Come away to a quiet place…

Come away to a quiet place…

…a wonderful invitation!  Jesus invited his disciples to do so at a critical point; just after he had heard the news of the violent death of his cousin, John the Baptist.  Of course for them it didn’t work out as planned; thousands followed and they ended up feeding them… but the intention to “get away from it all” was clearly there.

I have been blessed to have two such opportunities in the last two days.  Yesterday morning, a friend and I decided to go to “First Friday” at the Ignatian Spirituality Centre here in Glasgow.  This was a three-hour session of guided silence and prayer, attended by around 6 folk yesterday, in the beautiful, prayer-filled space – a real oasis in a bustling, vibrant city.  As we reflected on some verses where Jesus went away to pray it struck me for the first time that they were all outdoors, and that it is rare for me to go outside intentionally to pray… lots to explore there (admittedly the Glasgow climate is a little different from the Middle East!)

Today I was sharing in the leadership of a Lenten Quiet Day for Methodist Women in Scotland.  Around two dozen of us gathered in Armadale and explored some “Purple Pathways” – through worship, presentation, bible study, drama, music, creative writing  and colouring… What a gift to us the rediscovery of that childhood activity is!  There was a tangible hush in the hall today as we coloured crosses, butterflies, flowers and Celtic knots.  In good Blue Peter fashion, here is some I did earlier… (I didn’t have time for all this today!)

So, as Lent passes its midway point, I hope you too are able to find some time and space to be quiet.   Jill