This month's post is from a group of 6 women who have met weekly for 6 years. They follow the method of group scripture reflection (lectio divina) as outlined by Norvene Vest in Gathered in the Word.
After a short
period of “coming together” we quiet ourselves by lighting a candle or striking
a small Tibetan bowl to prepare ourselves for “hearing the Word.” The leader
reads a selected scripture twice after which members are invited to repeat a
word or phrase that has stood out for her. Following the next reading we
reflect upon and share how the phrase has touched our lives. After a period of
silence as the scripture is read once again we listen for an invitation as to
how we might respond to the Word in the coming week. Allowing further time for
individual contemplation and having listened to each others’ responses, we end
with personal prayers that include a prayer for and about the person seated on
our right.
As
time has evolved, leaders have occasionally brought added material such as
poetry, hymn verses, or other short readings. Other formats have been
introduced, such as the examen, in which we review life experiences
looking for God’s presence, but we have primarily stayed close to the lectio
practice.
The
group has provided a context for stimulating both discipline and new directions
in individual contemplation. It has been a private journey traveled alongside
people we have come to love and trust. Certainly we have encouraged each other
to keep up daily devotional reading and meditation and we have pondered the
meaningful phrases in what we’ve read. We have learned to pray our gratitude
and concerns aloud even as we’ve wrestled with our “images” of the God we are
addressing.
In
a way, being there for each other has become an expression of the “yearning.”
We have shared “thin places.” The experience of God’s Presence has been
powerfully felt in the weekly prayers for each other and as we have coped with
serious illness and the deaths of loved ones. It has been a sustaining energy
for one another – a place where we can bring our vulnerability and can count on
needed support. The power of this time together remains central in our lives
and has provided the bond that keeps us together. None of us has become a
mystic, but we have realized that God is in relationships to one another and
our loving response to the needs of the world.
While
our group itself is not obvious to the congregation, our search for spiritual
depth was recognized and supported by our pastoral staff, and over the past six
years spiritual formation offerings have become prominent in adult programming.
Have you shared "thin places" with others in your small group experience?
