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Lent 4: Jesus wept - the call to passion

Phil Medley, one of the Pastoral Assistants at St Matthews, gave this considered and heart-felt address to the Moot Community in an alt.Eucharist service drawing on John's gospel narrative of the raising of Lazarus. In it, Phil explores the importance of emotional intelligence - or being real, and following Christ as he was fully human and emotional. Phil challenges us follow this Jesus who does not hide from our emotions and the suffering of the world, but who beckons us to follow him to find liberation and love.
And Jesus was disturbed by the crying of Mary & Martha and the Jews that followed them ... And Jesus wept ... So Jesus stood before the tomb ... And said ... Lazarus come out ... And said ... loosen the bands that bind him.

Deep Spirituality 2 & Lent 3: Spiritual Thirst, Prayer & Encountering Christ today

Ian Mobsby of the Moot Community, reflects on the connection between spiritual hunger and knowing God as part of a Lent Spirituality Course through the Moot 'Beyond the Wilderness' event in the SW1 Art Gallery in London.
There is a profound link between a spiritual thirst, prayer and encountering Christ today.
Mother Teresa put it well when after four hours at prayer, she said to a gathering of people:
"Jesus wants me to tell you again ... how much is the love He has for each one of you--beyond all what you can imagine. Not only He loves you, even more--He longs for you. He misses you when you don't come close. He thirsts for you. He loves you always, even when you don't feel worthy. Why does Jesus say 'I thirst'? What does it mean? Something so hard to explain in words-- ... 'I thirst' is something much deeper than just Jesus saying 'I love you.' Until you know deep inside that Jesus thirsts for you--you can't begin to know who He wants to be for you. Or who he wants you to be for him."
This is the profound mystery about the nature of contemplative forms of prayer. That through the Holy Spirit, and the power of our imagination, we too can encounter Christ - today.

The risk of Love: Lent 2 Spiritual Reflection

Ian Mobsby led the reflection in Lent 2 looking at the issue of risk and and love in the context of contemporary culture. We reflected on a quote from Jean Vanier.
To the poverty of our human minds the possibility of a destiny conceived by God, and freedom, seem contradictory. Yet it is not so. For the wisdom of God and God’s respect for each person is so great, that a destiny of ultimate fulfilment, and individual freedom, are gently married, and the glory of God and of creation flows from this union. God has the secret of loving us to freedom, inviting us to share in the creativity of love. Because so many of us have experienced a love coming from parents – or others – that is stifling or crippling or possessive, it is difficult to believe we are loved by a love that brings us to freedom, and that God’s plan goes far beyond the wonder and beauty of the creation we know … Yes the deepest song of everything in creation reflects the unity of the Trinity: three persons poured out in love for one another.

Who can you trust? Lent 1 Spiritual Reflection

Nicholas Papadopulos of St Peter's Eaton Square led the first reflection in the first week in Lent exploring the theme "Who can you trust?". This is the first week of moot community arts lenten reflection called "beyond the wilderness". The reflection ends on three questions for spiritual reflection

The place of Lent in the twenty first century

Dorethe Rosenow of the Moot Community shares her reflections of Moot coming from a non-UK perspective. Dorethe explores the business of our lives and our disconnection from the planet and the seasons. Dorethe challenges us to stay with silence and forms of contemplation, for which the ancient prayer of ashing came: From dust you came and from dust you shall return. Turn from your sin and be faithful unto Christ

Deep Spirituality 1: The place of the Triune God

This is the first of the podcasts of the homilies recorded at alt.eucharist services of the Moot Community in London. The first, by Ian Mobsby begins with a quote by the theologian called Volf, which challanges the emerging church to explore the need for a deep spirituality:
A participative model of the church requires more than just values and practices that correspond to participative institutions. The church is not first of all a realm of moral purposes; it is the anticipation, constituted by the presence of the Spirit of God, of the eschatological gathering of the entire people of God in communion with the triune God. Hence the church needs the vivifying presence of the Spirit, and without this presence, even a church with a decentralised participative structure and culture will become sterile, and perhaps more sterile even than a hierarchical church. For it will either have to operate with more subtle and open forms of coercion. Successful participative church life must be sustained by deep spirituality. Only the person who lives from the Spirit of communion (2 Cor. 13:13) can participate authentically in the life of the ecclesial community.