On Sunday, February 21st, WellSprings welcomes guest preacher Rev. Michael Bush. He is the Senior Minister of the Casas Adobes Congregational Church (UCC) in Tuscon, AZ. Prior to that he was the pastor of the nearby to us United Church of Christ in Valley Forge.
He’s bringing us a message as part of our Coming Home series, and he’s chosen to share the practice of Lectio Divina with us.
The Four Part Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina is Latin for “divine reading,” and it encourages the reader to follow four practices when reading scripture or spiritual texts.
Lectio, Meditatio, Oratio, Contemplatio.
Translated as: Read, Reflect, Respond, and Rest/Contemplate.
Here is how we will approach Lectio Divina this week at Sunday service:
- Take a breath. Center. Read through once to get the sense of the passage. Read through more slowly another time noting what stands out for you.
- Read through again, this time pausing at the words or phrases that stood out. Consider why. Reflect, think deeply. Perhaps sit in silence with a word or phrase.
- Respond. It can be helpful to journal your thoughts. Invite however you imagine the Divine to be present, to connect with God, Spirit, Love. Consider what you might be called to see differently? What are you being invited to do?
- Contemplate. Rest now in the silence, the images, the thoughts. After a few minutes, close this time by offering gratitude in some form that seems right to you.
Rev. Michael will use the following text to walk us through the practice
The Gospel of Mark 10:46-52
46 They came to Jericho. As he (Jesus) and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” 50 So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher,[g] let me see again.” 52 Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.
On Sunday, we recommend you keep this verse handy for your reference, and a pen and paper you can use for journaling.