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A note from Don Holt, vestry member.
The Clergy and Vestry of our congregation have set aside Saturday, Jan 20 from 9am to noon as a Quiet Day where we are invited to come to church for a time of quiet prayer. What is this all about?
Our Sanctuary features a beautiful backlit stained glass window behind the altar that includes a verse from Psalm 46, “Be still and know I am God”. On January 20, you are invited to join fellow church members as we corporately quiet the clamor of many responsibilities, tasks, and interests that drive our daily lives so we have time to know and reflect that He is our God.
How do I still my mind; there are so many distractions that grab my attention! As Anglicans, we can start in our Prayer Book.
Pages 91 – 98 feature The Great Litany, a prayer that encompasses all life. Slowly whispering this prayer will lead you to consider the breadth of our personal lives, community lives, and the lives of all humans on this Earth.
You can start in the Psalms (page 270), Jesus’ prayer book that He used daily all the way up to the cross when he prayed Psalm 22 while dying for us. Page 269 lists a brief index of individual Psalm’s focus that might direct you to one that is pertinent to your life. Again, slowly whispering a psalm helps focus you on the object of every psalm; a God who knows us, listens to us, and wants to guide us.
You can go to page 642 which begins a section of brief prayers organized by the petition or “ask” we want to bring to God. Each one acknowledges God’s personal attributes that give us confidence He hears us and can address our “asks”. Each one leads us to thank and worship God, our sustainer.
After prayers that lead us to be honest with God, stop for a time and Be Still in God’s presence. Thank Him for his personal love and support. Worship Him as the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of our lives. Said differently, rest in Him.
How much time does this take? As much time as it takes to really reset from focusing on the immediate needs at hand to focusing on God’s loving and merciful presence. Do I have to come to church to participate? No. We recognize that some of us can’t come in person. However, if you come, you will be following the pattern of God’s people going all the back to the Old Testament Patriarchs who regularly stopped their family’s and tribes’ busy, on the move, chaotic lives to corporately Be Still before their God and our God.
Mark your calendars now. Plan to spend Saturday, Jan. 20 from 9am to noon in quiet, with God, at your church.
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