 Discernment is the practice of holy listening, often as it relates to decision-making. This week's focus passage is the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. There are lots of opportunities to talk about discernment as it relates to this passage:
*How do we know when and where to set boundaries around self-care? (vs. 13-14) *For whom is God calling us to advocate and how? (vs. 15) *To whom should we look for healing and hope? (vs. 13b) *What is God calling us to do to alleviate distress for those around us? (vs. 18) This week, as you wrestle with this passage and with the spiritual practice of discernment, learn to pay attention to your gut and trust it. Perhaps God's Spirit speaks to you through butterflies in your stomach or through tension in your body or through your tears. It took years for my spiritual director to convince me that my tears were not being overly emotional as I had oft been told, but a message from within that something wasn't right. I have learned that paying attention to signs from my body as messages from God that I need to slow down and re-evaluate what is happening in my world and check the messages I am hearing from others or even from myself that dismiss the warning signals in my brain and heart. As you meditate on the questions posted above in relation to what is happening in the world -- or in your personal realm -- do so with acute attention to how your body responds and then engage in conversation with scriptures, with God, and with trusted friends about what you are experiencing to test what you are hearing in your hoy listening practice.
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 Call to Confession
God is ready to overwhelm you with more blessings than you could ever imagine so that you’ll always be taken care of in every way and you’ll have more than enough to share. Remember what is written about the One who trusts in the Lord: (God) scattered abroad; (God) gave freely to the poor; (God's) righteousness endures throughout the ages. (2 Corinthians 9:8-9) Let us confess our faithlessness before God and seek God's mercy. Prayer of Confession, Pentecost +9, Year A Provider God, forgive us. We challenge you, saying, "Can God fill a table with food in the middle of the desert? Can God provide bread enough to supply God's children?" We doubt you. We question your power. We do not believe you can or will work through us. So we hedge our bets and trust in our own abilities instead. We plant large fields, but our harvests are small. We have food to eat, but not enough to satisfy. We have water to drink, but it is never enough. We have clothes to wear, but they do not keep us warm. We have money in our pockets, but it runs out quickly, as if there were holes in our pockets. The problem is not you, O God. The problem is us. We hoard what we have out of greed and fear instead of sharing with others out of an abundance of faith and blessing. Forgive us, we pray. Grant us courage to give the small gift we have to offer knowing that your capacity to expand that gift to bless so many to full and overflowing is beyond our capacity to begin to understand. Teach us to share with our neighbor in need in the name of love. Assurance of God's Grace The same One who has put seed into the hands of the sower and brought bread to fill our stomachs will provide and multiply the resources (we) invest and produce an abundant harvest from (God's) righteous actions. (We) will be made rich in everything so that (God's) generosity will spill over in every direction. Through us (God's) generosity is at work inspiring praise and thanksgiving to God. (2 Corinthians 9:10-11) In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Thanks be to God! Since God has forgiven us in Christ, let us also forgive one another. The peace of Christ be with you. Please extend the peace of Christ to all whom you encounter this day~  Come away from the chaos of every day living.
Come away, you weary and hurting. Come away from the pain of injustice. Come away, you who need to be restored. Come away to a deserted place, and sit at the feet of the teacher ... the healer ... the redeemer ... the Lord. Come and be nourished until you are full. Come, child of God, and worship. Here we are, Lord.
We are kin-dom hunters, searching high and low for the treasure that is hidden ... https://revgalblogpals.org/2020/07/26/sunday-prayer-263/  Call to Confession
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) Let us confess our sin before God and seek God's mercy. Prayer of Confession, Pentecost +8, Year A Rabbi ... Teacher .... Redeemer .... Forgive us. We hoard our cheap treasures out of fear and greed. We refuse to sacrifice even small things for the greater good. We justify the evil we do and call it good. Hear our prayers for mercy, Lord, as the world cries out for justice. Hear our prayers for justice, Lord, as the world cries out for mercy. Release us from fear's grip. Teach us compassion, and open our hearts to sacrificial love. Help us to name the evil within us and among us and to eradicate it in the name of the one who died to give life abundantly for all. Assurance of God's Grace God has promised that when we confess our sin, God forgives us our sin and removes it as far as the east is from the west, remembering it no more. In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. Thanks be to God! Since God has forgiven us in Christ, let us also forgive one another. The peace of Christ be with you. Please extend the peace of Christ to all whom you encounter this day~  Bring your mustard-seed faith
and your kingdom yeast. Bring the curiosity that leads you to seek and the joy with which you celebrate discovery. Bring your nets and your fish and your treasure, and lay it at God's feet in an act of worship. *We laid my grandmother to rest on Monday, therefore the prayers are slightly off schedule this week. Thank you for your grace. 7/18/2020 0 Comments Prayers of the PeopleSower of Seeds,
come to us. Are you sleeping? Do you not see what is being sown among us? revgalblogpals.org/2020/07/19/sunday-prayer-send-reinforcement/ The spiritual practice of discernment is the holy process of listening in order to align one's self with God's will. St. Ignatius of Loyola offered a process of discernment that many have found helpful for centuries.
First, gather all the information you need in order to make a decision. It may be helpful to talk with people who know you well or who are particularly familiar with the situation you are exploring. Then, focusing on one choice at a time, act as if you have made a particular decision while you pray through the positives and negatives. Note how it makes you feel to live as if this was the choice you had made. Do this over and over until you have worked through the possible decisions you could make. Consider which decision brought you peace. If you have found peace, give that decision to God, and move forward in faith. If, however, you are still experiencing anguish over the decision, consider abandoning the decision-making for the time being and waiting for God to show you when the time is right, or explore possible alternatives and return to step two. What life-altering choices lie before you? Share your stories in the comments below.  Call to Confession
In (the days of Jesus) John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 3:1-2) Let us confess our sin and repent of it, seeking God's mercy. Prayer of Confession, Pentecost +7, Year A God of all, you appealed to us through the apostles to watch out for those who cause division and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine we have been taught. Yet not only is our nation divided, our communities are divided ... our families are divided. Instead of seeking unity, we promote division by our words and deeds. You have called us through the apostles to endure hardship and affliction, but we choose the easy path to destruction rather than the hard path to wholeness and life. You have not counted our trespasses against us yet we do not behave as ambassadors of Christ who has claimed us, redeemed us, and reconciled us to God. In your mercy, forgive us, we pray. Teach us patience with one another. Weed out our self-righteousness, our arrogance, and our foolish pride. Help us to encourage our siblings in Christ and to do the difficult work of peacemaking wherever we are called. Assurance of God's Grace God has promised that when we confess our sin, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive us our sin, removing it as far as the east is from the west, and remembering it no more. In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven! Thanks be to God! Since God has forgiven us in Christ, let us also forgive one another. The peace of Christ be with you. Please extend the peace of Christ to all whom you encounter this day.  Welcome.
Welcome to this space where saint and sinner stand together, where patience is both a virtue and a grace, where the only judge is God, and there is still hope until the harvest in the Redeemer sent to save. Let us worship God. |
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Julie participated in the 25th Seminar for Certified Zentangle(R) Teacher Training in June, 2019, trained by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. In addition to creating art as a personal spiritual practice, Julie also incorporates the Zentangle(R) method in Prayer Art Retreats in a variety of contexts, including church groups, friend gatherings, and at a local art gallery. Check out the Upcoming Events page for a calendar of events, or use the Contact Us page to inquire about scheduling an event with your group!
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