Scriptural Meditation - Take One

 

 Today was the first day of my offering of Scriptural Meditation to the church that I am serving as a student minister.  The meditation is sculpted around a Lectio Divina style reading of scripture, but like my mandala drawing, there is no real interaction with the people present.  The reflection and consideration of the scripture is supposed to be personal between you and God.  Our reading today was based on Psalm 1, but you can choose any short passage.  Here is the structure of the meditation as I walked participants through it. After we have gathered, welcomed each other, and lit the candle to symbolize welcoming God into our presence, the facilitator can begin.  Be sure to encourage everyone to find a comfortable position.  I personally sit cross legged on the floor, but I arranged some chairs also.

"Listen first to the reading .  Hear the word of our Lord.  After I finish reading it, we will pause for two minutes to reflect silently on what we have heard."  Read scripture of choice. Find a way to time two minutes so that even you are not interrupted.  I found a great Tibetian bowl timer as a free app on my phone. After the two minutes, read the following.

  

"Listen again to this reading.  What phrase or word is call to you.  Grab a hold of the phrase as I read the Psalm again.  Keep the word or phrase in your heart.  After I have finished, hold your word or phrase in your mind.  Let the word or phrase wash over you.  Mull on it.  Contemplate it.  Repeat it within your mind.  We will sit with our individual words or phrases for 5 minutes." Read the scripture again slowly and clearly. After the five minutes, take a deep breath and return.

"I am going to read this passage one more time.  You have heard the words.  You have found a word or phrase that is calling to you.  Now reflect on what God is saying to you.  These verses have been read by many, but the Spirit that is speaking through these words is speaking only to you.  Feel the words as I speak them again.  Feel God within you, moving you.  Hear the message you are meant to hear within these words.  Sit with this feeling for the next 12 minutes.  Let the Holy Spirit guide your thoughts." Read the scripture again.  Time 12 minutes. 

  

"Slowly finish your thoughts.  Bring your mind back to the present.  Let your body feel the ground below you.  Hold on to  your thoughts on this scripture.  While our time to meditate together is ending, you should carry this time, these thoughts, God’s words with you throughout the day.  Let the mediation of God’s words never be far from you."  Remind people that part of a spiritual practice is exactly that "practice".  It may have been very difficult to be still that long or keep focus.  They may not have "felt God" over the ache in their hip.  Encourage them though to continue with this practice multiple times before judging it.  Close together.

"Let’s take three full breaths together and then together, 'Thank God for being with me today.  Amen'"

I hope you will try this practice, if not with a group then within the quite time of your life.   We do a lot of talking to God, rarely are we quiet enough to listen to His response.

God, Our Inspirer

I have to say that this first semester a seminary is tough.  The school is tough, but what really is making it difficult is the balance - work, family, school is not an ideal equation.  The other day when my poor son was complaining that he had hurt his finger, I actually contemplated how I was going to fit taking him to the doctor in my schedule (Good thing I made it a priority since it turned out to be a fracture).

One evening I had a bit of a breakdown when my loving husband commented that he had my back.  I would say in general, he does, but as I was cooking dinner and the rest of the family was watching tv, I didn't feel like people had my back.  I had a major paper due and needed to get some work done and yet, after a full day of work, I was still doing family work, before I could get to what I needed to.  When my husband said, "Don't worry.  I have your back."  I responded rabidly, "NO, no you don't.  If I'm here cooking, no one has my back."  I think he knew he had kind of stepped in it.  However, I will tell you that no one did come in to take over the domestic responsibilities.

It was at this point that God and I had a bit of a conversation.  I wondered if this was just all a big mistake:  I love begin in school and am fascinated by all that I am learning.  I feel at home at the pulpit,  but maybe this wasn't the right time.  I thought, "I want this, but maybe God doesn't."  Immediately, I felt, "I am you, and you are me.  You feel you should do this because I want you to do this."  I need to worry no more. . .But I don't think that it is going to make the work any easier, but it does bring a lot of peace.

So I ask you what God is inspiring you to do?

A Challenge to Non-Believers

My brother and I often have conversations about God's existence.  He is definate a skeptic who believes that the rest of us have created a being to satisfy our need for answers.  Certainly, when someone has such an anti perspective there is no logical agrument that is going to change their mind.  So I have asked him to try an experiment (whether this will work or not I do not know, but I know that if we take one step toward God, He'll take at least two toward you - so I am hopeful):  I have asked him to talk to God everyday for 40 days.  He needs to tell him his concerns, his faults, his questions.  I believe as this conversations unfolds, he will see that it moves from a one sided to a two sided conversations. 

It will be interesting to see if the skeptic is willing to give it a try. I encourage you to pose the same challenge to other non-believers.  I would live it if they would comment and let us know how the experiment unfolds.

Lent - Giving something up & Gaining something New

Lent has traditionally been a time of giving something up.  In our old church, Lent was celebrated more by taking something new on.  This year, I have kind of done both. 

Many people choose to give up sweets during Lent, but I don't eat that many sweets so how many times will I really be tempted - one or two during the forty days. I decided to give up coffee.  Maybe I need to explain what that means to me.  I generally get up with coffee, have at least one during the day, and my favorite time of the whole day is a coffee before I go to bed.  Now mind you, until now, this "sacrifice" was not a public thing.    I really felt like I wanted to experience this myself, I didn't want to share this plan with anyone: so I put a little codicil in my Lenten fast - I would not get myself coffee. However, If someone else bought me a coffee, I would gratefully accept it.  (Note:  I could not ask someone else to get it for me.  It had to be a random act of kindness of which I had no control.) This may seem like just wishful thinking, but I have at least two angels in my life that suprise me with coffee, so this was a real consideration. I will also note for those of you that are not familiar with Lent, that I became very thankful for Sundays which are not included in the Lenten 40 days.  I didn't over indulge but I surely did partake. 

Coffee was a really good thing to give up because it literally made me think of Lent every single day.  I could feel the temptation of Christ.  I could feel loss and sadness.  I know that sounds a bit extreme and I certainly don't mean to the extreme, but I would liken it to running sandpaper over you arm repetitively making you think about how it might feel to have a deep cut.  The feeling is not the same, but it is a little hurt that makes you ever mindful of a deeper, darker, more painful possibility.

At the same time, we took on attending our church's Lenten series of dinners with a conversation about the movies Economy of Love.  And we made our once a month Breakfast with the Bible a weekly experience.  These times of togetherness, which originally felt like just another responsibility have actually translated into the oasis of my week.  It is like swimming miles, but knowing when I touch that buoy that I will be relieved and have finished the race.

These two Lenten experiences have broadened my faith and deepened my Christian love.  I'm hoping the lessons will far exceed the 40 days of action.

What did you give up or add on during this Lenten season?  How has it changed your views or experience?

Ordinary People?

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