyday Life
Cameron, Julia: The Complete Artist’s Way Creativity as a Spiritual Practice
de Mello, Anthony: Wellsprings: A Book of Spiritual Practices
Edwards, Betty: Drawing On the Right Side of the Brain
Fox, Matthew: Creativity: Where the Divine and the Human Meet
L’Engle, Madeleine: Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art
MacBeth, Sybil: Praying in Color: Drawing a New Path to God
Sark: Make Your Creative Dreams Come Real; Journal and Play!
Sine, Christine: Return to Our Senses: Reimagining How We Pray
Smith, Mandy: Making a Mess and Meeting God: Unruly Ideas and Everyday Experiments for Worship
Stanley, Kelly O’Dell: Praying Upside Down: A Creative Prayer Experience to Transform Your time With God
Scandrette, Mark: Practicing the Way of Jesus: Life Together in the Kingdom of Love
Taylor, Barbara Brown: An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith
Tutu, Desmond and Mpho: The Book of Forgiving: The Fourfold Path for Healing Ourselves and Our World
Valters Paintner, Christine: Eyes of the Heart: Photography as a Christian Contemplative Practice; Lectio Divina: the sacred art: transforming Words and Images into heart-Centered Prayer; The Artist’s Rule; Illuminating the Way;
Wolpert, Daniel: Creating a Life with God: The Call of Ancient Prayer Practices
By John Birch —
By Jean Andrianoff —
I believe God loves color. Just look around at this time of year—fresh green grass; clouds of pink and white blooms on fruit trees; the vivid blue of sky and water (on a sunny day!); the lime green lace of new leaves; purple and yellow violets; rhododendrons of almost every conceivable hue. His creation is never boring. How much pleasure it must bring the Creator to observe the colorful world He has made or to see us enjoying it.
I’ve always loved to color, so I was delighted when adult coloring books became a “thing.” Now I can indulge my love of this childhood pastime with the approval and even encouragement of everyone from grandchildren to mental health professionals.
A year ago, I bought a set of reasonably-priced colored pencils, 24 colors per box, to indulge my hobby. When my husband was planning a trip to the city where I bought them, I asked him to buy another set. I was delighted when he said sets of 48 were also available. Would I like that instead?
I had felt reasonably happy with my 24 colors, but once I had 48 to choose from, I could do so much more. My pictures seemed to exhibit more life, more depth. As I reflected on this, I began to think about diversity. When we lived in Mongolia, we worked in an international consortium with people from nearly every continent. Our staff meetings reflected perspectives from Brazil, Denmark, Fiji, Australia, Korea, and many other countries. My best friend was British. We worshipped with Mongolians. When we left, life felt somehow flatter without this cultural and racial diversity.
Many of us live in a racially and ethnically homogeneous setting, rarely dealing with anyone who looks different or views the world differently from us. We may have to create opportunities to experience diversity. When we do, we begin to get a taste of what it will be like when we sit around the throne of the Lamb with “a great multitude . . . from every nation, from all tribes and people and languages,” praising our God.
The colors of racial difference are subtler than those of a sunny spring day, but I’m sure seeing the different hues of skin colors enjoying and appreciating one another must bring God even more pleasure than does a lovely landscape.
Lord, we thank you, for the many languages, colors, and cultures represented by mankind created in Your image. Give us opportunities to experience this diversity with openness.
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9,10 (ESV)
As we move beyond Pentecost there will be even more to keep your eyes open for on Godspace. Our theme will be Inspiring Creativity in Faith and Action. We are called to co-create with the living God yet often feel that expressing our creativity is discouraged. So lets explore our creative impulses and encourage each other on the journey. Perhaps you would like to shared your own creative inspiration for writing, journaling, crafting liturgies, and poems, painting, composing music or gardening. We are always looking for new contributors. Or you might want to just read along and invite your friends to join you!
To kick us off here is a lovely poem by John Birch who is a faithful contributor to Godspace with his poetry and prayers! —
by Christine Sine
I was one of 2 billion people around the world who watched the wedding celebrations of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on Saturday. Like many I tuned in to enjoy the spectacle of medieval pageantry, archaic customs and pretty hats and heard instead a message of God’s inclusive love. If you haven’t listened to Michael Curry’s sermon yet it is well worth listening to and meditating on.
On Sunday, I celebrated Pentecost, that awe inspiring day of joy and passion that proclaims the coming of the Holy Spirit. Here too we heard the message of inclusive love. Under God’s banner there is neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, slave or free. All are one in Christ. In God’s kingdom there are no illegal aliens, no undocumented workers, no abandoned or despised ones. In all our diversity of culture, language and creed we are welcomed into the family of God.
Both these events were incredible celebrations of hope and promise. The power of love can transform the world and make all things new.
Pentecost reminds us that God brings us together in diversity and uniqueness to break down barriers of prejudice, race and class and become one new family. The royal wedding gave us a glimpse of this as it brought together a remarkable couple across what once would have been insurmountable barriers of race, culture and prejudice.
