Chinese Sermon
English Sermon - “Are You All In?” Luke 9: 51-62, Pastor Emily
Sunday, June 30, 2013
English Ministry News and Notes 6-30-13
*Great Thanks to Al Wong, Richard Fong, Steven Chan, and Peter Chu for all the recent work enabling us to get up to code with our fire inspections. You are appreciated!
*We welcome Richard Fong, Certified Lay Servant, to the pulpit next Sunday! Holy Communion will be held on July 14th (not the 7th).
*Please note: Pastor Emily will be out of the office from July 2nd - July 7th. Please connect with Meina, Minister of Discipleship, for any pastoral emergencies (meinako12@gmail.com).
*Adventure in Faith Needs Snacks - Will you pitch in and provide snacks for our 65 Homework Club Summer Program students each Tuesday and Thursday? For our 1st week (July 8th), we would like snacks from Japan. Examples are seaweed, rice crackers, etc. Please avoid all peanuts! There are severe allergies.
*Wednesday Fellowship: NonViolent Communication Series - You are invited to be a part of the 6 week series to practice and grow in authentic and loving communication skills beginning July 10th. Dinner will be served at 6:00 p.m. followed by intentional conversation and practice. To rsvp, please connect with Charlie.
*Save the Date! Please reserve Saturday, July 20th, from 9:00 to noon, for a Congregational Visioning Forum. This will be an important time for the English Ministry Council (EMC) to share their recent discernment of God's movement and invite the whole body to discern further together. Please RSVP to our lay leaders, Steve or Becky.
*You're Invited! Be a part of the 4th Annual YCVM Benefit Dinner on Friday, July 26th. Tickets and tables are on sale now. Be a part of the excitement!
*We welcome Richard Fong, Certified Lay Servant, to the pulpit next Sunday! Holy Communion will be held on July 14th (not the 7th).
*Please note: Pastor Emily will be out of the office from July 2nd - July 7th. Please connect with Meina, Minister of Discipleship, for any pastoral emergencies (meinako12@gmail.com).
*Adventure in Faith Needs Snacks - Will you pitch in and provide snacks for our 65 Homework Club Summer Program students each Tuesday and Thursday? For our 1st week (July 8th), we would like snacks from Japan. Examples are seaweed, rice crackers, etc. Please avoid all peanuts! There are severe allergies.
*Wednesday Fellowship: NonViolent Communication Series - You are invited to be a part of the 6 week series to practice and grow in authentic and loving communication skills beginning July 10th. Dinner will be served at 6:00 p.m. followed by intentional conversation and practice. To rsvp, please connect with Charlie.
*Save the Date! Please reserve Saturday, July 20th, from 9:00 to noon, for a Congregational Visioning Forum. This will be an important time for the English Ministry Council (EMC) to share their recent discernment of God's movement and invite the whole body to discern further together. Please RSVP to our lay leaders, Steve or Becky.
*You're Invited! Be a part of the 4th Annual YCVM Benefit Dinner on Friday, July 26th. Tickets and tables are on sale now. Be a part of the excitement!
Check It Out!
Over the last few months, our friends and ministry partners in Kumi, Uganda have been busy. We have been receiving weekly reports about the building flurry that has been happening. First it was the store (kitchen), then these past two weeks, it was the pit latrines. These are all important parts of the school construction that will enable Kumi Christian Visionary School (KCVS) to open with excellent facilities.
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| Working on the staff pit latrine on June 4th |
The target date for opening KCVS has been set for January 2014. You are urged and invited to pray daily for our friends at Youth and Child Visionary Ministry (YCVM) and all that is involved in opening KCVS.
In other news, all the sponsored children and youth who were at home for break returned to their schools on June 1st. Each was laden with the many essential and necessary supplies for the coming term. This is what your sponsorship looks like:
Sunday, June 23, 2013
English Ministry News and Notes 6-23-13
*Our very own Derek Lang has been appointed by Bishop Brown to serve Sacramento Chinese UMC starting July 1st. We will celebrate Pastor Derek's faithful service amongst us today. His last Sunday here will be next week, June 30th. Please hold Pastor Derek and SCUMC in prayer.
