O God, You are my God, I seek You, my soul thirsts for You. Psalm 63:1
A Sacred Space Experience
Living Word Community Church
January 2014 PAGE
Welcome to...
Rest | Refill | Revive
On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me and drink.” John 7:37 (NIV) The Well, Living Word’s sacred space experience, is designed to provide you with a restful, prayerful, and Presence-filled environment that allows you to hear God’s voice and respond to Him in love. There are six stations that are designed to be experienced in order. This booklet is meant to be a working guide, providing the context for each station and questions to help you engage with the experience. Station One Station Two Station Three Station Four Station Five Station Six
Drawing In Thirsty Souls & Cracked Cisterns Rest & Refill Future Hope Pouring Out Reflection PAGE 2
How to Get the Most Out of Your Experience at The Well Please read the following thoughts and suggestions. They will help you move into the kind of experience The Well is designed to foster. Please turn off your cell phone, pager, or any other electron-
ic device. Please remain silent while in this sacred space experience.
There may be others going through at the same time. Silence is necessary for prayer, reflection, and listening to God. Even if you meet others you know and with whom you are
friends, greet them with a silent nod or smile. You can have conversation with them later, outside of the sacred space. Take as much time as you desire at each area. Move from
place to place at your own pace. There are no time constraints. The Well is designed for you to use several elements: the
quiet space itself, the artistic and sensory components, this reflection guide, and a Bible and journal if you have them with you. This is a place to slow down, become internally quiet, and be sensitive to how Christ is drawing close to you, in order to hear what He is saying to you. You should use these elements as you desire and as they are helpful. We provide suggestions and guides for reflection. Use them
as stepping stones and starting points. Keep in step with the way the Holy Spirit is moving (Galatians 5:25).
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How to Get the Most Out of Your Experience at The Well The Well experience has been designed for adults and those
who are able to spend time in quiet reflection and prayer. If there are children with you, please pay attention to their experiences (while still attending to your own). If a child is unable to maintain the quiet needed for The Well, you may need to move through this experience a little more quickly for his or her needs.
Please enter [station one] Drawing In‌
May you have a special encounter with Jesus at The Well... PAGE 4
[station one] Drawing In Here are some thoughts to begin your reflection and meditations. Read, reflect, pray, listen… This is the preparation space. You may come to The Well with many cares and distractions. Your life is filled with responsibilities and busyness. Your mind may be cluttered with the “remnants of a jam-packed day.” Perhaps your heart is burdened and weighed down with hurt and disappointment. This is the time to begin letting those things go and direct your focus to… Christ, His deep love and grace, and all the spiritual blessings He has for you.
Quiet down before God, be prayerful before Him. Don’t bother with those who climb the ladder, who elbow their way to the top. Psalm 37:7 (The Message) When we are quiet, alert, and aware, we know the deep down longing for a more intimate relationship with Jesus. Often, He is squeezed to the margins of life. This is the time to allow Him to move from the periphery to the center. Jesus misses you when you are not present with Him. He wants to be with you. You bring joy to His heart by carving out time to be in His loving presence… to sit at His feet… to drink deeply from The Well of Living Water that He freely offers you.
Give your burdens to the Lord. He will carry them. He will not permit the godly to slip or fall. Psalm 55:22 (TLB) PAGE 5
[station one] Drawing In Whatever weighs you down, use a prayer similar to what follows as a way to offer these burdens to God. Lord, I release ___________________ to You. I hand this over. (Repeat this as often as needed to name as many things as necessary.) I am tired of carrying it. Give me ears to hear You and eyes to see You in this sacred space. I long to be with You, but make that longing even stronger. In Christ’s name. Amen. Take a few moments. Gaze upon the face of Jesus. Picture Him in your mind and heart. Feel His presence with you. See the joy in His face; the love, the peace He has for you. You are deeply loved by God. He cares for you...about your day, your circumstances, your relationships, your needs, your struggles. He wants to give you rest; He wants you to be filled with His Spirit; He wants to revive your soul so you can go forth, carrying His love to others.
In the morning, Lord, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3 Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings. Hebrews 10:22a Jesus, I am here to spend time with You, to listen for Your voice, to feel Your touch. Meet me in a deep way today as I seek you at The Well. - When you are ready, move further into The Well – PAGE 6
[station two] Thirsty Souls & Cracked Cisterns
For my people have committed two sins; they have turned away from Me, the Spring of Fresh Water, and they have dug cisterns, cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all. Jeremiah 2:13 (GNT) O God, my God! How I search for You! How I thirst for You in this parched and weary land where there is no water. How I long to find You! Psalm 63:1 (TLB) First: We all turn away from God – the Living Water. For most of us it is a slow turning, a gradual drifting, an unnoticed distancing, a careless forgetting… but turn away we do! What are the reasons for your drifting, forgetting, distancing, turning away…?
Then: We dig “cracked cisterns.” Cisterns are underground water storage areas. A cracked cistern is our own attempt to find other sources of water, life, refreshment, strength, comfort. These are our attempts to fill our emptiness, satisfy our thirst, make our own meaning. But these “cracked cisterns” never work… at least not for long. They promise much and provide little. What are the “cracked cisterns” you have made?
