Dear Friends,
During worship on Pentecost Sunday, we used Lectio Divina, for our scripture reading, a spiritual practice in which one tries to listen actively to what the text, and God through the text, is trying to say to you.
Lectio Divina is active, sacred listening. It is a way of hearing a text in a new manner, allowing it to sink into your being. It is a different way of reading or hearing a text than how you might read or hear a newspaper story or a piece of junk mail. And though we did Lectio Divina as a group, it can be done privately also. Simply follow the same steps we did on Sunday with any text that you wish to go more deeply with.
To begin, select your text. You may want to follow the lectionary. Or you may wish to find some old, familiar texts that you need to hear in a new way.
Then quiet yourself. Turn off not only your stereo and tv and telephones and any other distractions you may have but also turn off, to the best of your ability, all the things that are nagging you and are running through your head. Spend a few minutes in silence.
Then read the passage. Though you can read it silently, I recommend that you do it aloud so that you can actually hear the words of the text. Read slowly and evenly, making sure each word gets its proper emphasis. Notice, as you read, what word or phrase sparkles or shines or jumps out at you. Don’t analyze why that word or phrase stood out. When you’ve finished the first reading, spend some time in silence with your word.
Then read the text again, this time through the lens of the word that spoke to you. Spend time in silence seeking understanding on what that word or phrase means to you.
On the third and final reading, seek to grasp what the text is calling you to do. Is it a call to action? Is it simply a response of gratitude? Is there something in your life that needs to be changed?
Finally, spend time in silence to bring all these experiences together. Throughout, seek God’s presence with you as you look to understand the word God sends to you.
Peace,
Gerry
Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
Stories
Newsletter article, 21 January 2009
There is definitely excitement in the air following Tuesday's inaugural celebrations. Millions of people descended on Washington D.C. to be part of the history while millions upon millions more of us watched or listened over the radio, television, or internet.
There was a very human moment, in the midst of all the pomp and ceremony when, during the swearing of the oath of office, there was a mix up of the words between Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts and President Obama. It was nothing major but I heard on the radio that the oath swearing was repeated later on to make sure they got it right; there was no leaving of anything to chance. I also heard that this had happened in the past; a second swearing in ceremony had to take place because the words weren't repeated exactly as they are laid down in the U.S. Constitution.
This mindset, strict adherence to an exacting way of looking at things, has all too often been brought into our faith world as Christians make the Bible a rule book with a precision that severs out those who don't agree with a particular telling of the Story. At the retreat last weekend, we talked about the richness of reading the Bible with Story in mind. Stories are not exacting or demanding. They allow flow and changes and even contradictions to be coexist within them. Stories do not deny rules and often contain them. But Story recognizes that words and images are heard differently by different people.
Stories, our stories, come from all parts of our lives: from the excitement and awe that welled up within us as our nation's 44th president stood before all those millions of people to the very personal tales of how our faith has held us and enriched us. Tell a story; make sure your story is told; listen to others' stories. Know that God resides within them.
Pace e Bene,
Gerry
There is definitely excitement in the air following Tuesday's inaugural celebrations. Millions of people descended on Washington D.C. to be part of the history while millions upon millions more of us watched or listened over the radio, television, or internet.
There was a very human moment, in the midst of all the pomp and ceremony when, during the swearing of the oath of office, there was a mix up of the words between Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts and President Obama. It was nothing major but I heard on the radio that the oath swearing was repeated later on to make sure they got it right; there was no leaving of anything to chance. I also heard that this had happened in the past; a second swearing in ceremony had to take place because the words weren't repeated exactly as they are laid down in the U.S. Constitution.
This mindset, strict adherence to an exacting way of looking at things, has all too often been brought into our faith world as Christians make the Bible a rule book with a precision that severs out those who don't agree with a particular telling of the Story. At the retreat last weekend, we talked about the richness of reading the Bible with Story in mind. Stories are not exacting or demanding. They allow flow and changes and even contradictions to be coexist within them. Stories do not deny rules and often contain them. But Story recognizes that words and images are heard differently by different people.
Stories, our stories, come from all parts of our lives: from the excitement and awe that welled up within us as our nation's 44th president stood before all those millions of people to the very personal tales of how our faith has held us and enriched us. Tell a story; make sure your story is told; listen to others' stories. Know that God resides within them.
Pace e Bene,
Gerry
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