Advent: Christmastide Happenings: The Already, not Yetness of it All

The Growing Edge

All around us worlds are dying and new worlds are being born;
All around us life is dying and life is being born;
The fruit ripens on the tree;
The roots are silently at work in the darkness
of the earth
Against the time when there shall be new leaves, fresh blossoms, green fruit.
Such is the growing edge!
It is the extra breath from the exhausted lung,
The one more thing to try when all else has failed,
The upward reach of life when weariness closes in upon all endeavor.
This is the basis of hope in moments of despair,
The incentive to carry on when times are out of joint
When people have lost their reason; the source of confidence.
When worlds crash and dreams whiten to ash.
The birth of a child- life's most dramatic answer to death-
This is the Growing Edge incarnate,
Look well to the growing edge!

-Howard Thurman,
"The Mood of Christmas"



Wed. December 17th -Christmas Love Feast
Where:.1264 Everett (Highlands/ Big White house)
Molly & Dan's abode
When: 6:30-8:00pm
What: A time of advent reflections, poems, inner silence
& communal meal...followed by informal "hang-time"
Please note:
No "Just Be" December 24th Christmas Eve...
or Wednesday December 31st New Year's Eve...

2009 Happenings:

*January 7th - Wednesday evening
Epiphany Celebration
"A Season of Light"
Location: TBA/ soon to be posted on blog..
(see blog info below).

*January 16th -Friday evening
"Catalytic Connection"
Music with Troubadors of Divine Bliss
"listening room" style
107 Ewing Ave. (Creative Diversity Studio)
Louisville, KY 40206

This Wednesday -November 19th 7:30-9:00pm- Poster Making

All are welcome and encouraged to join in on this creative venture as
we create posters for our Listening Room with Tenia Sanders on December 5th here at Shekinah "Home Base" - AND our collaborative canvass which we will hang during Just Be times through Advent - it will state our intentions as we explore this season of "awaiting - in the Embers of Hope, Faith, Joy and Love!!!" December 3rd - through Dec. 25th...

The Loom: etc...

Note: this is a correction to previous post which says the Loom is on the 26th -
it is actually this Wednesday....from 6:30-7:30pm
Pitch-in Meal will take place

The Loom - this Wednesday Nov. 19th - 6:30-7:30pm

Upcoming Happenings

This week Check out:

"Festival of Faiths" all events listed on Website : - http://www.festivaloffaiths.org


Monday 11/10/08 Community Forum - 107 Ewing Ave. 7:00pm - *Free event*
"Discovering the Hidden Power in the Sacred Art of Hospitality" Author Rev. Nanette Sawyer speaks about her book and her community Wicker Park Grace in Chicago,IL

* No "Just Be" at Shekinah - but Shekinah will join in exploring the Festival of Faiths theme, "Coming of Age" in the context of local nonprofit - Home of the Innocents as we participate in this modified Labyrinth walk from Thursday 11/13 from 5:30-8:00pm... (For more info about Home of the Innocents www.homeoftheinnocent.org)

Shekinah Happenings November
"Just Be" 6:30-7:00pm -every Wednesday -time of inner silent prayer and meditation ...interactive prayer centers set up around themes...
Nov. 26th -6:30-7:30pm "The Loom" *listening and responding to the ways in which the Spirit is weaving our lives together"an extended worship experience which includes inner silence, "holy conversation", communion "pitch-in" meal.

DECEMBER
Wednesdays - "Just Be" 6:30-7:00pm
This months themes will follow the Christian Calendar of Advent: " A Season of Awaiting....Embers of " Each week we will explore what it means to live in the "Embers of...

1st Wednesday Faith, 2nd Wednesday Hope 3rd Wednesday Love..."

Catalytic Connection - Listening Room with Tenia Sanders - local musician, poet and prophetess - Music, Hangin', Fair Trade "spirits" - $5.00 Cover to support Musician and Shekinah home base's mission of "celebrating and exploring the active intersections of creativity, spirituality and social change"..December 5th 8:00pm Shekinah 107 Ewing Ave

Shekinah Love Feast - Tuesday December 23rd - Community/ion Meal/ Holy Conversation
Celebration! - Hosted at a Shekinah "Kindred Spirit" Home -location TBA.




November 26th

"Just Be"/ "The Loom"

Wednesdays 6:30-7:00pm"Just Be" A time of inner silent meditation/prayer .

All events listed below are taking place at Shekinah "home base" -107 Ewing Ave (beside corner of Frankfort and Ewing next to Walgreens)

*Note Every third Wednesday from 6:30-7:30pm we engage in time of silent prayer, "holy conversation"- reflecting on a theme, some music and shared communion meal.

A New Earth -Eckhart Tolle - book discussion/spiritual exploration
Beginning Wednesday Sept. 10th Meeting every other Wednesday from 7:30-8:45pm

If you have any trouble keeping up with all the every other times and 3rds of months, just give a call and check in -Jen Straub 417-9958.

Sacred Art of Hospitality Book Convo

covenants, promises and vows..oh my!

