Silent Sunday
Here I Am
In this silent Sunday we will explore what it means to be as simple and beautiful as the birds of the sky or the lilies of the field.
Opening music:
Lyrics:
In this moment I welcome Thee
Ever giving Thyself to me
Introduction Talk:
Quiet Prayer
I invite you to rest in the quiet simplicity of the present moment, held in the I Am presence of God, in a time of quiet prayer (you can choose between a 10 minute and a 20 minute time of simple silence using the timers below). If you find your mind wandering, gently let go of your thoughts and return to being present, through awareness of your breath or your sacred word, or by saying "Here I am".
Listen to the following music as an ending to the time of prayer:
Lyrics:
Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you.
Everything changes, I alone remain.
Hold patience, for nothing is wasted,
Presence in all things, I'm with you in all things.
Sacred Reading:
Read the following readings through twice or three times, with an attitude of open receptivity. Allow a few minutes of silence between the readings. Listen for any words that call out to you, or that draw you into the sacredness of silence that is deeper than your usual knowing:
Reading 1: Matthew 6:25-29, 34
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Parent feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to your span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the wild lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." ... "(Message version of verse 34) Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."
Reading 2:
"Such words as "Death" and "Suffering" and "Eternity" are best forgotten. We have to become as simple and as wordless as the growing corn or the falling rain. We must just be." – Etty Hillesum
Reading 3:
"Presence is the point of intersection between the world of the senses and the world of the Spirit. May we never cease to discover its beauty and power." – Kabir Helminski
Meditation walk:
Take a 10-minute walk somewhere in nature, if you can. Notice the simplicity and beauty of the birds of the sky or the flowers, who are always within the eternal Now. Let them teach you about presence and being.
For Further Reflection:
Below are the quotes from the talk for you to take this theme further.
Stephen Mitchell, from his book titled "The Gospel according to Jesus":
"When Jesus talked about the kingdom of God, he was not prophesying about some easy, danger-free perfection that will someday appear. He was talking about a state of being, a way of living at ease among the joys and sorrows of our world. It is possible, he said, to be as simple and beautiful as the birds of the sky or the lilies of the field, who are always within the eternal Now. This state of being is not something alien or mystical. We don't need to earn it. It is already ours." ...
"Like all the great spiritual Masters, Jesus taught one thing only: presence. Ultimate reality, the luminous, compassionate intelligence of the universe, is not somewhere else, in some heaven light-years away. It didn't manifest itself any more fully to Abraham or Moses than to us, nor will it be any more present to some Messiah at the far end of time. It is always right here, right now. That is what the Bible means when it says that God's true name is I am."
Beatrice Bruteau:
"The present moment is the intersection of eternity with time, and when our consciousness is stayed on this, it rests and finds peace, because it is released from the fantasies of the ego and is in touch with reality."
Ending Prayer:
Beloved our God, we pray that as we become more deeply rooted and established here and now, in your Presence,
we may be empowered, together with all of the people of your creation,
to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is your love,
and to become convinced of this love, at a level of our beings that surpasses rational knowledge—
that we may be filled to overflowing with your generous, outpouring abundance.
May our lives be for healing
May our lives be for peace
Amen
(Adapted from Ephesians 3:17-19)
Ending music:
Lyrics:
Return returning
Return returning
To the root of the root
Home of your home
Return, return
Come home, come home
Come home, come home
Come home, come home
Home of your home
Shining light, guide me
Golden light, inside me
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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.