April Theme Surrender

Sunday, April 20, 2008 Ann Ladd Prayer – Dear Loving presence, thank you for the times in the quieted moments when we experience – and know - the deep loving support that is a constant beneath our lives –whether or not we are aware; through the many distractions we allow, teach us in these quiet times to awaken our hearts to the Present moment, nourish our souls with the precious mystery of Now. Thank you for the many blessings and gifts of our lives in each day. We offer gratitude for guidance and for our continuing yes to your loving guidance. Give us strength and heart to stay the course of your Divine purpose for each of us in this life.AmenWelcome – The topic this month is surrender. We generally think of the need to surrender to the challenges and difficulties of life. I think it is often equally difficult for us to surrender to the blessings and gifts….to truly receive them. Quotes – (1) What is a blessing? A blessing is a circle of light drawn around a person to protect, heal, and strengthen. Life is a constant flow of emergence. The beauty of blessing is its belief that it can affect what unfolds. (2) May all that is unforgiven in youBe released.May your fears yieldTheir deepest tranquilitiesMay all that is unlived in you Blossom into a futureGraced with love.- John O’Donohue(3) To be in the world is to be distant from the homeland of wholeness. We are confined by limitation and difficulty. When we bless, we are enabled somehow to go beyond our present frontiers and reach into the source. A blessing awakens future wholeness.(4) Awaken to the mystery of being hereand enter the quiet immensity of your own presence.Have joy and peace in the temple of your senses.Respond to the call of your gift and the courage to follow its path.May the warmth of your heart keep your presence aflame.Take time to celebrate the quiet miracles that seek no attention. May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder.(5) There is a kindness that dwells deep down in things…..The word kindness has a gentle sound that seems to echo the presence of compassionate goodness. When someone is kind to you, you feel understood and seen. There is no judgment or harsh perception toward you. Kindness has gracious eyes; it is not small-minded or competitive; it wants nothing back for itself. Kindness strikes a resonance with the depth of your own heart.May there be kindness in your gaze when you look within.May you never place walls between the light and yourself.May you learn to see your selfwith the same delight, pride, and expectationwith which God sees you in every moment.(8) You can never love another person unless you are equally involved in the beautiful but difficult spiritual work of learning to love yourself. There is within each of us, at the soul level, an enriching fountain of love. In other words, you do not have to go outside yourself to know what love is. This is not selfishness, and it is not narcissism; they are negative obsessions with the need to be loved. Rather this is the wellspring of love within the heart…. [L]earn to whisper awake the deep well of love within. This is not a question of forcing yourself to love yourself. It is more a question of exercising reserve, of inviting the wellspring of love that is, after all, your deepest nature to flow through your life. It is a great consolation to know that there is a wellspring of love within yourself. If you trust that this wellspring is there, you will then be able to invite it to awaken. -O’Donahue(11) “God is love” is not a truth we can master; it is only one to which we can surrender. Faith is being grasped by the power of love. –Wm Sloan Coffin Stand and form circleTake a moment to think of someone you love, recall one or two specific appreciations you have for them, things you love about them, especially that they may not see or easily acknowledge. Now put it in the form of a blessing….May you always…. May you never forget…., Without using the person’s name…say the blessing into the circle if you are willing to share it now….everyone else listen and see if you can allow the blessing to also be true of you. Open heart meditation – Quieting now, gently, Invite the wellspring of love in you to move within you, and through you to all in the circle, allow yourself to receive the flow of love coming back to you.Then together let us send the energy of our love to all in this city, to all in this country, to all in this worlda message of love and hope to all peoples, to all creatures, to all creation.