Hello my friends,
This is Mark Bloodman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighbourhood monk in docks.
Welcome to this final instalment of our journey into the calm beneath the storms.
Over these days you've been learning that gentle movement to notice the storm,
To recognise the waves,
To descend beneath the surface,
Learning to rest in that deeper water,
To trust the stillness and to return again and again to the presence of Christ within,
And even then allowing that to flow through you as a gift of peace to others.
Today on our final day on this journey we gather all of that into something very simple,
A way of living.
So let's begin by settling the body.
Allow yourself to become still,
Your shoulders soften,
Your hands rest gently.
Allow your thoughts to just drift away,
Allow your mind to become still and calm.
Take a slow breath in and out and notice your heartbeat just calming a little.
And imagine yourself once more in the ocean,
At the surface,
The waves are moving,
They always will.
Life continues,
It goes on,
Moments of pressure,
Uncertainty,
Always activity.
But now notice something different,
You're no longer unfamiliar with this environment.
You know the way.
Gently imagine yourself descending beneath the surface.
Not quickly,
Not forcefully,
Just naturally submerging,
Falling into the rest of God as you've done before.
And as you move down,
Down into the deeper water,
The movements become softer,
The noise of the storm fades,
There's quiet,
There's space,
And there's presence.
In John chapter 15,
Jesus says,
I am the vine,
You are the branches,
Whoever abides in me.
And the words that I want to gently encourage you to reflect on are the words abide.
Remain.
Stay connected.
And with this presence of abiding and remaining and connection,
Rest here in the deeper water.
Not trying to do or create anything,
Just being,
Abiding,
Christ in you,
And you in Christ.
And you may even notice how familiar this space feels to you now.
It's not distant or difficult to access,
But it's just gently available whenever you need.
And now imagine yourself rising again towards the surface,
Just slowly and calmly.
The waves are still there,
Life is still there,
But something within you is different.
You carry the depth with you.
And so now we practice something very simple,
Just a way of returning.
Bring your attention to your breath.
And just introduce a quiet breath prayer,
Something simple,
Something you can carry with you.
As you breathe in,
You might say Christ,
And as you breathe out,
Within.
Or perhaps as you breathe in,
Be still,
And out,
And know.
Whatever feels natural,
Whatever words might come,
Just allow the prayer and the breath,
Just to create a steady and gentle rhythm.
And rest here for a few moments,
Just breathing,
Returning,
And abiding.
And this is the simple practice that you carry forward with you.
Not perfection,
Not constant stillness,
Because that's just not going to happen.
But it's a returning,
Again and again.
When the waves rise,
You know what to do.
You descend,
You rest,
And then you return.
Bringing not just peace and calm and stillness for yourself,
But perhaps even for others who are still at the surface in the midst of the storm.
And so as our time together comes to an end,
Just gently bring your awareness back to your body,
The space around you.
Take one slightly deeper breath.
And as you prepare to rise from this moment and go into the rest of your day,
And as our journey comes to a close,
Remember this,
The deep is always here.
The presence of Christ is always here,
Beneath the storms.
And you can return again and again,
Any time you need to.
And so may grace,
Peace,
And love go with you and remain with you today and always.
Amen.
Rest in the deep,
Friends,
And carry that peace into the world.
And may that peace always be with you.
