Cultivating awareness of God through spirituality centres: surely God is in this place.In one episode of the story of Jacob recounted in Genesis, Jacob is alone in the wilderness, preparing to set up camp for the night. For some time, he has been running from an ugly family conflict. Now his body is weary from tension and his mind is crowded with messy fragments of thoughts: bad memories, old grudges, guilty secrets, present worries, future schemes and plans. As Jacob stretches out on the ground and rests his head on a flat stone, he hopes to escape into sleep, leaving his troubles behind for a while. Instead, he dreams--and such dreams! Jacob has a vision of an enormous staircase connecting Heaven and Earth, with angels going up and down on it. When he awakens, Jacob gazes around in amazement at his ordinary-looking surroundings. "Surely," he exclaims, "the Lord is in this place and I was not aware of it!" Awareness of God seldom comes naturally. As much as we yearn to recognize God, our sensitivity to the divine presence is often dulled by mental clutter, anxiety, fatigue and noise. Often it is only in moments of stillness that we are able to discern the stirrings of the Spirit in and around us. One way of carving out time and space for God is through a spirituality centre--a place set apart for quiet reflection, creative expression and the practice of traditional Christian spiritual disciplines such as meditation, reading Scripture and prayer. Touring a spirituality centre Imagine you are approaching the doorway to a large room. At the entrance, there is a small table. On it stands a single candle and a sign welcoming you. As you pass through the door, you are greeted by the sound of gentle instrumental music and the aroma of bread baking. On a table nearby, baskets filled with chunks of fresh bread are surrounded by biblical passages describing the smells and tastes of worship: sweet clouds of incense incense, perfume diffused by the burning of aromatic gums or spices. Incense was used in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome and is mentioned in the Old and the New Testaments. It is also found in the major religions of Asia. , smoke rising from burnt offerings, the bitterness of Passover herbs. Questions posted on cards encourage you to recall your own memories: the heavy fragrance of Easter lilies easter lily see lilium longiflorum. , the tang of evergreen boughs at Christmas, the damp smell of the woods or the smoke of a campfire at an outdoor service, hot wax dripping from candles, the musty odour of an old Sunday school Sunday school, institution for instruction in religion and morals, usually conducted in churches as part of the church organization but sometimes maintained by other religious or philanthropic bodies. In England during the 18th cent. room, furniture polish furniture polish n → cera para muebles furniture polish n → encaustique f furniture polish furniture n → on wooden pews, the taste of bread and wine. Reminded that worship is a sensory experience as well as an intellectual one, you walk farther into the spirituality centre. Set apart in one corner of the room are several tables draped drape v. draped, drap·ing, drapes v.tr. 1. To cover, dress, or hang with or as if with cloth in loose folds: draped the coffin with a flag; a robe that draped her figure. in colourful fabric and decorated with candles. On one table sits a stack of Bibles and an assortment of cards printed with simple instructions. In the background, the gentle gurgling Gurgling is a characteristic sound made by unstable two-phase fluid flow, for example, as liquid is poured from a bottle, or during gargling. of a fountain provides an audible reminder of the cleansing and renewing power of God represented by the waters of baptism. Seated in chairs around the tables, or reclining on small rugs on the floor, a few people are reading and praying. They are engaged in two ancient Christian spiritual disciplines: lectio divina Lectio Divina is Latin for divine reading, spiritual reading, or "holy reading," and represents a method of prayer and scriptural reading intended to promote communion with God and to provide special spiritual insights. and contemplative prayer In Christian mysticism, Contemplative prayer can refer to:
At some long tables near the centre of the room, people are expressing their prayers through the work of their hands. Some are painting with watercolours: one person puts on paper the images that have come to her during her meditation on a Scripture passage, another gives shape to her joyful praise through splashes of bright colour, yet another offers his grief and anger to God through a wordless prayer of sombre som·bre adj. Chiefly British Variant of somber. sombre or US somber Adjective 1. serious, sad, or gloomy: a sombre message 2. brush strokes Brush Strokes was an Esmonde and Larbey sitcom set in South London and depicting the (mostly) amorous adventures of a good-looking, wisecracking house painter, Jacko (Karl Howman). . At another table, someone has finished reading the passage from Galatians in which Paul speaks about the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Now she uses colourful clay to make beads representing each one. When she leaves, she will take the beads with her as a reminder of the distinctive characteristics of the Spirit-filled life. Nearby, another group is cutting and sewing together card stock and coloured paper. They are making journals to help them cultivate the habit of paying attention Noun 1. paying attention - paying particular notice (as to children or helpless people); "his attentiveness to her wishes"; "he spends without heed to the consequences" attentiveness, heed, regard to God. On their work table, a sign explains not only how to make a journal but also how to use it. Pause at the end of each day, the instructions explain, and spend 10 minutes asking yourself: where did I encounter God today? what opportunities did I take to share the love of Christ with another person? what opportunities did I miss'? what could I do differently in order to reflect the love of God more faithfully? In another corner of the room, someone sits at a desk, writing. She has been looking through binders filled with stories and photographs of the church's mission and ministry in Canada and abroad. Now she is writing a letter to one of the overseas staff, thanking him for his work and pledging to pray for his particular ministry. She is also beginning to consider how she might serve God locally through her own congregation. Along one wall, a small cluster of people gathers. They are writing on brightly coloured Post-it Notes, sticking them to the wall, then stopping to read what others have written. This is the prayer wall, the place where the prayers of individuals become the prayers of the community. Each colour represents a different type of prayer: praise, thanksgiving, intercession intercession, n a prayer in which a request is made on behalf of another person. , petition, lament and confession. Colour-coded signs explain the purpose of each. Close by, someone is reading the Psalms, looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. biblical