Connected, pruned, energized

Just off the Crowne Plaza lobby is a room that’s been set aside for ‘by the way’ for this Thursday evening. As you step inside, you see a group of folks chatting casually, a circle of chairs, and a small square table at the head of the circle. The table invites your eye to consider a feast: some candles, a goblet of wine, a plate of bread, a branch from a berry vine, a young rhubarb stalk.

You wander over to a side table to get a drink of water, and you see a number of interesting books lying there. One called, “God Uses Cracked Pots” catches your attention, since you’ve had a hard day and could use a good laugh. Sure enough, in just a couple of minutes of perusing, the book delivers.

You find a seat around the circle with the others. The mood is light and relaxed as people share where they’ve come from and what their weeks have been like. The central candle is lit and some inviting words of prayer are spoken. Three different people speak the words of some readings, with each one followed by the lighting of a votive candle and some words of prayer.

The first reading is called “All Over the Place”, which is from this blog, the May 7th entry. (Scroll down to read it, if you like; then you can come back for the following words of prayer.)

God, we’ve all wandered in here from our too-full, winding-road lives. Give us time now to step back and look at all that we are, all that we do, and how you fit into it all. Help us to see you. Help us to see you as our Source, our Vine, our connection to our roots, our connection to the Earth, our connection to every other living thing. In your name we pray… amen.

The next reading is from the Bible, from chapter 15 of John’s gospel, verses 1 – 8, which you can find in a version called The Message with this link:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2015:1-8;&version=65

Teacher Jesus, you’ve given us lots of word-pictures, ways we can imagine and experience who you are. As we get into this vine-and-branches image together, we ask you to get into us… speak to us of that precious connection to you… and what it means that God is pruning us… and what kind of fruit we could be bearing. We pray for all those who feel “cut off”, including ourselves at times (or maybe all of the time). Work through us to heal those severed ties in our world. In your name we pray… amen.

A final reading is a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, read two times through:

Afire With God
Earth's crammed with heaven
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes -
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries

Thanks, God, for poets who say so much in just a few words, for all those whose creativity connects us to deep truths. Fill us with such awareness of your presence, that we too might see all around us your fire, your heaven, all over this Earth and inside ourselves. In your name we pray… amen.


Next the group is invited into a time of processing thoughts the readings may have generated. Here are some of the highlights of Thursday’s conversation:

~ how we are like branches and Jesus our vine, with our lives being channels of God’s energy, healing, grace (or not, when we are more cut-off then connected)

~ When we are going in many different directions, sometimes we need to stop and consider what’s our source, what’s the purpose, and where’s it all going?

~ “Pruning” might refer to the process of realizing that we can’t put energy into all of our gifts and passions… that with the help of God and others, we can figure out which gifts to focus on

~ how John’s gospel paints the compelling picture of Jesus inviting people to live/abide/dwell in him, like it’s a magnetic force or an energy field of God’s influence and joy

~ how modern “mechanical” culture has lost some of that ability to understand that kind of mysterious force… but now quantum physics is taking us to new (or back to the old) places of understanding… and we can see how social networking is getting us into using energy channels and spheres of influence, and understanding new ways of being God’s connected people

As our discussion came back to how Jesus nurtured those who were drawn to him, we remembered how Jesus shared bread with his friends, teaching and showing them how they could feed one another with his very life… and how he said that the wine they drank together would be the connecting force of forgiveness, drawing all people to God. We shared the bread and the wine, savoring Jesus’ presence and power, the energy we receive in the bread and wine and in the community God is creating in ‘by the way’… as we gather at the Crowne and as we connect online.

Please feel free to add your own thoughts about what you’ve read here. And do come if you can, next Thursday night, to our next ‘Bread for your journey’ gathering.

Peace,
Kari