Home from Chicago! (part 2)
Notes of Rest, solitude, meeting Christ on the Way with hope, and delight…
In part 1, Aaron reflected on the first day of the Chicago retreat. Today, Lori Shoults offers her reflection on the middle day…
Day two of the retreat in Chicago was marked by a spirit of ecumenical hospitality. We started the day in the Bellarmine chapel where Fr. Michael Sparough offered a beautiful orientation to the space. Becky opened our hearts as she led us through the morning liturgy that included worship, an embodied prayer practice with Fr. Michael, and a soulful weaving of the Gospel reading (Jesus and the Good Samaritan) with the spiritual “I Want Jesus to Walk with Me.” The question, “Who is my neighbor?”, and Jesus’ invitation to compassion lingered as we entered into Julian Davis Reid’s “Notes of Rest.”
Notes of Rest and Solitude.
Julian on piano, along with gifted vocalist Tramaine Parker, invited our weary souls into a unique journey towards receiving God’s gift of rest through Scripture and Black music. Julian introduced us to the bebop scale and used the metaphor of chord changes to describe times of personal growth and transition in our lives. It was brilliant. How do we learn to harmonize with one another and participate in practices of rest that unify us with God, neighbor, and self?
The 8 Notes
Sabbath—rest from work
Sleep—rest from consciousness
Simplicity—rest from excess and distraction
Silence—rest from sound and noise
Stillness—rest from movement and control
Solitude—rest from others
Slowness—rest from speed
Sanctuary—rest from danger and irreverence
With each note, Julian offered a time of reflection and Tramaine sang a beautiful, repetitive hymn over us and then invited us to sing along. You can listen to each of these songs on the album Notes of Rest Hymns, Vol. 1. The time ended with Tremaine singing the incredibly moving wordless song “Moan” based on Matthew 2:18.
If you were with us on retreat, how did you experience this time? Is there a particular note you feel God inviting you to practice? Are there any notes to which you feel resistance?
Fr. Michael showed that he had tuned in perfectly to Julian as he then invited us to quiet our inner child (if you were with us, you know how this went…haha) and practice different notes of rest as we entered into a full afternoon of solitude.
Meeting Christ on the way with hope.
After solitude, the Eucharist service typically marks the transition from an inward to a more outward posture, and Jonathan brought us into this beautifully with a homily “On the Road to Emmaus.” He began by honestly naming the challenge we face of holding onto hope in these increasingly tumultuous times and he connected us back to two disciples on the road sharing with Jesus their disappointment and what they had hoped. He noted that despair can have a blinding effect. The disciples saw Jesus, but they didn’t recognize him. Jonathan then distinguished between two kinds of hope: anticipatory and participatory.
“Anticipatory hope keeps its eyes fixed on a brighter horizon, a better future, anywhere but the here and now. It’s the kind of hope that strains for someday, somehow, that trusts things will get better”
“Participatory hope recognizes that the present is broken beyond belief, but it chooses to dance with it anyway.”
—Jonathan Merritt
He ended with the suggestion that participatory hope can be cultivated in community. We need each other. Josh offered this kind of hospitality as he invited us to the table with the heartfelt reminder of how deeply loved we are by God.
What might you need to let go of to actively participate in hope? Where might you offer hospitality to cultivate this kind of hope in others?
Practicing delight!
After dinner, Nina gave us a beautiful invitation into the practice of delight. This felt like actively participating in hope together.
And we did! Some of us stayed in Delight Central for the final round of Bellarmine Bingo led by Fr. Michael and Jonathan. It was competitive and loud and included breaks where Fr. Michael led a line around the room dancing to “Uptown Funk.”
Taylor led a group in a beautiful (and quieter) watercolor experience, and Jean led another group in a reflective practice of yoga. Portillo’s cake, Garrett’s popcorn, and Snoop wine were enjoyed by all! The night ended with a meaningful, communal time around the campfire.
What brings you delight in this season? How can you practice it in the normal rhythms of your life?
Friends, may you receive the transforming rest God offers. May you have the courage to trade one hope for another and experience an awareness of Christ’s presence as he meets you on the way. May you know the gift of delight as God delights in you.
Grace and peace,
Lori
The moment Tramaine started to sing Moan was the holiest moment of my whole entire LIFE. I get goosebumps when I just think about it. Did you all feel that too?