*Showing at CCUMC Theater, "Just a Piece of Cloth" - You're invited to a special showing of a 34 minute documentar in which Bay Area women share their stories about wearing - or not - the hijab (headscarf). Saturday, June 29th at 4:00 p.m.
*Adventure in Faith (AiF) Prep. Days - Calling all aunties and uncles...we will hold 3 preparation days for this summer's AiF program. Our time together will provide an overview of our theme and weekly Bible story as well as give us time to get set up in our rooms, etc. Whether you'll be pitching in regularly or as a sub, you're invited to be a part of the preparation. Prep. days are: June 25th, 27th, and July 2nd, from 2:00 - 4:30 p.m. Please connect with Donna to rspv.
*Please note: Pastor Emily will be out of the office Monday and Tuesday of the upcoming week.
*Wednesday Fellowship: NonViolent Communication Series - You are invited to be a part of the 6 week series to practice and grow in authentic and loving communication skills beginning July 10th. Dinner will be served at 6:00 p.m. followed by intentional conversation and practice. To rsvp, please connect with Charlie.
*Showing at CCUMC Theater, "Just a Piece of Cloth" - You're invited to a special showing of a 34 minute documentar in which Bay Area women share their stories about wearing - or not - the hijab (headscarf). Saturday, June 29th at 4:00 p.m.
*Adventure in Faith (AiF) Prep. Days - Calling all aunties and uncles...we will hold 3 preparation days for this summer's AiF program. Our time together will provide an overview of our theme and weekly Bible story as well as give us time to get set up in our rooms, etc. Whether you'll be pitching in regularly or as a sub, you're invited to be a part of the preparation. Prep. days are: June 25th, 27th, and July 2nd, from 2:00 - 4:30 p.m. Please connect with Donna to rspv.
*Please note: Pastor Emily will be out of the office Monday and Tuesday of the upcoming week.
*Wednesday Fellowship: NonViolent Communication Series - You are invited to be a part of the 6 week series to practice and grow in authentic and loving communication skills beginning July 10th. Dinner will be served at 6:00 p.m. followed by intentional conversation and practice. To rsvp, please connect with Charlie.
Excerpted from "The Voice of God" - Douglas Mullins
I knew a pastor who once served a church on US 40, a major east-west highway before Interstate 70 bypassed most small American towns. The parsonage was right next door to the church. That pastor thought he would never get used to the noise of twenty-four-hour highway traffic right outside his bedroom window, but he did get used to it. Then one winter night a severe storm with heavy snowfall came and brought all traffic to a standstill. In the middle of that night, he awoke with a start, his eyes flew open, and he sat bolt upright in bed, wondering what that noise was he was hearing. He was hearing the silence. The silence had awakened him!
You have probably had experiences of that sort, perhaps in the middle of the night when the electricity has gone out. It’s quiet. The lights are out, the usually luminous digits of the bedside alarm clock are dark, no light is coming in through the windows, and it is quiet. There are no electric motors whirring, no hum of the refrigerator, nothing in the darkness but the silence. It is at times like those that we may hear sounds we do not usually hear—sounds that are always there, but that are usually drowned out by the noise of all that other stuff.
I wonder if God’s voice is like that. It is always there, but too often it is masked by the TV’s theater surround sound, the iPod blaring in our ears, the blower noise from the HVAC, and all the rest. Perhaps we should shut down those other things once in a while and just listen for God to speak to us. Perhaps we should learn the sound of God’s voice so that we can discern it amid all the din of the world. Perhaps we should set aside a quiet moment each day and commune with God.
