Welcome,
Friends.
As we begin this meditation time together,
Aware of our invitation in this season to enter intentionally into a holy Lent,
A season of repentance,
Prayer,
Fasting,
And renewed devotion to God.
I invite you to join me for a daily practice of stillness and regular turning toward the presence of God.
As we begin,
Please find a posture that allows you to remain attentive and relaxed.
You may sit or kneel or lie down.
Find a place where your hands can rest comfortably,
Perhaps in your lap,
Palms face up,
Palms face down.
Close your eyes.
If that helps you to turn more readily inward or simply soften your gaze downward toward your heart.
Notice your natural breath.
Take a deeper breath now.
Inhale fully and release the breath slowly.
Imagine you're breathing in God's mercy,
God's love,
God's peace.
Breathe out whatever you feel ready to release.
Once again,
Breathe in and breathe out.
Each breath,
A prayer.
Come Lord,
Make room in me.
Come Lord,
Make room in me.
Make room in me.
As you continue to breathe,
Hear these words of Jesus,
An invitation to enter into the intimacy of a deep relationship with God.
Jesus said,
Whenever you pray,
Go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Whenever you pray,
Go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
The disciples saw in Jesus a regular pattern of withdrawal from his growing public ministry to commune with the source of his real power.
He taught them this prayer.
Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
Breathing in God's mercy.
Breathing out all that is not of God.
Come,
Holy Spirit.
Make room in me.
Come,
Holy Spirit.
Make room in me.
Come,
Holy Spirit.
Make room in me.
The season of Lent is a gift.
It is an opportunity to take our time and our attention and refocus it toward what really matters most,
That great cosmic and universal source of all life and love.
Lent,
When done with intentionality and a sense of the sacred,
Can be a time to examine what might be getting in the way of this shift that is nothing short of a radical reorientation toward God.
Just for today,
Perhaps you will consider one thing that might be weighing on your heart.
It could be a habit,
A fear,
A desire for forgiveness,
Control,
Or a longing for change.
Name this in the silence of your heart.
There's no need to explain.
Just simply allow it to bubble up and acknowledge its presence.
As you hold that burden up to the light,
Imagine yourself handing it over to God.
Feel your grip loosen as you let go,
And let go a little bit more,
And then finally let go completely.
You might notice your shoulders begin to soften.
You might feel the warmth of God's loving presence surrounding you,
So calm,
So patient,
So steady.
Rest here.
Consider now one way you might practice repentance today.
It can be a small gesture of self-denial,
A quiet act of kindness,
A minute of Scripture read with intention.
The act of giving away something you no longer need.
Let this very practical choice form in your mind as a small,
Holy gesture of discipline for this day.
Now we will spend a brief period in silence.
And in that silence,
Be present to the creative presence of the Holy Spirit.
A word of guidance,
An image of consolation,
Perhaps an intuitive invitation.
And if nothing arises,
Again simply rest in God's gracious presence.
As we close this meditation,
Let us pray.
Almighty God,
Despite the ways we have turned from your goodness,
You continually call us back to you in love.
When we turn away again,
And we will,
Draw us gently home.
When we have closed our hearts,
Please open them again.
When we are slow to give,
Quicken our compassion.
Grant us courage for small acts of repentance,
And grace to persevere in prayer,
Fasting,
And generosity.
That we may continue to grow closer and closer to union with you.
Amen.
