Ever since I joined the Episcopal Church over thirty years ago it seems that church growth has been an urgent issue. During that time, I have heard many ideas, programs, and gimmicks proposed that would help turn around the Church. The Episcopal Church had an advertising campaign in the 70s and 80s (there is one example to the right). While the ads were clever I am not sure they brought lots of people in the doors of our parishes. There have been education programs like Alpha, and DOCC (Disciples of Christ in Community). They had their strong points, but none of them have been the answer for parish growth.

Then there have been the gimmicks such as meeting in bars, psychedelic vestments, drum circles, and drive by ashes that take church out into the world. They may have been fun but they have not been the magic bullet either.

The only way I have witnessed parishes grow is loving your church. That means finding a parish that is comfortable, welcoming, and where you feel valued for being your genuine self. When we feel this in our worship experience and in our faith community we are at home. When we feel at home we want to share that with others. Here are a few examples.

• Recently I ran into a parishioner as she was leaving the bank and I was leaving the Post Office. She told me that while she was doing her banking something came up about church. She told the banker how he should come to Emmanuel. She told the banker Emmanuel is friendly, warm and she likes the sermons. She told me, somewhat sheepishly, that she is a walking advertisement for the parish.
• I notice how a particular parishioner is always tuned into our visitors. She is sure to speak to them, get them coffee, and make them feel at home. After coffee hour I will get a report on that person, their family, where they live, their job, and much more. This parishioner loves this church so much she is determined to make our guests welcome and do all she can to assure their return.
• This past Tuesday as I was checking out at Safeway, the cashier said to me, “You are the person I need to talk with to get my baby baptized.” I responded, “Yes, I am” and gave her my card. I did not know why she identified me until she mentioned the name of a parishioner. He is so proud of this parish he simply can’t keep it in.

If I told these people, they were evangelists they would probably shy away from the term. After all evangelism is for Bible thumpers not staid and formal Episcopalians. But these people are so happy in their parish that they are willing to spontaneously speak to people about their faith. They love their church so much they cannot wait to share the feeling with friends, relatives and strangers.

That is the key to church growth. When others feel the joy these people express it is infectious. It is not a program, a curriculum, or a gimmick. These are people speaking from their heart. They are sharing the love of God as Peter, Paul, and all of the saints did. They cannot help but to tell others what they get from their church experience.

Whether they realize it or not, they know that the church is not an exclusive club. They realize that God’s love is not a finite commodity. When it is shared it grows and there is more love to go around. Sharing that deep love will go further than any program, curriculum or gimmick ever will in growing our parish for today, tomorrow and many years to come.

This weekend marks the change of season, while it is not the official autumnal equinox, it is the societal change that is marked by the opening of school, the last days for the swimming pool, cookouts, college football and the three-day holiday we call Labor Day Weekend.

According to Wikipedia “Labor Day honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the development, growth, endurance, strength, security, prosperity, productivity, laws, sustainability, persistence, structure, and well-being of the country.” Oregon was the first state to celebrate Labor Day in 1887. Labor Day became a Federal Holiday in 1894, by which time thirty states already had such a holiday.

Our feelings about Labor Unions aside, earning a living by the sweat of your brow has become less and less respected in the last fifty years or so. Many aspire to white collar jobs. To be a doctor, lawyer, accountant, or executive is the new goal. Often the first thing that we are asked when meeting a new person is “what do you do.” Our response is gauged against an invisible yardstick that determines our worth. Growing up I remember my parents saying that I better attend to my schoolwork and get a good education otherwise I would end of digging ditches. We have come a long way from ditch digger being the lowest one could go.

Both of my parents grew up on farms. Agricultural labor is part of my family heritage. At age 14 when I wanted to earn some money I went to work in the family business—LeCouteur’s Nursery and Garden Center. My first task, in fact the task I was most often engaged in for the next seven years, was chopping weeds. I was given a hoe and sent into the fields to clear out the weeds between the seedlings that the motorized tiller could not get. It was hot work, hard on the back, and occasionally led to the surprise of a snake nestled in the weeds.

It was not the most fun I have ever had, but it taught me to value my time and effort. I learned that there is no indignity in getting my hands and clothes dirty. I learned that there is pride in a job well done. I enjoyed that at the end of the day I could see the results of my labors. I learned from the men I worked with that lack of education did not make them stupid or keep them from having pride in their work.

