Monthly Archives: February 2021
Worship Guide: 14 February 2021
What is Spirituality? Part 2
Dear Friends,
Yesterday we continued our exploration of the question: What is spirituality?
We are hearing from different voices from within the Christian tradition as well as listening into our own lives. While the word will always remain somewhat intangible, my hope is that each of us is getting a sense of how we might practice our spirituality with intention, and that doing so brings us life and enlarges our capacity to love.
Attached is the order of service and reflection from yesterday, Sunday 7 February. It includes the guided contemplation using an element from nature we used yesterday as part of worship.
Michael Casey says, “Beyond our mundane experience lies another world. When the door opens and we pass into it, the meaning of our life changes, and we experience everything against a different horizon.” Reflections like the one included in the prayer guide are one way we open the door to the world beyond the mundane.
In peace,
Christine
Reflection for Sunday 7 February 2021
Worship Guide: 7 February 2021
What is spirituality? Part 1
Dear Friends,
Yesterday (Sunday 31 January, 2021) we began a three-week exploration of the question: What is spirituality? A quote by Maggie Ross spoke about the vocation of silence – silence not as a personal indulgence, but a subversive act within our noisy, consumeristic culture whose demands are soul destroying for ourselves and our fragile ecology.
I wondered today if it might be helpful to consider ways we can weave silence into our days. Beyond the obvious and overt observation of silence through meditation and prayer, perhaps you might like to try some of the suggestions below:
| 1 | Meditation | Carve out a few minutes when we intentionally let go of thoughts and encounter the Original Silence within (World Community for Christian Meditation is a great resource). |
| 2 | Single-tasking | Do one thing at a time with full presence. |
| 3 | Set an electronics curfew | Try putting to bed computers, phones, TVs etc. at least 30-minutes before bedtime. |
| 4 | Refrain from mindless media | Attend to the moment and connect with our surroundings rather than checking news feeds, scrolling through social media, looking at emails. |
| 5 | Tame the tongue | Think before we speak; ask: Does what I am about to say honour the silence it breaks and add to the love in the world? |
| 6 | Make a sanctuary for silence | Find a spot in the garden, a nook in the house or a beloved bench in a park for quiet space. |
| 7 | Bookend our day with silence | Make a conscious choice to start and end each day with a moment of reverence and gratitude. |
Let me know how you get on and if you have other practices that you find helpful.
Peace,
Christine