Our lives are crowded. We live in a world that demands much and gives little pause. Many people carry the hidden weight of loneliness or exhaustion. Into this noise, Christ calls us:
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
In that spirit, we are beginning a new monthly Sunday evening gathering of The Magdalen Fellowship of Healing & Prayer —a space to rest, reset, and reconnect with God.
📅 The Shape of the Evening
5.30pm – Gather for fellowship: bring your supper, drink tea with us, and meet in the warmth of Christian community.
6.30pm – A short prayer leads us into a time of Christian meditation and contemplative silence. We end in stillness, leaving quietly, carrying peace into the week.
This is not another meeting to busy our diaries. It is an invitation into what the early mystics called holy leisure—a time of peace, quiet, and spiritual renewal.
🌿 The Way of Christ: Self-Emptying and Silence
At the heart of our practice together is the way of kenosis—the self-emptying love of Christ. St Paul tells us that Christ, “though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant.” (Philippians 2:6–7).
This kenotic path is the way of surrender, of making room for God’s presence. In meditation and contemplative prayer, we imitate Christ by letting go: letting go of words, of control, of the ego’s clamour, until only God remains.
The Christian mystics remind us that silence is not emptiness but fullness. St John of the Cross wrote: “Silence is God’s first language.”
And the anonymous author of The Cloud of Unknowing taught that God cannot be grasped by thought, only by love. When we sit in quiet prayer, we are not achieving something—we are being drawn into the loving presence of the One who is already here.
This evening gathering will be such a place, where you can be.
🌌 A Community of Presence
While this is about stillness, it is also about fellowship. Inclusive fellowship. The early Church called this koinonia—not just friendship, but a communion of souls in Christ. We begin with supper or tea because community matters. Christian contemplation is never a solitary escape; it is the shared silence of God’s people, a silence that deepens love for one another.
In gathering monthly, we say to each other: you are not alone in your longing for God. You are not alone in your struggles. Together we can sit before God, hold one another in prayer, and leave renewed.
🕯 A Short Practice for You Now
Before you read further, pause with me.
Sit comfortably, feet grounded.
Take a slow breath in, and gently release it.
Pray quietly: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, empty me of all that is not of You, and fill me with Your peace.”
For a few moments, simply rest in that prayer.
Notice the calm that enters when we stop striving and simply allow God to be God.
✨ Come and See
This Sunday evening gathering is an open invitation to all. The Magdalen Fellowship delights in being multi denominational and St Johns is always proudly inclusive. Whether your faith is strong or fragile, whether you are used to stillness or find it unfamiliar, you are welcome. Come and sit in the candlelight. Come and taste the quiet. Come and meet God in the silence.
“Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him.” (Psalm 37:7)
In the quiet, Christ meets us. In the silence, we are healed. And in the fellowship of God’s people, no one is ever alone.
You are warmly invited. Sept 21st, Oct 19th, Nov 16th. The group also meets weekly on Mondays at 10:30 (at St John’s) with the first meeting of the month being a Eucharist, Laying of Hands and Anointing.
