Take a good look and then consider the spiritual implications for our nation.
Washington National Cathedral Formal Prayer Service PhotoSaints, the following is the description given for the Labyrinth of the Washington National Cathedral. See website: http://www.nationalcathedral.org/worship/labyrinth.shtml
On the Washington National Cathedral website, it says:
"The earliest known Christian labyrinth is located in a church in Algeria, with the words Sancta Eclesia (holy church) inscribed in its center. As early as A.D. 350, worshipers entering the church would trace the labyrinth with their finger in order to focus their thoughts and open themselves up to the presence of God.
In the Middle Ages, many cathedrals in Europe began to construct larger labyrinths. Christians who could not make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem would instead travel to these cathedrals to walk the labyrinth as a spiritual pilgrimage, symbolizing the journey to the Holy Land. The labyrinth in the floor of the nave at Chartres Cathedral in France is the most well known of the medieval designs and is the pattern used in the canvas replica at Washington National Cathedral.
The labyrinth is composed of eleven circuits and is divided into four quadrants, clearly defined by a cross. The center of the labyrinth is a rose-shaped area for resting, prayer, or meditation."
Saints, Just how is France doing these days? I think its condition speaks much about our possible future if things continue as they are. Something to pray about. The National Cathedral website goes on to describe the procedure for using the labyrinth:
"Guide to walking the labyrinth
There is no right or wrong way to walk a labyrinth. Some people walk with the intention of addressing an issue in their lives, others to pray and meditate. It is helpful to pause before you enter to center your thoughts on your intention.
Walk between the lines of the circuit, being aware that you are sharing the labyrinth with others. You may pass other walkers, or let them step around you. When you reach the center you have entered the most sacred space in the labyrinth. The center is a place to pause, reflect, and receive insight.
Walking the path back out of the labyrinth is a time for deep reflection and a chance to consider what it might mean for your daily living. Once you have completed your labyrinth walk, you may want to find a quiet place in the nave or Cathedral chapels to sit and reflect. Our hope is that you will leave with renewed vision and a refreshed spirit."
Now, Saints, please consider the following announcement of the
upcoming event to be hosted by Washington National Cathedral:http://www.nationalcathedral.org/events/Film091025.shtml
"Sunday, October 25, 2009. 5:30 PM
Film Screening and Discussion: Journey into America Akbar Ahmed
Tickets: $10.
Buy tickets now
What does it mean to be a Muslim in post-9/11 America? In September 2008, Muslim scholar and former Pakistani ambassador Akbar Ahmed, along with a team of student researchers from American University, set out to discover just that. In the course of seven months, Ahmed’s team visited over 70 U.S. cities and more than 100 mosques, interviewing thousands of Muslims and non-Muslims alike. They found that, in many ways, the U.S. Muslim and American identities are inseparable, despite their complexity. This film documents the team’s remarkable journey in search of a pluralistic America. Journey into America: The Challenge of Islam will appear in book form from Brookings Press in 2009."
Saints, our friends at Gotquestions.com remind us of the fact that labyrinths are not biblical for the following reasons:
"1) God seeks those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24; Philippians 3:3; Psalm 29:2). Proponents of prayer labyrinths speak of “body worship” and the goal to employ all five senses in worship. But body worship is not a biblical concept. We live by faith, not by sight, and worship is not a sensuous, physical activity; worship is a matter of the heart, expressed in praise and service to God. For the New Testament believer, worship has nothing to do with external trappings such as lighting candles, kneeling at an altar, or walking in circles.
2) Prayer is not to become ritualistic (Matthew 6:5-8). Dr. Artress says that “ritual feeds the soul” and recommends repeated, regular trips through the labyrinth. If ritual were truly food for the soul, then the Pharisees of Jesus’ day should have been the best-fed souls alive—after all, their religious system abounded in ritual and tradition. Yet Jesus rebuked them on more than one occasion for the deadness and hypocrisy of their religion (Matthew 15:3; Mark 7:6-13).
3) Every believer has the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). Many who walk prayer labyrinths are seeking special insight, new revelation, or a discovery of “the God who’s within” (Dr. Artress, op cit.). Such an emphasis on mysticism and esoteric knowledge comes dangerously close to Gnosticism and New Age thinking. The Christian has no need of mystical experience or extra-biblical revelation: “You have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth” (1 John 2:20).
4) God is near to all those who call upon Him in truth (Psalm 145:18; Acts 17:27). No ritual, including walking a labyrinth, can bring anyone any closer to God. Jesus is the way (John 14:6). Repentance and faith are what is required (Acts 20:21).
5) The Bible is sufficient to make the Christian holy, wise, and completely proficient for his work in this world (2 Timothy 3:15-17). To say that, in order to find real power, we must add mysticism or tradition to the Bible is to denigrate God’s Word and the Spirit’s work through it."
My only comment is this, Saints.
Judgment begins in the House of God.
Prayers of intercession and repentance for the entire Body of Christ are in order. Let me repeat. Judgment in our nation begins with judgment of the House of God! The hope for our nation rests on right relationship with God among those of us who make up the church.
Repenting,
--Livvy McDonald
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