A Sense of Faith

In April we decided to go on a journey of the senses – to stop and smell the roses, to taste and see that the Lord is good, listen, (if  we have ears to hear), see with new eyes and touch the Father’s heart, or even let Him touch ours! Our senses are the way in which we experience our surroundings and that includes our faith and this workshop was designed to remind us of that!

Different “Sense Stations” were set up around the church and groups went from station to station, using their senses and sharing their findings. The fifth sense, Hearing, was done all together in the sanctuary where James taught us about Bible Meditation and how this could bring God’s Word alive for us through all our senses. 

Most of the ideas for the sense stations were found here, which is part of the SpiritualJourneys website, and where you can find lots of ideas for exploring your spiritual journey. Some pictures with descriptions of the various stations can be found here.

Over the month of April we will be practising the Bible Meditation that we were taught using exercises adapted from Joyce Huggett’s book, Encountering God.

Step 1: Reading. Become still. Anticipate an encounter with God. Read the passage several times and even read it aloud.

Step 2: Receiving. Enter into the Gospel story with all your being. Become one of the characters and have conversations with the others! Imagine what you would see, hear, taste, smell and touch as events unfold. In the midst of this process hear the word of God as it comes to you; receive the gift of His loving, empowering presence.

Step 3: Responding. How do you respond to God’s word to you? Joyce Huggett speaks of this kind of communication as similar to that of two lovers. “… when one expresses affection or warmth, care or concern, it produces in the other a spontaneous reaction: a response of the heart.” What response is called forth in your being?

Step 4: Resting. Just rest in God’s loving presence. Be led by His voice.

Suggested passages for the above exercise:

Luke 8: 22 – 25 Calming the storm; John 19 Journey with Christ to the Cross; Exodus 14: 10 – 22 Crossing the Red Sea; John 9: 1 – 7 A blind man healed; Revelation 22: 1 – 7 Being in the City of God; Genesis 1: 1 – 31 At Creation.