connecting the Inner and outer

Today the church calendar threw up two apparently unconnected people – St Leonard, and William Temple. Do you know anything about them?

We don’t know much about St Leonard, but the story is that he lived back in the 6^th Century, in France, and was known for visiting people in prison and securing release for some of them. He was of noble birth, so there was pressure to become a bishop, but he declined and went to live as a hermit in the forest.

William Temple lived much more recently, at the beginning of the last century. He was also seen as someone heading to a high office – his father was the Archbishop of Canterbury. He was an academic who wanted to bring the Christian faith into line with the thinking of his time, and he was a great supporter of opportunities and education for those who were poorer. He was drawn out of academic life to become first a headmaster, then Bishop of Manchester, then Archbishop of York and finally Archbishop of Canterbury, sadly just for two years before he died in 1944.

So two very different people. One who withdrew from the busyness of the world to make space for a life of prayer, and one who threw himself into the hurly burly of church and political life.

I guess this had something to do with their temperament, and also perhaps their sense of call. I wonder which way we find more attractive – to engage with the world, or to pull back and make more space for our inner life?

It’s not necessarily an either/or – in the same way we know that if we are more introverted we still need to have time with people, and if we are more extroverted we still need to have times of solitude.

And maybe the important thing is the connection between our inner and outer worlds, and our movement between them. Mark’s gospel describes a time of intense busyness for Jesus – teaching, healing, dealing with whatever comes to come. He then goes off to a quiet place to pray, early in the morning when no one can come to him. And after this he tells the disciples that they are moving on to the neighbouring towns. His outward activity flows from his life of prayer.

When we are in the middle of the busyness of our lives it isn’t easy to make this move – to reconnect with God. We may have a daily rhythm which helps. But what about within the busy day? I was talking to my spiritual director recently about remembering to let go of the steering wheel and allow God to be in charge. He suggested putting a holding cross in my pocket. I’ve actually put an acorn instead – a reminder that what God can do is a lot bigger than what I can do.

Going for a short walk during the day, stopping to breathe and look out of the window, sitting for few moments in a different chair – there are ways to allow ourselves to connect again with God – to stop, just for a moment, to offer all that we are doing and open up to God here in the middle of it. For our prayers we will explore this movement between our contemplative and our active selves.

Begin by settling into stillness and silence - being aware of sitting here in this place - noticing your breathing. 

God is with you here. In this moment, you can open yourself to God. God’s love surrounds us. God’s life is within us. We can allow ourselves to be deeply connected to the source of live and love...

Now bring into your awareness the world you will go out into after this time: the places you will be - the people you will be with - the activities that will engage you.
 
As you look at this can you sense God looking at it with you? God promises to be with you as you go from this place. We can offer all that we will be doing next into God’s hands, and trust God to hold us.

God of our lives - may we walk more and more closely with you in all our days, and may we know that you are walking with us.