A MESSAGE FROM REV. KAREN KINNEY: SERMON SERIES ON THE MYSTICS
Experience is one of the four ways in which we can come to know God directly, deepening our knowledge of our own relationship with God. The other three are tradition, reason and Scripture. The four together are known as the Wesleyan Quadrilateral.
Too often we disregard or discount our own 
experiences with God, yet many times our experiences are what give us powerful insight into our relationship with God. Christian mysticism focuses on a tangible, immediate, and unmediated experience of God’s presence or divine love which can lead to a transformative feeling of wholeness and healing.
Over the centuries, there have been many Christian mystics including the Apostle Paul, Teresa of Ávila, John of the Cross, Meister Eckhart, Thomas Merton, Hildegard of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, Howard Thurman, John Muir, Cynthia Bourgeault, Richard Rohr, and Morten Lauridsen. These mystics have taught us that through silence, prayer, music, nature, prose and poetry we can have a deep experience of God. The hope is that we both recognize those experiences and accept them as valid in our lives. That we accept them as a way to connect to the heart and soul.
These kinds of mystic experiences connect us to the heart and teach us to be present to God in every part of our everyday life. Brother Lawrence, who lived in the 17th century, taught that in everything we do from washing dishes to cleaning the house to cooking, to tending the garden, we should acknowledge the presence of God – that God was present in all the things we do.
Here is a quote from his book — The Practice of the Presence of God: ‘We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed. And it is not necessary to have great things to do. I turn my little omelette in the pan for the love of God.’
The writings and practices of Christian mystics give us tools, if you will, to help us – things like contemplative prayer, journaling and other forms of writing like prose and poetry, listening to music, walking a labyrinth, working with a spiritual director, creating art – there are many, many such practices.
This series will explore four ways to experience God, focusing on eight to nine ancient and contemporary Christian mystics. We will offer a resource table where you will find books and information about various practices including spiritual direction.
The series will last the entire month of September and here is what we will be focused on each Sunday:
Sept. 7: What is mysticism and how might it be transformative in our own lives? We will explore some of the stories of transformation from Brother Lawrence, to Teresa of Avila to the Apostle Paul with his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. How do encounters with the Holy change us?
Sept. 14: How does music provide an experience of God for us? We will explore the music of Hildegard of Bingen and Morton Lauridson.
Sept. 21: How does nature provide an experience of God for us? We’ll look at St. Francis of Assisi, Ilia Delio and John Muir as we think about how we are connected to God through nature. John Calvin wrote that to know nature is to know God and to know God is to know nature. Thomas Merton wrote that “nothing has ever been said about God that hasn’t already been said better by the wind in the pine trees.” How can we see a sunrise or a sunset or a flower growing through a crack in the sidewalk and not think of God? Of having our breath taken away by something we see in nature?
Sept. 28: How does reading and writing prose and poetry help us experience God? We’ll explore the work of Howard Thurman and other contemporary writers.
Come and see! Come and explore! Come and practice presence!
Blessings,
Pastor Karen