Silent Sunday
Instinct for a loving God
In this silent Sunday we will explore our instinct for a loving God. I invite you to respond to the beckoning tenderness of God as you join in with the music, readings, quiet prayer and reflections around this theme.
Opening music:
Lyrics:
Could I just sit here awhile;
Know that there's nothing that I need to say
Safe in the knowledge that You know my ways
Love me completely, no need to hide a thing
Could I just stay here awhile;
Letting You melt away all of my fears
I feel Your comfort when You are so near
I'll hide myself in this shelter You've made for me
Could I, Could I
Could I just kneel here awhile
Doing what I was created to do
Bowing in reverence I long to adore You
Willingly giving all that I can surrender
Could I just rest here a while
Letting you whisper my burdens away
In all of my journeys there's no other place
Where I find refuge strength for my weary heart
Could I
Could I just sit here awhile;
Know that there's nothing that I need to say
Safe in the knowledge that You know my ways
Love me completely, no need to hide a thing
Time: 10 minutes
Guided prayer / meditation:
I invite you to rest into the tender embrace of God (you can choose between a 10 or 20 minute guided time of prayer).
Listen to the following music as an ending to the time of prayer:
Lyrics:
Be still my love, know that I am God
Be still my love, know that I am God
The mountains shake, the waters roar
The valleys tremble with fear
And yet our strength, our refuge sure
Whispers in our ear
Be still my love, know that I am God
Be still my love, know that I am God
Though nations fight, though kingdoms fall
Though spiteful hearts will harm
Your mercy holds us, we hear You call
We linger in Your resting arms as You say
Be still my love, know that I am God
Be still my love, know that I am God
Behold the works our Lord has done
To change our hearts of stone
God breaks our arrows, God breaks our bows
God calls us chosen, calls us God's own
Be still my love, know that I am God
Be still my love, know that I am God
Be still my love, know that I am God
Be still my love, know that I am God
Sacred Reading:
Read the following readings through twice or three times, with an attitude of open receptivity. Listen for any words that call out to you, or that draw you into a sense of loving tenderness.
Zephaniah 3:17
The Lord your God, who is always with you,
takes great delight in you,
and will quiet you with love,
rejoicing over you with singing.
This place where you are
This place where you are right now
God circled on a map for you.
Wherever your eyes and arms and heart can move
Against the earth and sky,
The Beloved has bowed there -
Our Beloved has bowed there knowing you were coming.
I could tell you a priceless secret about
Your real worth, dear pilgrim,
But any unkindness to yourself,
Any confusion about others,
Will keep one from accepting the grace, the love,
The sublime freedom that Divine knowledge always offers to you.
~ Hafiz
For Further Reflection:
I encourage you to spend some time in further reflection on this theme. Below are some of the quotes from the talk and some questions for reflection for you to take this theme further.
Fr Gregory Boyle:
"The Good News is that the God we most deeply want IS the God we actually have, and the god we fear is, in fact, the partial god we’ve settled for. God looks at us and is ecstatic. This God loves the sound of our voices and thinks that all of us are a magnificent work of art. “You’re here!” God’s cheek resting on ours. God’s singular agenda item.”
James Finley:
We need to "find within and beyond ourselves resources of courage, patience, and tenderness to touch the hurting places with love, so they might dissolve in love until only love is left. This for me is a very deep, contemplative way to understand that Christ’s presence in the world is being bodied forth in and as the gift and miracle of our very presence in the world."
Questions for reflection
What are your assumptions or images about God that may feel heavy, distant or judgmental, especially in painful or difficult times? It is helpful to make these explicit so that you can intentionally challenge these and gently let them go.
Who is the God you most deeply yearn for? Allow yourself to hold open this longing in prayer.
Many of us need to experience kindness and tenderness from others to be able to believe that we are loved and lovable. Reflect on ways that you can carry an attitude of kind tenderness into your daily life.
Reflect on the people who have impacted positively on your life by showing you kindness and tenderness, and express your gratitude for them.
Ending Prayer:
Beloved our God,
May we open ourselves to your exquisite and patient tenderness,
that softens our hearts from within,
as we rest into the oceanic immensity of your love.
May we have the courage, patience and tenderness to touch the hurting places with love,
with a kind and compassionate presence that radiates your love into the world.
May our lives be for healing,
May our lives be for peace,
Amen.
Ending music:
Lyrics:
There's a love rooted deep in us
It wants to grow and grow and grow and grow
All it needs is for our light to shine
And when tears come, to let them flow
Oh Love, oh Love, grow inside of us
Oh Love make your way
Oh Love show the world
That it bears your holy Name.
I say yes in the silence
I say welcome in my being
I say yes, I'll be a home
For God's love to make its way
Oh Love, oh Love, grow inside of us
Oh Love make your way
Oh Love show the world
That it bears your holy Name.
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Sharon's book that was previously called "Contemplative Living" has been republished by AnamChara Books under the title "Deeper: Finding the Depth Dimension Beneath the Surface of Life". The Kindle version is available from Amazon, and the hard copy version can be ordered from loot.co.za or Takealot, or from your local bookshop through Ingram Distribution.