Taking the Turns: A Labyrinth Journey
Indianapolis First Friends
Pastor Bob Henry
May 27, 2018
Psalm 25:4-10
4 Show me how you work, God;
School me in your ways.
5 Take me by the hand;
Lead me down the path of truth.
You are my Savior, aren’t you?
6 Mark the milestones of your mercy and love, God;
Rebuild the ancient landmarks!
7 Forget that I sowed wild oats;
Mark me with your sign of love.
Plan only the best for me, God!
8 God is fair and just;
He corrects the misdirected,
Sends them in the right direction.
9 He gives the rejects his hand,
And leads them step-by-step.
10 From now on every road you travel
Will take you to God.
Follow the Covenant signs;
Read the charted directions.
This morning, not only are we in the “oval” (I guess you could say it is more of a round), we are also gathered around an ancient symbol of the Church. Now, I know that we, Quakers, are not typically fond of symbolism, but this is not the typical Church symbol, instead it is a tool or aid which allows us to experience our spiritual journeys in a new way.
I want to thank Warren Lynn a pastor with the Disciples of Christ who provided our labyrinth. One of his ministries and passions are labyrinths and he allowed us to borrow this beautiful canvas labyrinth for our experience. Please respect it by taking off your shoes when walking on it. I will remind us again before we begin the experience.
To help us better understand what is before us, let me give you some history, especially if you are not familiar with labyrinths. Labyrinths seemed to develop around the twelfth century as a substitute for making a pilgrimage to a holy site. Labyrinths are not mazes or race courses, even though kids often think of them in this way, nor are they something magical.
As well, please understand, walking the labyrinth is not a newfangled technique to automatically jumpstart your spiritual life or find a specific answer to a problem or issue in your journey.
Rather, experiencing the labyrinth is a slow, quiet, meditative, practice that has historically attended to the desire to make a journey toward God. Dr. Ian Bradley, a pilgrimage leader for people of all faiths, describes it as a departure from daily life on a journey in search of a spiritual well-being.
The early church connected it with the early pilgrimages to Jerusalem – thus many old Christian churches have them built into the mosaic floors or their sacred places of worship.
A few years back, my family had the opportunity to visit Grace Cathedral in San Francisco – a grand space with both a labyrinth as you enter the sanctuary, and one outside for those not interested in the journey within the church building. I also have experienced labyrinths at hospitals, retreat centers, on the beach, and in public parks.
Often on or around labyrinths you will see the latin phrase, “Solvitur Ambulando” which in Latin means "it is solved by walking" and is used to refer to a problem which is solved by a practical experiment. This past year in Seeking Friends, we have been studying Brian McLaren’s book, “We Make the Road by Walking.” Brian describes this process this way, he says,
“The title suggests that faith was never intended to be a destination, a status, a holding tank, or a warehouse. Instead it was to be a road, a path, a way out of old and destructive patterns into new and creative ones. As a road or way, it is always being extended into the future. If a spiritual community only points back to where it has been or if it only digs in its heels where it is now, it is a dead end or a parking lot, not a way. To be a living tradition, a living way, it must forever open itself forward and forever remain unfinished – even as it forever cherishes and learns from the growing treasury of the path.”
The imagery of “the way,” “the road,” “the light unto my path” are all biblical in nature, yet how do we translate the labyrinth experience into our Quaker tradition.
My friend and fellow Quaker poet, Nancy Thomas, from the Pacific Northwest, wrote of her experience with the Labyrinth at North Valley Friends Meeting in Newberg, OR. (another labyrinth I have enjoyed journeying).
She says this:
In some senses a labyrinth seems antithetical to Quakerism, with its formal path to the center and its high symbolism of pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It makes me think of Anglican or Catholic spirituality, or, more lately, of New Age practices. But here sits a classical labyrinth on Quaker ground. And I’m one Quaker who uses it regularly.
As I draw on the Quaker conviction of the light of Christ in every person or culture, the adaptation and use of other spiritualities, when appropriate, seems entirely a Quaker thing to do. It certainly fits in with another conviction, that Christ is here among us and speaks to us in the gathered meeting and through any medium the Spirit chooses.
What I love about the practice of walking the labyrinth is that it engages my whole person. The physicality of walking, the sensuality of the beautiful setting, the spiritual focus on drawing near to God, these all combine to help me worship and pray.
I agree with Nancy’s experience. I find walking and praying through a labyrinth very Quakerly in nature. In walking the labyrinth you leave behind the noise and hurry of life – what we Quakers call simplifying. Just as you would pack simply for a pilgrimage, you offer your load to God as you begin your prayer journey.
One of things that I hear most often in conversations, appointments, spontaneous meetings is the burdens of the baggage that people of faith are carrying. This experience allows one to begin to lay those burden down.
Also, the prayer-path structure moves you slowly (now that is Quaker), toward the center and toward God. This is again symbolic of what we Quakers call “centering down.” Quaker Rich Lewis says that “centering down” in the Quaker tradition could be considered a contemplative prayer practice. He says it consists of three steps: release, receive and rest. In the same way, the labyrinth allows for each of those steps to manifest at your own pace. As you center down and begin to release your burdens and allow God to speak into your life you enter a journey (it can happen anywhere – in your chair, in a garden, in your car, or even on the labyrinth before you this morning).
With the Labyrinth, as in life, at times you sense you are close to the center and at other times along your journey you may be farther from the center. This represents the reality of the spiritual journey. As we keep moving through, we are always getting closer to the center and to God, no matter how far away it looks in real space.
At the center of the labyrinth journey you can stop and rest in the presence of the Spirit, listening for a word for you from the Spirit (this is just like we do during waiting worship). The difference is that with the Labyrinth we are physically on a journey.
So once you arrive at the center you must listen and rest and then begin to make your way out into the world with what you have received from God on your journey.
On many occasions, I have heard very clearly from the Spirit on my journeys of the Labyrinth, and on other occasions, I have simply had to discipline myself to stay the course without any special word from the Spirit.
Either way, the journey has been important to my discipline of taking time to release some burden, being expectant and open to receiving from God, and learning to rest and slow down. Something I believe we all need in our day and age.
Now, to get us started in this, I want to ask us some queries (which you will find on the back of the bulletin for this morning). These are to help you center down and begin your experience. As well, there is a cheat sheet in your bulletin labeled, “A Guide for Walking the Labyrinth” to give you prompts as your journey.
In a few moments, I will ask you to take a couple deep breathes and relax your mind so you can clearly begin to process and I will read the queries. After some silence to ponder those queries and begin your centering, Eric will play some instrumental music to set the tone for you to start your journey or waiting worship.
Please note: If you do not feel led to experience the labyrinth, please use this time as waiting worship in silence as others journey. When you feel led or nudged to begin, please come to the entrance of the labyrinth (point it out) and remember to remove your shoes before you begin. Be courteous and respectful of fellow travelers. When the Labyrinth is clear, Eric will close us in song.
Now, let us take some deep breaths and calm our hearts.
I will now read the queries for us to ponder as we prepare for our journey this morning.
· Where are you in your current spiritual journey?
· Have you traveled a long way?
· Do you feel close to God or far away?
· If you go on a journey this morning – what things will you need to leave behind?
· How might you leave these burdens behind you here and now?