Listen to the Spirit… adapt as needed…
stay longer where you are drawn…
Ignatian Roots
“The most important qualities in the person who enters into these exercises are openness, generosity, and courage.” – Spiritual Exercises #5
Opening Prayer
Suggested Song: Open the Eyes of My Heart by Michael W. Smith
Grace to seek/ask: To simply listen without agenda…just listen…
Scriptures
Revelation 3:20 – “Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you, and you with me.”
Deuteronomy 32:1-2 – “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb.”
Proverbs 16:9 – “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”
Check-In
Try to keep this short, focusing on the state of people’s hearts as they come to the meeting. If helpful, guide the check-in in a way that reflects the theme of the meeting or use the questions below:
- Since the last time we met, what has given you life or drawn you closer to God?
- What has drained life out of you or drawn you away for God?
- Please describe any significant encounter with prayer, service, or someone in your daily life.
Focus Exercise
Our discipline this week is simply resting…listening…being present…with an open mind and a receptive heart. We’ll first spend some time listening for God (Exercise #1) and sharing about our experiences of listening. Let’s look at the front of tonight’s handout (“Learning to Listen & The Awareness Examen”) together to guide us in using our time tonight.
(Read the front side of the handout out loud together or silently to yourselves. Then spend a few minutes on the prayer included at the bottom using Psalm 46. Reflect on your experiences together using the questions below under “Listening and Sharing”. If you have time after sharing about your prayer, consider also spending time with Exercise #2, the Awareness Examen, and the reflection questions below. If you run out of time, the Examen can be used as a closing prayer to help the group listen to how God has been moving in the day and meeting.)
Listening and Sharing
Reflection Questions
Exercise #1: “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10)
We just spent some time individually resting and stilling ourselves. We may or may not have each asked God to speak or heard God speak. In reflecting and sharing on our experiences…
- Do you have any concerns as you consider listening to/learning to hear God’s voice?
- Is there something you’ve struggling with and have prayed over that still feels stuck or unchanging?
- What have you believed about in the past about this or other “unanswered” prayers?
Exercise #2: Awareness Examen – Paying Attention to Feelings
Now let’s try listening through another form of prayer known as the “Awareness Examen.” This prayer is deeply rooted in the tradition of Ignatian spirituality that is at the heart of the CLC way of life. There is a detailed explanation on the back of tonight’s handout that you can look at on your own another time. For now, I’ll guide us through an Examen so that we can simply experience it for ourselves. It can be done many ways but is always a form of prayer that helps people listen to how God has been moving in them and their lives by reviewing the day with God. We’ll learn more about and explore this way of praying as we continue to journey together as a group.
(For more help with leading the Examen, consider looking to the resources provided by www.IgnatianSpirituality.com, particularly “The Daily Examen”.)
Begin with Grace: Thank God for the people and experiences of your day.
Pay Attention to Feelings: As you look back on your day, notice your feelings. They can tell you how much yourself and what really matters.
Sit with a Feeling: Choose a feeling either positive or negative, that caught your attention or affected you most. Pray from it.
Look Forward with Hope: As you anticipate upcoming events and tasks, talk to God about your honest feelings. Invite God to walk with you.
End with gratitude.
Listening Deeper
These are questions that allow community members to listen to and share about what is moving within them after the focus exercise. Specific questions about the focus exercise can be included here, but facilitators may choose to approach it differently such as with more open ended questions.
- What has struck you as you have been listening to others share? Do you notice any patterns or similarities?
- How have you been feeling throughout the meeting? Comfortable? Anxious? Curious?
- Is there anything you would like to share after listening to another person share?
- What is remaining with you? What do you hope to return to in prayer at another point in the week?
Moving Forward
Awareness Examen – Paying Attention to Feelings
Begin with Grace: Thank God for the people and experiences of your day.
Pay Attention to Feelings: As you look back on your day, notice your feelings. They can tell you how much yourself and what really matters.
Sit with a Feeling: Choose a feeling either positive or negative, that caught your attention or affected you most. Pray from it.
Look Forward with Hope: As you anticipate upcoming events and tasks, talk to God about your honest feelings. Invite God to walk with you.
End with gratitude.
…OR…
Let Your God Love You (by Edwina Gateley)
Be silent.
Be still.
Alone.
Empty
Before your God.
Say nothing.
Ask nothing.
Be silent.
Be still.
Let your God look upon you.
That is all.
God knows.
God understands.
God loves you
With an enormous love,
And only wants
To look upon you
With that love.
Quiet.
Still.
Be.
Let your God—
Love you.
