Walk with me ...

A Service of Silence & Beholding: 

an unhurried time in which to dwell at the heart of the Eucharist

22nd January 2017
8am
St. Mary's Church, Sullington RH20 4AE

I am no longer my own but yours.

Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will;

put me to doing, put me to suffering;

let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you,

exalted for you, or brought low for you;

let me be full, let me be empty,

let me have all things, let me have nothing:

I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things

to your pleasure and disposal.

And now, glorious and blessèd God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

you are mine and I am yours.

And the covenant now made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. 

Amen.

The Methodist Covenant Prayer

Peace be with you

Lectio Divina - an interpretation of the process

Epiphany 2017 - this process and the text following may be used in a group or on one's own. It is a deeply contemplative and creative practice which informs all of life - a process of transformation by which we come to be known ... 

Lectio (Reading):  

This is a practice of reflective reading and listening to a text as the Word of God; of listening with an open heart and mind, rather than an analytical reading where the text is examined, sifted and assessed. Give yourself an hour, allowing a good amount of time for each step. Begin in attentive silence, open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Then read the text aloud, listening to the reading as the Word of God for you for this moment today. Reading aloud helps me to listen with all of myself. Allow the spoken words to flow over and through you. Try not to grasp or select; allow yourself to listen gently for a word or phrase that stands out for you in this moment. It is helpful to read the text 3 times – reading more slowly with each repetition. When something stands out for you, allow everything else to fall away and stay with that one word or short phrase – this is God’s gift for you today.

Meditatio (Meditation):

You are invited to name aloud the word or phrase that has stayed with you, followed by a time of silence where this one word or phrase becomes your meditation, quietly repeated in the silence of your heart.

Oratio (Response):

A time in which to respond to God – does your response want to be written, drawn, be a movement, posture, or spoken, silent, a song, a sound?

What challenge or invitation arises from this Lectio for you today?

Contemplatio (Contemplation):

A time to rest silently within the Presence ...  

A suggested text - a slow repeated reading aloud of Matthew 2: 1-12

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
   are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
   who is to shepherd my people Israel.” ’

 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Peace be with you

The Word spoken in silence

As Christmastide becomes the season of Epiphany, as days begin to lengthen and we embrace the new year with all its opportunities and challenges, we invite you to continue to journey with us here at Wild Fortune, a threshold place of contemplative stillness, creativity and welcome.  

Our next Quiet Garden morning is Wednesday 11^th January, 10am – 12.30pm. This is now fully booked, but there are a couple of spaces on March 8th; please let us know if you would like to come as booking is essential. Our focus through the year will be creation as ‘God’s big book’ drawing on celtic spirituality, words from the Christian mystical tradition and the practice of stillness and silence. As previously, along with the garden and woods, the house, prayer loft and ‘shed’ will be available for quiet space and there will be refreshments in the kitchen. Please bring soft shoes or slippers for indoors and stout shoes or wellies for outside.

This Saturday, 7^th January, is Still Waters, in the prayer loft from 8.30-10am. On the basis of numbers and on what we feel able to offer, we do wonder if the current format has run its course? So, in response to a suggestion, we propose a shift in focus to ‘Lectio Divina’, the ancient practice of reading and reflecting on the Word of God, which many have found to be a deeply enriching and creative process of contemplative listening. It has been called a communion beyond words, a time of becoming one with the Word. The format would be something like – 8.30 gathering in quiet and then from 9am the process of reading the chosen passage (lectio), reflecting (meditatio), responding (oratio) and resting (contemplatio), finishing by 10am.  Would you like to join us? Do please let us know; no expertise necessary, it is a very gentle and prayerful guided process.  

The season of Epiphany will be our inspiration for A Service of Silence & Beholding on January 22^nd at 8am at St. Mary’s Sullington. For further details, please select the relevant page on the right hand side. 

The Father spoke one Word, which was his Son,

and this Word he speaks always in eternal silence,

and in silence it must be heard by the soul.

St John of the Cross

Peace be with you