In the midst of our troubles, our trials, our tribulations, our discouragement, when we have all but given up and would just as soon be swallowed up and put out of our misery, we will sometimes look for God in all the wrong places—in the wind, in the earthquake, in the fire, whatever. Because these are the wrong places, we will discover, as Elijah discovered, that God is not there. In a quiet moment that may follow our futile search, we will at last find God in the silence or in the void that follows. Then we will finally realize that God has been there all the time and would speak a word of comfort to us. “Peace,” says God. “Be still,” says God. “I am with you,” says God, and that is all we really need to know. In that moment, we can know that we will be all right, and that everything is as it should be.
You have probably had experiences of that sort, perhaps in the middle of the night when the electricity has gone out. It’s quiet. The lights are out, the usually luminous digits of the bedside alarm clock are dark, no light is coming in through the windows, and it is quiet. There are no electric motors whirring, no hum of the refrigerator, nothing in the darkness but the silence. It is at times like those that we may hear sounds we do not usually hear—sounds that are always there, but that are usually drowned out by the noise of all that other stuff.
I wonder if God’s voice is like that. It is always there, but too often it is masked by the TV’s theater surround sound, the iPod blaring in our ears, the blower noise from the HVAC, and all the rest. Perhaps we should shut down those other things once in a while and just listen for God to speak to us. Perhaps we should learn the sound of God’s voice so that we can discern it amid all the din of the world. Perhaps we should set aside a quiet moment each day and commune with God.
In the midst of our troubles, our trials, our tribulations, our discouragement, when we have all but given up and would just as soon be swallowed up and put out of our misery, we will sometimes look for God in all the wrong places—in the wind, in the earthquake, in the fire, whatever. Because these are the wrong places, we will discover, as Elijah discovered, that God is not there. In a quiet moment that may follow our futile search, we will at last find God in the silence or in the void that follows. Then we will finally realize that God has been there all the time and would speak a word of comfort to us. “Peace,” says God. “Be still,” says God. “I am with you,” says God, and that is all we really need to know. In that moment, we can know that we will be all right, and that everything is as it should be.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
English Ministry News and Notes 6-16-13
*Happy Father's Day! All are invited to celebrate Father's and Family at the Family Day Celebration beginning at 11:30 a.m. This is an relationship-building opportunity with our Homework Club students and families. Your presence will make a difference!
*Annual Conference Special Offering - We’ll be taking a special offering today that will enable reconstruction of a medical clinic in Bom Jesus, Angola.
*Enormous Congratulations & Blessings to those recently promoted or graduated - We celebrate the promotion of Cloud Cheung from 5th grade, and the high school graduations of Janene Kuan, Michelle Lu, Michael Wong.
*Share in Hospitality! Thank you to each and every person who has pitched in and hosted hospitality hour with wonderful refreshments. It's truly a gift to the community. As we enter the 2nd half of the year, a new sign up sheet has gone up. Please find a friend (or two) and sign up for July - December! Thank you!
*The Homework Club Summer Program Begins on Monday, June 17th. You are encouraged to pray for the 67 children attending the program, the staff of tutors, and the Adventure in Faith team throughout this summer.
*The 165th Session of the California - Nevada Annual Conference begins Wednesday, June 19th through Saturday, June 22nd. Please hold the many gathered (especially those from CCUMC: Becky, Richard, Burt, Jane, Derek, Pastor Emily) in your prayers.
*Next Sunday - Parallel Worship at 9:30 a.m. We will gather for parallel worship next Sunday also. Worship will be followed by a celebration luncheon. Please come!
*Showing @ the CCUMC Theater, "Just a Piece of Cloth" - You're invited to the showing of a special 34 minute documentary in which Bay Area woman share their stories about wearing - or not - the hijab (Muslim headscarf), Saturday, June 29th, at 4:00 p.m.. The filmmaker will be here for discussion afterwards.
*Annual Conference Special Offering - We’ll be taking a special offering today that will enable reconstruction of a medical clinic in Bom Jesus, Angola.
