Charlotte Elia offers this sermon on Mark 6:30-34, 53-56, a passage about the crowds seeking healing from Jesus.

"There’s never no more urgent time for prayer than the now in which you find yourself, but I also- I know what it feels like to exist in this world right now. I often feel overwhelmed, anxious, frightened, helpless, useless, and when I start to feel a bit better, a bit more hopeful, another breaking news alert comes through to break me. I don’t know what the future holds- for this nation, for the world, for myself. I think I have a pretty fair idea based on my reading of scripture and my knowledge of history, but I don’t know what’s going to happen. What I do know is that if I’m going to survive this, if I’m going to be functional in the midst of this, if I’m going to be any help at all, and if I’m going to retain some sense of wellbeing- I’m going to have to pray. I’m going to have to be intentional about reorienting myself to God’s purposes, about centering myself in God’s presence, and about letting myself find comfort in the wellspring of God’s ever-abundant love. I know that’s what I want for myself. I believe that’s what God wants for me, not this rage and confusion and bitterness I feel otherwise. I want to rest deeply in God’s care. I want to walk steadily in God’s path. And I want that for you too. I believe God wants that for you also, and prayer is the primary tool to attain that."

This sermon was preached on July 21, 2024 at Chester Presbyterian Church in Chester, Virginia.

This episode is a live recording of a Requies Divina session held at Chester Presbyterian Church in Chester, VA on May 15, 2024.

Join Charlotte Elia for a time of guided contemplation and centering prayer for spiritual rest and renewal. Put on some comfy clothes, settle onto a mat or bed, and give your breath, your body, and yourself to God.

During our practice you will be invited to focus on an intention, for healing or wholeness, for yourself or someone else, something that you want to release to God’s care. You might take a moment to think about an intention before your begin. You don’t need to search your mind for something. If nothing presents itself, you may simply choose the intention of rest for yourself.

If you should fall asleep during our practice, that’s okay. Don’t fight that. It’s what your body wants. It’s what your mind wants. It’s what God wants for you. You are safe here in this space, in this sanctuary. Receive the gift of peace, of rest, that God grants you.

“You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” -Augustine

You can learn more about the practice of Requies Divina with the episode of our podcast Requies Divina: Developing a Practice for the Present.

In this episode Chad and Charlotte discuss Charlotte's experience with COVID-related phantosmia, an olfactory disorder which causes for her the sensation of smelling smoke that is not actually present. Chad then introduces us to various philosophical takes on our perception of reality before inviting us to deeper reflection on how we perceive the Divine and whether we can reliably communicate those experiences to each other.

Chad: One of the benefits of recognizing the limits of our understanding, especially through perception, but maybe just in general, is it should give us, number one, a little more humility- I am not seeing the world as it is. I pretty much assume that, and so I need to take a step back, because I could get things wrong! And again, I'm hearing you saying this: and be open to other people's experiences because they might see something I'm not seeing, so I can learn from them.