We are in the middle of the season of Easter…the days between the Resurrection and Pentecost.
Sometimes we forget that Easter isn’t just one day. Easter is a Season of the Church Year and the Season of Easter is actually 50 days long. That means we get to keep celebrating NEW LIFE and Resurrection and keep the experience of this joy going way beyond Easter Sunday. What if we all took time to breathe in New Life?
We are all busy and have lots to do, but we are also in need of time to stop and just be still.
We all need to practice Sabbath.
How could you take time this week to have a mini retreat on your own or with your family or friends? It could be just sitting on your porch or balcony. It could be going to a local park with a picnic. It might involve calling a friend to take your kids for the morning so you could be alone and then return the favor so your friend could do the same. It might just mean turning off the phone or your computer for the afternoon or evening and making a cup of tea and telling the rest of your household you have an appointment…with yourself and Jesus!
Signs of Easter Hope
Your Mini Retreat/Sabbath Day begins Here! Thanks for taking the time out to be still and just BE!
“God is the friend of silence. See how nature—trees, flowers, grass—grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence…We need silence to be able to touch souls.” Mother Teresa
Opening Prayer:
There is nothing more important than what we are attending to.
There is nothing more urgent that we must hurry away to.
We Wait on you God. Your time is the right time.
We wait for You to make Your word clear to us.
We know that in time and in the spirit of deep listening
and in quiet stillness
Your way will be clear. AMEN ( based on a prayer by Thomas Merton)
You can gather your journal and a pen, or some art supplies, or just travel lightly without any gear. You might need to make a ” BRAIN DRAIN” List to quiet your mind of all the things you are thinking about…your to do list, stuff you’re worried about, stuff that is distracting you… and give this list to Jesus to hold for you so you can be with Him. ( I keep this handy to keep adding to it when i get distracted)
Sit and Look or Take a Walk and Look for “ Little Easters.” Signs of Resurrection and New Life. Joyce Rupp calls the things we see and experience, the things that bring us new life and make us smile and hopeful
“Little Easters.” Today watch for these!
I took a walk and discovered at least a dozen different wildflowers (flowering weeds) in my very urban neighborhood. Just growing on their own! These reminded me of the creativity of God and gave me hope in this crazy world.
What do you notice?
Allow God to talk to you through nature: the wind, the trees, flowers, birds, etc. What do you notice?
What newness do you need in your life right now? What kind of refreshment or resurrection? Spend some time with that and talk to God…journal, walk, or even create something in art.
Notice the plant life… Depending open where you live, what state or what hemisphere, what is growing? What is not? What is growing in you today? What do you want God to grow in you this Easter Season? Take some time and talk to God about this.
Use the psalm below or another psalm that means something to you to as you spend time with Jesus.
PSALM 16 THE MESSAGE
1-2 Keep me safe, O God, I’ve run for dear life to you.
I say to God, “Be my Lord!” Without you, nothing makes sense.
3 And these God-chosen lives all around— what splendid friends they make!
4 Don’t just go shopping for a god. Gods are not for sale.
I swear I’ll never treat god-names like brand-names.
5-6 My choice is you, God, first and only. And now I find I’m your choice!
You set me up with a house and yard. And then you made me your heir!
7-8 The wise counsel God gives when I’m awake is confirmed by my sleeping heart.
Day and night I’ll stick with God; I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go.
9-10 I’m happy from the inside out, and from the outside in, I’m firmly formed.
You canceled my ticket to hell— that’s not my destination!
11 Now you’ve got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of your face.
Ever since you took my hand, I’m on the right way.
PSALM 16: NIV
Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.”
3 I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips.
5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful[b] one see decay. 11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
At the end of your Mini Sabbath Retreat take time for Thanksgiving . Spend some time thanking Jesus for His love. Thank Jesus for all the signs of resurrection you’ve experienced today. What do you want to remember and carry with you into the rest of your week?
©lillylewin and freerangworship.com
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Matthew 11:28-30, The Message. Need a bigger retreat experience? Join me and a small group of pilgrims on a Finding Your Thinplace Pilgrimage to Scotland THIS August 28-September 4, 2023! With 5 days on Iona at the St.Columba Hotel! Time to rest, explore, breathe and rediscover yourself and God! For more information check out the website or email Lilly at findingyourthinplace.com
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