‘The Pull Of God’ – A Lenten reflection series adapted with permission from PrayerBench.ca
Reflection
We are mid-Lent now. Our imagery shifts from desert to garden.
The cross is always before us. The Mystery of Easter is always at our back.
When many things seem to be crumbling around us, we look for what is solid and will ground us.
We bravely sing songs of hope and deliverance, even with wavering voice.
We may not always have peace of mind, yet the Wisdom way deepens trust and faith.
With hope, our hearts open in love to suffering and brokenness as much as to joy and beauty.
In this last part of Lent, let us face Godward in hope.
Theologian and advocate for justice, the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber remembers how his grandmother taught him hope is a verb. He writes:
“She and some of the other sisters from the church would make up some to-go plates and, with their aprons still on, head out the door to visit the sick and shut-in. ‘We going to hope somebody,’ Grandmama would say.”
He thought her grammar was bad until a time came when he needed someone “to hope” him and he felt the power of hope as a verb.
Before you listen to our scripture today, work with hope as a verb.
Think into a time when someone came “to hope” you.
Recall a time when you came together with others “to hope” other.
Imagine what it feels like, inside and out, “to be hoped.”
 
Spiritual Practice  - praying the Scripture
Today we will combine our spiritual practice and scripture reading, by taking a moment to prayerfully listen to the scripture from Isaiah 51:1-8, in this beautiful 10-minute video from Janice, author of The Prayer Bench.
https://vimeo.com/686828535
 
May you be moved by hope this week.
Peace, Rev. Gail

‘The Pull Of God’ –
A Lenten reflection series adapted with permission from PrayerBench.ca
Scripture
Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers (Philippians 4:6)
Reflection
In the Lenten calendar for mindfulness (attached again in case you have misplaced) it suggests that today “allow yourself to be drawn to a news story. Pray.”  I don’t know about you, but I am struggling to find the words to pray for the images in the news today. There are times when I just sit in silence.
We are called to pray in all things – but prayer does not always require words. Sometimes silence is all we can do.  In the Quaker tradition – silence is a central part of worship.  We have been having a moment of silence at Grace during our Lenten candle mediation; each week it gets a little longer.  Perhaps silence in church makes you uncomfortable – but sometimes words are just not enough.
I encourage you this week to take time to sit in silence.
 
Practice (Body Prayer)
Praying with our bodies invites our whole self to bend in prayer.  It grounds us and invites us to pay attention. Here are some simple prayer gestures to try using your hands.
Clench your fist: Silently think of moments of anger, frustrations, and disappointments in life.
Move your hands from praying hands together to open hands with palms up: Silently come to God, then as you open your hands, be aware of ‘Letting go and listening to God.
Join your hands together with interlocking fingers: Silently imagine you are joining your spirits with others in carrying out what God wishes for us.
Now try putting all these actions together in sequence in silent prayer:
Clenched fists – praying hands – open palms – hands linked.
 (Adapted from Anglican Fellowship of Prayer)
You might also design your own body prayer with these familiar words. “Be still and know that I am God. Be still and know that I am Be still and know Be still Be.”  You can also follow along with this video using these words with six gestures. 
​https://vimeo.com/393306124/cf361bec77
Peace, Rev. Gail.

A Lenten reflection series adapted with permission from PrayerBench.ca

Scripture

For the Lord gives wisdom;
    from God’s mouth come knowledge and understanding.  (Proverbs 2:6)


Reflection
Have you ever thought about the meaning of wisdom? 
I don’t mean the wisdom of your parents or elders, but Divine Wisdom.  The bible has much to say about wisdom – it appears 367 times!
Wisdom is the path of being present with the whole of our being to the Divine in all things. We bring the whole of who we are to our desire to live in wisdom’s way. It’s not about gathering more information until we know the truth or experience Oneness. It is more about letting go, softening our heart, trusting, and becoming receptive.
It is about perceiving truth with our mind and our heart and our body as we learn to see in a new way. Jesuit priest and theologian, Teilhard de Chardin, wrote:
 “To understand the world, knowledge is not enough. You must see it, touch it, live in its presence.” -
 
Practice (Wisdom Chants)
Chanting brings us into the Presence of the Holy One. Chanting allows us to absorb wisdom in our heart. It is an ancient spiritual practice that has grown in popularity. Here is a brief article about chanting as spiritual practice.  https://www.contemplative.org/contemplative-practice/chanting/


At Grace, we often use chants during our Prayers of the People.  During Lent we are using chants as we extinguish the Lenten candles – they provide space to bring us into Divine presence. 
Today, I invite you to listen to the words in this chant by Darlene Franz.
Close your eyes and chant or hum along, and feel yourself coming into the Presence of the Holy One.
https://wisdomchant.bandcamp.com/album/abide-in-my-love-live-at-mt-vernon
 
