Reflective Writing or Journalling is an ancient tradtion that not only conserves thoughts and feelings from the moment but can be integrated into our prayer lives as a vibrant Spiritual Practice.
I wonder what spots have been for you a place of experiencing the presence of God?…From Celtic Christian spirituality we inherit the idea of ‘thin places’, where God seems especially close, and the gap between heaven and earth seems narrow.
Journeys and travel are themes which return regularly throughout the Bible. Many individuals in the story of the people of God are called to move out of a place which is comfortable and familiar and go to a new place…..Whether you go to new places as visitors, or settlers, there is much to be learned from engaging with strangers and thoughtfully adopting new practices as we learn how to seek the peace and prosperity of our own cities.
We each have our own unique criteria for what makes the perfect holiday destination, but most of us would choose a place that we find beautiful in some way. In our everyday lives, we often dwell in environments that are more functional than beautiful. Taking a holiday can be a refreshing escape from this routine.
If we notice the stories about food we find in the Bible, we find plenty of them; Abraham, Elijah, David, Isaiah, feasts like Passover, parables, loaves and fishes and of course the Lord’s Supper…a shared meal is an encounter with grace, a way to build community and caring, not just with family and friends, but at times also with strangers. That’s why we talk about ‘eating together’ rather than feeding.
For millennia, religions have regarded ritual rest as a spiritual necessity. More recently though, faith leaders are arguing that this practice, whether in a secular or religious context, can help redirect the world’s societies away from catastrophic climate change. They suggest a shared day of rest might slow the pace of consumption, curb emissions or ease the burden people working weary weekends.
The notion of Sabbath, a principle deeply embedded in Biblical history and still observed by Jews today, is passed down to us from the time of Moses, and his encounter with God on the mountain at Sinai/Horeb. On that day the Lord gave him Ten Commandments to govern the life of the People of Israel, not just in the wilderness, but in their community life over thousands of years to come.
“There is something unique and special about the experience of taking a holiday, whether that is an extended stay in some exotic clime, a couple of days away just a few miles down the road, or even a true ‘staycation’, time carved out at home which includes days out either locally or slightly further afield.” (Louise Davis, writer)….This new series of posts will pick up on that idea, and consider whether there is more that is holy about our holidays than we might realise.
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