*Enormous Congratulations & Blessings to those recently promoted or graduated - We celebrate the promotion of Cloud Cheung from 5th grade, and the high school graduations of Janene Kuan, Michelle Lu, Michael Wong.
*Share in Hospitality! Thank you to each and every person who has pitched in and hosted hospitality hour with wonderful refreshments. It's truly a gift to the community. As we enter the 2nd half of the year, a new sign up sheet has gone up. Please find a friend (or two) and sign up for July - December! Thank you!
*The Homework Club Summer Program Begins on Monday, June 17th. You are encouraged to pray for the 67 children attending the program, the staff of tutors, and the Adventure in Faith team throughout this summer.
*The 165th Session of the California - Nevada Annual Conference begins Wednesday, June 19th through Saturday, June 22nd. Please hold the many gathered (especially those from CCUMC: Becky, Richard, Burt, Jane, Derek, Pastor Emily) in your prayers.
*Next Sunday - Parallel Worship at 9:30 a.m. We will gather for parallel worship next Sunday also. Worship will be followed by a celebration luncheon. Please come!
*Showing @ the CCUMC Theater, "Just a Piece of Cloth" - You're invited to the showing of a special 34 minute documentary in which Bay Area woman share their stories about wearing - or not - the hijab (Muslim headscarf), Saturday, June 29th, at 4:00 p.m.. The filmmaker will be here for discussion afterwards.
In Honor of Fathers by Peggy Woon
Three Sundays ago, Pastor Emily’s dad was in town for a visit. It stuck in my mind that when she introduced him, she credited him for being the impetus for her work in social justice. It got me thinking about what I learned from my father.
When I think about my Dad, I credit him with how I eat. I remember reaching for the tastiest morsels on the other side of the serving dish and having my knuckles rapped by his chopsticks. My dad admonished me to pick the food closest to me, because going after the choicest piece was selfish. This may seem a trivial lesson, but what I learned from this extended to how I lived my life outside of my eating habits. To me, this is the same as allowing someone to go ahead of me at the grocery check out line or giving Larry control of the TV remote.
I am sure that our heavenly Father should also be credited for the life I lead. I have, afterall, consciously given my life over to God many times. You might think that you only have to give your life over to God ONCE and you’re done. Somehow, that’s not how it’s been for me.
As long as I can remember, I’ve encountered challenges where I’ve asked God, “Take my life Lord, Thy Will be Done.” Sometimes I’d feel like I’m leading a life that is pleasing to Him; but then at other times, I’d think, “Thanks for the tip, God; but that’s too much work. I think I’ll do this my way.”
However, I’ve learned that our heavenly Father is a patient, forgiving, and loving God, and I’m thankful that for as many times as I turn away from Him, He is FOREVER welcoming me back into His fold. That’s also why I know that when I’m at my next crossroad where I don’t know what to do, I can find peace by asking God, “Take my life Lord. Thy Will be Done.”
When I think about my Dad, I credit him with how I eat. I remember reaching for the tastiest morsels on the other side of the serving dish and having my knuckles rapped by his chopsticks. My dad admonished me to pick the food closest to me, because going after the choicest piece was selfish. This may seem a trivial lesson, but what I learned from this extended to how I lived my life outside of my eating habits. To me, this is the same as allowing someone to go ahead of me at the grocery check out line or giving Larry control of the TV remote.
I am sure that our heavenly Father should also be credited for the life I lead. I have, afterall, consciously given my life over to God many times. You might think that you only have to give your life over to God ONCE and you’re done. Somehow, that’s not how it’s been for me.
As long as I can remember, I’ve encountered challenges where I’ve asked God, “Take my life Lord, Thy Will be Done.” Sometimes I’d feel like I’m leading a life that is pleasing to Him; but then at other times, I’d think, “Thanks for the tip, God; but that’s too much work. I think I’ll do this my way.”
