Blog

Meg Lacy Vega Soul Care

Soul Care Week Six: Encountering Silence

Join us for our final podcast of the Soul Care series, on the gift and challenge of silence prayer.

“God’s first language 

is silence.

Everything else,

is a poor translation.”

-Fr. Thomas Keating

Pray as you go: Centering Prayer

Centering Prayer is a receptive method of silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplative prayer, prayer in which we experience God’s presence within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself. This method of prayer is both a relationship with God and a discipline to foster that relationship. – Contemplative Outreach

A Guide to Centering Prayer from Gravity: A Center for Contemplative Activism

  1. Sit in an upright, attentive posture in a way that allows for an erect spine and open heart. Place hands in your lap.
  2. Gently close your eyes and bring to mind your sacred word, image or breath as your symbol to consent to the presence and action of God within you. Your sacred symbol is intended to be the same every time you pray. It helps to ground you in the present moment, allowing you to give your undivided loving, yielded attention to God. Choose a name for God or a characteristic for God like, Love, Peace, etc.
  3. Silently, with eyes closed, recall your sacred symbol to begin your prayer. As you notice your thoughts, gently return to your sacred word. Do this however many times you notice your thoughts.
  4. When your prayer period is over, transition slowly from your prayer practice to your active life.

It is recommended to pray in this fashion for a minimum of 20 minutes, two times a day. Start out slowly with initial prayer periods of five to ten minutes, working up to the desired length of time.

Resources

Books
Intimacy with God: An Introduction to Centering Prayer by Thomas Keating
Into the Silent Land Martin Laird: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation by Martin Laird
The Heart of Centering Prayer: Nondual Christianity in Theory and Practice by Cynthia Bourgeault
Breathing Underwater: Spirituality & the Twelve Steps by Richard Rohr
The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual Growth by Chris Heuertz

Websites
Resources from Cynthia Bourgeault
The Center for Action and Contemplation
Daily Meditations from Richard Rohr


Family Practice: Shadow Art

Indoor or Outdoor shadow activities work for all ages.

The key is to have a source of light, your body or a toy as the object to block it, and a surface for the shadow to fall upon.


This exercise will help you stay still for a while.

Trace a shadow of your hand, a toy, or have a family member trace a shadow of your face or body.

You are indeed created in the Image of God.

Just Be Still.

tbc Church Business, Sunday Bulletin

Sunday, May 24 | Ascension Sunday

we’re glad you can join us for worship!

This worship guide is meant to be a companion to the Livestream service. You can join us live at 11am on Sunday morning, or watch the recorded service later, following along with the words to hymns, etc. in a separate window or on your phone, or print this guide out if you like!

We will partake in Communion at the end of today’s service. We encourage you to prepare your elements before the service begins at 11AM if you would like to participate.

CALL TO WORSHIP: “Ascension Day” (Malcolm Guite, Sounding the Seasons, Seventy Sonnets for the Christian Year)

We saw his light break through the cloud of glory
whilst we were rooted still in time and place,
as earth became a part of heaven’s story
and heaven opened to his human face. 
We saw him go and yet we were not parted,
He took us with Him to the heart of things. 
The heart that broke for all the broken-hearted
is whole and heaven-centered now, and sings;
sings in the strength that rises out of weakness,
Sings through the clouds that veil him from our sight,
whilst we ourselves become his clouds of witness
and sing the waning darkness into light;
His light in us and ours in Him concealed,
which all creation waits to see revealed.

HYMN #215: “Rejoice, the Lord is King”

V. 1: Rejoice, the Lord is King:
your Lord and King adore!
Rejoice, give thanks and sing,
and triumph evermore:
lift up your heart, lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

V. 2: Jesus, the Savior, reigns,
the God of truth and love;
when He had purged our stains,
He took His seat above:
lift up your heart, lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

V. 3: His kingdom cannot fail,
He rules both earth and heaven;
the keys of death and hell
are to our Jesus given:
lift up your heart, lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, Rejoice!

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Gospel Lesson: Matthew 28:16-19

DOXOLOGY

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
praise Him all creatures here below,
praise Him above ye heavenly hosts,
praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Amen.

Following the Worship Service, we encourage you to continue visiting with friends in the Livestream Chat, or join a Talk-Back moderated by Sandi Lowery and Beth McMahon. Share your laughter and tears, along with your prayer needs, as we discuss the sermon of the week.