examples of these types of prayer. When he finishes, he spends some time writing his own psalm based on these biblical models. When he leaves the centre, perhaps he will carry not only a deeper awareness of the range of emotions expressed in the biblical Psalter but also a new freedom and honesty in his own conversations with God. In a separate room, a few people are walking the labyrinth. The labyrinth--a single path laid out in a complex circular pattern--was used in the Middle Ages to represent pilgrimage, the journey of the Christian toward both the earthly and heavenly Jerusalem. In recent years, it has been reclaimed as a tool for prayer and discernment. As they follow its winding path in toward the centre and outward again, those who walk the labyrinth enter more deeply into the biblical metaphor of life as a way or path that one treads, guided and accompanied by God. By inviting people to explore these various stations, the spirituality centre serves as a teaching tool. It introduces participants to spiritual disciplines that may help them cultivate the habit of paying attention to the work of the Spirit within and through them. Possibilities for putting spirituality centres to work Spirituality centres can be as large or small as space permits, as simple or elaborate as time and resources allow. They can be temporary or permanent and, with some creativity, may be adapted to suit a range of ages and abilities. On a large scale, they work well at conferences for youth and adults. At events such as Presbyterian Youth Triennium tri·en·ni·um n. pl. tri·en·ni·ums or tri·en·ni·a A period of three years. [Latin : tri-, tri- + annus, year; see at- in Indo-European roots. 2001 and Canada Youth 2003, the annual meeting of the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators and the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), participants flocked to spirituality centres looking for an opportunity to balance a busy conference schedule with time for silence and reflection. Spirituality centres are also appropriate for congregations. Last year, on the first Sunday in Lent, our worship time at Beaches Church, Toronto, was devoted to a self-guided exploration of various stations set up the night before in rooms around the church building. Another possibility would be to plan an intergenerational in·ter·gen·er·a·tion·al adj. Being or occurring between generations: "These social-insurance programs are intergenerational and all potluck supper followed by an evening spent together in the spirituality centre. A colleague who served as a chaplain in a nursing home developed a simple rotational model to introduce residents to a new discipline each week. Small centres can also be the locus of weekend retreats. Elements of a spirituality centre can also be used one at a time. Members of a youth group might spend an evening making and learning how to use spiritual journals. A small group Bible study Bible study may refer to:
adj. 1. Of or relating to a congregation. 2. Congregational Of or relating to Congregationalism or Congregationalists. Adj. 1. life. Some churches have used the labyrinth as a form of outreach, issuing an open invitation to people from the surrounding community to come in and spend an afternoon or evening becoming acquainted with this ancient form of prayer and meditation. Becoming like Christ We live in a climate of spiritual hunger and curiosity. As popular interest in spirituality grows, it is more important than ever for the church to articulate clearly the characteristic features of the Christian spiritual life. Above all, the church must emphasize the central role of the Spirit, whose work involves transforming the people of God into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). In other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently , maturing spiritually as a Christian means becoming more like Christ. Remembering this helps guard against the tendency toward self-centredness that marks some forms of contemporary spirituality. If designed carefully to reflect the principles of Reformed theology and Christian spirituality, a spirituality centre can be a wonderful way of encouraging Presbyterians to become acquainted with aspects of the Christian tradition Christian traditions are traditions of practice or belief associated with Christianity. The term has several connected meanings. In terms of belief, traditions are generally stories or history that are or were widely accepted without being part of Christian doctrine. that foster spiritual health and maturity and a lively awareness of the presence of God. As in Jacob's story, awareness is a gift from God, whose grace punctures the barrier of human inattentiveness in·at·ten·tive adj. Exhibiting a lack of attention; not attentive. in  at·ten . Spirituality centres are
places for work and disciplined exploration. But above all, they are
places of grace where, in stillness and quiet, we may become aware of
God and find ourselves dreaming surprising things.
Questions for reflection and discussion * Do you regularly practise any spiritual disciplines? Why or why not? * Writer Richard Foster Richard Foster may be:
* What role might a spirituality centre play in the life of your congregation? Who might benefit from it? How could the concept be adapted for your setting? For further reading Anne Broyles, Beverly Burton, Ken Carter Kenny Ray Carter is an American business owner, education activist and former high school basketball coach. Carter attended college at San Francisco State, then Contra Costa College, and finally George Fox University, where he played basketball. et. al., Soul Tending: Life-Forming Practices for Older Youth and Young Adults (Abingdon,2002). Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, 20th Anniversary Edition (HarperSanFrancisco, 1998). Marjorie Thompson Marjorie Thompson (born 1957) is a British-based peace activist and expert in Cause-Related Marketing (CRM). Thompson was vice-chair of the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) from 1987-93, and then Chair from 1990-1993, where she played a prominent role in the , Soul Feast. An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life (Westminster John Knox, 1995). James Bryan Smith, A Spiritual Formation Workbook work·book n. 1. A booklet containing problems and exercises that a student may work directly on the pages. 2. A manual containing operating instructions, as for an appliance or machine. 3. : Small Group Resources for Nurturing Christian Growth (HarperSanFrancisco, 1993). For some descriptions of lectio divina and contemplative prayer, consult the youth ministry section of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) website: www.pcusa.org/youthministry/spirituality.htm. Check the Year of Spirituality website, which is updated biweekly: www.presbyterian.ca/flames/spirituality Laura Alary a·la·ry adj. Variant of alar. Adj. 1. alary - having or resembling wings aliform, wing-shaped, alar biological science, biology - the science that studies living organisms , a graduate of Knox College Knox College can refer to:
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion