Friday, April 9, 2021

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Katie Snipes Lancaster

Scripture: Psalm 23
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.

Spiritual Practice: Labyrinth Prayer
Whether you’ve been to the labyrinth in the church front yard, or to the stone labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral, or happened upon a garden labyrinth elsewhere, I hope you’ve taken time to stop and walk. Spiritual labyrinths typically are a one-way path that weave and twist and turn slowly bringing you from the outside to the inside, winding as you walk. There is no pressure to go fast. There is no pressure to “beat last weeks’ time.” It is simply a time to walk. Maybe your walking pace even slows as you go. And, as you walk, you offer yourself a chance to calm your body, to quiet your thoughts, to put the pressures of everyday into the hands of God, and prayerfully hand over your burdens. It can be a pilgrimage to God. It can be a release. It can be centering. It can draw you inward, to the mystery of God present within you, even now.

Stop by our (your!) labyrinth sometime this spring and just walk. Let your feet guide you. Listen to the sounds of the gravel. Let the voices of people and cars going by become background noise. And let God become central to your journey within.

Daily Prayer
God, we have trouble quieting our thoughts
We have trouble finding our way into your presence
We have trouble letting go.
And so we ask:
Carry our burdens.
Walk with us.
Carry us through today’s valley.
Protect us on our pilgrimage into your presence.
Amen.