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[station two] Thirsty souls & Cracked Cisterns What have you turned to for life, meaning, strength, purpose, and love?
So: We thirst. Maybe you can’t put words to how you feel, but you know there must be more to the journey with Christ than what you experience. Are you thirsty and in a dry and weary place? What is it like to be parched, dry, thirsty?
God seeks after you. As much as you “think” you are seeking God at The Well, the deeper reality is that God seeks you. He seeks you when you are in a dry and barren land. He seeks you as you are making your own cisterns. He seeks you before you have a first turning back to Him. He seeks, He invites, He pulls you to Himself.
Don’t be afraid, for the Lord will go before you and will be with you; He will not fail you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:8. You are loved by God. Realizing that Christ lovingly seeks you, what is your experience knowing that you do not need to fear; that you are not, and will never be, alone or forsaken?
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[station two] Thirsty souls & Cracked Cisterns Turning back: For those of us who have turned away, we are invited to return, to turn back. Are we sorry for turning away? Are we saddened at our attempts (the broken cisterns) to find life apart from God? When we turn back to God, we tell God our sorrows. We “confess” to God our turning away. We name our cracked cisterns to God. “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!” Psalm 139:23 RESPOND: Take time to confess your turning away, your
cracked cisterns, your hurts, your sins, your needs to God. Using the brown paper and a sharpie pen, write what you’ve turned to instead of turning to Jesus, the source of Living Water. Leave your response(s) in the sand or place them in the glasses displayed. Be full of confidence as you do this, for, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
Come to Me. An invitation awaits. Deep calls to deep.
A white-tailed deer drinks from the creek; I want to drink God, deep draughts of God. I’m thirsty for God-alive. I wonder, “Will I ever make it – arrive and drink in God’s presence?” Psalm 42:1-3 (The Message)
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[station two] Thirsty Souls & Cracked Cisterns Space for personal reflection:
- When you are ready, continue on PAGE 10
[station three] Rest & Refill Rest. Slow down. Hit the pause button of life. Disconnect. Unplug. Power off‌ and be with Jesus. Focus on Him. Attend to His voice. Enjoy His presence. Relax in His love. Sense His heartbeat. And listen‌ This is what you need. You need it often, not just occasionally. Your life is busy, full, demanding, fast-paced, noisy, distracting. It is just the way it is, and almost impossible to change. But we can change by learning to rest. Learning to draw near to Jesus. Rest is promise, it is command, it is invitation, it is healing.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28-29 Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest is still open, let us take care that none of you should seem to have failed to reach it. Hebrews 4:1 (NRSV) What keeps you from entering His rest?
What needs to change in your life rhythms and routines so you can regularly rest?
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[station three] Rest & Refill As you rest, Jesus wants to refill, restore, rejuvenate, revive… all that you have lost. All that has been drained and depleted. Everything you are missing, needing, longing for. Love, joy, peace, energy, passion, vision, strength – whatever you need – you will find it in Jesus as you rest in Him. What do you need to receive from Jesus right now? Tell Him what you need and ask Him to give it to you. Picture yourself with arms open, hands facing up, ready to receive from Jesus. Now, see Jesus giving you what you most need. What do you receive?
What are you sensing as you receive from Jesus?
Is Jesus saying anything to you?
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[station three] Rest & Refill As you rest, as you receive, as you are refilled, you are made ready for life – no matter how hard, challenging, and demanding. You will carry the Living Water of Christ with you.
Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the Water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The Water that I will give them will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14 (NRSV) This space for resting is large, open, accommodating. Whether you have chosen—a chair, a kneeling bench, a spot on the carpet – rest as long as you need. God is always with you, but right now, you are more aware of His presence. You are connected… closely, deeply, lovingly connected. Enjoy this.
Drink in the goodness of God. Soak in His love for you. Absorb His love for the world around you.
You are filled with His fullness for two reasons. One – because you are loved. Then – because you will go forth, with that love, into a world that needs it. Soon. But for as long as you need – rest, be filled, be with your God. PAGE 13
[station three] Rest & Refill Space for personal reflection:
- When you are ready, continue on PAGE 14
[station four] Future Hope You have come far on this journey and in this space. You have felt your thirst for God. You have realized how you turn away and how you make your own cracked cisterns. You have entered His rest and experienced His filling Presence. You are ready to look ahead… in anticipation… in faith, love… and HOPE.
For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 Forget about what happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? There it is! I’m making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands. Isaiah 43:18-19 (The Message) Hope is oriented toward the future. Hope is the strong conviction that God is at work, that His will be done, that His kingdom will come, that His purposes in your life will be accomplished, and that He will complete the good work He started. Hope understands there will be hard times. Hope understands that problems will continue and that hurt will happen. But hope knows Christ is stronger and that His love will prevail in the end. Hope knows that grace will always be there and that God’s strength will give you all you need for whatever happens.
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[station four] Future Hope What are the new things God is doing in your life?
What are the new things you would like God to do in your life?
What speaks to you in the Isaiah and Jeremiah passages?
Ask God to give you a wide vision for all that lies ahead for you.
