Communal Lectio Divina
Our humble little church's step by step process
Silence
It’s imperative to begin a practice like this with some form of silence and getting still. Some form of checking in with our bodies and doing what we can to bring to a simmer the loudness and overdrive of the left side of our brain (comprehension, logic, and analytics) and bring more to the forefront the often more timid right side of our brain (creativity, imagination, and emotion) that also needs to have a say as we engage with the living words of our God.
Most of our service is filled with reflection, meditation, and silence, so by the time we arrive at engaging with scripture, we have already been silent 2-3 times. Sometimes we hate it, sometimes people fall asleep. But there are very few other environments in our day to day lives that are set aside for us to be intentionally still and tune in to the voice of God. Here are some ways we try to do that:
Lectio
I read the text slowly and thoughtfully allowed and encourage everyone to listen along in a way that best helps them stay both alert but also not feeling like they are going to try and study the passage apart. Some just listen, others follow along in a different translation, the text I read from is also on display.
During this time we are listening for a phrase, a word, or even an image or a feeling that stands out to us as I read. It can be from the passage itself or another random one that simply pops to the forefront of our brain that we can’t shake. Whatever grabs our attention, what we find most curious or interesting, whatever we feel being drawn to. I encourage us all to trust ourselves. There is no right or wrong answer. Where do we feel naturally pulled? We are to follow the Spirit of God there.
This is followed by a time of silence for us to really grab hold of that phrase, word, image, or feeling.
Meditatio
I read the passage for a second time. During this reading, everyone is encouraged to more deeply examen whatever phrase, word, image, or feeling we are currently holding in our minds.
We are encouraged to enter into this second reading curious about why that was something that came front of mind for us. To use this second reading to let the thought expand, be changed as necessary, be "shaded in”, and become more fully clarified.
During the silence of lectio, transitioning into meditatio, I encourage us to ask the Lord to help us understand what he is trying to say. To ask him to be the one to help define and focus whatever this thought or image or feeling is for us. To make it make sense and give it clarity. What are you trying to say to me?
We end this step with another time of silence as we collect our thoughts and do our best to make sense of what the Lord may be saying.
Oratio
Typically, this step is reserved for us to respond to whatever it was the Lord was trying to speak to us. It is a time for open and honest response from the depths of our hearts. However, for communal purposes, we use this time to respond collectively, as we share with one another what we believe the Lord to be speaking to each of us.
Some important aspects to this step for us:
Everyone shares. They can simply share the one word, a full sentence, or a more in depth explanation, whatever they feel safest to do. We have always had all of our folks share at least a 1-2 minute explanation, but we are a very small and pretty committed group, so allow for more restriction as a bigger, more unfamiliar group may require. The key to this is: every voice is heard.
I remind our folks each time we get to this step: we are still listening for the voice of God. Just as much and as intently as we were while scripture was being read aloud. We are now listening for what he wants to continue to say to us through one another too. This is not just a time of open sharing. We are intentionally allowing what each other has to say to change, deepen, and further focus what God may have already said to us.
Response is allowed but should remain limited. We don’t want to go off on too many tangents or begin debates or back and forths here. We are listening with intention, remaining curious and open as each person speaks and most times we only respond when we notice patterns, when necessary clarity is being added to what someone had previously shared, or when there is an obvious moving of the Spirit that just spoke to a necessary pain or confusion point for someone among us.
A lesson we just recently learned was how vital this step truly is in hearing from the Lord. We have had some folks share that prior to other people in our group sharing they “couldn’t hear a thing” from God during the reading of scripture. They explain that it all felt jumbled and unclear or they could only grasp onto part of a thought that didn’t make sense until someone else said something that made it all instantly align. This is usually when we all get chills or I start crying. We see in real time the gravity of having every voice heard and how much it matters to one another. All this to say: leave space for “I didn’t hear anything” or “what I heard doesn’t make any sense.” It might not until the very last person has spoken. And that is not only okay, that actually may be the point!
Contemplatio
Finally, we end with another moment of silence as we allow all that was spoken to shift, change, and deepen what we feel the Lord is speaking to us. I will sometimes end this time with another opportunity to share, specifically how what someone else said may have helped or clarified something for us. This sharing is voluntary and for us, most often just happens naturally during the previous step anyway.
We remain curious about what the Lord may be asking us to do or ways he is longing for us to change our thinking or posture toward him. We end this time by taking communion together which I cannot recommend enough.
There is no greater understanding of partaking in the body and blood together than after having stepped into the presence of God hand-in-hand, where every single part of the body was heard, made a difference, and helped us to understand him better.