Journey Into God's Presence

For our Ash Wednesday time of worship I have set up guided prayer stations throughout the sanctuary. At this one I set out a rosary, a candle, the cross which usually adorns our communion table, stones, and a cut paper art piece I acquired from a nun/artist at Kentucky's Lorretto Mother House retreat center 32 years ago. While on a spiritual retreat at that Catholic institution I first discovered the gift of centering prayer. Each item on the table reminds me of important markers on my own spiritual journey.

The rosary was a gift from a dear friend and Disciples clergy colleague in Atlanta who knows the deep joy of a disciplined prayer life. When I see the candle I remember the countless youth functions, congregational retreats, Sunday worship, and private devotions when I lit a candle to remember God's presence in that place. The cross from the Lord's table reminds me of the central place of communion in our worship life and the cross' shadow on the wall draws attention to the sacrificial nature of divine love. The stones bring to mind walks on Lake Michigan beaches, picking up stones and fossils, contemplating the vastness of life on this planet and its evolution over millennia. God is there, too. The simple cut paper art is titled Into the Light, reminding me that prayer may call me first into the reverent darkness of a quiet sanctuary only to bring my soul back into the light transformed.