Whether you’ve been coming to Tabernacle for years, or just recently started worshiping with us online, we are glad you’re here, and invite you to participate in other opportunities for fellowship and discipleship as well! There are several groups meeting regularly that are open to newcomers, and our Community Ministry is actively serving neighbors on a weekly basis. The Soul Care Project is a digital series that that you can follow along with at your own pace. It offers a weekly theme promoting practices to help us care for our souls by connection with ourselves, God, and the world. We encourage you to listen to this week’s podcast and interact with the resources available on our Facebook and Instagram feeds.

Meg Lacy Vega Church Business, Soul Care

Soul Care Week Five: Getting Lost

Join us on the podcast this week as we talk about the spiritual practice of getting lost, learning to navigate the wilderness of place and soul.

The wilderness

holds answers

to more questions

than we have yet

learned to ask.

– Nancy Newhall

Pray as you go: The Welcoming Prayer

Sink into this three part prayer that helps us welcome uncomfortable feelings and experiences and find God in the midst of one.

First, feel and sink into what you are experiencing this moment in your body.

Next, “welcome” what you are experiencing this moment in your body as an opportunity to consent to the Divine Indwelling.

Finally, Let go by saying “I let go of my desire for security, affection, control and embrace this moment as it is.”

“Start practicing the  Welcoming Prayer with the little things in life  — small,  everyday frustrations like sitting in traffic or waiting in line at the grocery store.  Practicing with the small things prepares us for the bigger upsets.”

Learn more about The Welcoming Prayer at ContemplativeOutreach.org.

FAMILY PRACTICE: COLORING PAGE

Grab some crayons,
markers,
or colored pencils
and retreat into your
spiritual,
emotional,
psychological
cave as a family
and color a picture
of a Wild Cactus
together.

tbc Sunday Bulletin

Sunday, May 17 | Sixth Sunday of Easter

we’re glad you can join us for worship!

This worship guide is meant to be a companion to the Livestream service. You can join us live at 11am on Sunday morning, or watch the recorded service later, following along with the words to hymns, etc. in a separate window or on your phone, or print this guide out if you like!

We will partake in Communion each Sunday during this Easter Season. We encourage you to prepare your elements before the service begins at 11AM if you would like to participate.

PRELUDE: Judy Fiske

CHORAL CALL TO WORSHIP: “He Is Alive”

CALL TO WORSHIP: 1 Chronicles 16:31-34

Let the heavens be glad,
and let the earth rejoice,
and let them say about the nations,
“The Lord is King!”
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever.

HYMN #208: “He Is Lord”

He is Lord, He is Lord,
He is risen from the dead and He is Lord!
Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Gospel Lesson: John 21:1-17

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

DOXOLOGY

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
praise Him all creatures here below,
praise Him above ye heavenly hosts,
praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Amen.

SOLO: “Feed My Lambs” (Sleeth), Brynne Severns

BREAD FOR THE JOURNEY: Kate Marshall

Following the Worship Service, we encourage you to continue visiting with friends in the Livestream Chat, or join a Talk-Back moderated by Sandi Lowery and Beth McMahon. Share your laughter and tears, along with your prayer needs, as we discuss the sermon of the week.
Join us this afternoon at 2PM for a town hall meeting. The Pastor, and other staff members, will do their best to respond to questions related to where we’ve been, what to anticipate, and what we’re praying about. Realistically, they won’t be able to answer all of the questions that come up. However, we will collect questions to pass along to leaders and find creative ways to share responses as they become available. We encourage you to watch the video updates from Sterling and Meg before the meeting.

Whether you’ve been coming to Tabernacle for years, or just recently started worshiping with us online, we are glad you’re here, and invite you to participate in other opportunities for fellowship and discipleship as well! There are several groups meeting regularly that are open to newcomers, and our Community Ministry is actively serving neighbors on a weekly basis. The Soul Care Project is a digital series that that you can follow along with at your own pace. It offers a weekly theme promoting practices to help us care for our souls by connection with ourselves, God, and the world. We encourage you to listen to this week’s podcast and interact with the resources available on our Facebook and Instagram feeds.

Meg Lacy Vega Soul Care

Soul Care Week Four: Nourishing Creativity

Join us on the podcast this week as we talk about creativity as a spiritual practice!

When you were a child, you knew yourself to be co-creator of the universe.

But little by little you forgot who you were.

-Mirabai Starr,
Wild Mercy

Pray as you go: Put Two Things Together

The practice of creativity is more broad than we give it credit for. Chase Jarvis, the author of Creative Calling defines creativity as “the act of combining or arranging two or more unlikely things in new or useful ways.”

This week, get creative in some small way--through your work, your parenting, your cooking, or the aesthetic of your space, by putting two or more unlikely things together.

Consider this your prayer.

God created us in God’s image, and we were made to be co-creators with God. When we tap into our creative spark, we tap into the Spirit of God within us.

