Dear Friends,
Have you ever felt like something was missing in your life, something vital, healing, and life-giving? Have you ever longed to feel the warmth of God’s embrace, but weren’t sure where or how to find it?
There are many ways to feel closer to God, but most of us need some help along the way. We all have times when our Creator feels as distant from us as the furthest star. We long to feel something, anything, that brings us closer, but it can feel like God is just beyond our reach.
The Bethesda Center for Spirituality, led by Greg Knight, seeks to address this need through a variety of offerings. Saturday, September 9th, is the first gathering of Bethesda’s Contemplative Prayer group which will meet monthly, usually on the first Saturday of the month, in the Parish Hall from 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
This Saturday I will lead a group in Lectio Divina, an ancient form of prayer begun in the 6th century by St. Benedict of Nursia. It is a slow, contemplative praying of the Scriptures which enables the Bible to become a means of union with God.
It is not Bible study the way we normally think of it. It is a way to deeper union with God by listening in silence to what God is saying to us through Scripture, to discover an underlying spiritual rhythm. Within this rhythm, we learn to accept the embrace that God is continuously extending to us.
God is the forever pursuer, longing to spend time with you. Join us this Saturday and listen, listen, listen with the ear of the heart to what God is just waiting to say to you.
Warmly,
The Rev. Canon Elizabeth Rankin