Contemplation
Speaker: Rose Patterson-Veira
Series: Prayer - How to do it
Scripture: Psalm 27:1-8
Sermon Highlights
Rowan Williams: "You're not going to get a better tan by screwing up your eyes and concentrating.
You give the time, and that's it. All you have to do is turn up."
"To surrender, we have to let go of all the things we do and say
which we mistakenly think earn us something with God.
We have to let go of all the subtle ways that we try to control things.""
"Feeling nothing isn't a sign that we're doing something wrong."
"When we pray, we stand at the intersection between heaven and earth...and in contemplation,
we rest in that place, we yield ourselves to God, we spend time in his presence -
children of our heavenly Father, dwelling in his house and gazing on his beauty."
Home Group Questions
1. What is your initial reaction to the practice of contemplation?
Does it excite you, scare you or bore you?
2. “It’s not how much we do but how much love we put into the actions that we do.”
How does this quote from Mother Teresa challenge our culture’s attitude
to social justice or practical action?
3. It can be difficult to make time to pause and contemplate God.
What rhythms couldyou put in place to grow this type of prayer in your life?