How great was it to have James Bryan Smith with us last night? He shared his experience with “the jogging monk” and led us in the practice of Lectio Divina. Lectio is such a beautiful way of listening to God in scripture. It moves us as the monk explained to Jim, from examining the text to allowing the text to examine us.
I was also moved when Jim said the experience of hearing from God in Lectio is like sleep. There is nothing we can do to make ourselves sleep. We can only create the right environment for sleep to come. We also cannot make God speak, we can only create an environment and place ourselves in a posture to hear from the Lord. What an incredible metaphor, not just for the practice of Lectio Divina, but also for life with God.
As we read scripture this week, let’s all commit to engage the practice of Lectio Divina. Let’s create a space for the scriptures to examine us to hear God. The traditional steps of Lectio are:
Reading (Lectio)
Read the text slowly and reflectively listening for what word or phrase stands out.
Meditation (Meditatio)
Read the passage again continuing to mull over what stood out.
Listen to what the Holy Spirit is speaking to you in the text.
Prayer (Oratio)
Respond to God in prayer. What would you like to say or ask God?
Speak to God and listen for the Lord’s response.
Contemplation (Contemplatio)
Letting go of our agendas and submitting to the Lord,
read the passage one final time in the loving presence of God.
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