Contemplative Worship

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Worshipping through Contemplation…

Contemplation (or meditation) is one of many ways that we can seek and find healing rest in the Lord. To be contemplative is to experience a relationship with God in the present and to be filled with the sustaining love of Christ. The ultimate goal is to find peace by stepping back from the busyness of our daily lives and cultivating a quiet heart so that we may rely on the Lord for strength and guidance.

In the Contemplative Service, worship is experiential in nature. Each worship service is unique with times of quiet reflection, cleansing breath, and a guided activity. In September a contemplative series based on the Elements of Fire, Water, Wind and Earth was concluded. Worshipers were challenged to be refined by God’s purifying fire, to wash away the barriers of self doubt, to allow the breath of God to blow within them, and to excavate their heart from the binds of pride, sin and disloyalty. In October a new seven part series will begin based on experiencing a deeper relationship with Christ through each of the human SENSES.

You are encouraged to come and experience a Contemplative Service and see for yourself the power and intimacy of this worship experience. The Contemplative Service is held the third Sunday of each month in the Log Cabin at 9:45 a.m. If you have questions about the Contemplative Service, or would like to volunteer to lead a part of the service, please contact Jenn Bissett jenn@allforYouLord.com or
Vicki Jones skymackmom@yahoo.com

Contemplative Worship Service
Prayerfully consider joining us in worship. The Contemplative Service is held the 3rd Sunday
of each month at 9:45 a.m. in the Log Cabin. The service has been described as "a very intimate experience with the Holy Spirit," and some have echoed the comment that "the Contemplative service does something for my heart that nothing else does."

Consider yourself invited to come and experience the nearness of God. Contemplation (or meditation) is an ancient tradition that is rooted in the Gospels. In the Contemplative Service we meditate through music, guided visualization, prayer, mindful reading of scriptures, movement, art, and various other activities of spiritual growth and fullness. The meditations take us beyond words and our focus is inward on what some call the "prayer of the heart." The worship service is experiential as we use our senses to still our minds and quiet our souls in order that we may be able to hear the whisper of God, the love of Jesus, and the counsel of the Holy Spirit in the silence.

Each Contemplative Service is unique. The first Contemplative Service at FUMC Pasadena was held in May of 2009 and was focused on Grace and Peace. Since that time services have been offered on the themes of the ELEMENTS, the SENSES, LANDSCAPES, HOLIDAYS, and a series on spiritual themes inspired by ANIMALS. Among many other meditations, we have remembered our Baptism, sought God's path for us through the forest, expressed gratitude and love, and been filled with the courage of a lion. Do consider joining us at least once.

Blessings and peace to you.