Category Archives: Spirituality

Ascension Day

Brian’s sermon on Sunday gave us a taste of Ascension Day with a taster at the end. Why is the ascension of Jesus important? What does it mean to us today?

Click here to find out more!

Coronavirus and Loss

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Brian has begun a weekly series on Loss. Here’s the latest.

CORONAVIRUS – LOSS

There is that sinking feeling, the sickness in the stomach. I cannot believe that I have done this again – I have lost my wallet! I am sure that many people can identify with this situation and the feelings that go with it. It is not simply the money that may have been in the wallet, but then there are the debit or credit cards that need to be cancelled, and identity cards that need to be replaced.

LOSS or losing something can leave us feeling terrible, and the more serious the loss the more terrible and long-lasting the feelings. In this period of the coronavirus outbreak there have been a number of terrible losses. The greatest of these losses is, of course, the people that we will no longer see, those who have lost their lives. Another great loss has been the loss of income, livelihoods and employment, which may yet have even more devastating consequences. Finally, there has been the loss of our freedoms to travel, and visit friends and family.

As human beings, we have a natural way in which to cope with LOSS – the grief process. Whether it be the loss of a loved one, our health, our home, our employment and role in life, whatever the loss, we need to grieve to move on in our life. The grief process is the dual activities of letting go of the emotional and physical dependency, and at one and the same time continuing to remember and appreciate that which we have lost; and gradually, the pain lessens and the memories grow fonder.

However, LOSS will most often result in scars, the wounds may heal but scars remain. The physical scars we have on our bodies are reminders of the suffering that we have experienced. After Jesus was resurrected, he appeared on numerous occasions to his disciples and many others. One time, he met with his disciples and Thomas, who doubted he had risen, and Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe”. Jesus’ scars were scars to remind everyone of the suffering he had endured because of his love for them – they are, as scars go, beautiful scars.

But, some losses are our choice, and one potential LOSS is concerning – the loss of grace. There are cases of self-styled Lake District Neighbourhood Watch groups, notes left on cars, cars written on and even car tyres slashed. If we are not careful and do not act as a community with grace, then the scars that will be most prominent after the outbreak is over, will be the scars and memories of insularity and unfriendliness – and ugly scars they are too.

Meditations with the Aramaic words of Jesus

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Saturday, 7 March, Ambleside Parish Centre with Dr Neil Douglas-Klotz

Events for the Coniston Crake Valley

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Coniston and Crake Valley Churches are working together

There is a great calendar of events for the entire Crake Valley. You will find them at Church Calendar.

Creators Space Hub

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Following on from our successful Word Space Workshop in November, Creators Space Hub will be running another Word Space on 25^th January from 9.30am – 4pm at Torver School Room, Torver LA21 8AZ. I’ll be running another active workshop exploring Words, their Sounds and Stories, this time on the theme of SUFFERING & SALVATION with a focus on David’s Song of Deliverance in Psalm 18.

Word Space is open to everyone: those who use words, love words and create with words.

It may be also be of particular interest to writers, speakers, teachers, songwriters, actors and preachers. The day costs £5 and we’ll be sharing our usual LOAF lunch in the middle of the day.

People who came to the last Word Space on Lamentations gave the following feedback about their experience:

I liked best really delving into the sounds and shapes of words and then developing the mime.

Relaxing into physically re-enacting and breaking down the individual words gave an understanding – deeper and from angles unexpected.

The way the group gelled together as we worked and experimented and took risks together developed a real feeling of a safe place in which to experiment.

Very enjoyable and liberating.

In November, we were enjoying the workshop so much that we ran out of time and didn’t have an opportunity to share and listen to people’s Words, Creative Writing, Songs etc. So, in the January Word Space, we’ve given the whole afternoon to sharing. You are welcome to bring some of your words/writing/speaking/singing to share or just come and listen to the contributions. For those who wish, there will be time for feedback on their contributions.

I hope that some of you will be able to join us for a fun day of sharing and exploring words. Please spread the word. There’s more information on the website. If you want to come, just send me an email to book your place and pay on the day.

Wishing you all a blessed and creative 2020. Here is the Winter Programme.

Many blessings,

Julie

www.creatorsspaceblog.wordpress.com

Christian Meditation in Cumbria

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We have some dates for your diary from January to June 2019. Block them out now so you don’t lose out!

Our programme for January to June is now available. Please click this link to view it: http://2014.cmcwccm.fastmail.fm/index.html/ProgrammeJanJun2019.pdf

On Saturday 26th January at Ambleside Parish CentreBob Morley will be leading a Day of Gathering for the community, centering around our one-ness in the stillness and silence of meditation. We will look into our hearts for our direct experience of God as Love, with reflections from mystics past and present. We will also look at the notion of the existence, or not, of sin. The day will also include lectio divina and time for questions and discussion. Please download the poster here and display if you are able: http://2014.cmcwccm.fastmail.fm/index.html/Ambleside260119.pdf

Our Hyning retreat this year is Friday 29nd March – Sunday 31st March. It will be lead by Anthony Finnerty on the theme The Wayless Way of Meister Eckhart. The weekend will include a general introduction to some of the key themes of Eckhart’s mystical teaching and opportunity to explore the paradoxical silence he promotes. This will be a time for meditation woven in alongside presentations and discussion.

We’re very pleased to welcome Neil Douglas-Klotz to Ambleside Parish Centre Saturday 11th May for a day entitled Hidden Gospel: Meditations with the Aramaic Words of Jesus. Chanting and meditating with the words of Jesus in his native Aramaic language has become one of the most widespread methods of community-based, devotional contemplative prayer and ritual. Using Aramaic (either aloud or silently) offers one a direct connection—through vibration, sound and breath—to the spirituality of person who used the words, as well as to the indigenous Christianity of the Middle East

I’d like to draw your attention to Caring for Our Common Home, a day conference on Saturday, 2nd February organised by the Cumbria Theological Society. For more information, please follow this link https://caringforourcommonhome.org/