November 4, 2020 Ladue Chapel Presbyterian Church - St. Louis, Missouri
The Language of Prayer (part two)

Last week I introduced contemplative prayer, a simple way of praying that helps us deepen our relationship with Christ and discern God’s will for our lives. Although simple to do, this way of praying requires that we learn to listen deeply for God’s voice. God listens to us, and we are called to listen to others.

Surface listening picks up whatever ears can hear. The next level of listening mostly uses the mind to understand and respond. When we remove distractions and focus our attention, fully present as we actively listen, we may respond to another from a place of care and compassion. By engaging all of our senses with prayerful intention, we move what we hear with our ears and our mind into our heart. This fine-tuned, deep listening allows different voices within our bodies to speak. By using all of our senses and noticing how our body responds, we can move to a deeper understanding of God’s invitation to “come and see.” 

My love of baking bread came later in life by reading and learning from master baker Peter Reinhart. His books on the spirituality of bread have sifted and moved me toward prayerful baking. The music of J.S. Bach, who wrote each piece “to the glory of God,” vibrates with my soul, but I did not grow up loving Bach’s music. There were many challenging moments practicing intricate fugues note by note. I initially viewed these difficult pieces like the back side of a tapestry, disorganized, knotted and frayed. Once I learned the notes, the musical voices weaving throughout the piece made sense. I could see that each musical line was taking turns to speak within the larger context of the fugue. If we spend time with something - anything, observing or creating, we may begin to notice patterns. This helps us change our perspective and learn to see the front side of the tapestry, a more complete vision of the story. This way of seeing can form a deep connection with our soul. 

Cultivating a life of prayer takes practice. We can read about prayer, but if we desire to deepen our relationship with Christ, we must be willing to open our heart to God and experience prayer. When I make bread I cannot merely rely on the recipe without understanding how the dough feels, especially on humid days when the dough requires more flour to keep it from being too sticky. The feel of the dough signals when it’s ready to rest and rise; I can only know that through experience. Prayer is like this. It does not come with a recipe that we hope will “work.” 

Christian mystic John of the Cross (1542–1591) said, “God’s first language is silence.” If we pray without listening amidst discerning silence, we are fooling ourselves, because without this deep heart-listening, only our minds are involved. By connecting our mind with our heart, which is not only the center of our being, but an organ of spiritual perception and knowing, true discernment can happen. Then we may enter into the heart of God and hear God’s prayer for us; acting in and through us for others. Our own thoughts can “step on” our prayerful listening until we learn to still them, allowing God’s voice to be heard. Through contemplative prayer, our hearts may support each other and become a collective heart, breathing for the world. 

We are always in the presence of God, who is above all and through all and in all (Ephesians 4:6), but it is up to each of us to open ourselves and receive God’s prayer for our lives. We can pray by listening for echoes of scripture; carrying words, visual art, songs, smells, tastes, all sensations within us throughout the day. Reflecting back on our experience helps us know how to respond in life-giving ways. 

Click here for ways you may wish to prepare for praying. For more ways to grow deeper in relationship with Christ, visit the spiritual practices page on Ladue Chapel’s website.


Other ways you may wish to participate in Ladue Chapel’s spiritual offerings include:
-Reflecting on previous God in our Midst and other recordings of music and devotions made at Ladue Chapel, which may be accessed through the Ladue Chapel Youtube Channel
-Lectio divina (a fresh invitation to prayer with scripture) Sunday, November 15, 2:00-2:45 p.m.
-Spiritual Companion group (small group of about 4 people who commit to meeting regularly as faithful prayer companions)

Contact Anne Peacock if you are interested in learning more about prayer and spirituality, or if you would like to form your own spiritual companion group.
Cares, Concerns and Celebrations

Recently hospitalized or recovering at home
Nancy Caverly, Barbara Hibbard, Marian Christy
ON CHRISTMAS NIGHT: ORGAN MUSIC FROM LADUE CHAPEL
A unique Christmas gift opportunity

David Erwin, Organist
Together with artists of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
present a varied assortment of music for the Christmas Season.
 
Recorded in 2019 in our Sanctuary, featuring our world-class Schoenstein organ, this CD will be a special addition to your music library and a valued gift to friends and family.
 
To order, please contact Liz Higginbotham at 314-280-1374 or lizh@hbistl.com
Cost is $20 per CD, and checks may be mailed to Ladue Chapel, 9450 Clayton Road, St. Louis, 63124
 
Music from this CD will be featured on the national and international broadcast of the American Public Media program Pipedreams on November 23.
 
