A book review on The Abiding Tree, by Michael Weissman is followed by notes from our recent On Line Open Council meeting. It seemed to me that the Julian Meetings are like ‘An Abiding Tree’, providing shade and sustenance to those who attend meetings, follow us on line, or use our web site and social media accounts. They keep us abiding in Christ.
BOOK REVIEW: The Abiding Tree: a Parable for the Weary.
A tree was planted in good soil. It put its roots down, and grew, producing leaves and fruit. People came, sat in its shade and took its fruit. Over the years, it kept giving but ended up tired and battered. The rains seemed to fall less. The ground grew hard and dry. It felt like giving up. Then came the gardener, who looked at it, paid attention, and sent rain to the distant hills. Over the days, the rain seeped down to the tree. It stretched its roots down and took up the fresh water. Slowly it revived. One day the gardener returned and saw that it was healthy again. He sat, rejoicing, in the tree’s shadow, enjoying its leaves and fruit again.
Michael explained: “I wrote The Abiding Tree initially for one friend. He’d given everything to everyone until there was nothing left for himself. He was drained by life. I wanted to help him, but I didn’t know what to say. So I did the one thing I knew to do: I turned to the Bible. … The problem wasn’t that my friend gave too much. It was that he gave from an exhaustible source. He didn’t need to try harder. He didn’t need to become stronger, more disciplined, or better at enduring. He simply needed to stop trying to produce life from himself. He needed to abide in Christ” (John 15:5)
Every page of this heart-warming parable is carefully illustrated using AI. Each offers a different bible verse about God restoring us.
One could open the book each day, or at the beginning of a Julian Meeting, to allow God to refresh us, not just for today, not just through a dry patch, but for secure long term abiding. This encouraging book takes us to the living waters on which we all depend.
ISBN-13 979-8952350007 Publisher : Fresh Perspectives. Amazon UK: Kindle at £5.90, print from £13.99. Local bookshops can order direct from the publisher. There is a ‘print on order’ service. Picture ©Fresh Perspectives Publishing. Text: ©Blog Editor.
Local Groups written contributions to OUR RECENT ZOOM MEETING
Some groups sent written replies to our questions before the meeting. I removed Names and locations so that the groups cannot be identified, but they illustrate the variety of meetings.
We have a Monthly online meeting, with folks from very far outwith our region! It has kept us accessible for all, and we can share images and music to accompany our stillness, if we wish. It is a very welcoming and all-encompassing group.
We are a regular group of 6-9 men and women from CofE, RC and ex URC backgrounds. Ages range from 50s to 80s. We share 30 mins of contemplative prayer usually starting with The Lord’s Prayer and ending with the Grace. After praying we enjoy a cup of tea and fellowship. We are encouraged by the friendship of others, their love of Jesus, and the opportunity for silent prayer. However, many are reluctant to lead.
Our in – person meeting, has a kind and gentle lead who ensures welcome and inclusion. It is ‘low key’, small, unpretentious, and accepting. The lead starts off with word of any absentees and of those we need to hold in prayer. A verbal reading is followed by music to enter silence. Different members contribute to the workings of each meeting. Further music brings us out, followed by the Grace. We seldom have any discussion of the reading. We enjoy more local conversation and chat over tea.
Our online group starts with a member who runs through a short ‘stilling’ exercise. We then have a ‘visual’ or illustration with the text of the initial reading that someone else speaks, and which then stays on screen throughout the silence. The text is re-read to come out of silence and forms the basis for ensuing discussion. We only say the Grace together when signing out of zoom. A piece of music often accompanies the visual at beginning and end. It takes the form more of meditation than of contemplation but has established something strong that works remotely.
A monthly meeting helps to strengthen my imperfect practice of daily stilling and contemplation, and introduces me to new sources that I’d not have found otherwise. For most of our interactions with others there is an obligation to engage in talk. People with whom one can share silence are special and it heartens me to find them, however few and far between.
Our meetings are an introduction to the simple practice of meditation in the Christian tradition. They are designed to introduce people to the practice and to encourage and sustain people as they get started with a regular daily silent practice. They start with a talk on a Christian theme or aspect of modern living and set out intent. After a period of silence, we have some fellowship time to discuss what arises during practice and to encourage each other. I am boosted by belonging to (another group with more frequent on-line meditations). I am also encouraged by reading, and I attend retreats when I can, including a recent joint Christian and Zen retreat.
Our group has been running weekly now for around 5 months. There are 12 people who have attended and most weeks we get between 6 to 8 – but not always the same 6-8! worst attendance was 4 best was 9. I think it is appreciated by regulars, and it covers mainly Christians I know from church but 4 people from the village who are not church goers. I have only just started to advertise it beyond our little congregation and through the Julian Groups, so hopefully we may attract a few more people
I think that is about 25 years since our group started but we still meet on the last Friday of every month at month. There are only two left from the original group but now we usually have at least three or four people from the seven on the list, at each meeting. We take it in turns to provide a lead in and these vary enormously, sometimes just a short piece of poetry and sometimes a longer piece, – or short extracts from a book. A candle is lit when everyone is settled and the lead-in is read aloud before we go into half an hour of silence. I bring us out of the silence with a short prayer and then when everyone is settled with coffee and biscuits, the lead-in is read again before we share our thoughts. The thing that I value most is the shared silence, and sometimes there are quite long spells of silence while we absorb some new understanding.
We meet on the fourth Monday of each month in a church room. After lighting a candle to form a sacred space, we have a short reading followed by a piece of music, before moving into the Silence for half an hour. Then we have a second piece of music followed by a prayer or another short reading to come back out of the Silence. Then we put the kettle on for tea or coffee and biscuits and a chat about our experience and plans resulting from it. During the Silence we listen for the Holy Spirit and receive thoughts or feelings in return. We are encouraged by the insights that we gather, the sharing of experiences, the calm of sitting with the Holy Spirit, the company of likeminded friends. We have 6-8 people attending each month out of an interest group of fifteen to twenty. Members are from four local churches; Anglican, Methodist, Presbyterian and Catholic. In addition one member is agnostic.
We had to stop meeting in the chapel two years ago. It was very difficult to bring people to join us, or to give silence a try. People are welcome to join myself and husband at our house for a shared silence, and one person tries to do so. I send an e-mail or letter with a lead-in and lead-out to all. I would really miss the shared, in-person silence, … but everyone else seems happy with the current arrangements. We put JM into God’s hands when we had the Gathering in London, and I am happy that it is still bringing people to silence and contemplation in ways that suit the changing times. I continue to pray for the Spirit to guide those who are now tasked with caring for its future.
Our group is small, informal and welcoming. We are encouraged by sharing with others a period of silent reflection, and by taking turns to select a reading and briefly introduce it. Sitting in silence for a sustained period of time is a discipline which always repays. We have no more than 6/7 members at any one time. We share the organisational tasks and run quite smoothly. We would like to see a few more members but would not like to lose the intimacy of the smaller group. The loss of one or two key members might see it close down. It has a certain fragility.
The Julian Meetings support in-person and online groups around the country. We make teaching on Contemplative Prayer and Meditation as easily and widely accessible as we can. Articles and reviews express the views only of their respective authors.
We invite readers to contribute articles or to suggest books for review, and are looking for further member reviewers.
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