Dear Scargill Friends
Thank you for your continued support and the love shown to us. In this mailing we have news of our latest magazine and programme release, and a reflection from Di about ‘sacred walking’.
We are glad to announce the publication of our new Programme combined with Momentum (covering new events from January to August 2023). We do hope that you find much to encourage you to continue to journey with us and to plan to book a visit to stay here, amongst the wide variety of events on offer both in-house and online. Please complete your booking forms via the website if at all possible.
We are all aware of the financial instability and struggles that many people are facing, please be aware of our bursary fund. You can access our bursary fund application form on each of our programme event booking web pages.
We mentioned in our last MailChimp that Hilary, our Kitchen Team lead who has done a wonderful job, is needing to step aside for family commitments, in the New Year. If you know of anyone who would be interested in joining Community with a particular gifting and passion to join the Kitchen Team please look on our website for the job description, or contact di@scargillmovement.org
Here is Di’s latest reflection. Enjoy!
Diane writes:
In a recent application I read the words ‘……spending time and learning about each other was so sacred, walking on the holy grounds of other people’s experiences.’
Wow, this line jumped out at me and I underscored it twice! It speaks of spending time and learning about each other as being sacred because it involves ‘walking on the holy grounds of other people’s experience’. Quite a profound statement that made me acknowledge what a huge privilege it is to be able to walk alongside another.
Holy Ground, hmmm, I wonder what they meant by that! I wonder what ‘Holy Ground’ means for you?
Betsy Jean writing for A Rocha says ‘When Moses was out in the desert looking after the flocks of his father-in-law, he saw the burning bush, he stopped, and turned aside to look and then to listen. Very quickly he found himself on holy ground. What made it holy, of course, was the presence of God, manifested in flaming shrubbery.’
She goes on to say, ‘What if, God, being everywhere (as Christian doctrine teaches us), makes every place holy? What if, every bush dances with the flames of God’s presence, but our eyes are just not calibrated to see it?’
Well, that’s a thought. If that is the case, and I certainly believe it is, we can also say – What if every bush, every street, every kitchen table, every time we spend with others, every conversation dances with the flames of God’s presence but our senses are just not calibrated to see it? What if indeed! Perhaps walking alongside one-another should not be taken so lightly.
The two travellers in our painting by Janet Brooks Gerloff (1947- 2008), are walking along the Emmaus Road completely unaware of Jesus’ presence. He was just another traveller who spent time with them, walking alongside, gently explaining the scriptures, accepting their hospitality, until they were able to recognise who he was and begin to comprehend the full significance of the journey they had just walked.
Like Moses, we need to be prepared to stop and turn aside, to look and to listen to where God is calling and like Jesus with his two companions we need to be willing to walk alongside, to tread gently on holy ground, with as Jacob said this morning, ‘Your (God’s) spirit in our steps and your (God’s) joy in our hearts.
To conclude, in our kitchen we have the most beautiful calligraphy of several blessings by John O’Donohue. One which I am constantly drawn to includes the words
‘Endeavour to remain aware
Of the quiet world
That lives behind each face.’
And another:
‘Be fair in your expectations
Compassionate in your criticism.
May you have the grace of encouragement,
To awaken the gift in the other’s heart,
Building in them the confidence
To follow the call of the gift.’
Perhaps this is how we walk on the sacred, holy ground of other people’s experiences. Perhaps this is the call we are being asked to follow!
With love and prayers from