19I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not
perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. 20The wild animals will honor
me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness, rivers
in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, 21the people whom I formed for
myself so that they might declare my praise.
During Lent we have been exploring our journey with Jesus as
we travel to the Easter celebration by exploring ways of Spiritual Renewal. Spiritual Renewal is a way which can help us
navigate through those times in life in which we feel as if we are tottering on
the edge of the pit. It can also help us
to more closely follow our Saviour each day – in the good times as well as the
bad times.
Today Isaiah
declares that God will give water to God’s chosen people in the wilderness. Spiritual Renewal calls us to different ways
of drawing on the water of
salvation. This is an echo of what Jesus
told the Samaritan woman at the well: “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will
never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of
water welling up to eternal life.”
Jesus tells
us to draw of the water which he provides— that water of eternal life. This is the goal of Spiritual Renewal. The first way we explored was a method of reading
scripture - Lectio Divina, Holy Reading .
This is not bible study in the traditional sense. Rather it is a form of prayer using
scripture.
We next
explored walking the Labyrinth - the moving prayer in which we follow the
twists and turns of our spiritual life to the centre and back. Sometimes it seems we are getting close to
the centre and then there is a sharp turn in our lives and we seem to be moving
away from our goal. However, if we
follow the path that our savour prepares for us we will reach it. Last Sunday we explored a way that God speaks
to us which has been lost for many centuries—dreams which can be called God’s
Forgotten Language. Today I invite you
to experience a form of prayer which also helps us draw the water of eternal
life from the well; Centering Prayer. Centering
Prayer is a form of silent prayer in which you make space for you to be more
aware of God’s presence in your life.
God is always there but we often have difficulty perceiving that
presence. The process is quite simple
with just a few steps.
Choose a word or phrase that
resonates with you as an expression of your intent and desire - It use the word
‘return’. Sit comfortably and upright,
eyes closed, breathing naturally, and begin to repeat this sacred word
silently. As your attention is focused on the desire behind the word, gradually
let the word slip away; Rest in silence. You will find that thoughts and images and
feeling may come into your mind. We are
not used to quiet in our culture – our brains want to fill silence. This has been called our monkey brains - which
is very descriptive. When these thoughts,
images or sensations arise, gently return to the sacred word as a symbol of
your consent to God’s presence and action within you.
The recommended period for prayer is twenty minutes
each day. However, we will begin today
with five minutes to give you a taste of the experience. When the time is up I will close with a
prayer.
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