Is This A Move of God?
In the last few months I have lived under a cloud of discouragement and doubt wondering what has happened to the power of God. We seem to live in a world of increasing racism, violence and environmental degradation. We continue to build walls not bridges. The loving unity God calls us to seems further away than ever.
Yet this weekend I caught a glimpse of something new that God is doing. That an African American woman could marry into the British royal family sends a powerful message. That one of the charities people were invited to support focuses on menstrual hygiene in India is remarkable. That the couple are concerned enough about sustainability to design beautiful floral displays that use local and seasonal flowers and greenery is remarkable. That Prince Harry has finally come out to talk about his own mental health crisis and his concern for the disabled is heartwarming. Change is possible, barriers of race, gender prejudice, mental health and pollution can be overcome.
I do believe God is doing something new. We have already seen it in Black Lives Matter and the Me Too movements. We have seen it in the young people standing up for gun reform and an end to school violence.
God Does Not Build Walls
This weekend reminded me that borders and walls designed to keep people out are created by humankind not by God. It is easy for all of us to lose sight of God’s passion for a world reunited in love and mutual care. It is easy to lose sight of God’s delight in diversity. It is much easier to judge than to include.
Not surprising really. Pentecostal fire comes with a price. To be transformed by the Holy Spirit we must die to anything that prevents us becoming united to each other in love. And that of course means dying to prejudices – prejudices against the royalty who have enslaved and impoverished many in the past, prejudices against those of different races, sexual persuasion or religious creeds, prejudices against those who suffer from mental illness – all these must die if we are to find the unity God asks of us.
I feel that this new royal couple has brought us one step closer to the unity God desires of us. Yes I know they are far from perfect and if we want to we can criticize much of who they are and what they stand for or we can stand with them for a world changed and made new.
The question in my own heart is What can I do to join this movement towards love? What can I do to bring us one step closer to the unity God desires of us? I hope that the same questions are stirring in your heart.
by Lynne Baab,
On Pentecost, we remember the coming of the Holy Spirit to the people gathered in Jerusalem for the Pentecost festival. You can read about it in Acts 2. Almost two millennia after Pentecost, we benefit every day from the presence of the Holy Spirit with us.
One of my seminary professor called the Holy Spirit the “shy” member of the Trinity. This professor was referring to the fact that the Holy Spirit’s role is to bring glory to the Father and the Son. Thus the Holy Spirit is the least visible person of the Trinity.
I invite you to ponder with me the role of the Holy Spirit in various Christian spiritual practices, to shine some light on this “shy” person in the Trinity.
Bible reading and meditation. The Holy Spirit opens our eyes and ears so we can see God more clearly through the words on the pages of the Bible. The Spirit also helps us apply the passage to our lives, helping us see the relevance of the words to our exact setting and context.
Intercessory prayer. The Holy Spirit guides us to pray for the things God values, giving us eyes to see God’s priorities and purposes. The Spirit helps us to see the places God is working so we can join our prayers with God’s current activity and priorities. In addition, the Spirit brings people to mind who need our prayers and helps us remember specific situations where God’s presence is needed.
Prayers of confession. The Holy Spirit brings to mind our sins and shortcomings, and reminds us of God’s forgiveness when we confess our sins.
Praise of praise and thankfulness. The Holy Spirit helps us see God’s gifts in our daily life and reminds us of the big picture of God’s creation and redemption of the world.
Prayers of lament. The Holy Spirit grieves over the brokenness of the world and invites us into that grief and sorrow.
Various forms of silent prayer. The Holy Spirit speaks to us in silence, bringing to mind truths about God and speaking that truth into our situations.
Worship. All that I’ve mentioned above illustrates how the Holy Spirit enables us to engage in worship, both alone and with others.
Fasting. The Holy Spirit gives us guidance of when to fast, what to fast from, strength and endurance during the fast, and guidance in what to pray for during the fast.
Sabbath keeping. The Holy Spirit calls us into rest, reassuring us that God is keeping the world going even when we are not participating. The Spirit gives peace and the ability to trust into God’s hands the things we could be doing but aren’t.
Communal spiritual practices. The Holy Spirit draws people together and provides love for one another. The Spirit guides and empowers groups of people as well as individuals.
Gordon Fee wrote a wonderful book about the Holy Spirit called God’s Empowering Presence. For Pentecost this year, I invite you to ponder that title. The Holy Spirit is God’s presence with us. What does God do in us? Empower us to hear God’s voice, receive God’s direction, persevere in following that direction, and rest in God’s goodness and grace. The Holy Spirit is God present with us in dozens of ways that empower us.
I’ve listed some of the ways God, through the Holy Spirit, is present with us and empowers us as we engage in spiritual practices. I’m sure you can think of more ways.
Jesus says to his disciples in the Upper Room, the night he was betrayed: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13, 14, NRSV).
A prayer related to the Holy Spirit from the Book of Common Prayer: “O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”
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