LENT WEEK 5
Haiku Meditation
To all the weary
Beauty is a caregiver
Come and see, delight
“Come all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
To all the weary: The definition of heavy laden means burdened by cares or spiritually anxious. You may have even discovered this burdened feeling and anxiousness manifesting itself in your body. We were designed to experience an integrated life through all 5 senses and the body often testifies to what is going on inside before our mind can understand it. Jesus’ invitation to “come and rest” is an invitation to the body just as much as it is for our hearts and minds. The rhythm of a walk, for example, can align us with the natural rhythms of our breath, the beating of our heart and help us become present and attentive to God’s presence all around us.
Each day is a pilgrimage from dawn to dusk to be aware of how God is moving in our midst. The more we find ways to enter into his invitation to rest, the more attentive we become to his presence.
Beauty is a caregiver: In the creation story of Genesis, we see how God creates the beauty and wonder of the Garden of Eden and commissions Adam to tend to it. However, we also see that in the care and keeping of the garden, the garden also cares for and keeps Adam. We were designed for beauty to be our caregiver. The vibrant colors of a sunset or the sound of ocean waves rolling in can become our prayer without even speaking a word. The Psalms speak vividly of the ministry of nature when we take time to notice the details of the created world. Rest and wonder can become two of our greatest spiritual counselors.
In the preparation from our wintering season to new growth, it’s important to allow our weary souls to be cared for. God extends an invitation to beauty all around us, but sometimes we must position ourselves to see it. A photographer trains their eye to always catch the light. Sometimes they have to look from every angle before seeing how to capture the fullest potential of beauty in a single moment.
Training our eye to see the light and beauty in our daily life is a spiritual discipline. The invitation to slow down and rest is always there, we may just need to position ourselves to see it.
Come and see, delight: As we emerge from a winter season, the invitation to delight in the new is waiting for us. There is joy in a new season and we are invited to take part. No matter how heavy laden we’ve been, we can believe that we will see God’s goodness in the land of the living(Psalm 27: 13-14). A fallow season of a garden is necessary but it’s not forever. The fruitful season awaits in the dark soil, ready to emerge after intentional rest and care. Sometimes we get so heavy laden that we forget the good news that Christ’s resurrection is alive within us. Let’s turn to scripture and rejoice in this reminder.
Scripture meditation: 1 Peter 1:3-9
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.”
Guided Journal Prompts:
How might you need to re-position yourself to see beauty?
How can you make that a daily rhythm of renewal and allow beauty to be a caregiver in your life?
Prayer: Lord, let us not forget to position ourselves to see your beauty and help us to train our eyes to see your Light reflected in each moment of our lives.
Embodied Movement Meditation: “SEE” (watch for the caregiving moments, what do you see?)
Creative Prayer Response:
Read Psalm 145. Set aside a time in your daily rhythm to work on rewriting part of the Psalm in your own words as a haiku meditation. As an embodied expression, use movement from the video or your own to create a movement prayer to your haiku (Haiku is a poem of 3 lines made up of 17 syllables total with the rule of 5/7/5: the first line being 5 syllables, the second line being 7, the third line being 5 syllables again.)
1 I will exalt You, my God and King;
I will bless Your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless You,
and I will praise Your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised;
His greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation will commend Your works to the next,
and will proclaim Your mighty acts—
5 the glorious splendor of Your majesty.
And I will meditate on Your wondrous works.
6 They will proclaim the power of Your awesome deeds,
and I will declare Your greatness.
7 They will extol the fame of Your abundant goodness
and sing joyfully of Your righteousness.
8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion.
9 The LORD is good to all;
His compassion rests on all He has made.
10 All You have made will give You thanks, O LORD,
and Your saints will bless You.
11 They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom
and speak of Your might,
12 to make known to men Your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and Your dominion endures through all generations.
The LORD is faithful in all His words
and kind in all His actions.b
14 The LORD upholds all who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to You,
and You give them their food in season.
16 You open Your hand
and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The LORD is righteous in all His ways
and kind in all His deeds.
18 The LORD is near to all who call on Him,
to all who call out to Him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him;
He hears their cry and saves them.
20 The LORD preserves all who love Him,
but all the wicked He will destroy.
21 My mouth will declare the praise of the LORD;
let every creature bless His holy name
forever and ever.
Art work by Natalie Salminen Rude
https://nataliesalminen.com
Haiku by Libby Johnson
Dancers Carlie Price and Danielle Cina
Music by Ty. Rex
Copyright Vivid Artistry 2022
May not be used or duplicated without permission