February 2025: Ambient Prayer
We welcomed a group of 18 German students from the German Fresh Expressions network who were in London to visit various churches. It was just what they needed after a day's travel, and we enjoyed their company.
Set up:
For a general explanation and setup see Ambient prayer 1.
Movie used for the 'settle' section here
Music:
Order of service:
Arrival - music playing
Tracks:
Konigsforst 6 – Gas
My Friend the Forest – Nils Frahm
Solari – Ruyichi Sakamoto & Johann Johannsson
Welcome - brief explanation of what will happen, give out prayer cards
Settle
Track: Poa alpina – Biosphere
a candle is lit
Opening prayer
All say together
Turn towards God
with all of your being
Throw your turbulent concerns, your anxieties and joys
into the calm and unfathomable sea of God
Let them sink down until the ripples have ceased
Do not look for them
or cast lines into the depths to fish for them
Holy God, holy and eternal
maker and sustainer of all things
Calm the storms of our hearts and minds
Carry us in the ship of your love
across the reflecting sea of prayer
guided by your Son
Amen
and then let track play
Collect:
all say together
Come I this night to the Father,
Come I this night to the Son,
Come I to the Holy Spirit powerful;
Come I this night with Christ,
Come I this night with the Spirit of Kindness.
Come I to Thee, Jesus.
Jesus, Shelter me.
Descent
introduce stilling prayer
Track: #3 aphex twin
A good way of praying is to relax your body. It can help you relax if you tense up all the muscles in your body and then relax them.
Concentrate on your breathing.
Take a deep breath in and hold it for a few seconds.
Then breathe out.
In.
Out.
As you breathe out imagine breathing out everything that you want to let go of. Then as you breathe in ask God to fill you with his love and presence.
Breathing prayer
Breathe in love
Breathe out hate
Breathe in life
Breathe out death
Breathe in peace
Breathe out anxiety
Breathe in gentleness
Breathe out tension
Breathe in gratitude
Breathe out discontent
Breathe in patience
Breathe out anger
Breathe in compassion for others
Breathe out self-concern
Breathe in enthusiasm
Breathe out lethargy
Breathe in hope
Breathe out discouragement
Breathe in God’s presence
Breathe out all that distracts us from God
Collect:
all say together
Come I this night to the Father,
Come I this night to the Son,
Come I to the Holy Spirit powerful;
Come I this night with Christ,
Come I this night with the Spirit of Kindness.
Come I to Thee, Jesus.
Jesus, Shelter me.
Meditation
Mark 1:35 says that "very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed."
practice
One way to meet God in poetry is to engage in a modified lectio divina; First, listen to the poem – don’t worry about meanings, just let it wash over you. Second, listen again and this time pay attention to the part or parts of the poem that made you pay attention, something that pulls at you or seems to be full of energy. It could be an image, a line, even a single word. Sit with that thought for a moment. Then, listen one more time, focusing on those key parts. Are you being asked a question? Are you receiving an invitation?
Track: Dinorwic - Bibio
I am here. You cannot see Me, yet I am the light you see by. You cannot hear Me, yet I speak through your voice. You cannot feel Me, yet I am the power at work in your hands. I am at work, though you do not understand My ways. I am at work, though you do not understand My works. I am not strange visions. I am not mysteries. Only beyond self, can you know Me as I am, and then but as a feeling and a faith. Yet I am here. Yet I hear. Yet I answer. When you need Me, I am here. Even if you deny Me, I am there. Even when you feel most alone, I am here. Even in your fears, I am there. Even in your pain, I am here.
I am there when you pray and when you do not pray. I am in you, and you are in Me. Only in your mind can you feel separate from Me, for only in your mind are the mists of "yours" and "mine." Yet only with your mind can you know Me and experience Me. Empty your heart of empty fears. When you get yourself out of the way, I am here. I can do all. And I am the source of all.
Though you may not see the good, good is here, for I am here. I am here because I have to be, because I am. Only in Me does the world have meaning; only out of Me does the world take form; only because of Me does the world go forward. I am the law on which the movement of the stars and the growth of living cells are founded.
I am the love that is the law's fulfilling. I am assurance. I am peace. I am oneness. I am the law that you can live by. I am the love that you can cling to. I am your assurance. I am your peace. I am ONE with you. I am. Though you fail to find Me, I do not fail you. Though your faith in Me is unsure, My faith in you never wavers, because I know you, because I love you. Beloved, I AM here in your past, in this moment and I will be here in the age to come.
Collect:
all say together
Come I this night to the Father,
Come I this night to the Son,
Come I to the Holy Spirit powerful;
Come I this night with Christ,
Come I this night with the Spirit of Kindness.
Come I to Thee, Jesus.
Jesus, Shelter me.
Silence
ring a bell and total silence for 10 minutes
bell - 1/2 singing bowl – Jon Hopkins
ring bell to close
Collect:
all say together
Come I this night to the Father,
Come I this night to the Son,
Come I to the Holy Spirit powerful;
Come I this night with Christ,
Come I this night with the Spirit of Kindness.
Come I to Thee, Jesus.
Jesus, Shelter me.
Ascent
Track: Becalmed – Brian Eno
Closing prayer
Return clean from prayer to the world
and love it more
Let calm trust in God be rooted in you
like a tree that stands secure
Become shelter and healing to those around you
Bear fruit
Holy God, holy and eternal
maker and sustainer of all things
Fill us with the strong hope of your Spirit
Help us plant the seeds of your love
into the broken ground of the world
watered by your Son
Amen
And let tracks play. We will keep the candle burning, music playing so you can remain in the space for as long as you like. In your own time make your way to the cafe.
Tracks:
9:39 - Global Communication
Dundas, Ontario – Caribou
Gaivotos – Rival Consoles