All proceeds from the sale of this CD go to support Ladue Chapel’s music fund.
GOBBLE GOBBLE – LADUE CHAPEL TURKEY & HAM DRIVE

Please help us make the holidays a bit brighter for our neighbors by donating to the Turkey & Ham drive. Many families need more help than ever before!
Since 1983 Ladue Chapel members have donated frozen turkeys and hams to make the holiday meals of the needy better. But this year, COVID is interfering with collection and distribution! 

You can still help this November & December by donating cash to the Ladue Chapel Turkey & Ham drive in lieu of an actual turkey or ham. 

To participate, you may:
OR 
Send a check to the church office
with a memo line of “Turkey & Ham Drive”

Please contact Jill Brown or Shari Klein with any questions.

Isaiah-58 Food Pantry estimates the cost of one full holiday meal at $30.
Passing of the Peace

We would like to invite you to participate in passing the peace in one of our upcoming worship videos!  The videos that you send in really help our church family to connect with each other. If you and your family or group would like to do this, just make a short video (10 seconds or so) on your cell phone, saying “the peace of Christ be with you…and also with you” and then email it to Jesi Hempstead at jhempstead@laduechapel.org Submissions must be received by Wednesday at noon to be included in the following Sunday’s worship. If you are uncomfortable making the video yourself, please contact David Erwin to arrange a time to meet at the church to do a recording. That’s all there is to it! Thank you for sharing the peace of Christ with your Ladue Chapel family near and far. 
Monday Madness, for children in grades K-5th, will begin meeting inside from 4:15-5:15 (note time change)  on Monday, November 9th! Weekly registration is required (limited to 2 groups of 10 each) as is the signing of a new parent waiver. Masks are required for everyone, and we are unable to serve snacks at this time.
 
We hope you will join us for fun, fellowship, music –
and to work on the Christmas pageant!
Be an Angel this Christmas
Spread Joy – Collection December 6 – 10, 2020

Ladue Chapel has supported Uni-Pres Kindercottage in East St. Louis for 35 years. Uni-Pres provides day care and other services to children, ages 6 weeks through 12 years, providing an environment where children have opportunities for learning through educational, social and development programs. They work in a holistic model with the whole family to address the child’s well -being.
 
COVID-19 has strained the agency’s small budget as they provide day care and education for up to 43 kids; half their usual capacity due to COVID-19. The needs in this community and agency are real and deep.

To participate, please bring your donation to church during office hours (9 am to 2 pm). Bins will be kept in the entryway, just inside the door closest to the church office. 

Needs
  • Personal Protective Equipment: Masks- adult and child sizes; Latex gloves- size large
  • Cleaning Supplies: Bleach, Disinfectant, Comet, Bathroom tub and tile cleaner, Clorox wipes, Hand soap
  • Paper products: Paper towels, Kleenex, TP
  • Gifts for Families: Gift card $25 to Walmart or Schnucks
  • Gifts for children: New or gently used puzzles (ages 2 and up);New or gently used blocks (ages 2 and up); Art supplies- construction paper, glue sticks, scissors (child size); Diapers- size 1-6; Pullups sizes 4-6; Underwear, T shirts and socks for children age 2 months – age 12 

Questions?
Please call or text Karen Gheesling Mullis at 314-221-1219
MUSIC MINISTRY

Music for Sunday, November 8
               Chamber Choir will sing “Arise, My Soul, Arise” by Dale Wood.
LET'S STAY CONNECTED!

Fall Email Schedule: Beginning next week, our email schedule will be updated for the fall. Below is an updated schedule of when you can expect to hear from us throughout the week. There may be additional emails if need be. We hope this is an easy way to stay connected.
  • Tuesday: Midday Prayer Reminder
  • Wednesday: Chapel Bell
  • Thursday: Special Emails
  • Friday: Sunday Worship Reminder

Sunday Morning Worship - 10:30 a.m., on Facebook (no need to have a Facebook account - just go to www.laduechapel.org, click on Worship on the top and then find the link). Worship will also be available on our YouTube channel. Share our services with your friends on social media! We love meeting new people and growing our online community.

Sunday Morning Zoom Coffee Half Hour - Join us after worship, at 11:30 a.m., for a Zoom Coffee Half Hour. Click here to join the Zoom Coffee hour (the link to join will also be provided in the Facebook worship post and the worship information email on Friday.)