However, I’ve learned that our heavenly Father is a patient, forgiving, and loving God, and I’m thankful that for as many times as I turn away from Him, He is FOREVER welcoming me back into His fold. That’s also why I know that when I’m at my next crossroad where I don’t know what to do, I can find peace by asking God, “Take my life Lord. Thy Will be Done.”
Sunday, June 9, 2013
English Ministry News and Notes 6-9-13
*Share in Hospitality! Thank you to each and every person who has pitched in and hosted hospitality hour with wonderful refreshments. It's truly a gift to the community. As we enter the 2nd half of the year, a new sign up sheet has gone up. Please find a friend (or two) and sign up for July - December! Thank you!
*Annual Conference Special Offering, 6.16.13 - We're "building a bridge of love to Angola"! This year's special offering will empower our brothers and sisters in Angola by aiding in the reconstruction of a medical clinic in Bom Jesus. This mission project is part of our larger global United Methodist commitment to help in the eradication of malaria on the continent of Africa.
*Curious About A Trip to Uganda? All interested parties are invited to a short "mission trip info" gathering on Saturday, June 15th, from 10:00 a.m. to noon. This time together will enable you to get the information you need to continue discerning the invitation and call. The tentative dates for a Volunteer in Mission (VIM) trip to Uganda are for 2 week in mid-February.
*Upcoming Parallel Worship Days - We will hold TWO (2) parallel worships in June: June 16th and June 23rd. We will gather for worship at 9:30 a.m. in the Annex.This will enable the whole church to gather for celebration, fellowship, and ministry afterwards.
*Family Day Celebrations - On June 16th, we’ll hold an outreach event with the Homework Club families (current and summer). We’ll begin with a simple BBQ luncheon, followed by some games for the family to participate in together, and finishing with a promotion ceremony for “graduating” 5th graders. You are invited to bring your family to be a part of this celebration. You can also pitch in with items for the BBQ. Sign up sheet in social hall.
*You Are Invited! All are welcome to the ordination worship in Sacramento but today’s the last day to sign up for dinner afterwards. Please sign up through Jane. We will also be celebrating on Sunday, June 23rd, with a luncheon following parallel worship at 9:30 a.m.
*Annual Conference Special Offering, 6.16.13 - We're "building a bridge of love to Angola"! This year's special offering will empower our brothers and sisters in Angola by aiding in the reconstruction of a medical clinic in Bom Jesus. This mission project is part of our larger global United Methodist commitment to help in the eradication of malaria on the continent of Africa.
*Curious About A Trip to Uganda? All interested parties are invited to a short "mission trip info" gathering on Saturday, June 15th, from 10:00 a.m. to noon. This time together will enable you to get the information you need to continue discerning the invitation and call. The tentative dates for a Volunteer in Mission (VIM) trip to Uganda are for 2 week in mid-February.
*Upcoming Parallel Worship Days - We will hold TWO (2) parallel worships in June: June 16th and June 23rd. We will gather for worship at 9:30 a.m. in the Annex.This will enable the whole church to gather for celebration, fellowship, and ministry afterwards.
*Family Day Celebrations - On June 16th, we’ll hold an outreach event with the Homework Club families (current and summer). We’ll begin with a simple BBQ luncheon, followed by some games for the family to participate in together, and finishing with a promotion ceremony for “graduating” 5th graders. You are invited to bring your family to be a part of this celebration. You can also pitch in with items for the BBQ. Sign up sheet in social hall.
*You Are Invited! All are welcome to the ordination worship in Sacramento but today’s the last day to sign up for dinner afterwards. Please sign up through Jane. We will also be celebrating on Sunday, June 23rd, with a luncheon following parallel worship at 9:30 a.m.
A Summer Invitation: Extraordinary Communication!
For me, these verses ring SO true. By that I mean they call for me to live by them, though I am far from being completely successful. Just like some music you just want to sing it, play it or hum it. And then there are a few that you wish you can really sing, at the top of your voice. But you can’t. Similarly for these Bible verses, it is so easy to tell myself I really want to practice them, but I find I can’t.
