Christ-Centered Meditation

Invitation

Looking for a little space to slow down, become quiet, and listen? Join us online for Christ-Centered Meditation, a weekly hour of guided meditation centered on a short passage of Christian Scripture, led by Wendy and Brad Chamberlain. Together we’ll relax our bodies, quiet our minds, listen to a few words of Scripture, and spend time in silence, attentive to where our thoughts, experiences, and the Divine Spirit may lead us.

No experience with meditation or expertise in the Bible is needed. People of all faith backgrounds, or no particular faith background, are welcome. Sharing is always optional, and there are no “right” or “wrong” experiences. We’ll meet weekly on Zoom at 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time.

What is Christ-Centered Meditation?

Christ-Centered Meditation is a weekly opportunity to slow down, become quiet, and make space to listen for the Divine Spirit, using a short passage of Christian Scripture as the center of our meditation.

And you don’t need to be an expert at anything.

You don’t need to know a lot about the Bible. You don’t need to have your theology figured out. You don’t need experience with meditation. There isn’t a “right” insight you are supposed to discover.

That’s one of the things I love most about this practice. We are all experts on our own experience.

Christian meditation has a long and rich history. We will draw especially from lectio divina, the ancient practice of slowly and prayerfully listening to Scripture and noticing what words, images, or thoughts draw our attention. Occasionally, we may also use Ignatian contemplation, in which we imaginatively enter a biblical story, noticing what we see, hear, feel, and experience as the story unfolds.

Most weeks, though, our practice will be very simple.

We’ll listen to a few lines of Scripture, often words of Jesus. We’ll hear them several times, with periods of silence in between. The Scripture gives us a place to begin, but you don’t have to spend the whole meditation analyzing the passage or trying to figure out what it “means.” We simply become quiet and attentive to where our thoughts, experiences, memories, questions, and the Spirit may lead us.

I’m continually amazed by what can happen when we give a few words enough room to breathe. A familiar verse can suddenly sound different. A word we’ve barely noticed can become important. Something from our own life may rise to the surface. Sometimes there is a new insight. Sometimes there is simply stillness.

Afterward, those who wish to will have an opportunity to share. Sharing is always optional. You are welcome to participate without saying anything at all.

And when we do share, we listen to one another without correcting, debating, interpreting, or offering advice. There is no cross-talk. Each person is simply invited to describe their own experience. What someone else noticed may be completely different from what you noticed, and hearing those different perspectives can become one of the richest parts of our time together.

Although this is a Christian practice centered on Christian Scripture, people of any faith background, or no particular faith background, are welcome. You don’t have to believe exactly what anyone else believes. You only need to be willing to enter the practice with openness and respect.

What Does a Session Look Like?

Get comfortable. I’ll be sitting at my computer so I can manage the Zoom room, but you don’t have to! Sit in a chair, settle onto the floor, curl up somewhere comfortable, stand by the window… and join in from your computer, tablet, or phone. Your camera and microphone can be on or off. During the meditation itself, I’ll share a peaceful image or video on the screen for anyone who wants something visual to rest their attention on.

We’ll begin with a few easy stretches to help relax our bodies and become more attentive. And don’t worry: everyone but the leader turns their camera off for this part!

Once our bodies have settled, we’ll spend a few minutes quieting our minds, usually through a simple visualization of a peaceful or relaxing place.

Then we’ll hear a short passage of Scripture, usually only a few lines. The leader will read it slowly twice, and then we’ll sit together in silence for several minutes.

There is nothing you have to accomplish during the silence. Simply listen. Notice. Be present. Let the words be there without forcing them to go anywhere.

After several minutes, we’ll hear the passage again and return to silence. We’ll repeat this rhythm of Scripture and silence several times as our hour allows.

Toward the end of our time, we’ll come out of the meditation and move into a time of community sharing.

Again, you never have to share. You may keep your experience entirely private.

If we were sitting together in person, we would pass a talking stick around the circle. Only the person holding the stick would speak.

We’ll do essentially the same thing on Zoom. One person will begin. When they are finished, they’ll “pass the stick” by calling another person’s name. When your name is called, you can share something from your experience or simply pass to someone else. We’ll continue until everyone has had a couple of opportunities to share. There is to be no cross-talk, correcting, debating, or judging. We simply give each person room to speak and receive what they choose to share.

The whole gathering will last one hour.

My hope is that this becomes a gentle space in the week: a place to slow down, listen deeply, experience Scripture rather than simply study it, learn from one another, and become more attentive to the presence of the Divine Spirit in our lives.