Centering Down

Centering Down is an adult spiritual sharing group that takes place in the meetinghouse library every Sunday at 10 AM, before worship. All are welcome to join at any time.

Each week's topic is included in the bulletin. It typically includes a few passages from the minister's message, as well as some queries—questions to stimulate self-examination and thought. We might spend several minutes in silent reflection before anyone speaks. Individuals are encouraged to speak from their own experiences and to listen deeply to one another, allowing a little time for reflection between speakers. In this way, we can come to know one another better and share our unique portion of Light with one another.

The following are recent centering down passages:

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day.
-2nd Corinthians 4:16
If we live long enough we will pass through various life transitions or passages. Such passages include the death of a loved one, the wedding of a child, divorce, change of job, position, geographical location, and even the gentle inner tugs on one's soul that acknowledge that the life we are now living is not spiritually fulfilling. All of these transitions make us vulnerable to spiritual transformation.

According to the mythology of Genesis, we were created out of chaos, and it is out of chaos and transition that we are re-created anew. It was Friedrich Nietzsche who said, (and I would guess that I am the only minister in the world this morning who is quoting Nietzsche đŸ™‚ "One must have chaos in oneself in order to give birth to a dancing star."

One of the major delusions that we humans tend to believe is that we have life under control. We believe that we are intelligent enough to handle all things...But then come those moments in life where we catch a glimpse of just how fragile we are, when we recognize that our worldly power and money, connections or whatever else we may have that keep us in control, cannot save us.

I believe that in such vulnerable times, our spirits open up. Our hearts become open to the suffering of others because we have experienced suffering in our own lives. We begin to learn what it means to have "...our inner nature being renewed every day." In this vulnerable space the Inner Light shines brightest. This is where the sacred and the chaos of our lives meet.

How have your times of transition opened you spiritually?
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
-Hebrews 11:1
The passage from Hebrews above can be understood as a response to the anxious questions of life. It carries within it two words which are most elusive in the world of questioning...Assurance and Conviction.

As we live into the mystery of faith and the complexity of good questions, I believe that we can, at the same time, live into a faith of the assurance of things hoped for, and the conviction of things not seen. In doing so, however, it seems to me that certain practices need to become central as to how we view life and how we live life.

The first practice is patience. In order to grow into a faith of assurance and conviction, we need to grow in our ability to be patient. Assurance and conviction requires patience.

A second practice is a sense of adventure, which encompasses a sense of spiritual expectancy. A.N. Whitehead has written, "Without the high hope of adventure, faith degenerates into a mere appendage of a comfortable life." Spiritual risk-taking is adventurous.

Weaving throughout these two practices is the element of trust. It is a trust that we can, indeed, connect with the Living God and that there is a meaningful purpose in the life we are living, and that trust can, once again, be a part of our culture.

By practicing patience, by living with a sense of spiritual adventure and expectancy, and by working to recover trust within a culture of mistrust we can claim a faith of assurance in things hoped for, and conviction of things not seen.

How do you incorporate these practices into your life of faith? Please allow time for worshipful reflection between speakers.
Ask, and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened.
-Matthew 7:7
One of the synonyms that was used to describe early Quakers was the word "Seeker." What does it mean to be a seeker? How does one begin the spiritual journey of becoming a teachable spirit? I believe that such a journey begins, as it did for so many in the mid-17th century England, when we finally realize that something is missing in our lives, and we recognize that there is an itch down deep in our souls that is not being scratched by the old patterns and the old ways that used to work for us. We become seekers and teachable spirits, open to the possibility of transformation when we pursue new insights, new revelations and new experiences that we hope, and eventually trust, will lead to new spiritual beginnings.

When Jesus said, "Ask and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you," he was giving those of us who have been seeking for a life-time reassuring and hopeful words. To ask, to seek and to knock will open us and lead us into new spiritual possibilities.

You have heard me say many times that I believe we are in this world to grow spiritually, and that each experience in our lives should be reflected upon by asking three questions: 1. How is God working in this experience? 2. What spiritual lessons am I to learn? and 3. How can I be a more effective minister to others as a result? A seeker will want to try and understand the workings and revelation of God in each experience of life.

Are you sensitive to the workings of God in your life? Are you able to discern the ways that God is working in the world?
...forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead...
-Philippians 3:13
In Paul's Letter to the Philippians, Chapter 3, he imagines his whole life as a kind of long and arduous marathon. He imagines himself as a runner, hitting the wall and straining forward to break the tape at the finish line, trusting that it is all worth the pain and the burn. He writes, "...forgetting what lies behind, and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal of the heavenly call of God in Jesus Christ."

This was not always so for Paul. In the beginning of Paul's relationship with Christians he was running after Jesus' followers, trying to exterminate them. He had been running after a different prize. He wanted to be a religious success...He wanted to be holy...He wanted to be a good follower of God's law. His spiritual resume is long. He says he was circumcised on the 8th day after his birth, born of the tribe of Benjamin, a blue-blood with a good family name, a Hebrew born of Hebrews and accepted into Phi Beta Pharisee! Then suddenly we have the story of his transformation on the road to Damascus, and the rest is history. Paul realized that he had been running for the wrong prize, that he had been running in the wrong direction.

Perhaps it is human, or maybe it is just me, but I am always asking myself, "Am I running in the right direction?" It is an important query for all of us. I work hard at forgetting what lies behind, and giving up all hope of having a different past. Now I want to look forward to what lies ahead.

How do you discern if you are running in the right direction?