There are many Taize chants online. Google: Taize Chants. Or open your bible and make your own chants with the Psalms using one tone. There is no wrong way to chant.
This week why chose a chant a day to sing along with – here is an excellent webpage for some practice.  https://lehighvalleywisdom.com/practices.
Happy chanting,
Peace, Rev. Gail

‘The Pull Of God’ –
A Lenten reflection series adapted with permission from PrayerBench.ca
Reflection
Love calls us here on this Lenten journey. 
The Unending Love of Jesus calls us here as the journey stretches before us.
Love.  
Seeing with Christ’s eyes, till we are seeing through the eyes of Love.
Feeling with Christ’s heart, till we are responding to the world with healing Love.
“Life in God should be a daring adventure of love—a continuous journey of putting aside our securities to enter more profoundly into the uncharted depths of God.” – Illia Delio.
This Lent, and especially this Lent in this time of Earth’s struggle, it’s not just about us and our spiritual journey, it is about helping “heal the world and unify it in love.” (Delio)
This is our work, our call, our rallying cry.
We breathe in Love. We breathe out mercy.
Scripture
Slowly repeat this scripture from Proverbs 3:3
Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
    bind them around your neck,
    write them on the tablet of your heart.
Practice  (breath prayer)
Take a few conscious breaths.
Sitting in a chair, settle, become fully present in your body, and invite your attention to gather in the region of your heart.
As you are able, consciously breath in thinking of the toxicity of a painful situation or disease.  Maybe the pain and hurt for the people of Ukraine.
Then on the out-breath,  offer a measure of healing and blessing to the world.
Maybe add the words to the breathing: ‘I breathe in the pain of ….., I breathe out God’s healing.’
This isn’t easy and it is not for every time of our life, but it can be a powerful way of praying when we have no words.   
Pema Chodron writes: “[Our prayer] reverses the usual logic of avoiding suffering and seeking pleasure, and in the process, we become liberated from a very ancient prison of selfishness. We begin to feel love both for ourselves and for others, and we begin to take care of ourselves and others. It awakens our compassion, and it also introduces us to a far larger view of reality.”
Practice this breath prayer throughout week, every time you hear the news.

‘The Pull Of God’ 
A Lenten reflection series adapted with permission from PrayerBench.ca
Creating the space
Today we begin our journey of Lent.  Each Wednesday I will be sending out a reflection for you to ponder on for the week.  It may be helpful to create a Lent space for yourself. This is the liturgical time of purple - perhaps you have a purple cloth, or scarf or fabric that you can put in your space.
You might take some time to reflect on or to research the meaning of the colour purple and name for yourself what purple means to you this Lent.
You might want to have a candle and maybe choose to add a different candle for each week of Lent.
It might be helpful to have a journal or notebook for your reflections, doodles, and prayers.
 
 
Scripture
I invite you to read Psalm 90.  Take it slow.
Remain with the words or phrases that call to you or intrigue you.
Soften your heart and expect to hear an expression of consolation or challenge. Maybe both.
Are there words here for your Lent journey?
Psalm 90
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.
2 Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”
4 A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.
5 Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death— they are like the new grass of the morning:
6 In the morning it springs up new,  but by evening it is dry and withered.
7 We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation.
8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9 All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan.
10 Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures;
yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
11 If only we knew the power of your anger! Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.
12 Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
13 Relent, Lord! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants.
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble.
16 May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children.
17 May the favor[a] of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us--
    yes, establish the work of our hands.
Reflection/ Practice
Lent begins with Ash Wednesday . 
We begin with dust. We begin with desert.
What symbols or images might you add to your space to symbolize dust and desert?
 
“Remember you are dust and to dust you will return.”
At Lent’s threshold, there is dust.
It might seem a sombre thought in the wake of the horrific violence in Ukraine.  And yet, there is also something very comforting in the assurance that we return to that from which we were created.  Something in that reminds us that even in the wake of war and conflict, we are still part of God’s creation.
Often on Ash Wednesday people mark their foreheads with the sign of the cross using ashes from palm branches.  For some it is a symbol of penance, but I like to think of it as a symbol of renewal and hope as we begin our Lenten journey.  Out of the ashes new life can begin.
It is unlikely that you have ashes at home, but I invite you to take some oil and mark the sign of the cross on your own forehead, making a promise that you will intentionally journey in faith this Lent.
 
I also invite you to follow this Lenten calendar for a short spiritual practice each day
Peace,
Rev. Gail