The Still Point

A Time of Meditation and Reflection

The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

Proper Nine

 

... 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 6:1-13

Jesus came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went about among the villages teaching. He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

 

Poem: “Traveling Light”                                        by Pádraig Ó Tuama

Because sometimes we travel heavy
and those heady times we can barely
imagine the freebody movement of dance.

Because sometimes we travel dark
and from those hard paths we can’t even
conjure an image of sunrise or moonrise or starlight or fire.

Because sometimes we travel solo
and those lonely times we forget all the others
we’ve travelled with lovingly
travelled with home.

Because sometimes we need to be
travelling lightly
because sometimes we’re in need of
regular reminding
that light comes in circles
and waves
and small moments
and light
comes to find us
and light comes with hope.

                                                                                   

Meditation

The first part of this week's gospel relates Jesus's rejection in his hometown; the second tells of Jesus sending out his twelve disciples in groups of two to preach the good news and to heal. One possible connection between the two stories is that Jesus is preparing the disciples for the rejections they themselves will experience. They should not be discouraged by such rejection, but rather shake off the dust and move on. 

 

Jesus also instructs the disciples to take very little with them on their journey, depending on the hospitality of others. In addition, by travelling lightly, the disciples will not be overly distracted by daily cares and worries, and more attentive to the people they meet and new relationships that are possible.

 

In the poem, "travelling light" can be seen both literally and metaphorically. Our travels through life can be weighed down or darkened by concerns and fears. When we are travelling solo, we can feel lonely and forget our travelling companions. By travelling light, we are open to the new and unexpected. And we are reminded that "light comes to find us and light comes with hope."

 

Questions for Reflection

1. What insights does this gospel have for us in our own discipleship?

2. What forms do rejection of Jesus's message take in our own time and place? How do we respond to those rejections? How do we shake off the dust?

3. What does traveling lightly look like for you?

4. To hear O'Tuama reading his poem Travelling Light, with a short video interpretation, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDxNkaNlxb4

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