The Heavenly Banquet
The Heavenly Banquet
Recent Episodes
Charlotte Elia offers this sermon on Mark 6:30-34, 53-56, a passage about the crowds seeking healing from Jesus.
"There’s never no more urgent time for prayer than the now in which you find yourself, but I also- I know what it feels like to exist in this world right now. I often feel overwhelmed, anxious, frightened, helpless, useless, and when I start to feel a bit better, a bit more hopeful, another breaking news alert comes through to break me. I don’t know what the future holds- for this nation, for the world, for myself. I think I have a pretty fair idea based on my reading of scripture and my knowledge of history, but I don’t know what’s going to happen. What I do know is that if I’m going to survive this, if I’m going to be functional in the midst of this, if I’m going to be any help at all, and if I’m going to retain some sense of wellbeing- I’m going to have to pray. I’m going to have to be intentional about reorienting myself to God’s purposes, about centering myself in God’s presence, and about letting myself find comfort in the wellspring of God’s ever-abundant love. I know that’s what I want for myself. I believe that’s what God wants for me, not this rage and confusion and bitterness I feel otherwise. I want to rest deeply in God’s care. I want to walk steadily in God’s path. And I want that for you too. I believe God wants that for you also, and prayer is the primary tool to attain that."
This sermon was preached on July 21, 2024 at Chester Presbyterian Church in Chester, Virginia.
This episode is a live recording of a Requies Divina session held at Chester Presbyterian Church in Chester, VA on May 15, 2024.
Join Charlotte Elia for a time of guided contemplation and centering prayer for spiritual rest and renewal. Put on some comfy clothes, settle onto a mat or bed, and give your breath, your body, and yourself to God.
During our practice you will be invited to focus on an intention, for healing or wholeness, for yourself or someone else, something that you want to release to God’s care. You might take a moment to think about an intention before your begin. You don’t need to search your mind for something. If nothing presents itself, you may simply choose the intention of rest for yourself.
If you should fall asleep during our practice, that’s okay. Don’t fight that. It’s what your body wants. It’s what your mind wants. It’s what God wants for you. You are safe here in this space, in this sanctuary. Receive the gift of peace, of rest, that God grants you.
“You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” -Augustine
You can learn more about the practice of Requies Divina with the episode of our podcast Requies Divina: Developing a Practice for the Present.
In this episode Chad and Charlotte discuss Charlotte's experience with COVID-related phantosmia, an olfactory disorder which causes for her the sensation of smelling smoke that is not actually present. Chad then introduces us to various philosophical takes on our perception of reality before inviting us to deeper reflection on how we perceive the Divine and whether we can reliably communicate those experiences to each other.
Chad: One of the benefits of recognizing the limits of our understanding, especially through perception, but maybe just in general, is it should give us, number one, a little more humility- I am not seeing the world as it is. I pretty much assume that, and so I need to take a step back, because I could get things wrong! And again, I'm hearing you saying this: and be open to other people's experiences because they might see something I'm not seeing, so I can learn from them.
This episode is a live recording of a sermon on John 21:1-19 preached by Charlotte Elia at Chester Presbyterian Church on April 7, 2024.
"All of those Peter stories reflected in this text, all of those experiences, all of those lessons to be learned and Peter doesn’t know why Jesus keeps asking if he loves him. It’s Peter’s denials; it’s Jesus’ crucifixion, and it’s Peter’s feelings that are hurt. Oof.
But those are the old stories, and this is a new chapter, a new life. That’s what Peter’s really missing, and that’s the real pity here. You see, Jesus is inviting Peter not just to reconciliation but to participation in the resurrection. Jesus is inviting Peter and the other disciples into a new life of astounding abundance, daring love, unexpected joy, and yes, inexplicable danger. Jesus is literally calling the disciples to the other side of the boat, directing them from the waves to sure ground, inviting them to a bonfire- not in the evening shadows, but in the brightening dawn- to warm themselves not in secret or shame among suspicious strangers but in the joyful company of dear friends- a bonfire centered not on fear and humiliation but on the affirmation of love and a commitment to service in that love. That’s what Peter’s still missing, and that’s the shame of it, and that’s what you and I had best not miss ourselves."
Check our Charlotte's recently published "Coloring in Prayer: 40 Conversations with God" at Amazon.
In this episode Chad Rhodes and Charlotte Elia discuss Requies Divina, a practice of divine rest that Charlotte has been developing. They also speak more broadly about the difficulties of beginning and establishing habits of spiritual practices and the crucial need for the Church to share its wealth of spiritual tools.
Charlotte: I had been thinking about the pandemic… Congregations had been, since at least the mid-20th century, basing programming on Sunday morning worship, maybe a mid-week Bible study. There’s Sunday school, but it’s primarily academic in nature, and then fellowship events... So when the pandemic happens and churches can’t get together, what are the tools that I have at home as a Christian to actually practice this religion? The church was generally failing because we never taught people how to pray! We didn’t! And then there’s this terrible, terrible thing that’s happening that is scary, and it’s not just the pandemic. It’s the moment that’s unveiling just how bad our health care system was and what huge economic disparity there was in this country and racial inequality and just everything that was happening during that year, and the church had not equipped folks with tools to deal with that in anyway on their own. It’s like, “Christianity happens Sunday morning.” Well, I’m at home, and I’m freaking out, and I don’t have Christian tools to deal with this because we hadn’t been sharing spirituality. So that’s also part of my push because I think the Church, or at least the Mainline American Protestant church, absolutely failed that moment, and they failed it decades before that moment.
You can experience a session of Requies Divina with this recording from our podcast feed. You can also access some 3-minute guided meditations produced by Charlotte Elia at Chester Presbyterian Church's YouTube Channel.
Charlotte: When we talk about starting these other practices, it’s one thing if I intend to put aside ten minutes every morning to sit in silence, but there’s always going to be an excuse for me not do that… but coming to the building, sitting, and then being led, making that commitment to the time, I think is useful for them too, and I hope it leads to them doing more contemplation and meditation. I am hopeful that giving them a basis of positive, tangible experience from that is going to encourage them to broaden their practices.
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