Contemplative Listening with Megan Westra

SEASON TWO - EPISODE 21: CONTEMPLATIVE LISTENING WITH MEGAN WESTRA

On this episode of the podcast, I have the privilege of interviewing Megan Westra.

Megan is a pastor in Milwaukee, WI, author of the soon-to-be-released book, Born Again and Again: Jesus’ Call to Radical Transformation, host of the Podluck Podcast, and is an advocate for the marginalized, voiceless, and those who need hope. I stumbled upon Megan’s work thanks to Twitter and have been following her and her work for a while. 

Her personal faith journey has led her from very conservative southern baptist routes to a contemplative faith that leads to action and equity. And in this episode we touch on centering prayer, lectio divina, and silence as ways to encounter God in fresh ways. 

One of the greatest insights I gained from this conversation was from a brief comment Megan made about finding God in the silence.

Now, I’ve often heard that in silence, we can hear the still small voice of the Divine. There are ancient scriptures that speak to this point. However, what Megan states in this episode is that in the silence God is.

So, silence and stillness does not necessarily mean the absence of God.

Nor does silence and stillness mean we can maybe, just maybe, hear the still small voice of God.

But it means that in the silence and stillness God is.

I don’t know about you, but that is refreshingly good news to me. It’s great to reminded that silence and stillness are not a barrier to encountering God, but are ways to encountering God.

Therefore, stillness, silence, and contemplative practices are a way to complete reorient our lives to encounter God in all places and at all times.

If you enjoy this episode, please be sure to rate and review this podcast on Apple Podcasts as it enables more people to see the podcast. As always, this podcast was recorded and edited on Monocan Land. 

As you discover the richness of lectio divina, journey to a faith that takes you places you never thought imaginable, and discover the Divine within the silence and stillness, may you have peace, may you have calm, may you have happiness.

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Listening to the Shema

In graduate school, I had a Hebrew and Old Testament professor who offered students the choice to memorize a passage, known as the Shema, from the book of Deuteronomy as an assignment. The requirement was that once we had it memorized, we needed to set up a time to recite the passage to the professor during his office hours.

Being a former professional actor, memorizing came easy to me, so you know I chose that assignment quicker than one could blink.

I’d take memorizing some of the Bible over writing a paper or translating Hebrew. Honestly, if I could have tap-danced or sang my way through seminary rather than translated, exegeted, or wrote 30-page papers, I would have been the best student.

The passage we had to memorize, although longer than the Shema, was as follows:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

When the Lord your God has brought you into the land that he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—a land with fine, large cities that you did not build, houses filled with all sorts of goods that you did not fill, hewn cisterns that you did not hew, vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant—and when you have eaten your fill, take care that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

-Deuteronomy 6:4-12

A few read overs and I had that thing memorized, ready to get my easy grade. I made my way to his office and sat across from him at his desk. On the walls behind each of us were floor-to-ceiling bookcases filled to the brim with books and resources I’m sure he read multiple times.

When I felt ready, he said, I could recite the Shema to him. Just before I began, he leaned back in his chair, folded in his hands in his lap, and closed his eyes. And as I recited the words, he listened with his eyes closed as if he were hearing a beautiful sonnet.

At the time, I thought nothing of this moment. It was just an easy way for me to get a good grade. Yet, just the other day, out of blue, I was reminded of this moment and remembered how intently this professor listened to the recitation of the Shema. This man loved these ancient scriptures. Being fully present in the moment, he listened to the Shema, heeding the command, “Hear.”

As I thought over this memory the last couple of days, I was reminded it wasn’t a simple way to get a grade, but an avenue for us to meditate upon the treasure that is ancient scriptures. It wasn’t solely an easy assignment, but it was a way to deeply hear these ancient scriptures. It forced me to slow down, meditate upon scriptures, and acknowledge the Divine One.

Thinking back, I’m so thankful for that assignment.

Podcast Episode Seven: Lectio Divina

SEASON TWO - EPISODE SEVEN: LECTIO DIVINA

Many of us read ancient scriptures like we do a news article or a tweet; for information. Whether it’s a blog, Facebook post, tweet, or an online article, we read to gather information as quickly as possible. Then, we move onto the next post or article looking for facts, information, or understanding.

Yet, ancient scriptures aren’t simply meant to be skimmed for information, they are to read for transformation.

In this seventh episode of The Why Behind the What, I introduce you to Lectio Divina, or Divine Reading, which is by far my favorite way to read and listen to scripture. Without a doubt, this has been the most profound way I have come to read texts, hear the voice of the Divine, and be transformed by these ancient words.

Even better, though, in this episode, you might just learn Latin! Ok, ok, you won’t be fluent, but you might just learn four words, which will make you incredibly far from being even remotely an amateur. 

What is Lectio Divina? It is an ancient monastic practice of reading scripture through meditation and prayer with the purpose of union with the Divine and increasing one’s knowledge of Scripture. It teaches us to savor the ancient texts, to meditate upon it, ruminate on it, and respond to it.

Lectio Divina is an ancient contemplative practice that can transform our lives today.

It forces us to slow down, incorporates silence and stillness, and allows us to wait upon the Divine rather than rushing to read the next verse.

In this episode of the podcast, I will share some instructions and also lead you through Lectio Divina. The following is a summary of how I do Lectio Divina:

Number 1 - Lectio: Read the passage. Listen for a word of phrase. 

Number 2 - Meditatio: Read the passage. Define that word or phrase.

Number 3 - Oratio: Read the passage. Write a letter to yourself from God about that word or phrase.

Number 4 - Contemplatio: Read the passage. How do you need to respond? What needs to happen? 

If you’d like to read more, a couple of recommended books to begin with are: Sacred Rhythms, by Ruth Haley Barton; Invitation to a Journey, by Robert Mulholland.

As you listen, meditate, contemplate, and respond to ancient scriptures and the voice of the Divine, may you have peace, may you have calm, may you have happiness.

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