Summer Sabbath Practices – 7.16.2018
BREATH PRAYER: FATHER, transform my heart in this ordinary time.
CENTERING:
Show me your ways, O Lord,
and teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
in you have I trusted all the day long.
Remember, O Lord, your compassion and love,
for they are from everlasting.
Psalm 25:3-5
SETTLING IN:
- In a journal, note the day, time, and place you’re sitting.
- Open with silence. Set a timer for 1, 3, or 5 minutes so you can be free to rest and breathe deeply.
- Complete the following sentence in your journal: Today, I feel ________________.
- Read the centering verse above slowly (aloud or silently).
- Pause for a few moments of silence, then pray this week’s breath prayer.
PRACTICE:
EXAMEN
Today represents the halfway point on our Summer Sabbath. Today’s examen will look back on the first half of this Sabbath and then look forward to the remainder. We will ask the Lord’s guidance in seeing this Sabbath as He sees it.
Breathe deeply and rest is the Presence of God. Open your palms and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in His understanding of this Summer Sabbath. Review the past two weeks in your mind as if you are watching a highlight reel.
Make a list of the times that you heart felt rested. Give thanks to the Lord for those times and ask the Lord if there is anything that He would have you know about those times.
Make a list of the times that your heart felt rushed or run ragged. Lift those times up to the Lord and ask Him what He would have you know about them.
Now ask the Spirit to guide you through your schedule for the next two weeks. Ask the Lord how He would have you approach these final two weeks of the Summer Sabbath.
Summary: Write in your journal a brief summary (five sentences or less) of your examen. How might this experience help you recognize God’s voice in the future?
Closing: Father, transform my heart in this ordinary time.
If you are unsure how to begin listening for God’s voice and leading in your life, listen to this message by Larry Green, given at the Parish. Feel free to reach out to us at info@parishanglican.org for more information or help with these practices.
