This Lent, join us in a simple daily prayer practice.
The Welcoming Prayer is an embodied, contemplative practice that helps us be with what is happening in the present moment, in the presence of God. Once you’ve learned the practice, it can be a tool to connect with your body, your soul, and your faith anywhere you go, in any moment, no matter what you’re feeling. As we navigate the extraordinary challenges of these days in Minnesota and across the country, the Welcoming Prayer can be a powerful tool to help us ground ourselves in God’s loving embrace so that we can respond, rather than react, to the instability and uncertainty around us.

What’s the Welcoming Prayer?
From ContemplativeOutreach.org:

The Welcoming Prayer is a method of consenting to God’s presence and action in our physical and emotional reactions to events and situations in daily life. The purpose of the Welcoming Prayer is to deepen our relationship with God through consenting in the ordinary activities of our day — “consent-on-the-go.”

How to Practice the Welcoming Prayer:
Three basic movements
1: Feel and sink into what you are experiencing this moment in your body.
2: “Welcome” what you are experiencing this moment in your body as an opportunity to consent to the Divine Indwelling.
3: Let go by saying “I let go of my desire for security, affection, control and embrace this moment as it is.”

To join in:
—Get the booklet (includes 40 short meditations, one for each day in Lent.)
Print copies available at church starting on February 15
Encourage you to get the digital download here
Open the file in the ‘books’ app on your device so that it will save your page/progress from day to day.
—Set aside 5 - 10 minutes each day to read from the booklet and engage with the practice
—Register here to join in a weekly zoom call to reflect on the practice. Tuesdays, beginning February 17, at noon. Anyone can drop in at any time, and if you’re able to make this part of your weekly schedule, you’ll find a kind and curious community of folks practicing together.

Lenten Devotions for All Ages
Another option for you this Lent: journey with Jesus through short, meaningful daily devotions written by Latino leaders from across the Episcopal Church. Available in English and Spanish, the reflections invite readers of all ages to explore God’s Word, shared burdens, and hope in Christ. With discussion questions included, it’s a wonderful resource for individuals, families, and intergenerational groups to share together. Pick up your copy in the Commons!

A prayer for all of us as we enter this season:
God of wandering and wonder, you lead your people through trackless places
And speak in the hush between wind and sand.
Guide us this Lent through deserts of our own hearts, that we may find the springs you have planted there
and walk the path that leads to life, through Christ our Way and our shelter. Amen.
—Many thanks to Bonita LaDuca for writing this prayer and this season’s Prayers of the People.

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Tags: Prayer, contemplative, welcome, control