Let's arrive fully into this place.
Whatever place that you've set aside for yourself,
Maybe you have lighted a candle in a special place in your home,
Whatever it might be,
Let's take just a moment to create this space,
Opening ourselves up to the Holy Spirit so that we might listen more carefully to what God has to say to us today.
As always,
I invite you to find a space that is most accessible and amenable to you,
A place that's comfortable and comforting for you,
So that without distraction you can hear the words not only of my mouth,
Those only become secondary,
But that you can begin to hear the words of your heart and your mind and your life,
And making those the primary,
Primary source of your own reflection.
Let's arrive fully into this space with an arriving meditation.
As it's comfortable and accessible to you,
I invite you to close your eyes or rest your gaze away from the screen,
And as you do so,
Let's begin at the top of our heads,
And by arriving in this place we're going to scan our bodies to check in with places of comfort and also places of tension,
So that we can be here now,
To be in touch with our bodies,
To be in touch with our lives,
To be in touch with what is here and now.
So from the top of your head,
Moving down to your forehead and face,
Your ears,
Your cheeks,
Your chin,
Your tongue,
Your neck.
Bring compassion to each one of these areas,
And if you find a spot on this part in your body that is tense or is restricted in any way,
Relax.
You are here.
You are safe.
For me,
My tongue is so tense all the time,
Like I'm about to say something to someone every single day,
Every single moment.
Relaxing my tongue,
It reminds me to be.
Be quiet.
Be still.
Moving from your neck into your shoulders and upper arms and any tension there.
Release any tension.
Bring compassion to each of those spaces and places in your body.
Moving down your forearms,
Even your hands,
The tiny muscles in your hands.
Maybe clench your fists and then open your hands wide and feel the blood rushing in and through your fingers.
Maybe do that one more time and stretch out those hands,
Releasing any tension that's there and then resting your wrists on the top of your lap.
From your forearms to your upper arms and shoulders,
We move down to your back.
Any tension there.
Rest into a seat if you're seated.
If you're lying down,
Rest into that lying down space,
Placing your shoulders back behind your ears,
Allowing that openness,
That space in your chest to open up.
Relax your pectoral muscles,
The muscles around your ribcage.
If you catch yourself holding your breath,
Go ahead and release your diaphragm and just breathe deeply.
Also release your belly,
The centerpiece of your body.
Try not to bring judgment to this part in your body,
But all compassion.
It's how you're made,
How you're built.
Just as you are,
Compassion,
Release.
Release the tension and stress.
Moving down through your pelvis and buttocks and upper thighs and hamstrings,
The top of your leg,
Top of your legs that are so sturdy and strong.
Helping you to sit up,
Helping you to stand up,
Helping you to move to the edge of your seat sometimes.
Relax all of that here and now and just be with.
From your upper legs into your knees and your calves,
Your shins,
Even your ankles.
Maybe rolling your ankles just a bit.
If there's a pop or a crunching sound,
It's okay.
It's just a little lactic acid this morning,
This afternoon,
This evening.
And spread your toes wide,
Feeling the relaxation in the middle of your foot,
Resting,
Resting,
Relax.
Now from your toes to your ankles,
Your knees,
Your legs,
Your back,
Your belly,
Your shoulders,
Your neck,
Your face,
And to the top of your head,
You are here.
Arrive in this moment,
Awake and alert,
So that you might hear what God has to say to you today,
So that you might see yourself differently.
And now let us pray together,
Coming fully into this place and inviting God into our space together.
Let us pray.
God,
You have set before us the path,
But we've wandered on our own to try to find our own way.
Sometimes we're like toddlers and we hear you call and we come back.
And other times we're like children,
Testing boundaries,
Ignoring your call until fear finally makes us look back.
And still other times we're in full youthful rebellion,
Demanding to be cut loose and set free,
Not knowing how much we still need to seek your wisdom and guidance.
But most of all,
Too often we think we are adults and have figured it all out and know our own way,
Only to stumble and to stray so far.
Remind us,
God our parent,
That we are always your children,
That we are never fully grown up in your sight,
And that we always have so much to learn and see for ourselves.
Help us to seek you every day to acknowledge that we need your wisdom and guidance to help us return to the path and walk with you.
We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ,
Who taught his disciples to pray,
Saying,
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.