You are free, forgiven, and filled with great grace and power. Satan, the enemy, may seek to trick you, deceive you, upset you. He throws condemnation (doubt and fear) your way. He wants nothing more than to stop what God has been doing in this sacred space. But he can’t. Christ is stronger. Grace is greater. Love is deeper. That is your hope.
Therefore, now no condemnation awaits those who are living in Jesus the Anointed, the Liberating King, because when you live in the Anointed One, Jesus, a new law takes effect. The law of the Spirit of life breathes into you and liberates you from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2 (VOICE) PAGE 16
[station four] Future Hope Do you know the great freedom you have in Christ?
Do you believe He will be with you at all times and in all things?
Do you see the beautiful things He has planned for your future?
Do you feel the deep, deep love He has for you‌ how He treasures you?
Do you relish the great hope you have in Christ?
What are you hearing from Jesus right now as you consider these things?
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[station four] Future Hope
And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love. Romans 5:5 (NLT) As you finish your reflections and prepare for the final space – what is your great HOPE, confidence and trust right now?
- When you are ready, continue on to station fivePAGE 18
[station five] Pouring Out You can’t give what you don’t have. You can’t pour out from an empty pitcher. If you are dry and parched, all you have is dusty sand to give. But you have more… much more… You have Jesus, His water, His life, His refreshment, His very Self.
On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” (By this he meant the Spirit whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.) John 7:37-39 (NIV) Thanks be to God, we live in the age where the Spirit of Christ has been poured onto all who believe. Jesus gives the Spirit without measure. As Jesus gives us His Spirit, He gives us Himself. As Jesus gives us His Spirit, He gives us rivers of living water… water that flows and flows and flows and flows… As you are connected to Jesus, the Source of Living Water, you are filled to overflowing with His life. Then as you move through the world, no matter how barren, dry, dusty, dirty, empty, broken, and ruined those places are – you bring the life of Jesus to those places. You bring life, love, joy, peace, hope, power, possibility, and a future. You bring to others what you have first received.
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[station five] Pouring Out You freely and fully receive so you can give it away. And the delightful surprise is that as you give it away, you have even more to offer (as long as you stay connected). What do you feel as you imagine life like this?
Do you believe that through you, Jesus wants to spill and splash over into a dry and weary land? Please – believe this!
Can you see yourself being the conduit/waterway through which Jesus pours Himself into others? Please – see this!
You are blessed to be a blessing.
Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Romans 12:9a (NLT) We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 1 John 4:16 (NLT) PAGE 20
[station five] Pouring Out Who are you near… who can be blessed by the living water of Jesus spilling over from you?
What do they need that Jesus will give, through you?
At work…
At home…
At the places you regularly visit…
What are the tangible ways you can pour (and be poured) into their lives?
With His love, you will be used to change the world. But His love must first and always flow into you and then through you. Broken cisterns hold no water. Connected to the Source of Living Water, you will not run dry. PAGE 21
[station five] Pouring Out So, return to The Well… even when this experience is over… you can return… in your home, in your place of work, wherever you are – there Jesus, the Source, the Well is. That, too, is our great hope and joy.
How are you led to pray right now?
What praises and worship do you have to offer?
Please take a photo from the table as a reminder to be refilled by the Source of Life so that you can pour out into those around you.
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[station six] Reflection There is an ancient practice called “Repetition.” It means what it says. You revisit what you have experienced. You think again about your meditation, your experiences, your impressions… What surprised you during your time in this sacred space?
What enlightenment (or revelation) did you receive about God – about who He is, about what He wants to do, about what He has for you?
What have you learned about yourself?
What new sense do you have about returning to The Well, to find rest and refilling, to find hope?
What are some ways you can create your own sacred space and time, your own way to go to The Well of Christ throughout the week?
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[station six] Reflection It has been the great joy of the creative arts team to prepare The Well experience for you. This is our closing prayer for you‌
I (we) pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (NLT)
- go in peace, joy, love, and hope - go in the grace of God - go in the fullness of Christ’s Holy Spirit -
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A special thanks to The Well Planning Team: Beth Fowler - Penny Heilman - Joanne Hilliard Travis Thompson - deAnn Roe And a special thanks to those from the Infused Arts ministry who assisted with the installation and the tear down. Thank you to Pastor Brian Rice for providing guidance for this project. The Well is a quarterly sacred space experience imagined and implemented by the Infused Arts Ministry. Each new installation of The Well (January, April, July, October) will have a different theme that will offer you a unique prayer experience. April at The Well will be a Lenten theme focusing on Jesus’ Passion. Mark your calendar for April 10, 11, and 12, 2014.
If there is a stirring in your heart and you’d like to speak with someone or would be encouraged by prayer, please contact deAnn Roe at droe@lwccyork.com or 717-755-0089 x126. She’s available to speak/pray with you or refer you to someone else on staff at Living Word.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14 (NLT)
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w w w. i n f u s e d - a r t s .c o m
Scan this QR code with your smart phone to go directly to the Infused Arts website. Requires a QR reader app to do this.
2530 Cape Horn Road Red Lion, PA 17313 717.755. 0089 www.lwccyork.com
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