Silent Sunday
Learn from the lillies
The theme of this silent Sunday is the invitation to learn from the wild lillies, based on Matthew 6:25-29. I invite you to join in with the music, readings, quiet prayer and reflections around this theme.
Opening music:
Lyrics:
Consider the ravens
They do not sow and they do not reap
Yet God the Father provides for them
Yet upon the earth
These are among the smallest things
Consider how the lilies grow
They do not spin and they do not weave
But I tell you now not even Solomon
In all of his splendor was arrayed
Like any one of these
So seek ye first the kingdom of God
And the wealth of His righteousness
For wherever your treasure lies
There will you find your heart
Be not concerned for your life
Or your body
What to eat, what to wear
Or what you will do for tomorrow
Seek out instead His heavenly kingdom
And the rest upon the earth
In its own time will follow
So seek ye first the kingdom of God
And the wealth of His righteousness
For wherever your treasure lies
There will you find your heart
So seek ye first the kingdom of God
And the wealth of His righteousness
For wherever your treasure lies
There will you find your heart
Time: 15 minutes
Learn deeply from nature:
I encourage you to go outside and spend some time learning deeply from nature. Find a tree, an insect or a flower, or even an ant or a blade of grass. Spend some time just being with it. Don't try talking to it, just gaze and listen, with the rapt attention of being in the presence of a wise one - learn deeply from it. Notice any tendency to label it or describe or understand it and let this go.
Receive whatever it has to give you.
Once you have done this for some time, give thanks. Say thank you to God, the Creator, the aliveness within all life, the Essence, the Ground of all Being. Say thank you to and for the flower, tree, bird or whatever wise one has called your attention.
Centering prayer / meditation:
I invite you to spend some time in quiet prayer. (You can choose between a 10 minute timer and a 20 minute timer below, which each have a gong at the beginning and three gongs at the end). If you find your mind wandering, gently let go of your thoughts and return to being present, to resting in the quiet surrendered depths where we are in touch with the part of our being that is at home in God, at ease in the Beloved's immense embrace, naturally trusting, naturally unafraid, resting in the peace of God that is beyond understanding.
Listen to the following music as an ending to the time of prayer:
Lyrics:
The sun is rising in the east
And the feathered flutes begin trilling in the trees
And I sing to love / Sing to give love
Sing to hold love / Sing to be love
In the morning, thank you, thank you
In the evening, thank you, thank you
In the middle of the day, thank you, thank you
In the deep dark night, thank you, thank you
The sun is shining in the south
And I breathe you in, and I breathe you out
And I breathe in love / Breathe out to give love
Breathe in to hold love / Breathe out to be love
The sun is setting in the west
And the birds begin to sing their rhapsody of rest
And I rest in love / Rest to give love
Rest to hold love / Rest to be love
Mizmor shir leyom haShabbat
In the morning, halleluja
In the evening, halleluja
In the middle of the day, halleluja
In the deep dark night, halleluja
And I sing to love / Sing to give love
Sing to hold love / Sing to be love
Breathe in love / Breathe out to give love
Breathe in to hold love / Breathe out to be love
Rest in love / Rest to give love
Rest to hold love / Rest to be love
In the morning, halleluja
In the evening, halleluja
In the middle of the day, halleluja
In the deep dark night, halleluja
Sacred Reading:
Read the following reading through twice or three times, with an attitude of open receptivity. Listen for any words that call out to you, or that draw you into the sacredness of silence.
Matthew 6:25-29, 34
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Parent feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to your span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the wild lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." ... "(Message version of verse 34) Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."
For Further Reflection:
I encourage you to spend some time in further reflection on this theme. Below are some of the quotes from the talk for you to take this theme further.
Eckhart Tolle:
“Look at a tree, a flower, a plant. Let your awareness rest upon it. How still they are, how deeply rooted in ‘just being’. Allow nature to teach you stillness. When you look at a tree and perceive its stillness, you become still yourself.”
Thich Nhat Hanh:
The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace.
With each step, the wind blows.
With each step, a flower blooms.
Jean Yves Leloup:
"We endeavor to sense the inner dimensions of all that exists, the inner depths of the invisible within the visible, the meaningful silence within the words we hear, the intangible in everything we touch. This attitude cultivates a special kind of wakefulness in everyday life."
Ending Prayer:
In the gift of this new day,
in the gift of the present moment,
in the gift of creation’s beauty,
in the gift of time and eternity intertwined,
let us be grateful,
let us be attentive,
let us be open to what has never happened before,
in the gift of this new day,
in the gift of the present moment,
in the gift of creation’s beauty,
in the gift of time and eternity intertwined.
Amen
(Based on a prayer by John Philip Newell)
Ending music:
Lyrics:
Thanks to Thee, O God
That I have risen today
To the rising of this life
It is like Thee
To the rising of Thy glory
O God of every gift
And the glory of my soul
O great God
Aid Thou my soul
With the aiding of Thine own
And Thy mercy
Even as I clothe
My body with wool
Cover Thou my soul
With the shadow of Your wing
Thanks to Thee, O God
That I have risen today
To the rising of this life
And as the mist
Scatters on the crest
Of the hills may each haze
Clear from my soul
Thanks to Thee, O God
That I have risen today
To the rising of this life
We would appreciate any donations so that we can continue making resources like this available at no cost.
Donate here...
A very warm thank you to all of you who have donated so generously.
To see a list of additional resources click here...
If you are not already on our mailing list you can subscribe here...
Sharon's book that was previously called "Contemplative Living" has been republished by AnamChara Books under the title "Deeper: Finding the Depth Dimension Beneath the Surface of Life". The Kindle version is available from Amazon, and the hard copy version can be ordered from loot.co.za or Takealot, or from your local bookshop through Ingram Distribution.