Bible verses can be haunting, though; they sort of don’t want to let go of you. So for decades, I’ve kept these verses in the back of my mind. I’ve tried here and there to live them out, but I have not found THE practice that worked for me. Never found the right music teacher, so to speak.
UNTIL NOW. Maybe it took a Pope to open my eyes recently when Pope Francis announced(1) that we can all do good, Christians and non-Christians alike. I am convinced that this practice from beyond the Christian community may actually help me be a better Christian.
With his Non-Violent Communication (NVC) process, Marshall Rosenberg teaches a communication method that strips away all the added language and culture that separates us from the time of Jesus, and really gets us back to the basics of honest, and authentic communication. Words do matter, as we know His Words matters. Therefore, ours do too.
Through the course of this summer, we want to practice being a community and learn a skill that should help draw us together – to better help one another, build our community, and also help ourselves in our individual faith journeys. Six Wednesday evening workshops are planned – starting July 10th though August 21st, with a break for the YCVM dinner week.
As a community of Jesus followers, we can learn and help each other strip away some of the timber in each of our own eyes, practice not to judge, and maybe even learn to love our enemies a little(2).
This will be just a start, but this course will be a big step for all of us. But you are needed in the 6 workshops. I’ve read the book – it is one thing to read something, but another to practice and really GET IT. For that we need community – that is you!
*Wednesday NVC Small Group meets for 6 weeks beginning July 10th—Aug. 21st. We will meet from 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. and begin with a simple dinner. Please pitch in $3-5 to cover the cost of dinner. If you have additional questions, please connect with Charlie or Pastor Emily. Charlie Ho serves as the chair of the Congregational Nurture &Development ministry area. This ministry area seeks to bring relevant, transformative learning and growing opportunities to the community as well as enable us to build strong, healthy relationships with one another.
Notes: 1. “If we, each doing our own part, if we do good to others, if we meet there, doing good, and we go slowly, gently, little by little, we will make that culture of encounter: we need that so much. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.” From Pope Francis’ May 22, 2013 homily.
2. Luke 6:27,38-38,41-42.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
English Ministry News and Notes 6-2-13
*We Welcome Missionary to Cambodia, Katherine Parker - Katherine will be at CCUMC next Saturday, June 8th, at 6:00 p.m. Come share a potluck meal and hear about what God is doing in Cambodia! Sign ups are invited on the clipboard during hospitality.
*Curious About A Trip to Uganda? All interested parties are invited to a short "mission trip info" gathering on Saturday, June 15th, from 10:00 a.m. to noon. This time together will enable you to get the information you need to continue discerning the invitation and call. The tentative dates for a Volunteer in Mission (VIM) trip to Uganda are for 2 week in mid-February.
*Upcoming Parallel Worship Days - We will hold TWO (2) parallel worships in June: June 16th and June 23rd. We will gather for worship at 9:30 a.m. in the Annex. This will enable the whole church to gather for celebration, fellowship, and ministry afterwards.
*Family Day Celebrations - On June 16th, we’ll hold an outreach event with the Homework Club families (current and summer). We’ll begin with a simple BBQ luncheon, followed by some games for the family to participate in together, and finishing with a promotion ceremony for “graduating” 5th graders. You are invited to bring your family to be a part of this celebration. You can also pitch in with items for the BBQ. Sign up sheet in social hall.
*You Are Invited! Witness Pastor Emily's ordination on Saturday, June 22nd, at 2:30 p.m. in Sacramento. Carpools can be arranged and a celebratory dinner is being planned. Please sign up through Jane. We will also be celebrating on Sunday, June 23rd, with a potluck luncheon following parallel worship at 9:30 a.m.
*Summer Season Adventure in Faith (AiF) - We will kick off our 3rd season of AiF with 3 training/prep. days beginning June 25th, Tuesday. AiF is active each Tuesday and Thursdays. Your presence and participation is needed! Please consider pitching in by being a leader, leader's aide, snack preparer, song leader, etc. Please connect with Donna or Pastor Emily for more info.
