Context: Amid a season of miracles, this service was created in the spirit of the Lectio Divina, Dharma Contemplation and Devotionals. The theme, “Of Love and Miracles” invites you to join in a contemplative practice considering aspects of the Holy in our everyday lives.
Thought for contemplation :
“Why, who makes much of a miracle?
As to me I know of nothing else but miracles” – Walt Whitman
Reading #1
Miracles by Walt Whitman (1819-1892)
Why, who makes much of a miracle?
As to me I know of nothing else but miracles,
Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan,
Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky,
Or wade with naked feet along the beach
just in the edge of the water,
Or stand under trees in the woods,
Or talk by day with any one I love,
or sleep in the bed at night with any one I love,
Or sit at table at dinner with the rest,
Or look at strangers opposite me riding in the car,
Or watch honey-bees busy around the hive
of a summer forenoon,
Or animals feeding in the fields,
Or birds, or the wonderfulness of insects in the air,
Or the wonderfulness of the sundown,
or of stars shining so quiet and bright,
Or the exquisite delicate thin curve
of the new moon in spring;
These with the rest, one and all, are to me miracles,
The whole referring, yet each distinct and in its place.
To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle,
Every cubic inch of space is a miracle,
Every square yard of the surface of the earth
is spread with the same,
Every foot of the interior swarms with the same.
To me the sea is a continual miracle,
The fishes that swim—the rocks—the motion of the waves—the
ships with men in them,
What stranger miracles are there?
Today let us embark on a journey Of Love and Miracles.
Reading #2
“Vapor” by The Liturgists
Oh the vapor of it all
It’s a chasing of the wind
The powers of the earth so pale and thin
We will set our hearts on you again
Heaven taunts the hearts of men
We can feel it from within
The beauty of it all
The mystery
The swelling of a voice
A rising sea
Holy
You oh God are Holy
Trees clap their hands for you
Oceans they dance for you
You are holy
Oh the mystery of it all
I can never peer within
I’ll never find the words or understand
The fullness of a God
Become a man
Holy
You oh God are Holy
Trees clap their hands for you
Oceans they dance for you
You are holy
Infinite and holy
A billion suns rise for you
Clouds paint the skies for you
Mountains stand tall for you
Valleys bow down to you
Everything rising to Sing
all our songs for you
Holy
The impossible and holy
Kings become fools for you
Kingdoms to ruins for you
Vapor finds ground in you
Music finds sound for you
Everything rising
Everything rising
Come like dawn
Like waves
Like sunlight
Bring this world to life
Come like rain
Like breath
Like springtime
Bring this world to life
Vapor is a liturgy by The Liturgists based on the teachings of Kohelet (The Teacher) in Ecclesiastes about the vapor of all things.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOH6qYTOo0c&t=11s
Recommended Children’s Story:
The Lemonade Hurricane by Licia Morelli
Look
Listen
Feel
Breathe
Music Suggestions:
Earth Drum – Ancient Way – David & Steve Gordon
Emiliano Campobello and the Sacred Flute
If during December Holiday Season:
“Greensleeves” (traditional English)
Celtic Ladies: https://youtu.be/jT7C11U5xyY
Instrumental Orchestral Version: https://youtu.be/vaHsj8RGczU
Full Contemplative Message:
“Of Love and Miracles” by Rev. “Twinkle” Marie Manning
The Lectio Divina is an ancient spiritual practice
In Latin, it means “divine reading”
Christians have used this method of reading
Since the 3rd century,
with clarity on the purpose of the practice
being imparted in the 6th century.
Traditionally having four parts.
Lectio,
Meditatio,
Oratio,
and Contemplatio
(which translates to
reading,
meditation,
prayer,
and contemplation)
In time by some it developed into a 5 step process by many.
Step 1: Read the Scripture passage;
Step 2: Meditate on the Scripture;
Step 3: Pray, based on your meditation;
Step 4: Contemplate the loving presence of God;
AND
Step 5: Act to find new direction in your life.
Something enhancing and unfolding based on information received during the practice.
Depending on religious order, denomination and inclination, there are alternate active and interactive methods
of this style of Contemplative Prayerpractice.
Some including active stillness as an integral part of the practice.
Others incorporating intentional connection
with the natural world one is surrounded by,
The environment around you.
As well as movement.
Walking, Dancing, Stretching.
Spontaneous or set poses.
Accompanied by music or in silence.
A key element being citing discernment relating to
a response to God or to the Higher Power
one recognizes as Holy.
In recognition of the Sacred element
who has been speaking to you in the contemplative practice.
That which you are listening for.
The Holy entity which is Calling upon you
to respond to their sacredness,
to their sacred message for you.
To respond with your own prayer,
allowing your words to come from a place
both within you and beyond you.
The place where the Spirits dwell.
Contemplation.
How we use words, how we define them, changes over time,
so it is good to consider any distinctions
in meanings as they are now compared to
how they were intended in their inception.
For instance in the first 16 centuries of the Christian Era,
the word “contemplation” was defined as
originating specifically from God.