Eleven years ago with two graduate degrees to my name (the result of another kind of labor) I was a new staff member at a church. One Sunday morning during coffee hour I noticed that a large trash bin was overflowing. I took it out of the parish hall intending to find an empty bin to replace it. As I was doing so a priest strolled by and said, “Be careful, if they see you doing that they will always expect you to do it.” I was incredulous. All ministry is service and no service is below me as a minister. What’s more the labor of cleaning up is not menial. Her message was clear, leave that for the sextons they are the ones who do the menial labor not us. I strongly disagree.  

Nowhere in the Bible does it say that God created some people for blue-collar labor, others for white-collar labor and others to be above all labor lording it over lesser mortals. Rather, in Genesis 2 we read “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” St. Paul admonishes in Colossians, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord” In Psalm 128, “You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.” There is honor in hard work not indignity.

Let us honor the worker and the fruit of her or his labors. For all work that bears good fruit is valuable in the eyes of God, just as all people are valuable in the eyes of our creator.

The Ten Commandments are typically divided into two subsets. Commandments one through four concern our relationship with God. Commandments five through ten concern our relationships with each other. The fifth commandment, that is the first one that has to do with human relationships, is “Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”[1] In contemporary society this particular commandment seems to get short shrift.

For example, when I tell people that I am going to my mother’s home to do some work for her I get a roll of the eyes or a condescending smile. I have also been told I am a “momma’s boy.” (Interestingly, there is no female version of momma’s boy). Some say that it I am being a good son, but I am not sure they mean it wholeheartedly. Giving my mom one week a year to do maintenance work on her home and yard seems to me to be far away from being a momma’s boy.

Our society says that if our parents are not able to care for themselves within the home, they should be in retirement communities or nursing homes. If they insist on remaining in their home then they are being selfish, after all their children have their own lives to live.

In many societies around the world families continue to live together even as children grow to adulthood and marry. The rebar rods we see coming from the tops of homes in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East are there so that another story can be added as the family grows through marriage. Newlyweds don’t move away the house gets larger.

In the US with its cults of youth and individualism, along with the right to being self-centered which seems to be the modern version of the “pursuit of happiness,” aging parents get overlooked or become a problem to be dealt with rather than people to be honored. Given the years of attention and thousands of dollars that parents put into rearing children, honoring our parents through care and attending to their happiness would seem to be the least we could do.

Instead we ask “What are we to do about mom and dad?” That is a question that they are unlikely to have asked about us as their children. Can you imagine parents looking at their newborn and saying, “What are we do with this baby? Let’s put it in a home until it gets competent at self-care. We can visit on occasion, send a card, drop by on birthdays and trust the staff to rear a good human being.” This is what we do with our parents. Does it seem right? It certainly does not seem honorable.

Of course there are many situations where elderly parents need specialized care for illnesses and memory disorders. The honorable thing is to see that they get this care in the best situation possible, and often that is an institution. Yet, given that God placed honoring our parents between keeping the Sabbath and not committing murder I think we as Christians have some soul searching to do.

If we are not comfortable with our ways of caring for our parents, instead of labeling those who are committed to honoring them we might see if we can take a page from their book. As people of God we might give children who attned to their aging parents a little more respect and perhaps seek to emulate him. Our parents did their best for us. Most were not perfect parents, but that does not give us the permission to pass up on the fifth commandment.

As people of God let us err on the side of honoring the ones who gave us life and reared us.  Let us honor mother and father as a sign of respect for them and for God’s teaching on how to live an honorable life.

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[1] Exodus 20:12. In Deuteronomy there is also a list of the Ten Commandments in which this commandment is slightly different. “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” Deuteronomy 5:16

Recently I read a book of vignettes about the life of Mother Teresa, Reaching Out in Love. There are a number of themes in the book that are not captured by the headings. I would not call them secondary themes as I think they were important to her, but perhaps they were overlooked by the compilers of the stories.

I am thinking of times when Mother Teresa encountered people eager to help with her work in India. As her work began I am sure she was happy for their interest and grateful for the additional hands to do the work. I am also sure that she saw how the work of caring for the poor and dying changed the people who did the work. However, at some point I expect Mother Teresa realized that for some this was a way of escaping responsibilities closer to home. Caring for the poor in Calcutta allowed them to avoid the harder work of helping family and neighbors who needed care.

She said, “It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start.”