This eve, the wondrous Molly organized and fabulously facilitated the first in likely a series of meetings where we, being the shekinah community, are putting into words how we want to be with each other, in the community and in the world. This is my attempt at summarizing where we landed after the flurry of excitement we created at Ray's Monkey House.

WORDS... and several of them...
we took the words we had been collecting in the jar during the last several wednesday 'Just Be's, and threw in a handful more.


After that, we came up with these statements for a rough sketch of a rough draft:

as kindred spirits with shekinah:

we promise to nurture and share our internal journeys with each other.

within our community we hold each other accountable to devote time and energy through our presence, intentional prayer and sharing of gifts.

we vow to move forward from this safe and loving community to spread joy and radical enthusiasm

we left off there to be respectful of the time limit that was set for this particular meeting. we did have a few other words or thoughts to be added somewhere: honoring suffering/pain
social justice/environmental
engaging/evolving journey

three more words to add somewhere near the top (according to my notes):
listening, openess, healing

we also want to communicate somehow that we are followers of christ, or a christian community.

that sort of sums it up. We did schedule another meeting for wednesday evening june 25th.

we would love your input! if you can't make the meeting, be sure to add to this discussion via email. discussion also very welcome. this is a community project!

Summer Happenings:

Moving Day, Friday May 30th - Meet at 982 Barret at 9:00am...
Please call Jen if you're planning to help.

"Just Be"/ "The Loom" Times & Places:
*Last worship at 982 Barret Ave.- tomorrow; Wed. May 27th 6:45-7:30/45pm (Loom Style)
Picnic Party at Waterfront Wednesday on River afterwards!!


Just Be" - Thursdays 6:30-7:00pm (note change from Wed. to Thursdays in summer)
Earth Spirit Center beginning
June 12th - August 28th
Join us this summer as we continue in our "inner silent" prayer and meditation times at the
Earth Spirit Center. Each week (except for the 4th Thursdays for "The Loom" at 103 Ewing St.) we will be focusing specifically on the connections between God, Creation and human community. We will be meeting on the luscious land surrounding the barn and community garden.


Passionist , Earth & Spirit Center
http://www.earthandspiritcenter.org/contact.htm#
located behind St. Agnes 1924 Newburg Road · Louisville, KY 40205
(From Eastern Parkway take right onto Newburg Rd.
note: Baxter turns into Newburg coming from downtown)
Any questions? contact Holly at 727-1872

Shekinah Music Nights:
"Exploring and Celebrating the active intersections between creativity, spirituality and social action"

Stay tuned for upcoming "listening rooms" with local musicians and traveling friends...as we make our way to Frankfort Ave. This unique venue is made possible by our patient and incredibly talented musician friends.
We hope to pick up our tunes again in July.
A special thanks to Danny Flanigan whose encouragement, promotion and use of equiptment has been invaluable.Thanks to all of the musicians and listeners who've made our venue meaningful.... much gratitude to Tenia Sanders, Alana Fugate,Joel Henderson, Butch Rice, Jen Rock (from Knoxville), Jenny Madison (from Nashville) & Debbie & Steve.

Dear Companions of Our Journeys::

The structural outline and sample Evening Prayer liturgy that follow are offered so you might create your own personal expressions using this very ancient form of worship, a form and daily rhythm deeply rooted in the Judeo-Christian experience. Namaste + Peace, Lizz

A Structure for Evening Prayer

• An opening sentence, often called the Invitiatory, the invitation, traditionally an excerpt from Scripture; an excerpt from poetry or wisdom writings could also be used
• A form of self examination and confession
• Psalm - Nan C. Merrill's Psalms for Praying: An Invitation to Wholeness contains her poetic, non-gendered rendering of the Psalms
• Scripture Reading
• Canticle or song (can be said or sung)
• A recitation of your Creed, if you hold to one. For Christians, this is traditionally the Apostles Creed
• The Prayers includes adoration, gratitude and thanksgiving toward God, prayers for the needs of others and prayers for your own needs
• The Benediction(s) or blessings

EVENING PRAYER




The Invitation

Light and peace in the name of Christ.
Seek the One who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep
darkness into the morning, and darkens the day into night;
who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out upon the surface of the earth.


Form of Self Examination & Confession

God of the spirit of kindness,
In the glory of earth and sea and stars,
In the kaleidoscope of color and shade and shapeliness,
In patterns of humor and tenderness and touch,
I celebrate your generosity,
Forgive me when I forget the gift in my every breath,
The care that sustains my every moment,
The grace that can transform my every day.
Set me free from the prison of a grudging heart, mean desires and
resentful spirits.
Give me the courage to act with justice and generosity, and draw me into love that does not calculate or keep score.
As the day ends and darkness falls, may the darkness be a reminder of your mercy which blots out all my sins. Amen



Psalm
139: 1-10
Lord, you have searched me out and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You discern my thoughts from afar.
You trace my journeys and my resting-places
And are acquainted with all my ways.
There is not a word on my lips,
But you, O Lord, know it all together.
You press upon me behind and before
And lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is so high that I cannot attain to it.
Where can I go then from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I climb up to heaven, you are there;
If I make the grave my bed, you are there also.
If I take the wings of the morning
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there your hand will lead me
And your right hand hold me fast.
Glory to you, God, Creator, sustaining, redeeming. Amen.