Family Practice: COLLage

This cut-and-glue craft activity for families helps build creativity, improve motor skills, and create memorable pieces of art.

Supplies:
scissors (child safety if you have young ones)
colored paper with predetermined shapes
magazine clippings or photos
glue
drawing paper
cloth, wood, stickers, or any other items you have around

Gather your supplies and invite everyone to spend time together at the table. Open with a prayer, thanking God for creating the world, and for inviting us to create, too. You can make a family collage together, or each make your own collage. When you are finished, ask each member of the family to share about what they created.

tbc Church Business

A Word from Our Pastor: Significant Update/Summer 2020

Join us this Sunday for a town hall meeting. The Pastor, and other staff members, will do their best to respond to questions related to where we’ve been, what to anticipate, and what we’re praying about. Realistically, they won’t be able to answer all of the questions that come up. However, we will collect questions to pass along to leaders and find creative ways to share responses as they become available.
tbc Sunday Bulletin

Sunday, May 10 | Fifth Sunday of Easter

Communion

we’re glad you can join us for worship!

This worship guide is meant to be a companion to the Livestream service. You can join us live at 11am on Sunday morning, or watch the recorded service later, following along with the words to hymns, etc. in a separate window or on your phone, or print this guide out if you like!

We will partake in Communion each Sunday during this Easter Season. We encourage you to prepare your elements before the service begins at 11AM if you would like to participate.

PRELUDE: Judy Fiske

CALL TO WORSHIP: Mark Andrist “Lord I Lift Your Name on High”

CALL TO WORSHIP: “Who Was This Jesus?” (Susan Palo Cherwien)

Who was this Jesus we call Christ, the Anointed One?
Who is this who said I AM?  
I am the Vine. I am the Gate. I am the Bread of Life. I am the Light of the World. 
Who is this at whose Name every knee should bend?
We know Christ Jesus was steeped in divinity one with God, the Breath, the Heartbeat, of creation. 
We know Jesus was compassion, excluding no one, having mercy on all. 
We know he set aside time to be alone in prayer.
He sat at table with the whole spectrum of people he met.
He helped people who were outside the circle of acceptability. 
He taught in stories.
He wept at his friend’s death.
He suffered with those who were suffering. 
He asked hard questions.
He challenged the values of his society. 
He loved without promise of return. 
And so when we pray, “Come Lord” when we sing “Give Me Jesus” we are praying into our lives all that Jesus Christ is:
compassion, discernment, mercy, joy at friendship, suffering with the suffering.
We are praying into our lives the ability to love without promise of return.

HYMN #606: “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High”

Lord, I lift Your name on high,
Lord, I love to sing Your praises
I’m so glad You’re in my life,
I’m so glad You came to save us 
You came from heaven to earth to show the way;
from the earth to the cross, my debt to pay.
From the cross to the grave,
from the grave to the sky,
Lord, I lift Your name on high.

Gospel Lesson: John 20:30

Prayer: This prayer was originally given by Rev. Anna Miller on May 10, 2009. Anna is currently serving on staff at River Road Church, Baptist. Her son Adam is graduating from James Madison University this year and recently took a job as the band director at Parry McCluer High School in Buena Vista, VA, where Rev. Bryon LePere is the pastor of Buena Vista Baptist Church. Bryon served on staff at Tabernacle about 17 years ago. His daughter is a member of the band’s flag corps.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

TRIO: “Be Not Afraid”

HYMN #196: “Alleluia No. 1” (ALLELUIA NO. 1)

Chorus: Alleluia, alleluia
Give thanks to the risen Lord. 
Alleluia, alleluia!
Give praise to His name. 

V. 1 Jesus is Lord of all the earth.
He is the King of creation.    
Chorus: Alleluia, alleluia
Give thanks to the risen Lord. 
Alleluia, alleluia!
Give praise to His name. 

V. 2  Spread the good news o’er all the earth;
Jesus has died and has risen. 
Chorus: Alleluia, alleluia
Give thanks to the risen Lord. 
Alleluia, alleluia!
Give praise to His name.

OFFERTORY: Tony Williams, “Because He Lives” (Matt Maher)

DOXOLOGY

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
praise Him all creatures here below,
praise Him above ye heavenly hosts,
praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Amen.

Following the Worship Service, we encourage you to continue visiting with friends in the Livestream Chat, or join a Talk-Back moderated by Sandi Lowery and Beth McMahon. Share your laughter and tears, along with your prayer needs, as we discuss the sermon of the week.