It may not seem intuitive. How can it be easier to love someone who is not near to me? Simply put, those who are far away do not give us discomfort, problems, and challenges. They do not impinge on our sense of self or entitlement. Family members and neighbors are more real because they are close at hand. They are there for us to deal with every day. They can make us uncomfortable with their wants and needs, because they are not in tune with ours. They do not allow us to be the center of the world.

A poor person in Calcutta, Caracas, or Cairo is less real to my daily experience. I can love them. I can send money to help them. I can go and volunteer with an organization that helps them. But even when I am present my experience is limited. I only have to engage with them for a short amount of time. When I am done I feel good about myself, I feel that I have helped and maybe even made a difference.

The issues we deal with closer to home are not so simple. They often feel intransigent and interminable. The people who are hurting or needy are not left behind they remain as family or neighbor. When Mother Teresa admonished people to “bring love into your home” she was telling us that there is need close at hand. If we can recognize and encounter needs close at hand, we are better able to truly encounter needs in other places.  

I am also sure that the needs and hurts of those nearest to us can be the hardest to identify and care for. Norman Mclean in his novella A River Runs Through It wrote this:

“Each one of us here today will at one time in our lives look upon a loved one who is in need and ask the same question: We are willing to help, Lord, but what, if anything, is needed? For it is true we can seldom help those closest to us. Either we don’t know what part of ourselves to give or, more often than not, the part we have to give is not wanted. And so it is those we live with and should know who elude us. But we can still love them – we can love completely without complete understanding.”

While the needs of those closest to us may elude us we can still love them. That is what is essential for all of us—to simply be loved. Becca Stevens says, “Love heals all things.” Whether or not we know what a friend, relative, or neighbor needs we can approach them in love. Love is never inadequate and can lead us and all people down the path to true healing wherever it may lie.

This week I have spoken with several clergy colleagues and laypeople and one topic has come up in each of these conversations—how we treat each other in church. From the time I was a child, who spent lots of time in church, it has amazed me how unkind church members are to each other not to mention those outside of the church.

Mark me as an idealist, but I think that we should be coming to church to learn how to take the love of Jesus out into the world instead of bringing the meanness and pettiness of the outside world into the church. Too often it seems to me that we bring the ways of the world into the church, leaving no room for the love of God. Then we wonder why it is that our hearts are hard and our spirits cold. Like a refrigerator that is left open, no matter how hard it works it cannot counter the temperature of the outside air. If instead we come to church to shed the ways of the world and learn a new way of being, the Jesus way, when we go back out into the world we are different.

Imagine coming to church on Sunday morning (or any time) weighed down with the rudeness and insults that the world has dealt you during the week. We can choose to hold onto those and in our pain take out those abuses on others. For example, we can be rude to someone sitting in “our” pew instead of finding another equally fine seat. Or we can complain about the flowers or the music because the boss was rude to us. Or we can do something different.

When we come to church we can remember what Jesus said, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will refresh you, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” As we enter the church or Parish House and recall Jesus’ words, we can feel the load lighten. Instead of bringing the cares and worries in, we leave them at the door or hand them over to Jesus.

When we do that a change can happen in us. That is, we feel lighter and freer. We feel God’s love permeate us and start to spill out of us toward others. We find that our visage brightens, our smile returns, and our step is lighter. The people we meet see and respond to this. The church is a refuge of peace, hope and joy. We are kind to each other because we are changed by the gift of Jesus’ lighter yoke. We approach each other in love and out of the love of God.

What’s more, when we leave the church the weight of those cares and worries that we dropped at the front door is less. Even if they are still there, our outlook toward those challenges is different. The pain and the anxiety are not there for us to pick up and take back out into the world. We have been refreshed for the journey as if we had a mini-spiritual spa treatment. We do not feel the need to take out anything on anybody. In addition, we have a better understanding of how it is that those we meet are suffering and how to respond in kindness instead of reacting in offense. We know that everyone carries a heavier load than we are aware of. We know they have their struggles as we do. We don’t reflexively tweet, email, or shout a reactive insult at the other, but ask how we can help or offer a word of kindness.

As Jesus said “If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.” We have the opportunity to change the world by doing kindness to each other—even to those who have been unkind to us. We have the opportunity to respond in love instead of react out of our pain. We take the love Jesus shows us and use it to heal our pain and the pain of the world.

