Kelsey: Spiritual path

Kelsey: spiritual journey

“There are two quite different ways of leading people on the spiritual pilgrimage, which have often been seen as opposed to each other.” Morton Kelsey, Companions on the Inner Way, The Art of Spiritual Guidance, pp. 7,8.

Fork in the road

 Kelsey is describing first the sacramental method of spiritual direction where we use spiritual practices such as concrete matter, music, pictures, beads, rituals, symbols to connect to God. The downsize is that these can lead to idolatry, worshipping the means we use to reach God instead of worshipping God. For Episcopalians, it has always been the Book of Common Prayer as illustrated by the difficulty when our tradition tries to revise the book. Droves of people leave the church. The same thing may happen in churches when the altar is moved or the order of service or even the prayers are changed. Kelsey calls this method the kataphatic way from the Greek meaning “with images.”

Kelsey describes the second path based on the belief that we best connect to God by emptying ourselves of all images, remembering that there is no way to describe or represent the holy. In silence and emptiness, we connect to the God within. The is the apophatic way from the Greek meaning without images. This has been the way of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christian contemplative forms such as Centering Prayer. Kelsey believes that the downside is that this inner work can occasionally lead to a lack of reaching out to others even though the true result should be connecting the Christ we find within to the Christ in others.

Kelsey encourages us to practice both methods. The two are a necessary part of a well-developed and informed spirituality.

Joanna  joannaseibert.com

Grace

Grace

“Like the unexpected call of a friend just when you need it most, grace arrives unannounced. A door opens. A path becomes clear. An answer presents itself. Grace is what it feels like to be touched by God.” Bishop Steven Charleston Daily Facebook Writing

I stand waiting to walk out and read the gospel as we sing the hymn before the gospel, Dear Lord and Father of mankind.  I glance at the last verse that the congregation will be singing just before the gospel reading. There, faintly written in pencil is the word, “softer,” just before the beginning of the last line. It is my mother’s distinctive handwriting. I had forgotten that my mother sang in the choir at her small Episcopal church in Virginia, and this must be a directive from the choirmaster.  My mother has been dead for over nineteen years. We did not always understand each other, but when she died, I wanted to honor her in some way and decided to start using her personal hymnal prayer book in church. As you can see, her name has worn off the front cover, the gold cross will soon be gone, the red leather cover is now coming apart, particularly the back board of the spine of the book is gone. I have not repaired it because for some unknown reason what remains of this book just as she used it seems to be connecting me to her.

When I saw my mother’s writing, I gasped and sent up a small prayer of thanksgiving. We had some very difficult times, but over the time since her death I have begun to feel healing. This morning, in this split second, I felt reconciled with my mother and was grateful for the life she gave me and her support.

Healing of family relationships takes time and constant prayer for that person and ourselves. Today I realize that prayer works. Attempting to connect to an estranged family member through something that family member treasures and we can share with them over time works. I know this sharing of what we have in common rather than our differences brings about healing in life as well as after death. My mother and I shared our love of the Episcopal Church and singing in particular.  I almost felt my mother beside me.

Today I experience one more way that God’s Grace continues to heal and care for us over time if we only put ourselves in position to receive.

Joanna  joannaseibert.com  

Koinonia

Koinonia

“All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.” Acts 2: 44-45.

In her brilliant sermon this morning, June 3, 2018, Patricia Matthews, reminds us of the winning word in this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee this weeknd. Koinonia,

You can read Patricia’s sermon online at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Little Rock website and listen and see it on St. Mark’s Facebook page. Fourteen-year-old Karthik Nemmani from McKinney, Texas, correctly spells this word of Greek origin meaning Christian fellowship or communion with God especially with other Christians in community. Patricia reminds us that this 91st National Spelling Bee with the 515 participants who qualified was televised on none other than ESPN, a sport’s network where we more often watch football or basketball or baseball or soccer!

When I heard the winning word this weekend and today from Patricia, my heart skipped a beat. Koinonia has been on my heart for almost a week. Our oldest granddaughter recently graduated from high school and is headed to the University of Georgia. I have been praying about how I can support her in this decision.  It came as I was reading a review of two book about Clarence Jordon in Christian Century.   I want to remind Langley about Mr. Jordon, who is perhaps one of the most outstanding graduates of the University of Georgia. His competency in Greek led him to his “Cotton Patch” version of the New Testament as he attempted to translate the Bible into everyday language. Jordon also founded Koinonia Farm as a farming community of believers sharing their lives and resources following the example of the first Christian communities. Out of this movement came Habitat for Humanity International by Millard Fuller and later The Fuller Center for Housing as well as Jubilee partners and much support for the Civil Rights Movement.

Today after church a group of women met to begin discernment of a Daughters of the King Chapter at St. Mark’s, another group seeking koinonia, fellowship with other women seeking a deeper spirituality and relationship to God through prayer, service, and evangelism.

I am going to keep koinonia on my heart for a few more days and see if  I observe any more serendipitous connections or synchronicity in our world.

Joanna  joannaseibert.com