Praying is better than worrying

On Sunday I included a quick clip of "Don't Worry, Be Happy" in the sermon. The song I really wanted to include, the one that inspired me all week as I was praying and thinking about the sermon, is "Why Worry". It was written by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits. His band has performed and recorded it, and Mark has gone on to perform it as a duet with artists like Emmy Lou Harris- they do a wonderful job with it. The Youtube link I am including here is for a video of Knopfler performing the song with his guitar mentor Chet Atkins, and with his musical heroes, the Everly Brothers. Apparently Knopfler originally wrote the song with Phil and Don Everly in mind.

Like many pop songs, we can listen to it as a romantic love song, or we can open our imagination a bit, and hear God's spirit speaking to us. Hearing God ask. "Why Worry?" inspired me all this week!
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In my sermon I said a little bit about Sunday morning worship as a time and place with God in which we get re-charged, and re-connected, so that we can go back out and love and serve in the world.

I love Sunday worship. I also no longer think it is enough to sustain us spiritually

As a runner, I know that if I only find time to run once a week, it's still be good for me, and better than nothing, but not really enough. I need to exercise, and challenge my cardio-vascular system at least every second day, and preferably, every day.

To run the spiritual race, to live the life that I believe God is calling me to live, I need to attend to my spiritual fitness on a daily basis. I need to enter into a discipline that helps me set aside time to be aware of God's presence.

There are a variety of ways to do that- but one that I am very interested in promoting these days involves taking time each day to read and pray with scripture. An excellent resource, that provides a devotional for every day of the year is:

Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals

It was compiled by Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, and Enuma Okoro, and draws from Christian traditions from many times, and many places around the globe.

At a conference for church leaders I attended in Nashville this month, there was a lot of talk about "Common Prayer" as a tool for individual spiritual formation, and for building community.

I like how the book draws upon the history and tradition of the church, and also introduces a fresh spirit to a way of praying that is at least 1600 years old.

It is available in book stores for about $20.00.

You can also access the daily morning prayer at: http://commonprayer.net/

It is also available from KOBO as an e-book, for about $14.00.

Making Space for God

I recently read some good words about prayer by Albert Haase:

“Simply put, prayer is becoming aware and taking notice of the presence of God in which we dwell and which dwells within us. Prayer is discovering and growing in the conscious awareness of a God who, like a captivated, ever-present parent, continually contemplates, nurtures, indulges and protects.” Page 15, “Swimming in the Sun: Discovering the Lord’s Prayer with Francis of Assisi and Thomas Merton”.

Another writer, Henri Nouwen, said,

“The discipline of prayer is the intentional, concentrated, and regular effort to create space for God. Everything and everyone around us wants to fill up every bit of space in our lives and so make us not only occupied people, but preoccupied people as well.” Page 18, “Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit”.

A person who visits me for Spiritual Direction has said she has weeks in which the only quiet time she experiences is the hour she spends in my office.

To quiet our own hearts, to limit our distractions, to simply be present in the moment- these things can be a challenge. There is so much that as Nouwen said, “wants to fill up every bit of space in our lives”. No wonder the earliest monastics went off to live and pray in the desert!

One “place” I have found that allows me to clear the clutter of daily living, and to open my awareness to simple things like a footstep or a breath, is in walking the labyrinth.

On Saturday, October 22, from 1:30 to 3:30 pm, there will be a Labyrinth Workshop at Trinity United Church, hosted by the Pastoral Care Team.

Walking the labyrinth is an ancient spiritual practice known to Christians for centuries. There are labyrinths in public spaces and holy places all over the world, including many cathedrals and churches.

This workshop is facilitated by Sonya Bolek, a Veriditas (the World-Wide Labyrinth Organization) Trained Labyrinth Facilitator and Spiritual Director.  She is the Youth Director and Parish Secretary at Saint John’s Anglican Church (Port Dalhousie) in St. Catharines.

There is no fee for this workshop, but those who are able are asked to consider a suggested donation of $5 per person to help cover costs.

If you would like to attend the Labyrinth Workshop, please let us know. We can comfortably accommodate about 20 people. To register, please call the church office at 905-845-3152, or email us at churchoffice@trinityunited.com