But before we can do this outside these walls we have to learn to do it inside them, by treating each other with kindness, gentleness and love. When we can do that with each other we have the strength to carry that love out into the world, love those who do not love us, and show kindness in situations of anger and hurt. It is what Jesus taught and what we are called to as much as any Christian belief or action.

The people of the early church were called the People of the Way. They were known by how they treated each other and how they treated strangers. It was so different that outsiders referred to them as such long before the term Christian had been coined. That is our heritage. Let us live into it and own it. You need this, I need this, and all of our broken and ailing world needs People of the Way to show another way, the Jesus way of kindness, humility and love for all people.

A dear friend and great teacher of prayer Fr. Martin Laird O.S.A. wrote the following in his most recent book An Ocean of Light [New York:Oxford University Press, 2018].
“St. Augustine, the great teacher of love that knows and knowledge that loves, reflects on his own experience of looking for God as an external object, a thing —just huge— that could be located and fixed in space and time. In his Confessions, he relates how this all changed when he at last forgot himself. ‘But when unknown to me you caressed my head, and when you closed my eyes lest they see things that would seduce me, I began for a little while to forget about myself, and my madness was lulled to sleep. When I awoke in you, I saw you very differently, infinite in a very different sense. But what I saw was not seen with the eye of the body.’” pp xv-xvi

The great St. Augustine was foolish, as I expect many of us are, about God. He had envisioned God as wholly other and far, far away from himself. This is actually a very safe way of acknowledging God. It provides distance and a sense of safety from God. It also can lead to concepts of God that are conflated with a stern parent, a judge, and Zeus-like thrower of lightening bolts that unsettle our comfy existence.

However, notice how Augustine experiences God in this passage. God is not distant. Rather God becomes known to Augustine by caressing his head. This is a different kind of parent who is gentle and loving, more mother than father in the traditional sense. God also closes Augustine’s eyes to protect him from things that seduce. Augustine does not say what those are, and I expect that is so we can imagine for ourselves what it is that would seduce us away from God.

In these actions of gentle caresses and the closing of eyes Augustine is able to forget himself. He becomes still and at peace. His “madness,” that is the monkey brain and constant chatter of the mind, is “lulled to sleep.” It is not the sleep of rest, but a sleep of awakening. That is, when all of the noise and images that interfere with his perception of God are put to sleep, he can actually be awake to the reality of the Divine.

That is what prayer can be for us. When we use the act of prayer to clear our heads and our hearts, not as a list of wants to God, we are able to let go of preconceptions of God and of ourselves. When the preconceptions, whether from art, culture, cartoons, or theology, are stripped away we find that we are in the presence of the one who loves us without condition. This same one does not love us from on high, but from within ourselves. The act of prayer becomes wordless as we gaze on the Divine and our gaze is returned it overwhelming gentleness and love.

Too often we have been taught to fear that gaze. Because God is wholly other and more disciplinarian than loving creator, we are afraid of what will happen when we come face to face. Instead, of love we will encounter disappointment, punishment, and a new set of rules that we need to live up to. Wherever this image comes from it is not the God of love that creates, sustains, and redeems all things. God created in goodness and we are good, very good. These words of God’s are not conditional.

The most frequent phrase in the Bible is “Do not be afraid.” It is often said by angelic messengers when they approach a human. May those words be your mantra as you allow yourself, through prayer, to be lulled into a sleeping wakefulness that promises so much joy and great relief from the changes and chances of this life. “Do not be afraid” for it is God welcoming you home.

As I look back over the last several posts I realize that I slid into prayer as a discipline for cultivating a deep sense of joy, but prayer has more facets to it that that alone. As important as prayer is for cultivating joy, it is even more important as the prime way we communicate with the eternal divine.

First of all, I best define what I mean by prayer. Prayer is not our telling God what it is God needs to be doing in the world. Treating prayer like a list of wishes or commands that we send to a cosmic Santa Claus is not the point of prayer. In fact, when we are waiting for God to “answer” these prayers we are going to get grumpy or disappointed that the “Big Guy upstairs” did not do as he was told. Like human interactions that are one sided, this kind of prayer is not a conversation. Making demands of another is to say that the other is a servant to me. Expecting those demands to be answered on my timetable is arrogant.