In the 6th century, St. Gregory the Great (or in epithet Saint Gregory the Dialogist – a salute to his collection of 4 books
entitled the Dialogues citing miraculous events of 6th century Italy and structured in the form of conversations)
St. Gregory said contemplation was
“the knowledge of God that is impregnated with love.”
This love, emanating (in his religious view of the time)
from the sacred scripture was identified as a precious gift of God.
St. Gregory referred also to contemplation as “resting in God,” experientially so,
in such a way that the heart and mind are
not so much seeking God,
as experiencing that which they have been seeking.
The profound holiness.
Sacred truths.
Divine surrender.
It is a process of transformation, in union with the Divine.
Not achieved through human will, determination or force.
Rather, received as a gift
while in intimate personal relationship
with God.
Throughout the early Christian Era and into the Middle Ages, this form of Contemplative Prayer, of connection with God, was practiced by the Rhineland mystics, including
St. Hildegard and Meister Eckhart among the more famous.
Cultivated down through the Reformation and after
into the 20th and 21st centuries, it has been promoted and practiced by Jesuits, Carmelites, Benedictines and Trappists.
Notably, Thomas Merton, John Main and Thomas Keating
each adding to the efforts to answer the call
of incorporating and teaching this kind of spiritual practice.
Each with their own unique take on the contemplative endeavors they brought forward to their students, followers and communities.
The Trappist monks of the 1970s, for instance,
of which Thomas Keating was part,
began to refer to the practice as Centering Prayer.
A term used previously by Thomas Merton, placing a strong emphasis on the intention to be open to the presence and action of the Divine spirit,
in their Christian tradition, the Holy Spirit.
Now, in our modern age, the word contemplation
has been defined as “deep reflective thought” and
“the action of looking thoughtfully at something for a long time”; “deep or full consideration”; “reflection”; even, “the state of being thought about or planned.”
Yet, historically it has been dubbed as a particular way of Listening to God.
And Christians are not the only ones who’ve long-used
this method of Contemplation.
This method of connecting with and listening to the Divine.
Buddhist among the most well known spiritual practitioners
and with traditions who have contributed to the promotion and cultural acceptanceof contemplation and meditation.
They’ve taken these ancient practices that once were
activities merely of a dedicated few,
and often arguably elite monistic class,
to the mainstream landscape of spiritual expression,
accessible to everyone.
Whether a sitting meditation, Zazen
or a walking meditation, Kinhin
or inclusive of simple or elaborate rituals and chanting,
each are with the goal of quieting the mind,
clearing the clutter of relentless chattering of thoughts,
and opening space for the Divine to shine through.
Placing thoughts on pause
and listening for the Holy at the forefront.
Often referred to as Dharma Contemplation, Insight Dialogue, Mindfulness Meditation, and Contemplative Meditation.
The practice of Dharma Contemplation addresses what is
said to be the intrinsic human need
for connection with the divine
and this is accessed through holistic
and intimate contact with root teachings.
In Dharma Contemplation, similar to the Lectio Divina, practitioners soak themselves in the words
of their divine teachers.
For Buddhists that’s Buddha—and often other other root texts. They are seeking direct experience of the wisdom they carry.
Buddhists have long observed that we don’t
see things the way they are;
we see things the way we are.
we don’t see things the way theyare;
we see things the way weare.
So dedicating time to setting aside that
which we believe we already know,
and giving it over,
pausing and listening,
to messages found in words of Divine origin,
are stepping stones on the path to dissolve roots of suffering.
Buddhism acknowledges the roots of suffering run deep;
when we are able to dissolve them we are more equipped
to more fully meet all things—
— including other people and life’s difficult situations—
with alertness and care.
Freeing ourselves from errant thoughts,
accessing connection with that which we
uniquely identify as Holy, Sacred and True,
are key elements in ending suffering.
Key elements in accessing love
and seeing the miracles all around us.
Our lives can benefit by incorporating a form
of contemplative practice into our weekly schedules,
even our daily lives.
Nancy Roth, an Episcopal priest, chaplain, retreat leader,
gifted spiritual director and more, wrote extensively about meditation, contemplation and about prayer.
In her book Spiritual Exercises, Joining Body and Spirit in Prayer, she describes Contemplative Prayer
as a quiet mode of “praying through the body.”
And that whether alone in one’s living room
or within a group setting, in her words:
there is vast “potential for enriching your own
bodyspirit’sexperience of God.” (P82)
She affirms that while being still in God’s presence, “the stillness in question…is not primarily stillness of body:
it is the quieting of our busy minds.”
Sue Monk Kidd describes similar sentiment in her inspirational book Firstlight.
She says,
“Sometimes I was so busy being tuned in to outside
ideas, expectations, and demands,
I failed to hear the unique music in my soul.”
― Sue Monk Kidd, Firstlight: The Early Inspirational Writings of Sue Monk Kidd
Many teachers and authors recognize this and employ contemplative techniques in various ways.
