|
March 10, 2010 Read: "In returning and rest, you shall be saved. In quietness and trust shall be your strength." Isaiah 30:15. "The rhythm of life for countless people, set up by this culturally pressured way, thus emerges as one that oscillates between driven achievement (both on and off the job) and some form of mind-numbing private escape. This crazed rhythm based on a distorted view of human reality, increasingly poisons our institutions, relationships, and quality of life." Tilden Edwards Think About: As important as Sabbath is, it is vitally important that we plan for and make Sabbath time during each day of the week and not just on Sunday. For many, daily "quiet time" is a well-ingrained practice: Scripture reading and prayer and perhaps journaling. Yet it is all too possible to rush through this time so that we can check it off our "to do "list -and then our spirit is still left hungry. In one of my favorite spiritual nurture books by Joyce Rupp - Fresh Bread and Other Gifts of Spiritual Nourishment – she expresses this in a prayer poem that many can relate to: Can it be? Have I for so long forgotten to feed myself? Yes. I was slowly starving, getting lost in busy days, tossing aside the hunger that chewed away inside. Yet, I did not die. By some quiet miracle I made it to this moment of truth: I nearly starved to death. It was not my body that I failed to feed. It was my spirit, left for days without nourishment or care. And then one day I paused to look within, shocked at what I found: so thin of faith, so weak of understanding, so needy of encouragement. My starving spirit cried out the truth: I can! I will! I must be fed! As we try to be more attentive to daily quiet time, we need to be attentive to quieting within, perhaps lighting a candle to remind us of the presence of Christ, the Light of the world, or using a breath prayer. Then, approach your Scripture passage expecting that God has something to say to you this day. Be attentive for a word or phrase that stands out. Remember that prayer is an opportunity for listening for the whisper of the Holy Spirit, and not just a litany of requests. Robert Morris in Wrestling with Grace: a Spirituality for the Rough Edges of Life suggests second breath prayers; as we journey through our day experiencing moments of frustration - like the stubborn child, the person who cuts you off in traffic, the person in the line ahead of you that takes too long, someone late for an appointment, etc, etc. - after experiencing the initial burst of anger, we are invited to take a second breath and breathe a prayer of blessing (which blesses us, even if the recipient never knows). Another opportunity comes in looking for "moments of beauty". My husband takes long daily walks on the West Orange Trail, and makes that his me-and-God time, breathing in the beauty of the plants, trees, birds, blue sky and sunshine. Some of us plan for longer me-and-God times. When I was in pastoral ministry, I requested one eight-day directed retreat a year and one 36-hour retreat a month. This was a time of being "out of the world" and curling up in God's arms to be nurtured. And my parishioners noticed the difference! The pastor who returned was different than the pastor who left! There are many retreat resources available to help you find those quiet moments of nurture (whether half-a-day or several days) where you can "be still and know that I am God." So if we seize those God-moments through our week, we will come to our Sabbath/Sunday ready to worship and praise and receive "the more" that God has for us. Practice: Be more intentional about making Sabbath time God moments throughout your day. Pray this Prayer: Oh God, let me seek and find you in many moments of my day, opening myself to the blessing of you Presence that nurtures me as your beloved child. Amen. You are invited and encouraged to share your thoughts, feelings and experiences with the spiritual practices at the Lenten Devotional Blog. We are on this journey together and your words may help another along the way. Having problems viewing this page? Click here to view it online. Click here to be removed from the Lent Daily Devotions © 2010 St. Luke's United Methodist Church at Windermere |