Spending our time telling God what is needed may be a comfort to us, but as written in Matthew 6:8 “your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” While that does not mean we should not express our concerns there needs to be time for response. That is when we return to our place of silence as we listen to hear how God is responding to us. As God hears and responds we see more clearly into the heart of God. We see more plainly what God is calling us to do and what the world needs from us.

It is not easy because we are driven by our egos, our wants and needs, and our concerns about family, friends and the world. All of those can get in our way as we try to open up to God. How is God supposed to wedge in between all of the noise in our minds and on our hearts? We have to make room. That is where our disciplined silence comes in. As we have practiced silence in walking and in our contemplation we have prepared ourselves for being in silence as we listen for God’s response to our prayer.

While I use words like listening, I urge you not to expect to hear a voice boom out like in the movies or cartoons with lots of reverb. I remind you of Elijah on Mt. Horeb. Elijah did not hear God in the great wind, earthquake or fire. Elijah heard God as a still, small voice a sound of shear silence. We may expect God in the thunderbolt or a burning bush but God is more often encountered in the peace which passes all understanding.

The other important aspect of prayer is that it is not about changing God, but about being changed ourselves. As we share with God our concerns and then listen for God’s response something happens. Our listening for God helps us to hear more clearly that still small voice amidst the sound and fury. The thunder and earthquake are the distractions that keep us from God. As we are able to tune them out to listen beyond the noise we are able to discern God’s call.

Like Elijah we may have to wrap up in our mantle and go out to greet that voice. We may have to listen not just with our ears or our minds but our whole body to discern what God is up to. In a way it is a reorienting of ourselves away from the world and more to God. As we are able to do so we find that the noise abates by itself, because it is meaningless. As we reorient to God our cares and concerns are no longer important. This how someone like St. Francis can be so totally joyful despite the wounds of the stigmata, his blindness, and his utter dependence upon others.

For every minute you pray give God a minute of quiet to respond. But do not forget that God comes to us when we least expect it. Always be open to God, be aware of God’s presence in every moment of your day. Until, somewhere along the way, without even realizing it, your who life becomes a prayer.

I hope that you had a chance to practice walking or moving prayer in the past week. To walk or stroll in nature or other quiet surroundings is a wonderful opportunity for meditation on a word or the Lord’s name.

There is another aspect of prayer that we Episcopalians need to focus on (if you, dear reader, are not Episcopalian this may shed some light on our practices). That aspect of prayer is what we call corporate prayer or common prayer. That is the prayers that we say together or hear read in church as part of our worship services.

First, let me define a couple of important terms–common prayer and collect. Common prayer, as in The Book of Common Prayer, refers to prayers that we as a people of faith have in common. These are prayers that we share in our practice of faith; both in worship services and individually. We each are able to utilize these prayers as we need them. A “collect” is a particular king of prayer which is used within the worship service to help us focus collectively on a particular aspect of God. Another description is a prayer that help us “collect” ourselves for worship.

Some will ask why we have those prayers at all. Why not just make something up on the spot as the Spirit moves us? There are two reasons that come to my mind. First, there are times when I am not so good at making something up on the spot. It could be how I am feeling at the moment or that I am preoccupied and not in touch with the Spirit. What I think is more important is that I am using a prayer that has been used by Anglicans throughout the world for at least five hundred years. When I pray this prayer I am joining with the prayers of millions of Christians, the Cloud of Witnesses, over all time. Our prayer at that moment is in thought and word part of the cosmic murmur that worships God. It is an echo of something beyond us in our present moment joined with others who have prayed the same words to the same God. That prayer is also joined with other Christians throughout that day praying the same prayer. Thus our prayers are encircling the earth from time zone to time zone as each priest or community offers the prayer.

For me there something very special about saying the same prayer that was said by Anglicans in the 16^th century in England, in the 17^th Century in the American Colonies, the 19^th Century in Australia or India, and in the 21^st century in the independent countries throughout Africa that are part of the Anglican Communion. Because these prayers are said across time and place they are also infused with the hopes and concerns of the various peoples and nationalities as well. The prayers, while static in form, are not at all static as they are enriched by each new saying. The words of my prayer are the words of my sisters and brothers in Christ that have come before me and stretch into eternity in the Communion of Saints (that is all Christians over all time). There is a sense of awe and wonder that I feel to be part of such a glorious tradition.

