Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - To Walk
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - To Walk
by SPCK - Gunilla Norris
We both walk away from things and towards them. We speak of a person’s walk of life. We admire those who walk their talk. Whether in protest or in praise, walking implies intention, direction, and purpose. Walking has been used as a way of devotion and prayer for thousands of yea
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - To Speak
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - To Speak
by SPCK - Gunilla Norris
We often forget that who we are speaks to others all the time, whether we open our mouths or not. From time to time our being may be silent and still, yet it emanates. It speaks without words. For some this awareness leads to self-consciousness. They feel too exposed, too vulnera
Eggs and Ashes Book - A Passover Meal for Thirteen
Eggs and Ashes Book - A Passover Meal for Thirteen
by R Burgess/C Polhill (Wild Goose Publ)
Reflection - Meditation A Passover meal for thirteen How come it’s always me that gets to lay the table and never the boys? A Passover meal for thirteen, mum says, in our upstairs room; ten courses, best dishes, two jars of wine, and they might need a waitress. Job for you, Naomi
And i looked as i led
And i looked as i led
by Marjorie Dobson
Meditation/poem: Vision - And I looked as I led worship Fifth Sunday in Lent Ezekiel 37: 1-14 And I looked as I led worship and saw the dried and brittle bones of the scattered few before me and there was no life. Too old, too desiccated, too worn out, or lived out ever to be abl
Were You There? - Stations of the Cross Service
Were You There? - Stations of the Cross Service
by Christine Odell
Were you there…? A service of meditations based on the Stations of the Cross including an order of service, suggested hymns, Bible readings and 14 meditations. 2. Jesus bears his cross I watched his father, Joseph, As he fashioned the boy’s cradle. His cradle was made of the fine
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - Closing
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - Closing
by SPCK - Gunilla Norris
God is a word we use, and we think we know what it means. But, in truth, God is always far beyond our understanding. We can only know God by unknowing. We can only offer our willingness and our wonder. This kind of constant and open inquiry is an intense intimacy through which we
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - A Clothespin
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - A Clothespin
by SPCK - Gunilla Norris
So many things can be prayer objects for us—little icons that we may use to recognize a deeper reality. One such simple household object is the clothespin. Two pieces of wood and a spring become a means to hold something fast. If we looked a little deeper we would recognize how w
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - A Shawl
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - A Shawl
by SPCK - Gunilla Norris
In many spiritual traditions people have covered their heads in prayer. Medieval monks had hooded robes. To be under the hood helped them to turn inward, to have custody of their eyes and ears. It encouraged them to keep their curiosity in check, to not wonder about another’s way
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - A Bowl
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - A Bowl
by SPCK - Gunilla Norris
An empty bowl is a wonderful symbol of openness. It will teach us to be receptive, to allow our hearts and spirits to align with God’s desire for us. Using a bowl or a cup as a prayer object can, over time, help us recognize that we ourselves are vessels for God. When our inner b
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - A Stone
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - A Stone
by SPCK - Gunilla Norris
We pick up shells and stones on the beach because something about them is pleasing. We leave them on our shelves and windowsills to touch now and then and to enjoy again. But to make something a real presence in our lives we must use it often and get to know it intimately. Many p
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - Care of Things
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - Care of Things
by SPCK - Gunilla Norris
The things we use daily serve our needs, and we in turn must take care of them. When such care is not haphazard, not just getting through chores, but becomes a way to pay attention, we may find we live with things that grow to be luminous for us. From daily use they become full o
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - A Table
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - A Table
by SPCK - Gunilla Norris
A table can be so many things—from a desk to an altar. It is around the table that we gather for meals. At the table we study, play games, sort the mail, pay bills, and do so much of what is needed for a household. Tables are often cluttered. In a rush we pile them high, be they
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - A Candle
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - A Candle
by SPCK - Gunilla Norris
Candlelight has all the associations of the past when, with a fire, it was the only source of light. Lighting a candle is different than lighting an electric lamp. A candle is a living, flickering light. It can easily be blown out. As we watch a candle burn we see the wax diminis
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - Receiving Our Opportunities
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - Receiving Our Opportunities
by SPCK - Gunilla Norris
We have preconceived ideas of what we consider opportunities. Unless an opening comes in a recognizable way, we might miss it or be afraid to take a chance. So much keeps us unduly cautious—like fear of failure or a sense of our ineptitude. Lack of imagination or the inability to
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - Receiving Our Relationships
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - Receiving Our Relationships
by SPCK - Gunilla Norris
We are often not aware how full of expectations our relationships are—that we should be considered, understood, and done right by. Unstated rules, for the conduct of ourselves or another, lie like land mines on the path of our connections. The conditioned sense of one’s rights, o
Simple Ways - Towards The Sacred - Receiving Our Daily Round