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Hello and welcome to ‘A lent spent leant on Jesus’. This is our third session. And we’re setting aside about 15-20 minutes to lean on Jesus, who heals and forgives. Before Catherine leads us on, you will need to have a Bible to hand. We will be reading Matthew 14 vs 13-21 together. This week you will also need some bread. During the season of Lent the SPACE (Silence, Prayer And Contemplative Encounter) team are sharing a weekly reflection. This week Janet shares some thoughts and invites you to join her in setting aside time to ponder and consider what God may be saying to you at this time.
Hello and welcome to ‘A lent spent leant on Jesus’. This is our second session. And we’re setting aside about 15-20 minutes to lean on Jesus, who heals and forgives. Before Amanda leads us on, you will need to have a Bible to hand. We will be reading Matthew 9 vs 1-8 together. This week you will also need a plaster and a pen.  Lent is often a time to explore different ways of worshipping and praying. This week we encourage you to dip your toe into the delights of ... Silent Prayer Be still, and know that I am God! Pete Greig in his recent Prayer Course describes three steps in contemplative prayer: l. Meditation - the me and God stage, time to focus. Finding something that helps me step into God's presence, gentle breathing, using a simple prayer phrase, "Thank you Jesus, I am here and you are here, My God and my all ...." 2. Contemplation- the God and me stage, less aware of myself more aware of God 3. Communion - fully aware of God, lost in wonder awe and praise, no longer consciously worshipping, or praying, time seems to stop. We might not pass all three, we may stay in one. This is not escapism, getting out of here because it is too difficult to face. It is refuelling us with God's love so that we can believe that "all will be well". It is equipping us for the mission God has called us to fulfil. It is filling us with the experience of God's presence so that we are "infected with his presence" when we return to our place in this world. Silent Prayer We are going to spend 10 minutes in silent prayer together. Please find yourself a space where you can be comfortable. Make sure you relax your body, breath gently, don't worry about the distractions, in your mind or around you. If you find your mind wandering you might like to use a simple spiritual word to draw you back to God's presence. 'I am here and you are here' Thank You Jesus' 'My Cod and my all .... ' Remember this is not about doing anything or trying to empty your mind. It is simply about resting in t he love and presence of our Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As C S Lewis said " ... w e are made t hat God may love us, t hat we may become objects in which his divine love may rest well pleased." Hello and welcome to our first ‘A lent spent leant on Jesus' - a 15-20 minute space set aside for meeting with Jesus, the Saviour and King we can depend on. Each Sunday at 5pm will be using some simple songs, a bit of Matthew’s gospel and a prayer activity. Before we go any further, you will need to have a Bible to hand. We’ll be opening Matthew 4 vs 1-11 together. This week you will also need a stone and a sharpie pen OR pen and paper. 2000 years ago when the world seemed to be caving in, knowing that Jesus would probably die, knowing that one of his friends was going to betray them, John chose to lean on Jesus, perhaps scared of what lay ahead, yet eternally safe in Jesus’ arms. Life can be a real battle during this pandemic. There’s grief, pain, uncertainty, frustration, boredom, isolation, desolation, worry and much more. Let’s use this time we have now together to lean on Jesus. |
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