Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Confession, Communion, and Contemplation

Isn't confession, followed by Holy Communion, a wonderful thing? That was our experience tonight at our weekly communion service. I shared with our larger group the experiences that we have in our very small Tuesday night Lectio Divina contemplative prayer meetings. To my surprise, most at the communion service asked if we could incorporate the Lectio Divina prayers into the weekly communion service. We're going to try that next week.

I don't know how anyone else experiences Holy Communion, but for me, Jesus is right there amongst us. He either reveals something more of His nature that we didn't know, or He listens more intently to our supplications. Either way (or whatever other way) it is a sacred time. And for our weekly communion group to want to get in on the Lectio Divina prayer is a step in the right direction.

God reveals Himself to us continuously. If we fail to listen when He speaks...perhaps we need to shut up and be quiet. If we think that He fails to hear us when we ask of Him, we need to lose our insecurities. It's with a confidence, and a sense of comfort, that we should seek His revelation in our lives.

I think we all may benefit to extend our quiet time with Our Lord. Something may come of it that is from right field. Something may come of it that endorses us. Regardless of what anybody else may think, something will come of it.

6 comments:

Art said...

Great post Marty. So true. When I was younger, communion was just a part of the service. As I've gotten older, I have begun to see it as a new experience each time - a powerful experience of Christ. It is as you said. Amen.

Greg Hazelrig said...

If I remember correctly, a professor once told us that Wesley said that the closest we would ever be to Jesus this side of Heaven was at the Communion Table.

Greg Hazelrig said...

Also, a side not about your lectio Divina. I was listening to a tape of a radio show where the Emerging Church was being blasted. One of the reasons was that they believed in the mystical stuff like Lectio Divina. It was heresy.

I took a class on it in seminary. We did the whole semester reading the Rule of St. Benedict and learning how to read the Bible prayerfully.

I couldnt believe what I heard from these people. If that is heresy, then sign me up.

Brother Marty said...

Art,
Thanks for the comments. I think back to being raised Roman Catholic and being told not to chew the wafer cuz it'd be like biting Jesus.
I much prefer what it means now that I'm a Methodist!
(maybe too cuz I'm getting older)

Brother Marty said...

Greg,
Thanks for that insight about the "heresy" lable slapped on Lectio Divina.
It's a shame that people deny themselves a deeper relationship with Christ because of fearmongering (is that a word?).

Anonymous said...

Absolutely - don't give in to the fearmongering! Just slating something by using a label (in this case 'mystical') is at best lazy and at worst a denigration of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Further, to dismiss the 'mystical' on principle shows all too clearly how fundamentalism is not as captive to Scripture as it claims but more captive to modernity. I hope your Lectio Divina meetings go from strength to strength.