Discernment
Travelling along the dirt road leading to Silver Wattle Quaker Centre we were
amazed and delighted by the beautiful scenery and bird life. Crimson rosellas
swept in noisy flocks between gloriously blooming wattles and dry but majestic Lake George was backed by rolling hills.
Silver Wattle, where our retreat on ‘Discernment’ was held, is a Quaker Centre which is used for conferences and retreats, celebrations and general accommodation. It is a lovely rambling old verandahed building with many
rooms and places in the grounds to sit quietly in reflection or meditation. We
learnt that this area had indeed been a meeting place of various Aboriginal
tribes and language groups, which added significance to the day.
Our group consisted of four folk from St Margaret’s – Pam and John Kelly,
John Tyler and Brian Stewart and ten friendly St James’ participants. We
were thoughtfully led throughout the day by Rev. Chris Lockley.
We began by talking with one other of the group and describing in one word
our encounter with them to be shared later.
Our focus to begin with was on ‘Practising the Presence of God’. We do not
have to come into God’s presence as God’s presence is already within us.
We were later encouraged to repeat the exercise at home whatever we may
be doing.
We next looked in depth at Psalm 139, (V 1-18) which speaks of ‘The Inescapable God’.
‘O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You discern my thoughts from far away.’
A number of folk spoke of their experience of God as part of them, not an
outside entity, and we discussed the most personally meaningful verses of
the psalm. No definitive description of God was given and perceptions of
God in the group varied.
We then spoke of ‘Practising Our Discipleship’ and from a printed sheet of
ideas we were asked to find ideas that resonated with us on a personal level.
The final statement was ‘Discernment opens us to a larger picture – God’s
picture, and puts our own biases on hold’. This was also a time of quiet reflection, as was a good part of our day.
Lunch consisted of healthy ‘home grown’ casseroles full of garden grown vegies and fruit. Home cooked honey cakes were provided for afternoon tea.
St Margaret's News
6
December 2015