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A mother’s comforting
touch…an encouraging word during times of struggle…a sense of
peace instilled from a heartfelt prayer…clarity from the words of a
moving
sermon…God creates and provides countless ways to guide us in His
path every day, ways to help us grow in our faith and in our
communion with Him and one another.
A couple of years ago,
I discovered the meditation of labyrinth walking, and have come to
know it as a source of great peace and clarity in my life. I feel
the earth
under my feet as I walk, guided by the singular path in front of me,
lulled by the back and forth movement of this simple yet profound
space. I’ve walked beautiful labyrinths with plants lining the
pathways, rustic ones made of painted lines on concrete, and
temporary ones built of masking tape or construction flags…and each
time, regardless of the beauty or seeming lack thereof, I’ve
experienced a varied palette of emotions. I hear God urging me to
slow down, be still; and I’ve held on as He propels me into motion.
I’ve listened as He has cautioned me to hold back and take care of
myself, and hear Him as He pushes me to move beyond myself to get
out into the world He has created.
Little wonder the
labyrinth has existed for over 5,000 years, providing the “sacred
space where the thinking mind and the imaginative heart can flow
together.” (Lauren Artress). Although the labyrinth was
adopted as a symbol by the Christian church in the Middle Ages, only
recently has it enjoyed the widespread interest
experienced around the world and across cultures. Labyrinths are
often confused with mazes, but the differences between the two are
great: labyrinths have one path leading to the center and back out
again, while mazes have various pathways and dead-ends. Labyrinths
are experiential forms of meditation and devotion, while mazes are
left-brained puzzles that provide for hours of amusement (or
frustration, if you get lost!). Very different spaces for vastly
different purposes indeed!
Why this sudden
interest in labyrinths at Ascension Lutheran Church? Because I
attended a labyrinth-building workshop in Denver in September, got
really excited about it, gathered up a bunch a people and we’re all
planning a Luminaria Labyrinth event in our parking lot at the end
of November! We’ve all seen – and probably
used—luminarias around the holidays. A few brown lunch bags, a bit
of sand to weigh them down, add some tealights and you’ve got a
luminous edging to your sidewalk in front of your house. Now imagine
our Ascension parking lot, void of cars, aglow with the light of 500
luminarias lining the pathway of the labyrinth. Congregation
and community members, young and old, gathering to walk the path –
to be silent, to pray, to give thanks, to rejoice, to heal, to be in
communion. There is a place for everyone on this path.
St. Augustine is often
quoted as having said, “It is solved by walking.” I don’t know what
“it” is for you – sometimes I don’t know what “it” is for me. But I
have come to trust the process of the labyrinth – I trust that God
will be with me, whether He wants me to gain insight or to feel
peaceful and connected; and I trust that He will shine a light unto
my path. Join us in this walk as we prepare our hearts and our minds
to receive the gift of Christ this Advent!
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