Hello friends and welcome to this Lectio Divina on Psalm 32.
And as we begin I invite you to come to stillness,
To a place where you feel more rested,
Where you feel connected to your body,
Where you feel grounded and ready to receive the words of this psalm and the gift that they contain.
So I invite you to become comfortable,
You may be lying down,
Sitting.
Either way I invite you to notice where your body is connected to the chair,
To the ground.
Become aware of that connection,
Become aware of your body in the room,
Aware of any sounds that you can hear outside.
Spend a few moments orienting yourself to where you are right here and now.
Slowly allow yourself to become present.
Letting go of the day so far,
Knowing that you're seen and known,
That your burdens are shared.
But in this moment all you need to do is be here,
Exactly as you are,
Fully accepted,
Fully loved.
I'm reading from Nan Merrill's book,
Psalms for Praying,
An invitation to wholeness.
I'm going to read the psalm three times.
This first reading is an opportunity to simply let the words come as a gift without attaching to any in particular.
Blessed are you whose wrongdoings have been forgiven,
Whose shame has been forgotten.
Blessed are you in whom love divine finds a home and whose spirit radiates truth.
When I acknowledged not my shortcomings,
I became ill through all my defences and day and night guilt weighed heavy constricting my heart.
My spirit became dry as desert bones.
I admitted my faults to the most high and I made known my regret.
I cried out,
Forgive me O Comforter,
For those times I have sinned in my thoughts,
My words and my deeds.
And the beloved created within me a clean and open heart.
Therefore,
Let everyone who is sincere give thanks to the beloved.
For whenever we feel paralysed by fear,
We shall be embraced by love.
Dwelling in the heart of the beloved,
We are free from distress,
Free to live more creatively.
O my beloved,
You are my guide.
You teach me to walk in the light,
Be watchful of me,
Counsel me as I listen to you in the silence.
I pray for the gifts of inner peace and wisdom,
For the grace to reverence all of creation.
Many are the heartaches of those separated from love.
Steadfast love abides with those who surrender their lives into the hands of the beloved.
Be glad and rejoice.
Let your life give witness to love's way and shout for joy all you upright of heart.
This second reading is an opportunity to notice any words or phrases that stand out to you and capture your attention.
Blessed are you whose wrongdoings have been forgiven,
Whose shame has been forgotten.
Blessed are you in whom love divine finds a home and whose spirit radiates truth.
When I acknowledged not my shortcomings,
I became ill through all my defences.
And day and night,
Guilt weighed heavy,
Constricting my heart.
My spirit became dry as desert bones.
I admitted my faults to the most high and I made known my regret.
I cried out,
Forgive me,
O Comforter,
For those times I have sinned in my thoughts,
My words and my deeds.
And the beloved created within me a clean and open heart.
Therefore,
Let everyone who is sincere give thanks to the beloved.
For whenever we feel paralysed by fear,
We shall be embraced by love.
Dwelling in the heart of the beloved,
We are free from distress,
Free to live more creatively.
O my beloved,
You are my guide.
You teach me to walk in the light.
Be watchful of me.
Counsel me as I listen to you in the silence.
I pray for the gifts of inner peace and wisdom,
For the grace to reverence all of creation.
Many are the heartaches of those separated from love.
Steadfast love abides with those who surrender their lives into the hands of the beloved.
Be glad and rejoice.
Let your life give witness to love's way and shout for joy all you upright of heart.
This third and final reading gives you the opportunity to welcome the words and phrases that you connected with,
To bring their gift.
Notice what they stir within,
How they make you feel.
Notice their invitation,
Their gift.
Welcome them into yourself to bring their offering.
Blessed are you whose wrongdoings have been forgiven,
Whose shame has been forgotten.
Blessed are you in whom love divine finds a home and whose spirit radiates truth.
When I acknowledged not my shortcomings,
I became ill through all my defences.
And day and night guilt weighed heavy constricting my heart.
My spirit became dry as desert bones.
I admitted my faults to the most high and I made known my regret.
I cried out,
Forgive me,
O Comforter,
For those times I have sinned in my thoughts,
My words and my deeds.
And the beloved created within me a clean and open heart.
Therefore,
Let everyone who is sincere give thanks to the beloved.
For whenever we feel paralysed by fear,
We shall be embraced by love.
Dwelling in the heart of the beloved,
We are free from distress,
Free to live more creatively.
O my beloved,
You are my guide.
You teach me to walk in the light.
Be watchful of me.
Counsel me as I listen to you in the silence.
I pray for the gifts of inner peace and wisdom,
For the grace to reverence all of creation.
Many are the heartaches of those separated from love.
Steadfast love abides with those who surrender their lives into the hands of the beloved.
Be glad and rejoice.
Let your life give witness to love's way and shout for joy all you upright of heart.
May these words continue to bring their gift,
Their blessing,
Their hope,
Their encouragement.
May they be to you what you need at this time.
And as I leave you,
I leave you with peace and grace and great love.
Amen.
.
