Welcome to First United Methodist Church's weekly examine,
Where we on a weekly basis have a mindfulness meditation following in the pattern of the Ignatian daily examine.
Saint Ignatius of Loyola developed this examine to be done at the end of the day,
To discover what occurred,
How God was present,
And how we showed up for life.
At First United Methodist Church we have a contemplative service where we engage in this practice for the week.
I pray that you might enter into this practice on a daily basis and then join us every week to discover what it was that happened in our week,
How God showed up,
And how we met God.
So let us begin.
Find a comfortable seated,
Lying,
Or even standing position.
Begin to trace your in-breath and your out-breath.
As you're doing so,
And as you're comfortable and able,
Close your eyes or rest your gaze on a stationary object and begin to breathe.
Imagine this breath is a cleansing breath,
Renewing and strengthening you.
Not any different from the other breaths that you have taken all week long,
But in this moment you are recognizing that you are breathing in and out.
Now begin to integrate into your breathing practice appreciation,
Gratitude for the positive moments and gifts that you have received this week.
The smiles that you received,
The joy that you felt,
The comfort,
The satisfaction of simply living.
Welcome those moments with a smile on your face.
Somehow activating those muscles in your face connects deeply with the gratitude that is within you,
The joy that is within you,
That God has placed right there.
Feel that appreciation smile into it.
And as you're radiating that beautiful smile,
Center yourself on God's grace and forgiveness.
That unconditional love that is just for you in this moment,
That unconditional love that is for me,
That unconditional love that is for our neighbor,
For our strangers,
The strangers around us,
And that unconditional love for even our enemy.
How love can transform relationships.
Center yourself on that kind of love that breaks down barriers.
And now that we're centered on that love,
Begin to review your week.
Start wherever you like.
Let the events of the week rise and fall just like the thoughts and feelings that you have.
Just let them rise and fall.
Don't attach yourself or create narratives or stories around each one of them.
Just allow them to rise and fall,
Rise and fall.
Let go.
Let go of those moments of the week that you find yourself attaching to.
They are in the past.
You cannot rewind.
You cannot rewind.
All you can do is stay right here.
Begin to review your week.
You you you If you catch yourself thinking,
Feeling,
And attaching yourself to those thoughts and feelings,
Just let them fall and begin again.
Review your week.
You you Just pause wherever you are.
Inevitably,
In reviewing our week,
Something has come up.
A mistake,
A misstep,
A miscommunication,
A failure of some kind.
Whatever it is,
It has happened.
Hold lightly to the past.
All we have is right now.
So let's care for the memory of that event,
That mistake or misstep or failure,
Miscommunication.
We can care for it right now and ask for forgiveness.
So take a moment to breathe and ask for forgiveness.
And now by the same token,
With that same breath,
With that same confidence and a transforming love,
Forgive yourself.
I am forgiven.
I am forgiven.
And now let's take a moment to set an intention for the week ahead.
For we are forgiven people.
We can look ahead to a week we have in store.
No matter what we're doing or what where we're going,
We have an opportunity to find that deep well of transforming love that is within us and all around us.
That love that transforms relationships.
Relationships with God and relationships with neighbor.
So let us set our intention this week with this.
I will endeavor to be fully attentive to love.
This week.
I will be fully attentive to love this week.
So often we forget that the love that we have in the here and now feels so good.
Is so satisfying.
Sometimes if we're in a not so healthy place,
We compare it to past loves.
Or if we're in a not so healthy place,
We begin to imagine how we're going to capture this kind of love in this moment in the future.
The past and future.
Are neither in this moment.
It's either a fleeting memory or a projection.
All we have is right now in the love that is here.
Even in the silence.
Even in this moment.
There is love.
I will become attentive to the love that is in every moment that I'm given.
And so now let us set this intention.
Let us affirm and confirm this attention by saying together the Lord's 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.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
Moving to this moment of transforming love,
You are invited to open your eyes and rise.
Rise and meet this transforming love and greet it with the sound of a bell centering your life on the love that is within you and all around you.
Amen.
