Quiet Space 21st March 2021
Then Jesus got up early in the morning when it was still very dark, and went out to a deserted place and there he spent time in prayer. (Mark 1: 35)
The first invitation of the desert mothers to us is to stop and seek the space and time to listen. For some this may take the form of a silent retreat. For others, it may entail sitting on the porch after the kids are in bed instead of listening to television. For others, it may mean not answering an email or getting on the internet for half a day. Still others may discover it by being in the car alone, with no radio or music playing. The wisdom of the desert mothers tells us that this way of life does not require a physical desert. It does require creating regular space and time to be still and to be silent. Mary C Earle
Time for Reflection
Surrounded by the Love of God
The earth beneath my feet is the great womb out of which the life upon which my body depends comes in utter abundance. There is at work in the soil a mystery by which the death of one seed is reborn a thousandfold in newness of life. The magic of wind, sun and rain creates a climate that nourishes every living thing. It is law, and more than law, it is order and more than order - there is a brooding tenderness out of which it all comes. In the contemplation of the earth, I know that I am surrounded by the love of God.
The edge of hope that constantly invades the seasoned ground of despair, the faith that keeps watch at the doors through which pass all the labours of my life and heart for what is right and true, the impulse to forgive and to seek forgiveness even when the injury is sharp and clear - these and countless other things make me know that by day and by night my life is surrounded by the love of God. Howard Thurman
Time for Reflection
Wild Geese by Mary Oliver
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees,
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you about mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
Time for Reflection
i just realised
that in my imagination
the wilderness is always somewhere else;
a foreign landscape I actively have to enter in the act of being faithful.
truthfully,
the wilderness is always where I am
right now,
and faith is the courage to stay with it
when I’d rather pretend I am
anywhere else. Cheryl Lawrie
Time for Reflection
Dark gives way to light
Fulness allows emptiness
A glimmer of hope that can only get brighter.
We’re waiting for the sun to rise
To lift our eyes and realise
That we are warm.
I could be cold inside
yet instead I’m mesmerised
By God’s beauty and love that chase after me
All the days of my life.
It’s snowing outside. And we are waiting,
In our waiting, God is working.
From hard, unyielding winter earth
The snowdrops break forth
Telling their story
Of a future glory. Suzanne Hight
Time for Reflection
When I look back on this day, do I see
a sea of smiling faces
because I smiled first,
a forest of soul filled conversations
because I took time to listen,
a field of hopeful hearts
because I used words of hope?
I see the Old One
dwelling deep inside.
I feel the Old One
inviting me to pause.
offering me wisdom
that flows through my being,
the wisdom I already possess. Karen Ewan
Time for Reflection
Blessing
When you no longer know how to be,
may the Father take you on your deeper journey.
When you no longer know what to do,
may the Spirit reveal to you your fitting task.
When all feels lost or foreign,
may you know your home in Christ.
On the path that is before you,
may you have companions on the journey,
may you find Christ in the stranger,
and may you know the love and blessing of God Celtic Daily Prayer
We conclude by saying the Grace to each other