Silent Sunday
Nurturing the Seed
Brian McLaren describes this time that we are in as the birthing of something new, and at the same time it is the death of the old way of being. This silent Sunday is an invitation to listen to what may be stirring as a seed of new life within us, and how we may nurture that into full flourishing.
Opening music:
Lyrics:
Help me open my heart so I can hold all that I need to hold (x4)
Help me open my heart so I can feel all that I need to feel (x4)
Help me open my heart so I can know all that I need to know (x4)
Help me open my heart so I can heal all that I need to heal (x4)
Introduction Talk:
Quiet Prayer
You can choose between a 10 and a 20 minute time of quiet prayer using the links below. If you find your mind wandering, gently let go of your thoughts and return to the wonder of being present and open, through awareness of your breath or your sacred word.
Listen to the following music as an ending to the time of prayer:
Lyrics:
Slowly blooms the rose within
Sacred Reading:
Read the following reading from the video talk twice or three times, with an attitude of open receptivity. Allow a few minutes of silence between the readings. Listen for any words that call out to you, or that stir something within you:
Mark 4:2-9
Jesus taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow some seed. As the seeds were being scattered, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”
Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
For Further Reflection:
Below are the quotes from the talk and some additional quotes for you to take this theme further.
Krishnamurti:
"To understand, to discover, you have to listen without the resistance of the conscious mind which wants to debate, discuss, analyze. Debating, discussing, analyzing is a hindrance when we are dealing with matters which require not mere verbal definition and superficial understanding, but understanding at a much deeper, more fundamental level. Such understanding, the understanding of truth, depends upon how one listens." ...
"I think there is an art of listening, which is to listen completely without any motive, because a motive in listening is a distraction. ... It is only the very silent, quiet mind that finds out what is true, not a mind which is furiously active, thinking, resisting."
"...to listen without any resistance does not mean accepting, but to listen so profoundly, with great attention, so that the very act of listening brings about a total breaking-down of the pattern of the brain."
Thomas Kelly:
“Deep within us all there is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul, a holy place, a Divine Center, a speaking Voice, to which we may continually return. Eternity is at our hearts, pressing upon our time-torn lives, warming us with intimations of an astounding destiny, calling us home unto Itself. Yielding to these persuasions, gladly committing ourselves in body and soul, utterly and completely, to the Light Within, is the beginning of true life. It is a dynamic center, a creative Life that presses to birth within us. It is a Light Within that illumines the face of God and casts new shadows and new glories upon the human face. It is a seed stirring to life if we do not choke it. It is the Shekinah of the soul, the Presence in the midst. Here is the Slumbering Christ, stirring to be awakened, to become the soul we clothe in earthly form and action.”
Meister Eckhart:
"The seed of God is in us. Given an intelligent and hard-working farmer, it will thrive and grow up to God, whose seed it is; and accordingly its fruits will be God-nature." … "God exists in all things, actively and powerfully. But God is fertile in the soul alone."
Thomas Merton:
"Every moment contains a fertile seed that has the potential to give life."
Ending Prayer:
Our loving God, boundless in mercy, well-spring of compassion,
May we not forget the infinite possibilities
that are born from our rootedness in you.
May awareness of your presence settle into our bones,
and allow our souls the freedom to sing, dance, explore and love.
May we honour the sacred miracle of life, as we open to the unfolding of your life within,
your mystery being continuously revealed
beyond the possibilities of our imagining.
May we know the breadth and depth of your love
that encompasses each and every one of us,
that bursts the banks of our limited economies,
and flows in abundance from hearts that are open and willing,
tending the wounds of our world with deep tenderness, hope and mercy.
Amen
(Adapted from a prayer by St Theresa of Avila)
Ending music:
Song lyrics:
Ay, what to sing about in these days
What rhyme or melody, turn of phrase?
What is your story now, where is your gaze?
Ay, what to sing about in these days
Towers are tumbling, tumbling down
Fortresses fumbling, crumbling crowns
Governments grumbling, as they drown
Towers are tumbling, tumbling down
Plant your song like a seed
Hold your heart like a prayer bead
Give your breath like a tree
Set your soul’s deep love free
I know a woman who walks and prays
Follows the river’s old rambling ways
Eagle flies over and butterflies play
Watching the warrior walk and pray
What is your story now, where is your heart?
This is a one-act play, what’s your part?
In every ending there’s some new start
What is your story now, where is your heart?
Plant your song like a seed
Hold your heart like a prayer bead
Give your breath like a tree
Set your soul’s deep love free
There is a garden that grows at night
Then in the winter it tucks in tight
Drifts off in dreams about birds in flight
That carry the seeds of this garden’s life
Ay, what to sing about in these days
What rhyme or melody, turn of phrase?
What is your story now, where is your gaze?
Ay, what to sing about in these days
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.