…can be done on an infinite number of subjects…whether to eat that last slice of pizza; you’re satisfied but not TOO full…why your car won’t start; I’ve tried everything; oh wait! That “jiggle the steering wheel” trick…on the clock: I bet the boss won’t notice if I slip out just ten minutes early…your navel.

I was imagining the “$20,000 Pyramid” game on T.V. The contestant sits across from the guest star, trying to come up with “Things you center on or contemplate”. Maybe the contestant mentions the things above. Well, they should – and we should – mention the one thing that comes from above. Prayer. It’s underrated, don’t you think? Yeah, we get it. Pray for things we need, even want. Confess our sins, even repent. Give thanks for our blessings. Our family and friends. Pray for those who are struggling. All well and good. Petitions and intercessory prayer are important means of communicating with our Maker. 

There are other ways and methods, however, that can expand our spiritual life. Centering prayer. And yes, there is an app for that! A means of making prayer completely accessible to anyone. Why not use the technology available to us? But wait – there’s more! Centering prayer is a means to a deeper discipline: contemplative prayer. Sitting in silence – yes, silence! – for twenty minutes in communion with our Creator. No agenda, no goal, no right or wrong. Just being with God. I’m not even talking about Zen or any other trendy meditation. Returning to an ancient practice that makes SOOO much sense in a fragile, fragmented, chaotic world. No gimmicks, no catches. No guarantee or promise that by engaging in centering and contemplative prayer you will suddenly have all the answers or will have achieved Christian nirvana. Again, we’re not going for results here. But I do hope it catches on with you, my brothers and sisters in Christ and everyone reading these words from me – the one who definitely goes for that last slice of pizza, who has wondered why his car or truck won’t start; who contemplates whether he can slip out early from the office; who has been known to do some figurative “navel-gazing” in his life. It’s all good. Be centered and contemplate the divine mystery of how our awesome God loves us unconditionally.

Pastor Art