Third Sunday in Advent – Contemplative Eucharist

Please come join us on Sunday 12th December, as we gather together to engage in contemplative practice, blended with liturgy.

The Contemplative Eucharist takes the essentials of eucharistic celebration, and intertwines the contemplative practice of centering prayer, allowing that we might still our mind, and attend to our heart, and engage more deeply with the sacramental mystery always present in communion.

In this third week of Advent, we're invited to recognise the coming of the messenger, to set aside our ordinary mundane concerns to allow the joy and bliss of the celebrations of the coming of the Light to arise and be present within our awareness.

As we read in the introduction of the Secret Book of John:

"A little child appeared before me in the light.
I continued looking at him as he became an old man
And then he changed again, becoming like a young man.

I didn't understand what I was seeing,
But the one likeness had several forms in the light,
And these likenesses appeared each through the other
And the vision had three forms."

Source:
http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/apocjn-davies.html

We understand that many layers may be present or 'seen', in our each moment, but that we might attend to them more closely and understand the mystery contained within, a little more deeply.

The Contemplative Eucharist graces us with an opportunity in this time of preparation for the coming of the light, of Christmas, to engage with more presence in the practice of contemplation, seeking to enrich our understanding of that Divine transformation which we celebrate, the coming of a change herebefore unknown on earth, that which is the celebration of the birth of Christ, in the Christmas feast.

Service – 6:30pm
The service this Sunday will be the "Contemplative Liturgy", written by our very own Reverend Tim Mansfield. The service alternates engagement and stillness, provoking a meditative attitude and the cultivation of deeper perceptions. The service features prayer and contemplative practice, including a period of silent meditation, as well as sharing of the Body and the Blood, in the form of bread and wine.

We follow the service with some conversation, hot drinks and snacks. Pleas come along and join the discussions, sharing in fellowship and hospitality.

Centering Prayer, Eucharist this week

Theme: Spiritual Progress

Sunday, 26 September

Gnostic Christians have often been labelled “elitist”
for observing that spirituality develops as we practice. Long term
practitioners develop in their sense of intimacy with the Divine, their
sense of freedom from ego increases, their emotional reactivity drops.
Really, it would be surprising if spirituality did not develop, since
every other skill we practice tends to.

None of this makes the advanced practitioner any better
or more valuable as a human being in the eyes of God, but many people
report a deeper, richer embrace of humanity that arises as
practice unfolds over years.

This week, the theme in the liturgical calendar is
“spiritual progress” and we’re approaching it a few ways. At the Contemplative
Prayer Meetup on Sunday, we will be discussing some models of
spiritual progress and doing some Centering Prayer practice together.
At the Eucharist service, we’ll have readings and a
homily about the theme. Afterwards, we’ll have tea, snacks and an open
discussion.

Come as you are, stay as long as you like. I’d love to
see you.

Father Tim+

Advent Eucharist

Hi folks,

I’ve just returned from spending an inspiring week in Melbourne at the Parliament of the World’s Religions – the largest interfaith gathering in the world. I had the opportunity to meet local and international people from a huge range of other religious groups, to practice explaining what the AJC is about and to hear about the core ideas, practices and beliefs of other religions.

Parliament was not just a huge encounter group for the religious, it hosted provocative sessions about groups working within and between traditions on social change: alleviating poverty, addressing indigenous disadvantage, creating sustainable communities and fostering peace. The Dalai Lama challenged all delegates to go home and use the energy we gathered over the week to create real change in our communities. As His Holiness said, “Good to talk, better to act!”

After such an inspiring week, I feel full of ideas about how to bring our work at St Uriel’s into the world in more direct and useful ways. Johannite spirituality is by nature both contemplative and active in the same breath and I believe that our work needs to take a more radical, active, participatory turn over the next few months.

Watch this space – or better, let me know ways you might like to get involved – in social action, in deepening your spiritual practice, in sharing our spiritual tradition with those who might benefit from it.

The community meets on Sunday for the first service in a few weeks. Join us if you can withstand a mad priest raving about his crazy week in Melbourne amongst the other mad people!

My blessings on your journey.

Tim+

Readings for the week

Service – 6pm
The service this Sunday will be a “Sophianic Eucharist”. The service praises Sophia or Holy Wisdom as the immanent, feminine face of the Divine and celebrates the sacred marriage between the immanent and transcendent aspects of Spirit. The service features prayer and chant and the sharing of the Body and the Blood in the form of bread and wine.

Sophia Café – 7pm
Sophia Café follows the service – stay around for tea, snacks and conversation. Each week starts with a short talk by someone from the community followed by open discussion.

Topic: “Three Shapes of the First Thought” from the Nag Hammadi library