Reading
[from either the Old or New Testament or from Wisdom poetry or prose. If you wish to follow the Revised Common Lectionary for daily readings for evening prayer, search it out on the internet where there are several websites to plug into]





Music/Song I like Taize chant, a sample of which follows:
In the Lord I’ll be ever thankful,
in the Lord I will rejoice.
Look to God, do not be afraid;
lift up your voices, the Lord is near;
Lift up your voices, the Lord is near.


Vesper Prayer
For the darkness of the night enveloping the earth
Enclosing the day’s labor
Thanks be to you, O God.
For the quiet that surrounds me
And your promise of sleep for my body
And the hope of healing for my soul
Thanks be to you, O God.
I bring not only my own weariness
But the tiredness of people who struggle this night.
I bring not only my own pain
But the sufferings of those who cry out.
Hear our souls’ prayers for rest, O God.
Hear our hearts’ pleas for healing.




The Prayers
I lift up my prayers to God:
Prayers of thanksgiving
Prayers on behalf of others
Prayers for our own needs


A Prayer of General Thanksgiving
Almighty God, source of all mercies,
we give you humble thanks
for all your goodness and loving-kindness
to us and to all whom you have made.
We bless you for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for your immeasurable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies
that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise,
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
by giving up our selves to your service,
and by walking before you
in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen


Allow some time for centering prayer, quiet reflection and as Rainbo Mars says, “Enjoy your breath.”

The Benediction

§ § § § § § § § § § § §

Lord,
It is night.
The night is for stillness.
Let us be still in the presence of God.
It is night after a long day.
What has been done has been done;
What has not been done has not been done;
Let it be.
The night is dark.
Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our lives
Rest in you.
The night is quiet.
Let the quietness of your peace enfold us,
All dear to us,
And all who have no peace.
The night heralds the dawn.
Let us look expectantly to a new day,
New joys,
New possibilities.
In your name we pray.
Amen.

From the New Zealand Prayer Book

The Ceremony

A guest post by Kelly:


I’ve been writing this blog in my head for two weeks now, but I have found there really aren’t enough words to convey all that I want to here. However, I feel it is important to try to write it down, both for myself and for those involved in my head-shaving gathering, as well as those who were unable to attend but were there in spirit. This is as close as I can come to verbally sharing my feelings of the experience.

My intent was to gather with those within my overlapping communities who have shared so much and loved and held me through this year, to honor and remember Forrest and to celebrate my survival of the past year. The evening was an amazing, beautiful and powerful experience for me. Although nervous, I was prepared to have my head shaved. However, I was not at all prepared for the outpouring of love and compassion and blessings that I received. Even less was I prepared to understand how others seemed so touched by the experience. I often tend to feel indebted to others for how much they share with me and how important a role they play in my life. I have never felt that others might feel touched by aspects that I bring to the table. I am humbled by the comments I am still receiving about how the evening affected others.

As you can see from the slide show, my head received many blessings. To steal words from a dear friend; the idea that I don't even have words that can come close to describing the grateful ache in my heart says everything and nothing all at once. What I can say is that I am obviously, and now intentionally and directly very blessed. As for an update on my head, I am currently maintaining the baldness. Three days after the first shaving, I found that I was in a panic that my hair seemed to be growing so quickly; I was not ready for it to grow back. I was able to wait 5 more days, then had it shaved again. I have since shaved it again. I find in cleansing and liberating in a way that I cannot really describe and a big part of me just isn’t ready to take the next step of replacing the visible sign of my grief. So, for now, I am keeping it shaved. I recommend that everyone shave their head at least once in their life.

When I think of this past year, I think of that Footprints poem where there were two sets of footprints in the sand except during the hardest times, there was only one set because that’s when “The Lord” was carrying her. For me, it’s quite different, I feel like maybe my footprints did disappear, but there were many, many footprints in the sand, from the many, many who have helped carry me through. I know it’s cheesy and sappy… but that is how I feel. That then makes me think of my Sharin’ The Herons theme of 2007 and reminds me how grateful I am that I was able to share the herons and that the weight was distributed amongst so many of you. Thank you to all who have shared and loved and carried me, I am grateful for and have more love than you can imagine for all of you.

Lenten Happenings

Catayltic Connections
Whoo whee Lent has been full o happenings in new century world..
This past Friday was another incredible night of talented musicians sharing their gifts of soulful musicality at Shekinah. Teneia Sanders invited some friends (Jenny Madison & Katy Rene to join her in what was the third of a continuing "listening room" series entitled, "Music, _______ & Three."
Check out Daphne Luster and Nick Payne who will be playing next month, March 28th at 8:00p.m.