Another aspect of the the Book of Common Prayer is that it gives me prayers when I have no words. This has happened to me more than once in my life, but it became indelible in the period after my father’s death. His death was not sudden. It was to be expected as he suffered with emphysema for ten years. It was tragic only in that he was young, only age 64. My family would have liked to have had him among us for many more years. Still his death was hard.

In the months following his death I found I was at a loss to describe my grief in prayer or otherwise. But when I wanted to pray the Book of Common Prayer was there for me. I could turn to the section of the prayer book for funerals and there are numerous prayers to say. There is an entire section of the prayer book that is devoted to prayers for nearly every occasion in a person’s life (beginning on page 809). Those prayers helped me call out to God for what I needed. They helped me put into words my grief and sorrow. Those prayers helped me heal. And as I pointed out above, they helped me realize I was not alone but praying with people throughout the world and across time who also felt grief and pain at the death of someone they loved. In that way my prayers were common to others.

I do not place higher value on one form of prayer over another. Being raised a Baptist I know how to pray extemporaneously. Being an Episcopalian I am privileged to share in a prayer life that is common among Anglicans around the world. As the saying goes, it is all good. It is good because it is prayer which connects me with God and with people of faith everywhere.

Trust your prayers no matter if they are mumbled or inelegant. Trust our common prayers for they are the foundation of our faith. Trust God to listen and in the fullness of time will answer them.

Pray with me:”O God of peace, you have taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and confidence shall be our strength: By the might of your Spirit lift us, we pray to your presence, where we may be still and know that you are God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” (The Book of Common Prayer page 832)

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Having practiced intentional sitting in prayer I hope you might be feeling some peace or comfort. If you feel you are making some progress then be patient and stick with it. During the hot summer and cold winters sitting in silence indoors is a good practice. However, when the weather is moderate or if you are person who finds sitting still difficult, never fear as there are other options.

Contemplative prayer can take many forms. Indeed, prayer walking utilizes some of the same techniques as seated contemplative prayer. The biggest difference is that you are moving. Instead of getting settled in a chair or on the floor, for walking prayer one gets settled in the body while standing. This is a bit harder because most of us do not feel that a standing position is restful. Begin by closing your eyes. You may notice ambient sounds such as traffic noises or air conditioning. Take note of them and then let them fade away. As the noise becomes less urgent begin to notice your breath and the gentle in and out of it. Notice how it feels coming in your nose and then going out. Notice how your lungs and chest expand as your breath in more deeply. Be attentive to these simple physical actions. You may also find that your mind wandering. That is OK. Rather than fighting it or chiding yourself acknowledge the thought and gently return to your breath. These are all part of the practice.   

One difference from seated prayer is that if you find yourself feeling drowsy then it is time to sit or lie down. Being drowsy while standing or moving can be dangerous. If you need to rest allow that to be your practice.

Once you have acknowledged your breath you can move away from it to acknowledge God, the divine, the universe, the cloud of witnesses, or whatever you wish to call that which creates and sustains us. At this point it is helpful to have a prayer word or mantra. In the Christian tradition there is no set prayer word. Many find the Holy Name of Jesus is sufficient. There is also the Jesus Prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Some shorten this to make it easier to remember. You can also find a prayer word during spiritual reading. If you have time to read a passage of scripture prior to your moving prayer. Read one of the psalms, a random passage, or one of the readings appointed for the day (Forward Day by Day is handy for this). As you read see if a word or phrase stands out to you. Take that as your prayer word for the day. You can also use the Anglican or Catholic Rosary as you walk. Becca Stevens has written several short books of walking Bible studies which you also may find helpful.

Once you have settled into your body it is time to move. Of course, it is important to decide where you will be walking before your begin the process. The idea of a walking prayer might evoke a stroll in nature or a park. Your walk could also be in a circle through your home. You can walk a track at the gym or at a school. A labyrinth is an ideal place since it is intended for walking prayer. You could walk along city streets (Thomas Merton had one of his greatest epiphanies while walking the streets of Louisville Kentucky. The Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta walked from home to home reciting the rosary. They measured distance by the number of rosaries said.) I would avoid a place where you might be frequently stopped for social conversation e.g. your neighborhood when others are prone to talk their walks.

As you walk, attend to your prayer whether it is aloud or under your breath. (You can even recite it internally if you are self-conscious about talking to yourself.) Walk at a measured pace; this is not a race. Be aware of your surroundings. God is present in every person, every tree and flower, the song of a bird, and so much more. Allow your prayer to continue and also allow wonder to inform your prayer. It will.

