Chistmas Eve at Niles First UMC

Join Us for Christmas Eve!

Candelight/Communion Service

December 24, 2009

8:00 p.m.

Niles First United Methodist Church

608 N. Crandon Avenue

(Next to Washington School)

Childcare will be provided for birth-5 years old!

Christmas Carols, Candelight, Communion,

and the Re-telling of the story of the First Christmas.

See you there!

January Event 2010

You are invited to join us in East St. Louis, Illinois, January 5-7, 2010 for the North Central Jurisdiction (UMC) Urban/Town & Country Network Annual Training Event.

This year's theme is: "The Unopened Gift: Recognizing and Receiving the Gifts of Others." We will be focusing on how churches can welcome guests and recognize the unique gifts that each new person in the congregation brings with them. Keynote speaker will be Vance Ross, Deputy General Secretary of the General Board of Discipleship. Preacher will be Bishop Gregory Palmer, Bishop of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference of The United Methodist Church.

Registration forms are available online for download. Go to: www.eocumc.com, click on "Events Calendar," and find the event's date: January 5-7. By clicking on the event, you can download the registration flyer.

I hope to see you there!

Blessings,

David

Family Promise Featured on WYTV

Family Promise of Mahoning Valley (also known as Interfaith Hospitality Network, of which our church is a part) was featured last week on WYTV, channel 33. Here's a link to the story, along with a video of the spot that was featured on the 6 p.m. broadcast last Tuesday.

Televisually yours,

David

VBS Registration

You can now register online for our Vacation Bible School 2009! The theme this year is "Crocodile Dock: Where Fearless Kids Shine God's Light"

Online registration is at: http://www.groupvbs.com/webtoybox/myvbs/1umc

Hope to see you there!

The Spiritual Practice of Prayer

Here are some suggestions for prayer postures and ways to pray that you might want to try out this week (or in future weeks. . .)

Types of Prayer:

ACTS Prayer:
Adoration (Give glory to God)
Confession (Say sorry for sins)
Thanksgiving (Give thanks for blessings)
Supplication (Pray for yourself and others’ needs)

Meditation:
Focus on an object, picture, word from scripture, or phrase (such as “Glory be to God”)
Be silent and still and ask God to speak to you.
Relax your body, mind, and spirit.

Grace:
Giving thanks to God before a meal.

Offices:
Daily Prayers said at specific times of day
Examples can be found in The United Methodist Hymnal, pages 876-879

Psalms:
The book of Psalms in the Bible was originally a prayer book for the Jewish people.

Intercessions:
Prayer for and in behalf of other people.
Consider praying for people you know, people at school or work, people in your church, and people who have important responsibilities in society.

Blessings:
Prayers to bring God’s blessing to people, places, or things.
Blessings usually include an action that accompanies them (laying hands on a sick person, for example, or placing oil on a person’s forehead in the sign of the cross).

Free Prayer:
Just offering your thoughts and feelings to God without any special formula can be a type of prayer!

Prayer Postures:

Orans:
An ancient posture for Christian prayer.
Usually done standing, with face turned upward or out toward a congregation/group of people.
Hands outstretched and palms facing:
Upward, for prayers of confession or supplication
Downward, for prayers of blessing (such as at communion)
Outward, for benedictions and thanksgiving prayers.

Kneeling:
As it suggests, this position is done while down on your knees.
Hands may be folded, at your side, stretched out in front of you, etc.
Good for private prayers, prayers of confession, and prayers before the cross.

Seated:
Back straight (for good posture, and helps breathing)
Feet flat on the floor
Hands may be folded or laid in your lap, palms up or down.

Prostrate:
Flat on the floor, face down.
Used in the early Church for prayers of confession.
Used in some Christian tradition for ordaining ministers/priests.
A good way to connect with the earth, and to show God (and ourselves) that we are humble and read to receive God’s Spirit.

The Collect:

The collect (pronounced with the emphasis on the first syllable) is one of the most ancient forms of Christian prayer. Once the format of the collect is learned, it is very easy to construct simple prayers that are relevant to any situation. It is always best to keep the phrases short, simple, and always addressed to God.

The phrases in bold print below are taken from a very old example of a collect, as an illustration.

1. Address to God. (Almighty God)
2. A Characteristic of God’s nature. (To whom all hearts are open,)
3. A petition. (Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts)
4. The purpose for the petition. (That we may perfectly love you)
5. Doxology/Conclusion (Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
One God, now and for ever. Amen.)

The Spiritual Practice of Meditation (Lectio Divina)

Some notes from this week's sermon on Meditation, specifically about Lectio Divina:

Richard Foster (Celebration of Discipline): “Christian meditation, very simply, is the ability to hear God’s voice and obey his word. It is that simple. I wish I could make it more complicated for those who like things difficult. It involves no hidden mysteries, no secret mantras, no mental gymnastics, no esoteric flights into the cosmic consciousness. The truth of the matter is that the great God of the universe, the Creator of all things, desires our fellowship.”

--For the early Church, this “listening to God” took the form of a practice called Lectio Divina. Lectio is a Latin word that means “reading,” while Divina is the Latin word for “holy” or “sacred.” So, Lectio Divina literally means “holy reading” or “sacred reading.”

The early monks, who were among the few who could read in those days, used the words of Scripture as the basis of their meditation.

There were set Scriptures that were read each day, or sometimes the monks would simply begin with Genesis, and practice Lectio the whole way through the Bible. In other cases, monks would meditate on the Psalms, beginning with number one, and sometimes meditating their way through all 150 psalms in one day!

