Here’s a simple way of praying with a passage from the Gospels.
There are five steps.
- Begin with a prayer that God may reveal to you the depths of the Scriptures, and read the passage slowly and carefully, several times, allowing yourself to notice all the dimensions of the story.
- Now imaginatively construct the scene in your mind. Become aware of the mood of the setting, and ask yourself what all the different characters might be feeling.
- Cross over into the scene, and allow your own feelings and experiences to become part of the story. Ask yourself, “Where am I in this story?”
- Notice what happens when someone speaks to you in the story. What do you say in return?
- Close your prayers by asking for the grace you have experienced in this prayer to become real in your own life. “Lord, listening to the Gospels, my greatest desire now is to…”
What is God saying to the Cathedral today through the Holy scriptures?
The Very Reverend Peter Bradley, Dean of Sheffield
It was a great joy this week to join with many folk from across our Diocese, as well as from the community here at the Cathedral, to celebrate the consecration of Pete Wilcox as a bishop.
There are times when it seems we are faced with genuine difficulty and the only response we can offer is to pray.
One great early teacher of the Christian faith, Gregory from Nazianzus in Turkey, said that there are only two ways to God, "journeying outwards, and journeying inwards."
Next Sunday we will be processing from the Cathedral after the morning service, up Fargate, to join with the other city centre churches for a short service at the cross beside the Town Hall.
If nothing else the last few weeks have reminded the Church of England of some of the many areas where it has found it difficult to gather agreement.
As we give thanks for our new Bishop and our new Bell, let us pray that we may also have the courage to share the good news of Jesus in our communities and across this diocese.