Monthly Archives: July 2020

Home Worship 26 July 2020

Previous Notices

Dear Friends,

It has been another full week at St. Andrew’s with the highest number of people coming into our Emergency Relief Centre to date. Despite the growing busyness, it remains an hospitable, cheery space where connection happens and support is shared among the community––guests and volunteers alike. My engagement with those in this space continues to impact me and shape my hearing of the Gospel and thus the reflections I share with you. 

The Home Worship Guide for this Sunday is available here and the Reflection in Solitude is available here.

All who wish are welcome to gather in the hall on Sunday 26 July from 9:45 for a 10:00 am start to worship together.

Peace to you,

Christine

Home Worship 19 July 2020

Previous Notices

Dear Friends,

A reminder that those who wish are invited to gather this Sunday at 9:45 for 10:00 am start. The resources attached will be our guide for those worshipping together on Sunday and copies will be available.

Whether at home or 92 Jetty Road, a Sabbath poem by Wendell Berry welcomes us into the kind of prayer where fear and anxiety are quelled, and we sing our song in harmony with creation.

The Home Worship Guide for this Sunday is available here and the Reflection in Solitude is available here.

Peace be with you,

Christine

Home Worship 12 July 2020

Previous Notices

Dear Friends,

Along with the weekly guide and reflection, I have a couple of items to share with you. One is this compelling poster (Radici Studios) which was posted on the Benedictine Abbey Facebook page. I feel it is worth pondering in this time of winter seeding and transition.

Secondly, I wish to share a song called “Leaning into Darkness” by Velma Frye who composes music for different times of life and the day. This is a meditative piece for the season we find ourselves –maybe something to listen to with the lights off, as you give way to sleep.

And finally, the Home Worship Guide for this Sunday is available here and the Reflection in Solitude is available here.

Peace to you all,

Christine

Four Guidelines to Centring Prayer

Resources

Centring Prayer, sometimes called Christian meditation, is the practice of letting go.

In the late 1960’s, young people from around the world flocked to St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer Massachusetts. Always prepared to offer hospitality, the monks received the young people warmly. When asked what they were seeking, the young people often replied, “We’re looking for a path, man.” After receiving the monk’s hospitality, the young people would soon move on.

In time, the monks discovered the young people were actually looking for the nearby Buddhist monastery where meditation was practiced and taught by the monks.

The exploration of the young people at this time set three brothers on their own journey of discovery. William Meninger, Basil Pennington and Thomas Keating worked to uncover the long tradition of meditation within the Christian faith. Their discovery and sharing of this once-neglected tradition of prayer has been a gift to us all.

Please click on the button below to download a pdf brochure with a guided path to quieten down find stillness everywhere, be grounded in what is and nurture inner peace.

The-Four-Guidelines-to-Centring-PrayerDownload