Lectio Divina has four basic steps, which also have Latin names to identify them:

Lectio (Reading): In this step, the reader chooses a passage of Scripture—the shorter the better (just a few verses or a chapter at a time). Then, the passage is read (usually aloud, so the reader can hear the words and say them as they read along). Reading is done slowly, and without concern for memorizing the words or “getting it right” as far as meaning or understanding is concerned. Lectio is about encountering God in the Scriptures, not about passing a knowledge test.

Meditatio (Meditation): After the Scripture has been read through once (or sometimes several times), the reader will choose a word or phrase that stands out or has a particular ring to it. I always describe this as the “ah ha” moment of reading the Bible. Sometimes, after reading through the passage of Scripture several times, I will find myself stopping and looking at one word or phrase several times, over and over again.

Contemplatio (Contemplation): Contemplation is a time of silent reflection. Often, after dwelling with your chosen word or phrase for a while, you may find yourself simply being—settling in completely, and listening quietly for the voice of God. (Do not expect an actual voice here—that happens, but very rarely! Unless your name is Moses, you may have to settle for simple a nudge or a poke in the right direction.) If you find yourself getting off track—thinking about what to have for dinner, or the big meeting you have coming up this week—simply smile to yourself (we’re all human, after all), and go back to Meditatio for a while. Conjure up more images of your word or phrase in your head, and turn it around and around again until you find yourself coming back to Contemplation.

Oratio (Prayer): For the ancient Church, prayer came only after the long extended period of silence that accompanied Contemplatio. Julian of Norwich, the 14th Century mystic, once said that “God is the ground of our beseeching.” In other words, we need to first listen for God’s voice, and then add our own voice to the conversation. Sometimes, I never get to this point in my practice of Lectio. Sometimes, I simply sit in silence and listen for the voice of God, or listen to the voice of God speaking to me through Scripture.

--The profound point of this type of meditative prayer is that it is not about us—that’s a different kind of prayer completely—one we’ll talk about in another sermon. This type of meditation is about God—and more specifically about our relationship with God. As with all the practices we’ll cover in this series, meditation is not about “getting it right,” but about “getting right in” with God.

Watch this space this week for more information on other types of meditation!

--David

Some "Bonus Material" on Guidance.

Guidance can sometimes take the form of engaging in a guided meditation, or "spiritual exercise" under the direction of another person.

The Sisters of the Humility of Mary, our friends in Villa Maria, PA, have spiritual directors who can guide people through the "Spiritual Exercise of St. Ignatius." Their website is: www.humilityofmary.org .

You can also find a min-version of this type of guided meditation at www.sacredspace.ie , which is a site run by the Irish Jesuits. This site has a daily meditation based on a scripture reading. It is a text-only site, but if you prefer a more interactive approach, you can check out www.pray-as-you-go.org, which has the same type of scripture meditation in MP3 format--you can listen online, download to your computer, or put it on your iPod or MP3 player.

Enjoy!

--David

p.s.--watch this space for guidelines about the topic of Meditation, beginning next week!

The Spiritual Practice of Guidance.

Guidance (also sometimes called "Spiritual Direction" or "Spiritual Companionship/Friendship," is the process by which we seek God's guiding Spirit in community with other people. Here are some suggested practices you might want to try out this week (or this month, or this year, take your time and pace yourself!)

--Pick one of the first three Gospels: Matthew, Mark, or Luke, and read the sections of that Gospel that focus on how Jesus interacted with his disciples. How did he act as a spiritual director to them? How did his stories, prayers, and conversations with them act as a spiritual guide in their quest to come closer to God?

--Call a trusted friend or mentor this week, and get together with him/her for coffee (or tea) and a conversation. It doesn’t have to be about anything major—or maybe there’s something you’ve been dying to tell this person for a long time. Experience what it is like to take time away from the business of your life to reconnect with another human being on a different level.

--If your mother is still alive, call her today and thank her, and wish her a happy mother’s day. If your mother has passed on, pray to God for her, and know that God cares for a loves those whom we hold dear in our hearts, even after they have died.

--Read Paul’s letters to Timothy. These are great examples of spiritual guidance. Reflect on how Paul both respects Timothy’s gifts and graces for ministry, while at the same time offering his own thoughts on how to practice ministry. What words of wisdom does Paul offer you as you “listen in” on his spiritual direction sessions with Timothy?

--Come to the meditation group tomorrow night at the Eastwood Mall. This is not a commercial, I promise! We meet at 7 p.m. in the community room, which is now located in the Dillard’s wing, across from Payless Shoes. Okay, it sounds a little bit like a commercial, but really, the meditation group is an opportunity where we kind of mentor each other in our spiritual practices.

--Reflect on the key verse from today’s Scripture reading: Galatians 5:25—“If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.” What does it mean to be guided by the Spirit? Have you ever asked the Holy Spirit for guidance when facing a problem? What happened? If you haven’t ever asked, try it today. Watch how it changes your perception of the problem, and journal about your thoughts and experiences this week. Or, talk to a trusted friend or mentor about how you’re feeling about God’s guidance.

--Check out the website of Spiritual Directors International: www.sdiworld.org
Find out more about what a spiritual director is, and what a spiritual director does. You can also find a spiritual director near you, and learn about what it takes to become a spiritual director. If you feel yourself being called in that direction, a good place to start is by finding yourself your own spiritual director, and explore what that process looks and feels like.

Watch this space--as I get more ideas this week, I'll post other ways you can think about/practice the spiritual practice of guidance.

Peace,

David