The objects Hello.
And welcome to Methods.
This is the third episode of our third season,
Vision.
Today we continue with Ignatian Contemplation,
Or Imaginative Prayer.
It's the name given to prayer which helps us enter more fully into the passage of scripture we're reading,
By using our ability to form pictures or inner impressions in our minds.
We live in a rational,
Left-brain world,
Where information and analysis is the highest priority.
But as humans,
Our soul is still captivated by experience.
Jesus called on people's imagination all the time.
He was constantly telling stories and painting word pictures.
He asked people to imagine the kingdom of God as a mustard seed,
As yeast,
As treasure hidden in a field,
As a lost coin.
Through imaginative prayer,
We step into a gospel story and imagine ourselves to be there in that scene.
Rather than reading the Bible abstractly,
We enter into the story more deeply to experience and encounter Jesus in the scene.
In doing so,
We remain true to the biblical reading,
More actively experience it.
We might be a disciple in the boat with Jesus,
One of the crowd at the feeding of the 5,
000,
Or the woman at the well asked by Jesus to draw up water for him.
It's important that as you hear the story,
You try and feel what it's like to actually be inside that story.
Listen.
Taste.
Smell.
Feel.
And watch what happens.
What can you see around you?
What are everyone's facial expressions doing?
And where are you feeling?
I'll read through the story once from the text first,
And then we'll enter the story more personally.
This passage is from the book of Exodus,
Chapter 3.
Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law,
Jethro,
The priest of Midian.
He let his flock beyond the wilderness and came to Horeb,
The mountain of God.
There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush.
He looked,
And the bush was blazing,
Yet it was not consumed.
Then Moses said,
I must turn aside and look at this great sight and see why this bush is not burned up.
When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see,
God called to him out of the bush,
Moses,
Moses.
And he said,
Here I am.
Then he said,
Come no closer,
Remove the sandals from your feet,
For the place on which you are standing is holy ground.
He said further,
I am the God of your father,
The God of Abraham,
The God of Isaac,
And the God of Jacob.
And Moses hid his face,
For he was afraid to look at God.
Now I invite you to close your eyes and place your feet firmly on the floor beneath you.
Rest your hands lightly in your lap and take a few deep breaths.
You're leading your flock of sheep through the wilderness.
They're not actually your sheep.
They belong to your father-in-law,
But you don't mind.
You've been watering his flock for some time now,
Ever since he met his daughters at the well.
You had a late start,
And the sun is low in the sky,
But with so many animals,
You want to make sure they get enough to eat.
You guide the flock through a narrow pass,
And up the western side of the mountain called Horeb,
The Mountain of God.
As you round a turn in the path,
One of your sheep splits off from the rest and ducks beneath some thick sagebrush.
You call for the flock to stay,
And you start after the rogue animal.
You push your way through the thicket and see a clearing,
Where in the middle lays one single bush,
A blaze.
Stretch out your hands toward the flame.
Can you feel its warmth?
What does it feel like?
You don't have to think of descriptors or adjectives to describe the feeling.
Just actively feel it.
Do you smell the smoke from the branches?
What does it smell like?
Can you hear the crackle of the fire?
What does it sound like?
You notice that even though the flame is burning brightly,
The bush doesn't burn up.
You rub your eyes a bit to make sure the smoke isn't affecting your vision.
It's as if the fire is burning without destroying the bush.
You begin to feel uneasy,
But your curiosity draws you still closer.
As you approach the bush,
A voice from within the flames calls out your name.
Your heart leaps in your chest.
The voice speaks again,
Reverberating through your bones.
Take off your shoes.
You quickly do as it tells you,
Feeling the soil beneath your feet.
You're frightened,
But you speak out to the flame,
Almost under your breath.
What is your name?
It feels like a long time goes by,
Until finally the voice from within the flame replies,
Eyeh,
A'sher,
Eyeh.
I am that I am.
I will be what I will be.
I will be what I will be.
I will be what I will be.
I will be what I will be.
I will be what I will be.
I will be what I will be.
I will be what I will be.
I will be what I will be.
I will be what I will be.
I will be what I will be.
