Dear All,
Here we are in February & still in ‘lockdown’ – extraordinary. It is probably good that we had no idea of how long this would last in April of last year. But February does herald Spring & lighter mornings & evenings & maybe better weather for our one session of exercise.
In the paraphrase of the well-known passage from Ecclesiastes we are bid to ‘listen our way into and out of each season’, Yes, the seasons of our year – but also perhaps the seasons of our hearts.
We are including here a couple of reflections on listening –
‘Listen carefully to me.
Incline your ear, & come to me.
Listen, so that you may live’. Isaiah 55.
Maybe next week we could look at some reflections focussed on silence – a pre-requisite for listening – I will see what is around this coming week.
As usual we are ending with a blessing – this week one set to Rutter’s music: ‘Go Forth into the World in Peace’.
With our love & prayer
For everything, there is a season.
There are times to birth new things.
There are times to welcome death.
There are times to plant seeds for those to come
And times for harvesting the long labour of others.
There are times when destruction is necessary, or at least unavoidable,
And there are times when healing is possible.
There are times to create art and times to tear it down.
There are days where only weeping will do; others for laughing.
Some days we can only mourn, others we dance.
We ebb and flow our way in community.
Sometimes we long to be in the arms of another,
Other times we need the intimacy of solitude.
There are times for seeking a way through the impossible,
And other times for accepting our losses.
There is a time to hold on and a time to let go.
There are times when some of us need to be silent
And times when the rest of us must speak.
Love has its time and hate has its place.
Conflict must be accepted;
And peace welcomed in due time.
May we listen our way into and out of each season,
With Wisdom as our guide,
Forcing nothing outside of its time,
Receiving everything for what it is,
Trusting Love’s companionship,
Labouring toward liberation together.
Paraphrase of Ecclesiastes.
In this century and in any century,
Our deepest hope, our most tender prayer,
Is that we may learn to listen.
May we listen to one another in openness and mercy.
May we listen to plants and animals in wonder and respect.
May we listen to our own hearts in love & forgiveness.
May we listen to God in quietness & awe.
And in this listening,
Which is boundless in its beauty,
May we find the wisdom to cooperate
With a healing spirit, a divine spirit,
Who beckons us into peace & community & creativity.
We do not ask for a perfect world.
But we do ask for a better world.
We ask for deep listening.
Jay McDaniel.
Listen, let your heart keep seeking,
Listen to God’s constant speaking,
Listen to the Spirit calling you.
Listen to God’s inspiration,
Listen to God’s invitation,
Listen to the Spirit calling you.