guided christian meditation

A meditation with John 5:9-19 with The Message translation, using Lectio Divina.

Following on from the healing at the pool of Bethesda, this meditation takes us into the busy temple courtyard, where Jesus bumps into the man who has been made well.

Just for these few minutes, I invite you to leave your dogma, your creed, your thoughts, and your rational mind aside, and become present to your deeper self, your true self or essential self. I invite you to a way of unknowing, a place of deep being. 

Contemplative at Home offers guided meditative prayer - space to slow down and listen to the truth that is being born out of God's love for you today - drawing on Ignatian spirituality and at times, Lectio Divina.

Sign up for Lissy's newsletter "The Contemplative Window" or join our Facebook group here

Support the show by sharing it with a friend, rating it on your preferred podcast platform, or by becoming a member for just a few $ or £ per month. Thank you so much!

All music by Pete Hatch. 

A meditation with imaginative contemplation in John’s Gospel, chapter 5, verses 2-8.

In imaginative contemplation, we try to make the scene come alive in our minds eye. Some people can conjure very vivid images, sounds and smells in their minds, others experience more of an emotional impression. There is no right or wrong way to do this, the purpose of imaginative contemplation is to allow the gospel encounter to become your own in some way, to allow the text to bring the Word in a fresh way.

Grace and peace to you as you pray, as always.

Contemplative at Home offers guided meditative prayer - space to slow down and listen to the truth that is being born out of God's love for you today - drawing on Ignatian spirituality and at times, Lectio Divina.

Sign up for Lissy's newsletter "The Contemplative Window" or join our Facebook group here

Support the show by sharing it with a friend, rating it on your preferred podcast platform, or by becoming a member for just a few $ or £ per month. Thank you so much!

All music by Pete Hatch. 

Friends,

As we continue our Lenten look at the mess we are always moving through, we come to the story Jesus told of a rich man and a poor man. (Luke 16:19-31)

I found myself wondering about the ways in which I construct 'chasms' or false distinctions between me and others whom I deem unworthy or unappealing. I also wondered about the ways in which I try to cut off parts of myself which I find unattractive. How am I invited to befriend, love, receive or care for these parts of myself?

May you be ushered into love as you pray. 

Every blessing 🙏🏽

Lissy

Contemplative at Home offers guided meditative prayer - space to slow down and listen to the truth that is being born out of God's love for you today - drawing on Ignatian spirituality and at times, Lectio Divina.

Support the show by sharing it with a friend, rating it on your preferred podcast platform, or by becoming a member for just a few $ or £ per month. Thank you so much!

All music by Pete Hatch.

 

A meditation with Matthew 20:20-23

What is it that you want?

The mother of James and John has come to ask that her children might sit at the right and left hands of Jesus in his kingdom. But what is it that she most deeply wants? Power? Security? Honour? Status? Love? Which of her wounds propels her to make this request? And does she understand what Jesus' kingdom will look like?

May this story help to reveal your own story, may this question become a question for you.

Grace and peace 🙏🏽

Contemplative at Home offers guided meditative prayer - space to slow down and listen to the truth that is being born out of God's love for you today - drawing on Ignatian spirituality and at times, Lectio Divina.

Sign up for Lissy's weekly newsletter "The Contemplative Window" or join our Facebook group here

Support the show by sharing it with a friend, rating it on your preferred podcast platform, or by becoming a member for just a few $ or £ per month. Thank you so much!

Further details www.contemplativeathome.com.

All music by Pete Hatch.

We continue our series of meditations on questions Jesus asked, this time in the feeding of the 4000 (Matthew 15:32-37). I find this one to be quite rich! Hope you do too, and every blessing as you pray 🙏🏽

Lissy

Contemplative at Home offers guided meditative prayer - space to slow down and listen to the truth that is being born out of God's love for you today - drawing on Ignatian spirituality and at times, Lectio Divina.

Sign up for Lissy's weekly newsletter "The Contemplative Window" or join our Facebook group here

Support the show by sharing it with a friend, rating it on your preferred podcast platform, or by becoming a member for just a few $ or £ per month. Thank you so much!

Further details www.contemplativeathome.com.

All music by Pete Hatch.

Happy September, friends. I hope this finds you well.

I'm really excited for our next series of episodes, exploring Questions Jesus Asked. This series was suggested by my dear Spiritual Companion, Tina Lamb. You may remember that Tina brought us the Sunday poems during the first pandemic year.

In this first episode we explore John 1:35-39, When John the Baptist's disciples follow Jesus, and Jesus asks them "What are you seeking?"

Can you allow Jesus to ask you "What are you seeking?"

Thank you so much for inviting me into your precious moments of meditation. It is an honour to be here with you.

NB!!! :

My children have a delightful party piece where they imitate me, my eyes half closed and my dreamiest meditation voice crooning "may you open your heart to the peaceful love of God"... then abruptly turn around to shout in a very angry voice 'BOYS!! SHUT!! UP!! I'M RECORDING!!!"

This is not entirely accurate. "Shut up" is not something I generally say to anyone... However, there was a very animated online game going on downstairs whilst I recorded this (aghhh!) and while I've managed to edit most of the outbursts out of the background, there may be one or two which escaped. May they amuse you. And may your meditation be such that ambient noises do not ruffle you. 

