The United Reformed Church

Mark Argent

One of the more flexible ways of praying with scripture is imaginative contemplation. The essence is to take a bible story, read it a few times so that it becomes familiar, then settle oneself to pray, perhaps breathing slowly and deeply to clear the mind, and then slowly imagining oneself into the story.

Often the easiest way is to begin by picturing the scene, imagining the weather and what people are wearing, and slowly let the story unfold, perhaps being one of the characters in the story, perhaps being a bystander. Helpful additions can be to repeat the exercise as different characters entering into an imaginary conversation with one or more other characters...

By Mark Argent

What does spiritual direction look like in a Reformed context?

It’s usually thought of as an ecumenical activity, helping people to appreciate and benefit from other traditions. Whilst this can be a very powerful experience, there are also profound concepts, ideas and traditions within denominations which are worth their own members exploring further.

Both as director and directee, there are always influences of heritage in play as the stories of those who have influenced us personally merge with the bigger picture of the churches where those stories have been nourished.

By Mark Argent

Talking with the participants on a weekend of cooking and spirituality, I found myself saying that one of the consequences of being a member of a small denomination is that I can’t suggest that my Church is right, or the only Church. This is a real blessing, because it’s a constant reminder that God, as approached through my URC heritage, for all its riches, can’t possibly be the whole story. It’s a gentle nudge that God is always more than we think.

My sense is that a similar sentiment lies beneath the commitment of most Churches in the UK when it comes to ecumenism. From time to time, usually when things are particularly pressured, we lapse into denominational bunkers, but for the most part we all recognise that no one Church in isolation has a monopoly on God. It’s as though the good Spirit gently nudges us to be aware that there are insights outside as well as inside our own Churches, and bad forces seek to use moments of crisis to try to cut us off from that.

By Mark Argent

The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius are one of the cornerstones of contemporary Christian spirituality. They were put together by Ignatius of Loyola in the early sixteenth century. They draw on his own spiritual journey and the resources he found helpful in guiding others. Significant new departures include extensive use of the imagination in prayer and his own exceptional spiritual and psychological awareness.

By the time they’d reached their final form, it’s clear that Ignatius expected the Exercises to be undertaken by someone in a silent, individually-guided retreat, typically lasting around a month. Flexibility is key to the process, hence Ignatius suggests that, where it’s not possible to go away for a month, the Exercises be incorporated into daily life...