Devotion for ACSD BGM 16 August 2025 Anne Chrisp
Before we begin the meeting proper, let us pause….
We come from weekend activities, from family and leisure…
from the tasks and concerns of life
We come with a sense of commitment and belonging to this association,
With gratitude for the ministry of spiritual direction.
We come with the knowledge that this ministry rests on something more –
On mystery, on God.
Let us acknowledge these things; let go of what won’t serve us for this time, and invite in, acknowledge Presence, the Spirit within & around us.
From Ecclesiastes:
To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted:
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
In this meeting today we acknowledge beginnings and endings.
We hold in prayer and in our hearts – some endings:
particularly those who have died;
whose legacy we hold dear and whose memory we treasure.
Some are listed in the chat… please feel free to add more…
There is a time to mourn and a time to die.
We offer our gratitude to God for their lives,
for all they have given us.
There is a time to break down and a time to pluck up what has been planted.
We hold in our hearts those endings we acknowledge and witness today:
the past two years of ACSD;
the end of term of some executive members;
the constitution in its original form.…
We give thanks for all that has been.
There is a time to be born and a time to build up.
In endings are seeds of new beginnings:
new executive members – a refreshed constitution;
new horizons for spiritual direction
a coming training event…
Let us trust in the promise of new opportunities,
stepping to the future with faith and courage.
As we discuss all these things, may we know the companionship of the Holy One.
May we have wisdom and grace and generosity,
In the name of the one who calls us together. Amen.
