Quiet Spaces 25 August 2023
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Whichever way we turn, O God
Whichever way we turn, O God,
there is Your face
in the light of the moon and patterns of stars,
in sacred mountain rifts and ancient groves,
in mighty seas and creatures of the deep.
Whichever way we turn, O God,
there is your face in the light of eyes we love,
in the salt of tears we have tasted,
in weathered countenances east and west,
in the soft skin glow of the child everywhere.
Whichever way we turn, O God,
there is your face;
there is your face among us.”
John Philip Newell
Whichever way we turn, O God,
there is Your face
in the light of the moon and patterns of stars,
in sacred mountain rifts and ancient groves,
in mighty seas and creatures of the deep.
Whichever way we turn, O God,
there is your face in the light of eyes we love,
in the salt of tears we have tasted,
in weathered countenances east and west,
in the soft skin glow of the child everywhere.
Whichever way we turn, O God,
there is your face;
there is your face among us.”
John Philip Newell
Silence and Stillness in Church or Garden
Soon we’ll be spending some time in stillness and quiet … perhaps pondering on what we have just read … maybe sitting quietly indoors, or outside … just talking time to ‘be’ – to be with God … to listen to him … something, perhaps we don’t have or make time for very often …
Thoughts to Ponder
Virtual Community Carol Service in 2020 – I just sat and watched the Virtual Community Carol Service in 2020.... enjoying the content, and was suddenly reminded of how that strange year, 3 years ago, had felt ... with all the practicalities, laws etc which had become part of our daily lives ... I was reminded of how much we were learning about life, ourselves … and so much more … things which are, often sadly now, put much too far away on the back-burner, just three short years later.
I also remembered how God felt to individuals … and in community then … in so many different ways …how God’s presence seemed so marked for many people, in all sorts of different circumstances – both in joy and hope … and in sadness and despair. And these thoughts somehow reminded me of the first few words of today’s meditation, by John Philip Newell, ‘Whichever way we turn, O God, there is your face … “often not a physical face, but a sense of our creator being here with us … through everything. God is with us.
The Lampedusa Cross - In 2013 a boat with 500 migrants sank near the small island of Lampedusa in the Mediterranean. 300 drowned. However, the 200 survivors found God in Lampedusa - the islanders opened their homes and welcomed the migrants as one of their own. A large Lampedusa Cross made from the wood from the boat is held at the British Museum as a reminder of tragedy and hope,
Whether, in a few minutes, you stay here in the church, or take a stroll in the churchyard, we hope these words might be of inspiration and comfort:
Sharing and Group Discussion
So … how was your quiet time?
Blessing
For Solitude
May you recognise in your life the presence,
power and light of your soul.
May you realise that you are never alone,
that your soul, in its brightness and belonging,
connects you intimately with the rhythm
of the universe.
May you have respect for your own
individuality and difference.
May you realise that the shape
of your soul is unique,
that you have a special destiny here,
that, behind the façade of your life,
there is something beautiful, good and eternal.
May you learn to see your self
with the same delight,
pride and expectation
with which God sees you in every moment.
John O’Donohue
More thoughts to ponder:
As well as the poem by John Philip Newell, which we have just read, there are other thoughts to ponder, from various sources … which can be used here today, or at another time, whichever you feel led to do
Prayer inspired by a Lectio 365:
Lord God, you are the one who often asks us things when we least expect it …
who prompts us to delve deep into the mystery of who you are,
who we are, and the life we share together. We invite you to speak, to ask, to search our hearts and shape our lives, as we turn to you, to Jesus, and to your Holy Spirit. Amen
“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you." -John 1: 47, 48 (NIV)
Matthew 11: 28-30 The Message Version (Part of the Quiet Garden ethos)
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Matthew 11: 28-30 - The Message Version (Part of the Quiet Garden ethos)
When this blessing comes
When this blessing comes,
take its hand. Get up.
Set out on the road you cannot see.
