My colleague Andy Wade has put together this beautiful slideshow from our last retreat. This is well worth watching not just as a record of the retreat, but as a reflective meditation.
We had a wonderful time worshipping, praying, chatting, walking the labyrinth and prayer trails, painting, eating, churning butter, celebrating Eucharist together, and so much more!
Be sure to save the date for next year and join us for our 24th retreat, August 7-9!
The music featured Go In The Wilderness is one of the songs we sang numerous times at the retreat and was recorded by our music leaders Matt and Sundee Frazier.
Many thanks to all those who helped with the retreat this year, with special thanks to:
- Matt & Sundee Frazier: music worship
- Cory and Ann Baker: children’s program
- Rev. Jonathan Myers: Eucharist
In the middle of the slide show you’ll notice a cake celebrating the dedication of our first classroom at the emerging Mustard Seed Village. Special thanks to:
- Doug and Rocio Woods for years of dedicated work on the land
- Architect David Vandervort for drafting, planning, and organizing
- Dennis & Cindy Todd and all the amazing volunteers who made this building possible
- J.Derek McNeil, Academic Dean of Seattle School of Theology and Psychology who led us in a prayer of dedication for the building
Check out the liturgies from the retreat too:
The first morning litany is posted here.
Today’s prayer is inspired by one of the reflections in Henri Nouwen’s book Home Tonight.
I suggest that you find a quiet place and set aside a few minutes each day this week to sit and absorb it’s words. Sit quietly, breathe deeply. Exhale your fears and frustrations, inhale God’s love and peace. Let go your busyness. Imagine yourself walking with Jesus in the early morning or late at night away from the crowds and distractions, into a quiet place of prayer. Sit with him. Imagine his communion with God – intimate fellowship with the One who is love, peace, compassion and joy. Stay and listen – What would God say to Jesus in this tender moment?
What is your response: What did you feel when sitting with Jesus? What did you struggle with? What did you hear in your imagination?
Now imagine yourself alone in your most sacred space settling into the presence of the One who lovingly created you and sent you into this world. Be still, relax, don’t speak but rest in the presence of the One who is love unending. Listen.
What is your response: How does it feel to sit and commune with God’s Spirit? What thoughts and emotions does it stir to consider yourself in the presence of unending love?
(This exercise is adapted from Home Tonight 98-99)
Wikipedia defines spiritual direction as: the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their own personal spirituality. It is a discipline that has emerged in many spiritual traditions, using language specific to that tradition.
In Christian faith spiritual directors are known by many names – soul friends, mentors, or my favourite – Kathy Escobar’s lovely term spiritual midwives. Some find spiritual direction through personal encounters, others seek help through their favourite blogs, websites or Bible apps. Anyone who supports us as we notice and reflect on God’s presence and activity in our daily lives, encouraging us to grow our faith and live into our calling, can be considered a spiritual director.
Many followers of Christ seek spiritual directors to grow a faith that is solidly rooted in traditional practices and church environments. Lectio divina, Ignatian spiritual exercises, silent retreats are some of the tools you may have learned to employ. Others have deconstructed their faith and are looking for help to rebuild outside traditional churches through the faith shifting process as Kathy calls it. Learning to look, listen and explore faith in new ways is probably more comfortable language for you. Like me you might have learned to paint rocks, weed your garden or walk your neighbourhood as a spiritual exercise.
Over the next couple of months spiritual direction in this broader sense, will be the focus for Godspace. A good preparation I think for the Advent and Christmas season. Where do you go for support in your spiritual journey? What or who has helped you rebuild your faith when you have struggled with doubt and despair? What practices draw you close to God and strengthen your faith? Whatever you think of when you consider spiritual direction, we would like to hear from you.
