We Done "Plunged into Contemplative Worship"

Tonight was the first night of our new contemplative worship prayer meeting. We practiced the Lectio Divina prayer method and it had its awkward, uncomfortable moments. That's a good thing!

We had only 5 to attend (but with three telephoned regrets and expressed desires to come next week). There was some baggage carried into the prayer; one had had her feelings hurt and didn't think she would be able to get anything out of it. Another just got through chewing out someone for letting kids run rampant through the sanctuary, messing things up, throwing offering envelopes everywhere and throwing the pew pencils all over the place. One brought an attitude of work-overload, one completely ready to see what it was all about...and one who didn't seem to have a care in the world.

At the end, all anger was gone, all hurt feelings were gone, anxieties about work demands, gone. It was wonderful to see the evolution in attitudes as we meditated upon the following verse:

1 Corinthians: 14, 1
"Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy"

As the facilitator, I was first to share what the scripture revealed to me. Following, each managed to find something different in that scripture that spoke to them, and shared. It was amazing how 5 people could find 5 totally different messages in a 15 word verse.

I'll volunteer what God spoke to me through that verse.

• Prophecy is the gift of being able to share what God has revealed to you, and compelled you to share.
• In order to share what God reveals one has to be able to hear the voice of God.
• To hear the voice of God one has to listen for His voice.
• To be able to listen for His voice one has to be able to recognize His voice. The sheep would only follow their shepherd, because they recognized his voice.
• To recognize His voice one has to be able to discern it from all the other voices.
• To be able to discern it, one has to know it when it is heard.
• To be able to know it when it is heard is to have a familiarity with it.
• To have a familiarity with God is to have something in common.
• To have something in common is to follow the way of love, and in that following, be able to recognize pure love when it presents itself. But none of this is possible without submitting one's will to be showered in the undeserved grace and love of Our Lord.
• God wants me to submit to Him in all that I do.

I took from the contemplation that I need to be submissive in all that I do for God to work moreso in me and through me. In a similar manner, each there found something in them that needed to be put right before the almighty. And when we left, each was carrying with them a new, fresh insight as to how scripture can work internally to constantly make us new creatures, revived members, of the Body of Christ.

This prayer meeting moved from an awkward uncomfortableness (with the prolonged minutes of silence) to a new level of comfort, in reflecting upon the word of God. We will all spend more time in quiet meditation, and contemplation, of what The Word can do to enhance and improve our walk.

It was good...very good. Praise God!