This is the night when you can trust
that any direction you go,
you will be walking toward the dawn.
— Jan Richardson
God of the Living
A Blessing
When the wall between the worlds is too firm, too close.
When it seems all solidity and sharp edges.
When every morning you wake as if flattened against it,
its forbidding presence fairly pressing the breath from you all over again.
Then may you be given a glimpse of how weak the wall
and how strong what stirs on the other side,
breathing with you and blessing you still
forever bound to you, but freeing you - into this living, into this world
so much wider than you ever knew. Amen
Soon we’ll be spending some time in stillness and quiet … perhaps pondering on what we have just read … maybe sitting quietly indoors, or outside … just talking time to ‘be’ – to be with God … to listen to him … something, perhaps we don’t have or make time for very often …
Thoughts to Ponder
Virtual Community Carol Service in 2020 – I just sat and watched the Virtual Community Carol Service in 2020.... enjoying the content, and was suddenly reminded of how that strange year, 3 years ago, had felt ... with all the practicalities, laws etc which had become part of our daily lives ... I was reminded of how much we were learning about life, ourselves … and so much more … things which are, often sadly now, put much too far away on the back-burner, just three short years later.
I also remembered how God felt to individuals … and in community then … in so many different ways …how God’s presence seemed so marked for many people, in all sorts of different circumstances – both in joy and hope … and in sadness and despair. And these thoughts somehow reminded me of the first few words of today’s meditation, by John Philip Newell, ‘Whichever way we turn, O God, there is your face … “often not a physical face, but a sense of our creator being here with us … through everything. God is with us.
The Lampedusa Cross - In 2013 a boat with 500 migrants sank near the small island of Lampedusa in the Mediterranean. 300 drowned. However, the 200 survivors found God in Lampedusa - the islanders opened their homes and welcomed the migrants as one of their own. A large Lampedusa Cross made from the wood from the boat is held at the British Museum as a reminder of tragedy and hope,
Whether, in a few minutes, you stay here in the church, or take a stroll in the churchyard, we hope these words might be of inspiration and comfort:
Sharing and Group Discussion
So … how was your quiet time?
Blessing
For Solitude
May you recognise in your life the presence,
power and light of your soul.
May you realise that you are never alone,
that your soul, in its brightness and belonging,
connects you intimately with the rhythm
of the universe.
May you have respect for your own
individuality and difference.
May you realise that the shape
of your soul is unique,
that you have a special destiny here,
that, behind the façade of your life,
there is something beautiful, good and eternal.
May you learn to see your self
with the same delight,
pride and expectation
with which God sees you in every moment.
John O’Donohue
More thoughts to ponder:
As well as the poem by John Philip Newell, which we have just read, there are other thoughts to ponder, from various sources … which can be used here today, or at another time, whichever you feel led to do
Prayer inspired by a Lectio 365:
Lord God, you are the one who often asks us things when we least expect it …
who prompts us to delve deep into the mystery of who you are,
who we are, and the life we share together. We invite you to speak, to ask, to search our hearts and shape our lives, as we turn to you, to Jesus, and to your Holy Spirit. Amen
“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you." -John 1: 47, 48 (NIV)
Matthew 11: 28-30 The Message Version (Part of the Quiet Garden ethos)
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Matthew 11: 28-30 - The Message Version (Part of the Quiet Garden ethos)
When this blessing comes
When this blessing comes,
take its hand. Get up.
Set out on the road you cannot see.
This is the night when you can trust
that any direction you go,
you will be walking toward the dawn.
— Jan Richardson
God of the Living
A Blessing
When the wall between the worlds is too firm, too close.
When it seems all solidity and sharp edges.
When every morning you wake as if flattened against it,
its forbidding presence fairly pressing the breath from you all over again.
Then may you be given a glimpse of how weak the wall
and how strong what stirs on the other side,
breathing with you and blessing you still
forever bound to you, but freeing you - into this living, into this world
so much wider than you ever knew. Amen
