Quartz at St Johns Dumfries
Just over year ago I spent a while reflecting by the river Nith.
By the end of the year the reflection had spread onto the land.
And then into the high street.
And, of course, this involved a fair bit of experimentation in and around my workshop.
And even some board games.
How can we help each other journey to Easter in these strange times?
Collectively, and in our households.
You are invited to join our Lent study group from the 17th of February to Sunday the 4th of April. We will use the “Knowing Jesus” material available online from the Jesuits in Scotland. This starts on Ash Wednesday, but our first meeting is on the Sunday.
We will be meeting as Quartz too! Every Sunday between 3 and 4 PM. This will be online at first, but if Covid precautions allow we will meet outdoors as well.
During our retreat you are invited to pray and reflect over the man Jesus as you see him in the Scriptures and allow Him to reveal God to you.
Trust what you see will be what you need to grow deeper into knowing, loving and serving God and those around you.
… more on their website
Their page has daily prayer based on a Scripture, pictures and music. You can sign up to be sent a reminder and access their guidance with ways of praying. They also have groups you could choose to join in with.
BBC radio4 are linking their Sunday Worship and Daily Worship to programmes to this course as well, under the title of “Pathways to God”
When we meet on the Sundays, we will discuss what we have learned – whether you have had the opportunity to take time to reflect daily, or if you just manage to make it to a group meeting when you can. As worshiping in and with the natural environment is important for the way Quartz practices #SensingSpirituality if you want to contribute photos, comments, or other media to the discussion each week then we will work out ways to make that possible.
The following quote comes from a translation of the life of St Mungo as told by Jocelin of Furness early in the 12th Century.
The robin in the story is the one on the coat of arms of Glasgow, and its story is well known. What is perhaps less well known is this discussion about why a serious churchman of high standing should pay attention to sparrows, rock pigeons … or a robin redbreast.
Now a certain little bird, which is called a redbird by the common people because of its ruby-colored small body, was accustomed to receive its daily food from the hand of Servanus, the servant of God, by the command of the heavenly Father, without whom not even one sparrow falls toward the earth. And having accepted such intimacy, he displayed familiarity and tameness towards him. Sometimes he was even accustomed to rest upon his head, or his face, or his shoulders, or his lap, assisting him as he prayed or read, and by the striking of its wings, or by the sound of its inarticulate voice, and by whatever gestures of affection, it would exhibit those towards him. And sometimes the face of the man of God, overshadowed by the acts of the bird, was covered with cheerfulness, admiring truly in the small creature the great power of the Creator, by whom the mute speak and irrational things are known to experience reason
And because many times this bird came near to him or departed by the command and will of the man of God, it reproached the unbelief and hardness of his students’ hearts, and exposed their disobedience. And let this lesson not seem unsuitable to anyone, seeing that God, by the voice of a mute animal and one used to the yoke, rebuked the folly of the prophet, and Solomon, the most wise of men, sent the slothful man to the ant in order that by contemplating his labor and diligence, he might shake from himself his stupefaction and sloth. And a certain holy and wise man summoned his religious to consider the work of the bees, so that in their little bodies they might learn the beautiful discipline of ministry. But perhaps it will seem a wonder to some that a man so holy and righteous would take delight in respect to the play or gestures of a little bird. But let it be known to those of such thoughts that righteous men at times need to be softened from their own sternness so that those who in spirit go out to God are more temperate to us at times Even the bow must sometimes be loosened from its excessive strain, so that it will not be weak and useless for sending the arrow when the time of need comes. For birds seek with outstretched wings to fly in the air, and then once again with these same wings they descend to settle down to the lower earth.
Read the full translation here…
Have a look for the stories referred to in the text (the first prophet mentioned is Balam). More importantly, keep an eye on your garden, or the park when you go for a walk. God has been speaking with humans, teaching, a lot longer than we have had words to write about it.
We live in a beautiful and fascinating world.
But what has this to do with analogy or creative worship?
If we allow ourselves time to experience wonder, and put into practice the belief that God is generous, then we can train ourselves to notice the goodness in everything.
This video uses timelapse to speed up the process of crystals forming. Where did the idea to do this come from though? Perhaps someone had to spend a day without timelapse noticing the beauty – they then became able to draw everyone’s attention to what they noticed, with the aid of timelapse.
Water is referred to a lot in the gospels. We learn to understand Jesus with an analogy of being thirsty and needing a drink. This is then developed to imagining a type of water that if you drink then you will never be thirsty again. Some people react to the experience of dissatisfaction or continuing spiritual thirst, after they have chosen Jesus, by thinking that “life giving water” is just an analogy and the reality will be encountered in full when we pass through death into eternal life.
Learning to delay gratification is an essential life skill! However, doesn’t Jesus also stress the presence of the fullness of God in life now?
If we spend time watching ripples, experiencing the way light sparkles, the different sensations of taste then we can enjoy the reality of water now. Not just so that we can write blog posts, or make better analogies, but because in living we learn to live and enjoy life.
Art, Scientific method, even suffering can then become cups that hold the living water. If we can encounter and explore reality through them, then religion, worship, can help us express and explain what we encounter as a community. If we practice the presence of God, then we learn to taste the presence of God in something as common as water. Or in the physical and chemical properties of tin.
This page is collecting poems, reflections and examples of the myriad of ways in which people express the good they see in celebration.
Check it out, send in tour thoughts….