Daylight

What is Daylight?

Daylight is the name of a small group of parishioners with a common aim. Anyone may join in. Drawing inspiration from the lifestyle of early Christian communities, especially St Benedict, we seek to be a modern day expression in a dispersed community held together by a common commitment. All are welcome, who wish to explore this. We are based loosely on the Community of St Chad, a diocesan-wide group having a similar outlook; lectio divina forms part of our daily prayer life.

The meetings are usually on the 2nd Saturday of each month at 10am in St Aidan’s chapel, St Chad’s Church; please see the What’s On page of the website for confirmation.

Purpose: To respond to an expressed desire for a deeper relationship with God, with each other, and with the community within which we live, by developing a commitment to a spiritual lifestyle centred on three principles: Prayer, Worship, Service.

This leads to the seven practices of grace:

1 With the Grace of God I will seek to give time daily in prayer and reading the bible.

2 With the Grace of God I will join in weekly worship with others.

3 With the Grace of God I will give time each week in service to the community and the environment.

4 With the Grace of God I will prayerfully approach the stewardship of money, giving to the church and the needs of the most vulnerable, moving towards 10% of my resources.

5 With the Grace of God I will give time and space listening to God, others and self.

6 With the Grace of God I commit to meeting regularly with others in the community for support, sharing, learning and study.

7 With the Grace of God I will seek to live a life of stability and obedience to God, staying with the commitments I now make.

 

With God’s blessing we shall embark on an adventure of faith, leaving the outcome of this journey to God. We meet about every 3-4 weeks, often on a Saturday morning.

In reading the bible together the method of Lectio Divina is used most often. Likewise when reading it by oneself. This is a contemplative way of reading the bible, based on monastic practice established by Benedict in the 6th century. A google search will tell you more. You can find the Gospel for each week, together with a commentary, here.

One prayerful daily devotion could focus on dressing with the whole armour of God (Ephesians 6. 13-17) each morning. Another could be the prayer used by one of the pilgrims on the route to Santiago de Compostela:

GUARDIAN OF MY SOUL
GUIDE ME ON MY WAY TODAY
KEEP ME FROM HARM
DEEPEN MY RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU, YOUR EARTH AND ALL YOUR FAMILY.
STENGTHEN YOUR LOVE WITHIN ME
THAT I MAY BE A PRESENCE OF YOUR PEACE
IN OUR WORLD.
AMEN

Please also see the prayer page for St Chad’s and also a prayer page about the wider ministry to the town. Your prayers are very valuable, as always.

You are welcome to join us in developing your response to the seven Graces. Please contact the PCC secretary to express your interest – or just turn up!