Quiet Spaces 23 June 2023 St Mary's Church, Plympton
Welcome
The Quiet Garden Prayer
Oh Lord Jesus
true gardener
work in us what you want of us,
For you are indeed the true gardener
at once, maker and tiller
and keeper of your garden
you who plant with the word,
water with the spirit
and give your increase
with your power.
Amen
Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest Matthew 6:31(a)
A Meeting with the Gardener
In a story from long ago, a grieving woman makes her way at dawn to the garden, where she knows her beloved lies in his grave.
Tears dim her vision,
but even in the dawn light
she can see that his body has gone -
she cries out in her distress,
to the heavens,
to the angels,
and to a man she suddenly encounters there on the path
She plies him with questions,
have you seen him?
where have they taken him?
He answers with a single word
he calls her name, “Mary!”
At that moment,
she knows she has rediscovered her lost love
in a totally new way…
“I took you for the gardener,” she falters;
“Perhaps I am the gardener?” he smiles
as they walk away together into the future
Adapted from John 20:11-17
- from Margaret Silf’s Landscapes of Prayer – ‘Garden’
Silence and stillness - in church or garden
I wonder how often we’ve thought of Jesus as the Gardener?
Perhaps never before, until now …
Soon we’ll be spending some time in stillness and quiet … perhaps pondering on what we have just read … maybe sitting quietly indoors, or outside … just talking time to ‘be’ – to be with God … to listen to him … something, perhaps we don’t have or make time for very often …
Maybe take a little while in your quiet space
to walk around your heart’s garden with the gardener …
the one who so wonderfully made you …
and share with him something of how you are feeling.
How is your garden this morning?
Is your heart feeling warm, or cold … perhaps it’s bright and sunny … or maybe foggy and overcast?
Share with God anything you like about how your garden feels this morning – or maybe just ‘be’ – be with him … listen to him … perhaps ‘hearing’ him through the natural surroundings
Are you content to let him be the Gardener – or are you trying to do is all by yourself?
Let’s in this time of stillness, prayer, meditation and contemplation ponder how we find God in creation and the natural world… and how he might find us!
Sharing and Group Discussion
So … how was your garden during our quiet time?
An Irish Blessing
(Sung by Roma Downey)
May the Blessing of Light be upon you
Light on the outside, light on the inside.
With God’s sunlight shining on you,
May your heart glow with warmth,
Like a turf fire that welcomes friends and strangers alike.
May the Light of the Lord shine from your eyes,
Like a candle in the window,
Welcoming the weary traveller.
May the blessing of Gods soft rain be on you,
Falling gently on your head
Refreshing your soul with the sweetness of little flowers newly blooming.
May the strength of the winds of heaven bless you
Carrying the rain to wash your spirit clean
Sparkling after in the sunlight.
May the blessing of Gods earth be on you
And as you walk the roads
May you always have a kind word for those you meet.
May you understand the strength and power of God in a
Thunderstorm and winter
And the quiet beauty of creation
And the calm of a summer sunset
And may you come to realize
That insignificant as you may seem
in this great universe
You ARE an important part of Gods plan.
May he watch over you
And keep you safe from harm.
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Phil Coulter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA3Md-4w3gk
Thoughts to ponder:
Becoming a leaf on a tree, just being there - imagine how we might see God
The Nazareth Community at London’s St Martin in the Fields – and the Companions of Nazareth from round this country and the world have a contemplative rule of life – The Seven ‘S’s:
Silence, Service, Scripture, Sacrament,
Sharing, Sabbath, and Staying With
“Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.”
Matthew 11:28 The Message
from Lectio 365 on June 2023 – Pete Grieg’s pilgrimage from Iona to Lindisfarne
As the tide advances, pulled by the moon, propel me today into your world.
I surrender to your sending.
As the tide retreats into the deep, draw me today into your depths.
I relinquish myself to rhythms of rest.
‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your soul’
Personalised from Jeremiah 6:16 (NIVUK)
The Quiet Garden Prayer
Oh Lord Jesus
true gardener
work in us what you want of us,
For you are indeed the true gardener
at once, maker and tiller
and keeper of your garden
you who plant with the word,
water with the spirit
and give your increase
with your power.
Amen
Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest Matthew 6:31(a)
A Meeting with the Gardener
In a story from long ago, a grieving woman makes her way at dawn to the garden, where she knows her beloved lies in his grave.
Tears dim her vision,
but even in the dawn light
she can see that his body has gone -
she cries out in her distress,
to the heavens,
to the angels,
and to a man she suddenly encounters there on the path
She plies him with questions,
have you seen him?
where have they taken him?
He answers with a single word
he calls her name, “Mary!”
At that moment,
she knows she has rediscovered her lost love
in a totally new way…
“I took you for the gardener,” she falters;
“Perhaps I am the gardener?” he smiles
as they walk away together into the future
Adapted from John 20:11-17
- from Margaret Silf’s Landscapes of Prayer – ‘Garden’
Silence and stillness - in church or garden
I wonder how often we’ve thought of Jesus as the Gardener?
Perhaps never before, until now …
Soon we’ll be spending some time in stillness and quiet … perhaps pondering on what we have just read … maybe sitting quietly indoors, or outside … just talking time to ‘be’ – to be with God … to listen to him … something, perhaps we don’t have or make time for very often …
Maybe take a little while in your quiet space
to walk around your heart’s garden with the gardener …
the one who so wonderfully made you …
and share with him something of how you are feeling.
How is your garden this morning?
Is your heart feeling warm, or cold … perhaps it’s bright and sunny … or maybe foggy and overcast?
Share with God anything you like about how your garden feels this morning – or maybe just ‘be’ – be with him … listen to him … perhaps ‘hearing’ him through the natural surroundings
Are you content to let him be the Gardener – or are you trying to do is all by yourself?
Let’s in this time of stillness, prayer, meditation and contemplation ponder how we find God in creation and the natural world… and how he might find us!
Sharing and Group Discussion
So … how was your garden during our quiet time?
An Irish Blessing
(Sung by Roma Downey)
May the Blessing of Light be upon you
Light on the outside, light on the inside.
With God’s sunlight shining on you,
May your heart glow with warmth,
Like a turf fire that welcomes friends and strangers alike.
May the Light of the Lord shine from your eyes,
Like a candle in the window,
Welcoming the weary traveller.
May the blessing of Gods soft rain be on you,
Falling gently on your head
Refreshing your soul with the sweetness of little flowers newly blooming.
May the strength of the winds of heaven bless you
Carrying the rain to wash your spirit clean
Sparkling after in the sunlight.
May the blessing of Gods earth be on you
And as you walk the roads
May you always have a kind word for those you meet.
May you understand the strength and power of God in a
Thunderstorm and winter
And the quiet beauty of creation
And the calm of a summer sunset
And may you come to realize
That insignificant as you may seem
in this great universe
You ARE an important part of Gods plan.
May he watch over you
And keep you safe from harm.
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Phil Coulter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA3Md-4w3gk
Thoughts to ponder:
Becoming a leaf on a tree, just being there - imagine how we might see God
The Nazareth Community at London’s St Martin in the Fields – and the Companions of Nazareth from round this country and the world have a contemplative rule of life – The Seven ‘S’s:
Silence, Service, Scripture, Sacrament,
Sharing, Sabbath, and Staying With
“Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.”
Matthew 11:28 The Message
from Lectio 365 on June 2023 – Pete Grieg’s pilgrimage from Iona to Lindisfarne
As the tide advances, pulled by the moon, propel me today into your world.
I surrender to your sending.
As the tide retreats into the deep, draw me today into your depths.
I relinquish myself to rhythms of rest.
‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your soul’
Personalised from Jeremiah 6:16 (NIVUK)