Last night at Home it was the turn of the meditative service in our ‘Lost and Found’ gathering cycle.
During this cycle we are exploring the ebb and flow dynamics of our relationship with God, how our lives often seem to exhibit patterns of finding God, only to lose God again, perhaps to find God anew in a different way.
Walking the labyrinth – an ancient way of whole-body prayer – is a really good way to come at this exploration from a different angle, leading with the body rather than the mind. We journey towards the middle of the labyrinth, linger at the centre for a while and then journey outwards again, exploring our journey of divine discovery, the gift/s God has for us, and our vocation to share these gifts for the world’s transformation (although walking the labyrinth is such a symbolically rich experience there are always new insights to discover).
Here’s an excerpt from the guide notes we used last night :
There are therefore three stages to this prayer walk –
 Purgation (Releasing) ~ A releasing, a letting go of the details of your life. This is the act of shedding thoughts and distractions. A time to open the heart and quiet the mind.
 Illumination (Receiving) ~ When you reach the centre, stay there as long as you like. It is a place of meditation and prayer. Receive what is there for you to receive.
 Union (Returning) ~ As you leave, following the same path out of the centre as you came in, you enter the third stage, which is joining God’s work in the world.Â
Here’s a gallery of pictures from the service :
