One of the most consequential experiences of my short sabbatical this summer happened almost at the end of my time away. I had spent a good deal of necessary time with family, both in Atlanta and in Minnesota. I had finished my certification in Spiritual Direction course in South Carolina, had hiked in areas along the Blue Ridge Mountains, listened to music, and spent a week on the North Shore of Lake Superior, writing and hiking and just being near the water. There is something about being near water, isn't there?
Kara Root is the pastor of Lake Nokomis Presbyterian Church. Back in 2020, I had read her book "The Deepest Belonging". Then, this year, she published a follow-up, Receiving This Life, which also tells stories but offers prayers and faith practices as well. Somewhere along the line I learned that her church offers a contemplative service, and I was genuinely curious. My time was running out. I knew I couldn't put it off again.
So we set out for this little church (she often describes it as a "tiny congregation"). Maybe that's one of th reasons I was a little nervous. I couldn't be anonymous there. Would they notice us? How would it feel?
We got to the church a little bit before 5:00 when worship would begin. I discovered that, due to the heat, they were meeting in their small fellowship hall. The sanctuary did not have air conditioning.
And it WAS a small group. I didn't count, but I think that there may have been twelve people, including us. We were greeted warmly, and initial awkwardness disappeared during the first few minutes.
I noticed that the small room was filled -- with a couple of floor murals (one was a map of the world, one, I think was a large heart), a stand with candles, a table with notebooks, paper, crayons, playdoh, and some other things. There were coloring sheets, and there was at least one art display. There was also an outdoor labyrinth if anyone wanted to go outside in the heat and pray by walking.
The service opened simply, with a few instructions, a prayer, and a little singing without accompaniment. They were simple songs, and some people sang in harmony (including us!). The pastor read scripture, someone lead a responsive prayer, and then there were directions about how to use the next half hour for prayer and meditation. There was one particular station that was new and related to praying for either a current event or based on a sermon theme for the summer (I don't remember which).
I wondered what to do for a half hour, but my husband settled in quickly with colored pencils and a coloring page with the word "Alleluia" on it. I walked around for a few minutes, stopping to light a candle at one station, putting a couple of candles on the map for places I wanted to pray for. I noticed a large heart and then small pieces of paper with names of people and occupations on them -- words like "EMTs", "single parent families", "abuse survivors", "nurses", "teachers","clerks".... and many more. The large notebooks that I saw earlier had many directions for ways to pray during this free time. Afterwards, Pastor Kara said that the book had developed organically over time, as they discovered, learned and incorporated prayer practices that worked for them. There were sheets of papers and pens; one of the options was simply to journal your prayers. So, for the rest of the time, that is what I did. I simply wrote my prayers, my worries, my hopes, to God.
Somewhere during this time it occurred to me how odd and wonderful this was: I wasn't rushing through prayers to get to the next thing. I was simply allowing myself to sit, and to be, and it didn't feel lazy, it felt full. I was simply allowing myself to be in the presence of God. Why don't I do this more often, I thought?
A bell called us back together for closing prayers and a closing song. A few people stayed to help clean up the room. Some people said it was nice to have a couple of Lutherans worshipping with them (possibly because of my husband singing the bass parts). I introduced myself to Pastor Kara, and told her I had just completed a spiritual direction program. She said that she was a spiritual director too.
Just one hour. That's all it was. But somehow, in just being, in listening, in prayer, God found me.