Neale Donald Walsh’s Conversations With God book series,
is essentially a multi-book unveiling
of one man’s Contemplative Prayer.
An example of
asking questions and listening for the answers.
Describing the process he says,
“Before I knew it, I had begun a conversation…and I was not writing so much as taking dictation.”
The first bout of dictation went on for three years.
And grew from there.
Transcribing again and again words described as
inspired from the Divine.
Inspired by God.
A radical claim, perhaps, but not a new one.
The Torah while attributed largely to Moses is hypothesized to have several other authors;
The Qur’an said to have 43 scribes documenting its revelations;
Various Buddhist Canons, such as the Tipitaka (translated as “Three Baskets” containing three major groups of texts, including recorded discourses of the Buddha and some of his disciples)
The Bible within the vicinity of 35 writers, not to mention the books and chapters by dozens of other inspired authors; left on the cutting room floor, removed and destroyed or tucked away in the Vatican and other libraries.
The point is:
Each of what we call scripture came to us from a human with a writing instrument in hand.
Today need not be any different.
Clergy and Laypeople.
Authors, Poets, Artists, Musicians.
Each can lay claim to finding paths to the miraculous
and receiving affirmations of love
within the realm of their own askings.
Within the space of their connections to the Divine.
Whether we are using writing as our contemplative outlet,
or practicing a form of Dharma Contemplation
or following the steps of the Lectio Divina,
we too can access the Divine.
One of the easiest forms of prayerful contemplation to access
is that of the Devotional.
The practice of “Doing Devotions” simply is to dedicate time regularly to spend with God, to be present with the Holy.
Many choose to do so by reading inspired writing
even brief excerpts
as a guide to help focus your contemplative time.
You can select a passage from the Bible
or other spiritual book that is aligned with your Faith,
read a poem, listen to a song, or even select an oracle card
or flip through most any book and see
which page and paragraph you land on.
Start there.
Where ever you are and what feels right to you.
Especially if this practice is outside your typical comfort zone.
Read or listen to something familiar to begin with.
It can be useful to draw from some formula,
either Lectio or Dharma style sequences,
to help direct the Devotional time.
SILENCE
WORDS
FELT RESPONSES
MEANING
DIALOGUE (when in a group)
CLOSING SILENCE
Entering the Holy Space with Silence;
Reading the selected words;
Feeling your responses;
Asking the Holy for their meaning;
Entering Dialogue (when in a group);
Closing with Silence in appreciation for the Sacred time spent;
Offering gratitude for insights.
It is good to prepare in advance.
Selecting the text ahead of time.
And readying yourself for the practice.
Let’s try it together.
Let’s begin with today’s Thought for Contemplation by Walt Whitman.
Close your eyes if you wish.
Relax.
Take a slow breath in and a long breath out.
Again.
Slow breath in;
Long breath out.
Rest in silence.
(Hold Silence)
(Hold Silence)
“Why, who makes much of a miracle?
As to me I know of nothing else but miracles”
“Who makes much of a miracle?
As to me I know of nothing else but miracles”
What emotions do you feel in response to this?
What images come to mind?
“Who makes much of a miracle?
As to me I know of nothing else but miracles”
Draw any wandering thoughts back.
Remember your breath.
In and out.
“Who makes much of a miracle?”
How does your body react to this?
Is it signaling there is an itch wanting to be scratched?
A discomfort of some kind making itself aware to you?
This is nothing new – it’s our body’s clamor for attention.
Return it to the practice.
Relax your shoulders.
Breathe.
“I know of nothing else but miracles”
“I know of nothing else but miracles”
What does that mean to you?
What is a miracle?
Is Life a miracle?
Are you a miracle?
Does your body shiver in delight
at the prospect of being a miracle?
Do you reject the idea that you are a miracle?
Are you willing to embrace being a miracle?
“I know of nothing else but miracles”
What is a miracle to The Divine? To God? To Source?
Infinite and holy
Clouds painting the skies
Stars as far as eyes can see
Mountains and Oceans
A Pebble or the Ripple
What is a miracle?
“Who makes much of a miracle?”
What does God want you to know about miracles?
Can you picture the ordinary miracles?
Everyday blessings?
What do they look like?
What do they look like in your life?
What do they feel like?
What do they feel like in your heart?
What is the message of the miracle?
What is the message for you?
Listen.
Listen for the miracles.
“I know of nothing else but miracles”
“I know of nothing else but miracles”
Silence
Chime
Closing Words
Mystic Simone Weil states that,
“The mysteries of faith are degraded if they are made into an object of affirmation and negation, when in reality they should be an object of contemplation.
The mysteries of faith are meant to be an object of contemplation.
In that contemplation, that connection with the Divine, we become most aware of the love and the miracles around us.
Cultivating contemplative practices assures we carve out space in our all too busy lives, to be with the mystery and engage meaningfully in that which is inherent in all of us.
May your life be a source of miracles.
Indeed, may you experience the loving unfolding of miracles throughout your life.
May your practices of contemplation be a source of spiritual solace.
May it be so.
Blessed Be and Amen.