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Story and Comments
Sitting alone, meditating in the dark and quiet of the study at First Presbyterian, my mind returned to discovery of a small pond in my teenage years. The find occurred during exploration of the woods in front of my home.
While walking among the pine trees, I unexpectedly came upon the pond. The water was restful, sedate, reflecting the Sun. I had a sense of mystery uncovered, a peace matching the solaced surface. Maybe the face of the water and its refuge from a noisy world mirrored my search for a quiet center amidst the rumblings of adolescence.
Now, about twenty years later, sitting in meditation, remembrance of that little place of dark, still waters touched something deep in me. I mused on the thought of the Center. Returning to the Center is a teaching in the historic Church, and a place we enter through loving attention to the Sacred~Within~Us.
That quiet, eternal placidity abides in our True Selves, as we are created in the Image of the Great Mystery. The Center is the inner Temple, a Garden of Eden, a celestial Jerusalem, the Home we find in Christ. It abides while often neglected in our scurry to escape solitude and get to the next thing we think we must do, and right now.
Going to the Center is not finding a new place. "New" and "old" do not apply. The Center is not really a place; the Center is a Relationship of devout, intense, and blissful intimacy with God~in~Three, in Christ, through the Holy Spirit.
If we are willing to be free from the panting pace of our culture, for the good of ourselves, as well as those we dearly love, then, in the Inner Tabernacle we can find spiritual Rest. There we abide restfully in God.
Then, we take that Center of Quiet and Peace into our relationships and work. Christ shines through us and on all we meet and do for His honor and love of others.
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Centering Prayer Exercise
A Way to the Center with Christ~Engaging in Centering Prayer
1. Choose a one to two-syllable word with spiritual meaning to you~this is your Prayer Word.
Examples: Love, Joy, Peace, Christ, God, Grace, Praise, Silence, Spirit, Rest, Sabbath, Blessing, Fullness, Holy, …
2. Relax, close your eyes, breathe in and out from the area just above the abdomen.
3. Begin repeating silently, on out-breaths, the Prayer Word~this is the symbol of your intention to be in the Presence of God and consent to God within you.
4. When you are settled and fully present, only use the Prayer Word when your mind wanders. When the mind wanders, do not judge yourself or get frustrated; simply return to your Prayer Word, until again you are fully at Center. Continue this process for ten to twenty minutes, or thirty minutes. … or as long as you wish.
5. To end the centering time, with eyes closed say the Lord’s Prayer silently or out loud. After about two minutes of relaxing with eyes open, pray to Christ, thanking Jesus for the time you shared together and asking for the blessing of the Holy Spirit as you go on your way with God. You may, also, use this closing time to pray for other persons or other matters.
See next page for details on OneLife Ministries, Brian's book An Ache for Union, and material pertaining to sources used in the writing.
Feel free to submit a query. Thanks! Brian K. Wilcox
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