The focus for the last three months on Hospitality (read the series here) has helped many of us grapple with new dimensions of what it means to be a follower of Christ and I hope that this new series will do the same. Guest submissions should be 600-800 words long and contain only photos for which you have copyright permission. Please submit your article by email as a Word document and attach jpegs of your photos. A short bio should also be included. Please be aware that we may in future want to incorporate your post in a collaborative devotional book. We assume that submitting it for publication on Godspace means this is OK for you. If you are interested leave a comment on this post or email me for details. The deadline for submissions is November 1st though obviously the sooner the better as I will start posting whenever I get submissions.
Last week I posted my Reflections on a Celtic Cross, expressing thoughts that arose from painting and then contemplating on a Celtic cross that I drew on a rock while away on holiday. The rock still sits on my desk. Each morning I ask myself What do you want to teach me today Lord?
I have added the words gratitude, hope and compassion, reflecting on each of these attributes of God as I do so.
There has been much said about the importance of gratitude in the last few years. It seems to impact not only our enjoyment of life but also our health as this article from the Harvard Medical School suggests. Even though I know this I don’t always take the time to express my gratitude. This week have committed to calling family members I am grateful for and talking to friends to express my gratitude. Last year as a result of our Return to Our Senses Advent retreat, I decided to add a week of gratitude to the season of Advent. This exercise has been a good reminder of that for me.
Hope is less tangible but no less important. From a faith perspective it is one of the most important attributes we can bring to the world. Our belief that a better world is not only desirable but possible is often what motivates us to actions that bring about change. For me personally it has been one of the strong motivational forces that has kept me proclaiming God’s kingdom and seeking where possible to live into it.
Compassion – concern for the suffering and misfortune of others – is an emotion that I find often wells up from the centre of my being. This week it was stirred by this article stating that nearly half the Syrian population are now refugees. My heart aches even though my only response at this point is daily prayer for these people.
I have also placed other rocks around my cross. The one on the right is Australian aboriginal art, a reminder to me that rock painting is one of the oldest form of records we have of our ancestors. It makes me feel connected to all those who have gone before me, especially of the faithful witnesses who have proclaimed the love of God throughout the centuries.
The Celtic design on the left I also drew on my holiday. It reminds me of the many attributes of Celtic spirituality that both challenge and shape me.
One thing I love about painting on rock is the permanency of it. I can return to it time and again for fresh insights. And that of course reminds me that God is my rock, also permanent, also freely available at all times for guidance and instruction.
What tools do you use on a regular basis to contemplate the presence of God? How do they sustain and nurture your faith?
Gayl Wright posted this beautiful blessing after having struggled with sleeplessness for several nights. I often have seasons of sleeplessness myself and know many others that struggle with insomnia. Try reading this before going to bed tonight – even if you don’t struggle to fall asleep it is a great bedtime blessing
Each year on the memorial of 9/11, our memories resurface and grief is poured out. Unfortunately, fear and insecurity also tends to rise at this time, fuelled by continued terrorist threats and fear. At a time like this, it is important to turn to prayer – to pray for those who still grieve, for those who are still angry, for those who see this as a time to plan further acts of terrorism. Above all it is a time to pray for those whose lives are still vulnerable because of war and terrorism. It is a time to pray for peace, reconciliation and understanding across the seemingly impenetrable barriers that separate us.
For the tenth anniversary, I wrote a prayer which I continue to read and try to live up to each year. Others, too, write regularly for this day and I thought that this year I would post some of the best prayers and liturgies I have found that draw us towards God, towards peace and towards tolerance rather than towards fear and anger at this time. For that reason I have chosen prayers from a variety of faith perspectives, not just Christian. I find that mediating on what those who believe differently than I do think, is often a first step to reconciliation and forgiveness. Many were written for the 10th anniversary and since then but are still pertinent today.
Godspace Resources
- 10th Anniversary Memorial 9/11 Prayer
- May It Call Us to Peace and Not to War – Remembering 9/11
- Pope Francis’ Call to Peace
- Praying for Peace
- In Search of Peace by Jeannie Kendall
- Litany for 9/11 by Fran Pratt
- September 11th Remembrance by Lisa DeRosa
- Remembering September 11, 2001 by Michael Moore
Resources
- The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has links to some great prayers, liturgies and reflections.
