Spiritual Growth While Caring For Our Urban Abbey

My first blog in this series (“Our Abbey - A Community of Growth”) spoke of our life together in community and our intent to become more what God calls us to be as we live our lives. Our next Urban Abbey Chapter meeting is this Saturday, February 19, 9:30-3:00 in the Rhodes Room. This is a time of fellowship, sharing, spiritual growth and decision making. You might wonder, as I do, where the spiritual growth is in our chapter meetings. We have services and prayers and this weekend we will also have the Labyrinth open and celebrate the Eucharist together.

But I often forget what I think may be a key element of spiritual growth: our work together to discern God’s call for St. George’s Urban Abbey and how we, all of us, as God’s co-creators, are making decisions for and about our community. This is not how I traditionally think I am “growing spiritually”. Making such decisions often feels like drudging busy-work. However, I expect God does not see it that way. This is important work, and done well creates a wonderful place to share and grow.

So, as you prepare your offerings of food and presence, and look forward to quiet moments with God, join me in asking God for guidance before we arrive, and using our time together as a time to practice caring for God’s creation. What important spiritual growth, to assist God in creation!