As with seated prayer I suggest starting with shorter period of time and expanding your prayer time as your soul begins to crave more. With walking prayer you might start with eight to ten minutes and expand from there as you desire. Be patient with yourself and if your mind wanders or something interrupts your prayer simply notice that and draw yourself back into the practice.

When you reach the end of your prayer time allow thirty seconds or so to rest and thank God. Thank God for your body, the ability to move, the things you were awakened to along the way, or just for the time to be able to walk with God hand in hand through creation.

It seated prayer has not been so easy give walking prayer a try, or perhaps mix them up. Since they use similar techniques you might find one works better some days than another. Practice this exercise for a week. Keep a note or two on how it feels each day. Perhaps you will feel a change in yourself and perhaps not. It is important for the practice to be intentional and for you to remain aware of what is happening in your spirit and body. Importantly be patient and gentle with yourself.

May the presence of God be palpable to you as you walk in prayer.

Blessings and Peace,
Gene

In my last two posts I have discussed does my religion give me joy and the difference between joy and happiness. I am hoping that as you have read and pondered these posts you have started to discern the differences in your life and perhaps have found some things in your life that give you the deep joy I described. Whether or not you did, there may remain the question of how to find and cultivate joy.

Of course, like a lot of things in life we can just wait around and hope that it happens. But I think we all know that eating chips and watching a football game does not make us athletes. We have to get off the couch and do something if we want to get healthy or develop a deep sense of joy.

The first thing one has to do is to get away from media. Facebook, television, radio, computer games are all distractions. Amazon may have everything from A to Z but I do not think they sell joy. Technology has its uses but to cultivating inner peace we need to leave the tech behind and go within ourselves.

Having turned off the electronics it is time to get used to being quiet. This may be hard because we are so used to background music, talk shows, news, etc. Sit down in a comfortable chair, both feet firmly on the floor, hands on your legs or gently folded in your lap, and just breath. You may notice ambient sounds such as traffic noises or air conditioning. Take note of them and then let them fade away. As the noise becomes less urgent begin to notice your breath and the gentle in and out of it. Notice how it feels coming in your nose and then going out. Notice how your lungs and chest expand as your breath in more deeply. Be attentive to these simple physical actions. If you find yourself feeling drowsy it is OK. It may be that the most important thing you need at this moment is rest. Allow that to be. You may also find that your mind wandering. That is also OK. Rather than fighting it or chiding yourself acknowledge the thought and gently return to your breath. These are all part of the practice.

Once you have acknowledged your breath you can move away from it to acknowledge God, the divine, the universe, the cloud of witnesses, or whatever you wish to call that which creates and sustains us. At this point it is helpful to have a prayer word or mantra. In the Christian tradition there is no set prayer word. Many find the Holy Name of Jesus is sufficient. There is also the Jesus Prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Some shorten this to make it easier to remember. You can also find a prayer word during spiritual reading. If you have time to read a passage of scripture prior to sitting in stillness. Read one of the pslams, a random passage, or one of the readings appointed for the day (Forward Day by Day is handy for this). As you read see if a word or phrase stands out to you. Take that as your prayer word for the day.

Using your word or phrase pray gently saying it aloud, under your breath, or as you breathe. Let the words wash over you and clear your head. Let them draw you more deeply into your spiritual self. Over time you might find that you simply stop saying the words because you do not need them. Again, if you mind wanders or you get sleepy be gentle with yourself. The world is harsh and unforgiving, God is not.

Start this practice planning to do three to five minutes. Do not start off trying to do twenty or thirty minutes. The athlete does not run a marathon the first time out, she builds herself up. So must we. What I anticipate will happen is that you will find five minutes feels very long at first. Later it will feel very short and that is when you can add time to your meditation.

At the end of your time, take that last thirty seconds or minute to thank God. Gratitude is so crucial for others and ourselves. As Meister Eckhart wrote. “If thank you is the only prayer we ever say, that is enough.” Thank God for the time. Thank your body for the breath.

Practice this exercise for a week. Keep a note or two on how it feels each day. Perhaps you will feel a change in yourself and perhaps not. It is important for the practice to be intentional and for you to remain aware of what is happening in your spirit and body. Importantly be patient and gentle.

Next week we will consider how we might go more deeply either by extending this time of silence or taking into other venues or practices.