- A collection of prayers and liturgies written for the Kentucky Council of Churches.
- Huffington Post has this great collection of prayers from different faith perspectives.
- Christine Longhurst at re:Worship has collected a number of compelling prayers and litanies including this beautiful memorial. I highly recommend taking some time to read through all of them.
- This Prayer, which I read on re:Worship, was originally posted on Engageworship.org. It is designed to help congregations reflect on their memories, and centre around God and how he meets us in tragedy. There is a PowerPoint you can download, or you could just print the words in a service booklet.
- And an almost overwhelming but great collection of resources of all kinds for 9/11 Anniversary from textweek.com
I continue to adapt my own prayer for this day as I meditate on the horrors of war and terrorism, the plight of refugees and the atrocities and useless killing and maiming that result.
God, so much violence, so much pain, so much heartache.
May our remembrances of this day instill within us a horror of war,
And help us stand against the atrocities caused by terrorism.
As we grieve with those who still mourn,
And share memories with those who cannot forget,
May we be stirred by your love and compassion for all.
As we remember those who bravely responded,
And gave their lives to save others,
May we draw strength from their selfless sacrifice.
As we stand with strangers who became neighbours that day,
Sharing and caring for people they did not know,
We give thanks for their generosity and hospitality.
May it remind us of the call to be good Samaritans,
Reaching out across race and culture to other victims of violence.
So many in our world have lost loved ones to terrorism and war,
So many have been displaced from homes and country,
May their plight fill us with a longing for peace.
Let us seek for understanding and reconciling,
And not turn from your kingdom ways.
Above all God may we remember your faithfulness,
And learn to trust in your unfailing love.
Amen
Here in the Northern hemisphere summer is coming to a close and students are getting ready to go back to school. There are some great prayers and liturgies out there to help prepare our hearts and minds for the coming season. The list below is gathered from a variety of faith perspectives and different countries. If there are other resources you think should be added please let me know.
Godspace
- Praying with School Supplies by Lilly Lewin
- Blessing of the Backpacks by Emily Huff
- Back to School Prayers by Lilly Lewin
- Back to School – 10 Tips and Prayers for Teachers and Students
- Back to School – 10 Tips to Help You Prepare Spiritually
- Back to School – Adding and Subtracting by Lilly Lewin
Resources from the US
- This Back to School Prayers from Concord Pastor is a great collection of prayers for students, teachers and parents.
- I love this Back to School Liturgy which can be downloaded in pdf form. It focuses on new beginnings while acknowledging the challenges of fears and frustrations.
- Prayer Resource For Schools contains some beautiful prayers for starting the year including the one at the top of this post.
- Some inspirational prayers from Pray for Schools
- From We Are That Family
- And from beliefnet.com – good set of slides with a back to school prayer – very annoying adds included though.
Global Resources
- From Australia: prayers for use by teachers – Lasallian Education Service
- From Ireland:
- Opening of School Year Mass.doc – SchoolEthos.ie
- The Diocese of Kerry in Ireland has some great prayers that you can download in both text and powerpoint form, including this one:
A Prayer at the Beginning of the School Year
What will this year bring? We do not know; it will bring its usual times of work and play, experiences of success and failure, all the things that are part of school life.
It is a new beginning; the planting of a seed that will grow for a year, the seed of fruit that will blossom in times to come. It is a new hope; hope for good work, for successful results, for friendship, for fun, for learning. In this coming year, may there be learning, prayer and fun. May there be hard work, faith and friendship. May no one in this school be lonely; may no one be left out in class; may no one suffer through the others here.
Amen.
As we begin this year in hope, in prayer and in friendship, may the Lord begin it with us, be with us during it, and successfully bring it to its conclusion.
As an Amazon Associate, I receive a small amount for purchases made through appropriate links.
Thank you for supporting Godspace in this way.
When referencing or quoting Godspace Light, please be sure to include the Author (Christine Sine unless otherwise noted), the Title of the article or resource, the Source link where appropriate, and ©Godspacelight.com. Thank you!