And from a high place he watched in wonder as the sun sank into the desert sea
He watched as it stained the sand like wine spreading on a table
Like blood
Lent 8…
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Category Archives: meditation
Lent 7…
The voice led him into dark canyons carved by raging streams now long dry.
And he was grateful to leave behind the dark places
To climb towards light
Lent 6…
Dust devils plucked specks from the sand and spat them in his face.
Walk on, my Son
This is your time….and mine
Lent 5…
After a time, the desert seemed so big, and he, so small.
A panic rose in him. It clutched him like a hand at his throat
Who am I?
What am I?
What terrible road lies before me?
Father- my body is weak
I am a drop of water
On a rock
Under the hot desert sun
Soon I will be gone.
But still he walked- still he followed…
That voice.
New Monasticism podcast…
It is snowing here!
So my plans to go and work in the garden have been thwarted, and I am drinking tea and listening to podcasts. It’s a hard life.
But I came across something that I think is really important- a discussion at the London Centre of Spirituality about New Monasticism and Fresh Expressions of Church.
Bishop Graham Cray goes as far to describe New Monsasticism as a ‘New Wave of the Spirit.’ If he is right, then these small experimental groupings have a deeper relevance for the whole of church.
The discussion has a clear resonance for me, and my small community- Aoradh. Like most small groups, we ebb and flow, then ebb again. The energy we find as a group is easily drained by external and internal forces, and the need to seek renewal within practice becomes very real and urgent.
Strong themes that emerged from this podcast are perhaps those which most reflect our own situation-
Thanks to Moot for making this available, as I feel the need to rediscover a passion for what I do- to set my face in the Wind of the Spirit again…
Lent 4…
As he walked he began to leave something of himself behind. He felt the skin of civilisation being burned away by the sun…
Driven away by the wild animals of the wilderness.
But with the rhythm of every step there came this incredible music… singing to him
It’s your time…. And mine.
Lent 3…
He did not look back to the comforts of home, but walked on…
into the desert – the place of suffering and desolation, where each rock hid its own danger
every stone could strike at the heel
he walked onwards
alone.
Lent 2…
While the village still slept, he set his face to the low morning light and followed this beautiful voice
calling him
leading him
drawing him
into wilderness.
Lent 1
In a room scented by the smell of sawn timber, a man hears a voice in his inner ear calling him
it is time-
your time, and mine
enough of the mending and making and shaping of wood
time to put aside the tools
the sharp nails…
can wait.
Images by Si Smith
Lengthening…
… is the English language root of the word Lent.
40 days
40 days of rain to flood the earth in Genesis
40 years for Israel to wander the desert
40 days of hunger for Moses as he waited for the law of God on Sinai
40 days for Jesus to wander and fast in the desert as preparation for 4 years
And for us- tomorrow we feast on pancakes, as our own 40 days begin- then our Lenten journey towards Easter begins, when Christians traditionally make preparation for remembering and celebrating the death and life of Jesus through prayer, repentance, serving others or self denial/fasting.
To mark the Lent journey on this blog, I am going to use a daily excerpt from ’40’- a collection of images by Si Smith and my words- available from Proost as a book, download or movie.
We in Aoradh have used it several times as a worship installation, but never as a daily Lent meditation.
I do not usually fast during Lent- observance of such things were not a big part of the Evangelical tradition I grew out of- too ‘Catholic’ probably. But this our family have discussed finding something to forgo as part of our celebration of Lent.
Emily suggested meat (we are vegetarian)
William suggested fruit and veg, as this would leave chocolate and chips- and so all the 10 year old food groups are covered.
I am not sure that they quite get it…
this fragile tent 