Blessings, all.

Contemplative at Home offers guided meditative prayer - space to slow down and listen to the truth that is being born out of God's love for you today - drawing on Ignatian spirituality and at times, Lectio Divina.

Sign up for Lissy's weekly newsletter "The Contemplative Window" or join our Facebook group here

Support the show by sharing it with a friend, rating it on your preferred podcast platform, or by becoming a member for just a few $ or £ per month. Thank you so much!

Further details www.contemplativeathome.com.

All music by Pete Hatch.

A centering prayer meditation with 10 minutes of silence, and closing with a Gaelic blessing. In centering prayer, we use a sacred word to gently hold our attention on the loving gaze of God. You are invited to find a word that comes naturally to you. This might be a name by which you address the Holy, a state such as love, peace, joy, or a short phrase such as “here I am” or “be still and know that I am God.” You are invited to settle on your phrase and then to stay with it for the duration of your meditation.  For more on centering prayer, see https://www.contemplativeoutreach.org. Gaelic Blessing for our closing prayer today: Deep peace of the running wave to you Deep peace of the flowing air to you Deep peace of the quiet earth to you Deep peace of the shining stars to you Deep peace of the gentle night to you Moon and stars pour healing light on you Deep peace of Christ the light of the world to you  Deep peace of Christ to you  Amen. Contemplative at Home offers guided meditative prayer - space to slow down and listen to the truth that is being born out of God's love for you today - drawing on Ignatian spirituality and at times, Lectio Divina. Sign up for Lissy's weekly newsletter "The Contemplative Window" http://eepurl.com/hkbDFP or join our Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/1905953786386080/ Support the show by sharing it with a friend, rating it on your preferred podcast platform, or with a one-off or regular donation. kp-fi.com/contemplativeathome. Thank you so much! For more information please visit www.contemplativeathome.com. All music by Pete Hatch. instagram.com/brother.boost

Dear Friends, 

This the first of our August centering prayer meditations for 2022. In this meditation we observe 4 minutes of silence together and we close with a collect from the Church of England. (see text below)

In centering prayer, we use a sacred word to gently hold our attention on the loving gaze of God. You are invited to find a word that comes naturally to you. This might be a name by which you address the Holy, a state such as love, peace, joy, or a short phrase such as “here I am” or “be still and know that I am God.” You are invited to settle on your phrase and then to stay with it for the duration of your meditation. 

For more about centering prayer you may find these links useful.

Blessings dear ones.

Collect

Holy God,

faithful and unchanging:

enlarge our minds with the knowledge of your truth,

and draw us more deeply into the mystery of your love,

that we may truly worship you,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Contemplative at Home offers guided meditative prayer - space to slow down and listen to the truth that is being born out of God's love for you today - drawing on Ignatian spirituality, and at times, Lectio Divina.

Sign up for Lissy's weekly newsletter "The Contemplative Window" or join our Facebook group here

Support the show by sharing it with a friend, rating it on your preferred podcast platform, or with a one-off or regular donation. Thank you so much!

Further details at www.contemplativeathome.com.

All music by Pete Hatch.

In this guided meditation, or imaginative contemplation, you are invited to join Cleopas and Simeon as they walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus, encountering a man on the road who has some remarkable things to say.

The meditation is based closely on Luke 24:13-33.

Cleopas is named in the text, and Simeon is held by the Franciscan tradition as the second person in the story.

It might be that Cleopas was Jesus' uncle, and Simeon may have been his son (a cousin of Jesus). Simeon is thought to have become the second bishop of Jerusalem. Regardless of specific identity, what matters most is that these men had faces, shoes, families, hearts, minds and inclinations. They knew Jesus, they had followed him and had hoped that he would redeem Israel.

May they become real to you in a new way as you encounter them here today.

** If you want to help imagining the landscape surrounding Jerusalem, you might quickly peruse these photos (search of "Jerusalem mountains" on shutterstock).

I used a number of sounds fromfreesound.org to make the ambiance for this meditation.

Contemplative at Home offers guided meditative prayer - space to slow down and listen to the truth that is being born out of God's love for you today - drawing on Ignatian spirituality and at times, Lectio Divina.

Sign up for Lissy's weekly newsletter "The Contemplative Window"  or join our Facebook group here  

For more information please visit www.contemplativeathome.com.

All music by Pete Hatch. 

In this imaginative contemplation based on Luke 4:31-42, we spend a day with Jesus in Capernum. As always, if at any time during this guided meditation you don't feel safe, do come away from it. Wherever prayer takes you over the next 20 minutes, may you be blessed and enriched... Contemplative at Home offers guided meditative prayer - space to slow down and listen to the truth that is being born out of God's love for you today - drawing on Ignatian spirituality and at times, Lectio Divina. Sign up for Lissy's weekly newsletter "The Contemplative Window" http://eepurl.com/hkbDFP or join our Facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/1905953786386080/ For more information please visit www.contemplativeathome.com. All music by Pete Hatch. instagram.com/brother.boost