*Curious About A Trip to Uganda? All interested parties are invited to a short "mission trip info" gathering on Saturday, June 15th, from 10:00 a.m. to noon. This time together will enable you to get the information you need to continue discerning the invitation and call. The tentative dates for a Volunteer in Mission (VIM) trip to Uganda are for 2 week in mid-February.
*Upcoming Parallel Worship Days - We will hold TWO (2) parallel worships in June: June 16th and June 23rd. We will gather for worship at 9:30 a.m. in the Annex. This will enable the whole church to gather for celebration, fellowship, and ministry afterwards.
*Family Day Celebrations - On June 16th, we’ll hold an outreach event with the Homework Club families (current and summer). We’ll begin with a simple BBQ luncheon, followed by some games for the family to participate in together, and finishing with a promotion ceremony for “graduating” 5th graders. You are invited to bring your family to be a part of this celebration. You can also pitch in with items for the BBQ. Sign up sheet in social hall.
*You Are Invited! Witness Pastor Emily's ordination on Saturday, June 22nd, at 2:30 p.m. in Sacramento. Carpools can be arranged and a celebratory dinner is being planned. Please sign up through Jane. We will also be celebrating on Sunday, June 23rd, with a potluck luncheon following parallel worship at 9:30 a.m.
*Summer Season Adventure in Faith (AiF) - We will kick off our 3rd season of AiF with 3 training/prep. days beginning June 25th, Tuesday. AiF is active each Tuesday and Thursdays. Your presence and participation is needed! Please consider pitching in by being a leader, leader's aide, snack preparer, song leader, etc. Please connect with Donna or Pastor Emily for more info.
Living in the Spirit: Breathing Your Prayers
Paul's letter to the Romans describes God's Spirit moving through all creation, human and non-human, and then asserts that God's Spirit "intercedes with sighs too deep for words" (Rom 8:26). The Holy Spirit is present in all things -- the Spirit is embodied and the body is inspired. God's Spirit moves through both the conscious and unconscious mind.
While God's graceful Spirit precedes all of our efforts, and inspires us even when we are unaware of it, the spiritual journey involves awakening to the many and diverse movements of the Spirit in our lives. We can "practice Pentecost" on a daily basis through a simple breath prayer. During seminary and graduate school, my wife Kate and I encountered Allan Armstrong Hunter, a retired United Church of Christ pastor, who taught us a breath prayer, grounded in the affirmation that God's Spirit is as close as our next breath. Over the years, we have lived with this breath prayer, teaching it to laypersons and pastors, and claiming it as essential to our own spiritual practices.
Based on the affirmation, "I breathe the Spirit deeply in," this prayer form is simple, but life transforming. Begin by finding a comfortable position, with your back straight and feet on the floor. Take a few cleansing breaths, letting go of any stress. Then, gently inhale and exhale, experiencing opening to God's Spirit with each breath. As you inhale, silently repeat the words, "I breathe the Spirit deeply in." Experience yourself being filled with God's Spirit from head to toe. As you exhale, let go of any burdens that you may be experiencing. You may choose to say as you exhale, "I breathe the Spirit gratefully out" or "I breathe the Spirit joyfully out" or whatever describes your current personal condition.
This simple breath prayer connects us with God's presence within our lives. This practice is helpful not only as a walking prayer or morning contemplative prayer, but a way of experiencing God's presence in challenging situations. Filled with God's breath -- the breath of the Spirit -- we can experience peace amid conflict and uncertainty.
Psalm 150:6 proclaims, "Let everything that breathes praise God." When we practice this simple breath prayer regularly, we discover that every breath can be a prayer and every moment an opportunity for divine inspiration. "Breathe the Spirit deeply in."
Bruce Epperly is a theologian, spiritual guide, pastor, and author of twenty one books.
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