Whether you’ve been coming to Tabernacle for years, or just recently started worshiping with us online, we are glad you’re here, and invite you to participate in other opportunities for fellowship and discipleship as well! There are several groups meeting regularly that are open to newcomers, and our Community Ministry is actively serving neighbors on a weekly basis. The Soul Care Project is a digital series that that you can follow along with at your own pace. It offers a weekly theme promoting practices to help us care for our souls by connection with ourselves, God, and the world. We encourage you to listen to this week’s podcast and interact with the resources available on our Facebook and Instagram feeds.

Meg Lacy Vega Church Business, Soul Care

Soul Care Week Three: Offering Gratitude

Join us on the podcast this week as we talk about the science, the art, and the spirituality of gratitude.

Wear gratitude

like a cloak,

and it will feed

every corner

of your life.

-Rumi

Pray As You Go: The Examen Prayer

St. Ignatius of Loyola was a 14th century catholic priest who founded the monastic order of the Jesuits, which is still alive and thriving today. In his writings Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius invited the monks to examine their conscience daily, looking for the movement of God in their lives and giving thanks. There are a few days you can practice the Prayer of Examen.

At the end of each day, spend a moment reflecting on this set of questions:

In my day, when did I feel closest to God?
In my day, when did I feel farthest from God?

or

What am I most grateful for today?
What did I find most challenging?

This is a version of the five-step Daily Examen that St. Ignatius practiced, borrowed from IgnatianSpirituality.com.

1. Become aware of God’s presence.
2. Review the day with gratitude.
3. Pay attention to your emotions.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it.
5. Look toward tomorrow.

Family Practice: Thank you notes

This week, harness the power of a handwritten note to offer gratitude and appreciation for those God has used in your life. They don’t take that long to write. So, dig out your personalized stationary, or some craft paper and markers, and as a family make a list of those you want to thank, and write or create a thank you note or card for each name.

Closing prayer:
Dear God, thank you for all the people you bring into our lives. We are grateful for your love and provision. Amen

tbc Church Business

A Note to Parents from TCCC Director Kristen OSullivan

Dear Parents,

I hope this finds you well. Or well enough considering. Please know you are doing enough. There is enough newness going on in every home that it is going to be a challenge, no matter what. Now IS the time to slow the pace, look deeply into today’s activity, and be present. Children everywhere are experiencing the same lack of routine, lack of academics, lack of socialization. So there is not a hill for them to slide down. It’s a level, inclusive field. Teachers will meet the children where they are. It will be ok.

Your children need your love, joy, and company. Be mindful to show delight on your face when they walk in the room, even if frustration or defeat is the reality. Fake it if you have to because they will remember how you felt. How your expressions and tone made them feel. Not the letters you practiced after breakfast, the dishwasher yet to be emptied (again), or the laundry forgotten in the washer (again).

…For tomorrow shall care for itself.

Struggle is universal. We all have bad: days, moments, meetings, failures, bedtimes, car rides, heartbreak, workouts, and illness. Every single one of us has a story. And no one gets out of life scot-free without the struggle. Two things: do not Compare Your Struggles and sometimes the best thing you can do is Compare Your Struggles. Here’s what I mean.

Daily bad days, pain, trials, and disappointments loom. For you, today may be one of the darkest hours or the deepest of melancholy. So go ahead, wallow in it. Wrap yourself up in it and live it. For two minutes a day.

Yep, all you get is two minutes each day. Scream, cry, whine, or kick people in the shin. Make these two minutes count. Go ahead and make some noise. Because you get two minutes and then you are done. Then it is time to move on and put a pin in it for tomorrow. Tomorrow if the pain is still there–go ahead; wallow in it. Wrap yourself up in it. For two minutes. 

And when the two minute timer goes off and you can’t stop the despair? If once the tears start, you can’t turn it off? Well, then it is actually time to compare. It is time to look over at the Joneses or toward the greener grasses and consider their two minutes. Have they lost a loved one? Are their children hungry or hurting? Are they alone? Are they at risk simply doing their job? Is their pain irreparable? Consider another, saying two prayers. One for others and one of gratitude. Then put a pin in til tomorrow. 

I know it’s not easy. But it is possible. Moving on daily may be tiny, but it’s a huge step you have to retake everyday. In this pandemic, you deserve your two minutes, to scream, cry, whine, or kick people in the shin. Allow it and then regard the two minutes of others. You will find humility and grace recognizing we all have bad: days, moments, meetings, failures, bedtimes, car rides, heartbreak, workouts, and illness. Your prayers for tomorrow are always at hand, but worry is wasted. 

Care not then for tomorrow. For tomorrow shall care for itself. The day has enough with its own grief. Matthew 6:34

Kristen