The Still Point

A Time of Meditation and Reflection

The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

Proper Eleven

 

... At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance...

 

T.S. Eliot, Burnt Norton

            Peace on each one who comes in need; 

            Peace on each one who comes in joy. 

            Peace on each one who offers prayers; 

            Peace on each one who offers song. 

            Peace of the Maker, Peace of the Son, 

            Peace of the Spirit, the Triune One.

 

 

Opening Prayer

Praise to you, God, for all your work among us. Yours is the vigor in creation, yours is the impulse in our new discoveries. Make us adventurous, yet reverent and hopeful in all we do. Amen.

 

The Gospel  Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

 

Poem: “The Lake of Beauty”                                              by  Edward Carpenter

Let your mind be quiet, realising the beauty of the world, and the immense, the boundless treasures that it holds in store. All that you have within you, all that your heart desires, all that your Nature so specially fits you for – that or the counterpart of it waits embedded in the great Whole, for you. It will surely come to you. Yet equally surely not one moment before its appointed time will it come. All your crying and fever and reaching out of hands will make no difference.

 

Therefore do not begin that game at all. Do not recklessly spill the waters of your mind in this direction and in that, lest you become like a spring lost and dissipated in the desert. But draw them together into a little compass, and hold them still, so still; and let them become clear, so clear – so limpid, so mirror-like; at last the mountains and the sky shall glass themselves in peaceful beauty, And the antelope shall descend to drink, and to gaze at his reflected image, and the lion to quench his thirst, and Love himself shall come and bend over, and catch his own likeness in you.

                                                                                   

 

Meditation

This week's rich gospel reading open up a number of possible aspects to focus on: healing and wholeness, Jesus's compassion for all people, and the powerful image of a shepherd's care for the sheep. But one aspect seems especially powerful on a more intimate scale: Jesus's concern for his disciples and their need to rest from work. 

 

"Jesus told his disciples 'Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.'  For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves." Jesus wanted his disciples to rest and refresh themselves! And perhaps to pray, reflect, quiet their minds, and simply be together as a small group. What lessons does this have for us as disciples of Jesus today?

 

The poem "The Lake of Beauty"uses a number of images from nature as the poet spins out the opening words, "Let your mind be quiet..." The poet Edward Carpenter (1844-1929) was an English utopian philosopher and activist for gay rights and prison reform. Among other things, the poem may be understood in terms of the importance of balancing work and action with contemplation and stillness.

Questions for Reflection

1. What words and images from the gospel reading are particularly meaningful for you?

2. How do rest, refreshment and reflection enter into your own model(s) of discipleship? How do you help ensure that these are part of your daily, weekly, or yearly routine?

3. The poem speaks of drawing the "waters of our mind" into a little compass to hold still. Does this image resonate for you? What other images or metaphors do you find helpful for quieting the mind and being still in order to know God better?

Prayers

We bring before God someone whom we have met or remembered today 

We bring to God someone who is hurting tonight and needs our prayer

We bring to God a troubled situation in our world 

We bring to God, silently, someone whom we find hard to forgive or trust

We bring ourselves to God that we might grow in generosity of spirit, clarity of mind, and warmth of affection

We offer our thanks to God for the blessings in our lives

We name before God those who have died.

 

Gracious God, you hear all our prayers: those we speak aloud, those we hold in our hearts, and those prayers for which we have no words. Hear the prayers of your people, and grant them as may be best for us, for the sake of your holy name. Amen.       

Accept our thanks for all you have done, O God. Our hands were empty, and you filled them. 

May Christ’s holy, healing, enabling Spirit be with us every step of the way, and be our guide as our road changes and turns, and the blessing of God our Creator, Redeemer and Giver of life be among us now and remain with us forever. Amen.

 Reflections this month offered by: Frank Nowell