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St Mary's
Church Almondsbury
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To know God, build up each
other as Christians, and proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord to our neighbours |
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Home | Services | Mid-week | Children & Youth | Community | Groups | Who's
Who | Gallery | Links | Find Us |
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CHRISTIAN
MEDITATION |
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(A
summary of a talk given by Canon John Poarch at the March 2007 meeting of X-plore.) The
Beatles famously went to India to sit at the feet of a holy man and learn how
to meditate. Unfortunately that
has given people the impression that meditation is so rarefied and way out
that it is not for the likes of them.
And yet they probably find themselves meditating every day of the week
in some shape or form, even if that is the last name they would dream of
giving it. They will call to
mind something which happened or a conversation they took part in and then
re-live it in their imagination, brooding over it and trying to grasp the
deeper significance of what they heard and saw. And Christian meditation is a matter of applying that
technique to, say, a passage of scripture or a prayer or a picture. It is a valuable way of praying. Meditation
has been described as Òlistening prayerÒ, and that is fine provided we
remember that actions often speak louder than words and that we can ÒhearÓ
what people do as well as what they say. The important thing is not to be in a hurry but to take
your time and be patient, waiting for your eyes and ears to be opened. If you really want to see and hear,
you will. The only condition God
imposes on us is a willingness to grasp the truth when it hits us. You
might like to do the meditation we tried the other day in church. The passage was John 7:53 -
8:11. You do not need historical
knowledge to picture the scene and the people do not need to be in the
costumes of the time. What
matters are the characters in the drama, their interaction with each other
and the things they say and do.
Try to picture it. Be
there as an observer and listener.
Put yourself in the shoes of the different people there. Try to answer the question, ÒWhat is
God saying to me in all this?Ó because meditation is above all listening
prayer. And
if you would like further material to meditate on you might try: Matthew
9:9-13 Mark
10:17-22 Luke
19:1-10 |
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Contact
the Church Office Rev. Philip W. Rowe, Vicar of Almondsbury and
Olveston with Aust |
Email the Website Administrator |
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