Sunday, March 6, 2011

Within the maddening maze of things

While away a couple of weeks ago, at a friends place, I picked up a hymnal and opened to this page.
Not a lot has changed as it pertains to our spiritual passage mingled with our physical experience. Wouldn't mind visiting the islands with their fronded palms about now!

1. Within the maddening maze of things,
When tossed by storm and flood,
To one fixed trust my spirit clings;
I know that God is good!

2. No offering of my own I have,
Nor works my faith to prove;
I can but give the gifts He gave,
And plead His love for love.

3. I know not where His islands lift
Their fronded palms in air;
I only know I cannot drift
Beyond His love and care.

4. And so beside the silent sea
I wait the muffled oar;
No harm from Him can come to me
On ocean or on shore.

5. I know not what the future hath
Of marvel or surprise,
Assured alone that life and death
His mercy underlies.

Written in 1867 by John Greenleaf Whittier.
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Our Values

We seek to gather family here in Charlottesville. At a pace that results in peace and health.
We relate deeply with the ancient Irish Church. Though our style does not include the traditions or liturgy of the Irish, or any other, the values of the Irish are close to our own.

Values like:

Love - the center of all that we believe

Heroic hospitality - to draw out and extend our souls to another, along with meeting physical needs, as a community.

Pilgrimage - followers of Christ are just that, He is our Lord, so, we seek to respect the conscience of each person, if the Lord is moving someone, as a community we should bless them. Pilgrimage is a lifelong following of the Holy Spirit. Check out: Ps84:5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage. (read on, it's a beautiful chapter)

Facilitation of Life - creating a safe place where all of us can grow healthy and become whole.

Spiritual community - a one on one friendship is our primary relationship ideally (this was known to the ancient Irish as the Anam Cara relationship) -
Our secondary relationship would be something like a home group, or a smaller gathering of some kind -
The larger, corporate gathering would be considered our tertiary spiritual community, one that offers sanctuary for time with God and each other.