April Threads:: Retreat

Giving ourselves sacred space to really, truly experience resurrection

Any good preacher will tell you that resurrection is impossible to describe. There are hints of it and we point to those things as best as we are able but words fail us.

We can try to find the words, I suppose, and good preachers do. They give us great gifts from their prayers trying to name the enormity of this good news but even with all of their wise words, it is up to us to figure out what to do with this goodness. How do we live into resurrection? What do we do? How do we live now?

Photo by Eilis Garvey on Unsplash

Maybe it’s possible for you to figure this out in your every day ordinary. Maybe. This is a big question that does not have easy answers. This is something that requires us to step away from our usual patterns and experience a new rhythm. This month, I invite you to carve out time in your busy schedule for a time away. I invite you to retreat. Go somewhere even if it is only for a few hours where you can ponder this possibility of what it means for you to live into the good news of resurrection right now.

Inspired by my own travels around Europe, I’ve been working on creating retreat resources that celebrate the wonder of place. We try to embrace slow travel in our family where we savor the wonder of a place rather than seeing everything there is to see. We try to immerse ourselves fully and see what we can discover about ourselves and this particular place in the world. These retreats explore places that might be very nearby you or perhaps some place that you have been eager to return including the beach, garden, woods and the city.

These have been so fun to write and I hope you’ll consider if one of these places might fit with your hope of resurrection right now. If so, I’ll celebrate your purchase and look forward to hearing what you discover. However, I don’t want to assume that these places work for you or that you have the funds for this right now. I still hope you will find time to retreat and use the following bits and pieces to cobble together your own retreat to experience resurrection.

Each gospel has an account of what happened when the disciples realized that Jesus had raised from the dead and there are wonders in each of these tellings. In the Revised Common Lectionary this year, you might have the opportunity to hear the story from Mark where there are two endings which gives us pause to wonder when it is is ever the end. It’s a wonderful text and there is much to explore in a few pithy verses but your retreat may well come in the weeks that follow Easter Sunday and so there are other resurrection accounts that you might ponder in these days, including:

• Walk to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-49)

• Thomas Doubts (John 20:19-31)

• Breakfast on the Beach (Luke 24:36b-48)

• Fishing and Breakfast (John 21:1-19)

There is much that is contained in scripture but like the Jewish tradition of midrash there are details we would like to fill in. There are more ways to tell the story that is such good news and so you might find wisdom and insight in these poems.

• Roll Back the Stone by Janet Morley

• States of Being by Luci Shaw

• They Have Threatened Us With Resurrection by Julia Esquivel

• Spring Song by Lucille Clifton

• Open by Luci Shaw

• Could there be a badger Jesus? by Brian Doyle

• Manifesto: The Mad Farmer’s Liberation Front by Wendell Berry

• The Servant Girl at Emmaus by Denise Levertov

• What to Remember When Waking by David Whyte

• Easter Pantoum by John Terpstra

• Improv on John 21 by Maren Tirabassi

• The Touch by John Hoyte

I’m sure I’ve missed some wonderful words in this short list. If you have a favorite Easter poem that I haven’t collected among my treasures, I' hope you’ll share it with all of us in the comments.

You might know what it is best for you to do to experience resurrection, It might mean you nap, take walks, play, dance, read or journal. You may know what you need to reset your rhythms and experience new life. Or you might be looking for some new ways to pray and one of these practice might be worthy of experimentation.

• Centering Prayer

• Breath Prayer

• Daily Examen

• Lectio Divina

• Body Prayer

The above retreat planner refers to the experiences I’ve created in these new retreat resources on Dandelion Marketplace but this basic structure will work for an experience you select for yourself from the scripture, poetry and practices above.

For your experience of resurrection, I also created this Resurrection Retreat Spotify Playlist. There is something about music that changes our experience and I pray that blessing upon you as you consider what you might need to take this sacred time to retreat. However you might choose to enter into this practice, I hope you’ll take some time for renewal and discover where it is that God is calling your attention right now.

---

As you enter into this March practice, here are some questions for reflection and prayer.

• Which of your senses comes alive in the hope of resurrection?

• Where does resurrection live in your body?

• What colors illustrate your experience of resurrection?

• What part of you is still waiting for resurrection?

If you are interested in spiritual direction and are interested in a first conversation with me, please reach out or go ahead and book an appointment here. I am currently welcoming new directees and would be delighted to explore the holy threads of this life with you especially as you seek to find resurrection within yourself.