Our Treasured Moments
Vol 3, Spring Issue, 2025
"Our Treasured Moments" edition of Sacred Moments is a look back at the last 9 issues of this quarterly contemplative newsletter. We are sharing with you a compilation of some highlights of writing, poetry selections, scriptures and photography. We hope that you will take time to come back to this collective issue and enjoy the depth and beauty within. May God bless you in the contemplation and enjoyment of rest, prayer, nature, gratitude and silence. You can find all the full back issues right here on our website at the bottom of the Worship tab.
Salutation by Rabindranath Tagore
In one salutation to thee, my God,
let all my senses spread out
and touch this world at thy feet.
Like a rain—cloud of July
hung low with its burden of unshed showers
let all my mind bend down at thy door in one salutation to thee.
Let all my songs gather together
their diverse strains into a single current
and flow to a sea of silence in one salutation to thee.
Like a flock of homesick cranes flying night and day
back to their mountain nests
let all my life take its voyage to its eternal home
in one salutation to thee.
from Sacred Moments Vol 1:1, Contemplative Prayer
"Dear friends, let’s love each other,
because love is from God,
and everyone who loves
is born from God and knows God."
1 John 4:7
Do Something Kind for Another
We cannot survive without love and connection. Ironically, the most surefire way to feel better ourselves, is to do something kind for someone else. I watched to an interview with the Dalai Lama recently. Whatever question he was asked, his answer to any problem in the self, was that we need to show compassion, in large or small ways, to another. Seeing the common humanity and need for happiness in another person, doing something kind for someone else, dispels fear and fills us with love. It connects us and creates community. Kindness to one another can happen anytime anywhere from anyone to anyone. The medicine we give ends up being the medicine we need.
from Sacred Moments Vol 1:3, Belonging and Community (Shamaine Chambers King excerpt)
There are seasons of our lives
when our souls need to be restored,
to be led by God to still waters.
Still Waters
He leads me beside still waters.
He calls me to stop for a moment and rest.
He leads me beside still waters.
He sees the stressing out and the fraying ends.
He leads me beside still waters.
The candle burning at both ends.
He leads me beside still waters.
The core of our being stretched to its limits.
He leads me beside still waters.
Just for a moment to catch my breath.
He leads me beside still waters.
Just for two seconds to renew my strength.
He leads me beside still waters.
© Dave Hopwood (used with permission)
from Sacred Moments Vol 1:4, Beside Still Waters
Windsor Presbyterian Church's stunning
stained glass window depicting
the still waters of the 23rd Psalm.
from Sacred Moments Vol 1:4, Beside Still Waters
Connecting with Nature, Connects us with God
Without a doubt, our hearts feel most at home and we feel most connected to God when we are in the natural world. Whether it is a trip to the Grand Canyon, a far off ocean, a local park, or your own backyard, it is important to get into nature. While it will not cure every ill, slowing down, putting our toes in the sand, and observing the intricacies of the natural world puts us in touch with ourselves and our maker.
Connecting with nature connects us to the source of our being—the God in whom “we live and breath and have our being” (Acts 17:28). May you experience the wonder and awe of God’s good creation and in so doing, become more and more the human you were created to be.
from Sacred Moments Vol 2:3, Intimacy with Creation (Shamaine Chambers King excerpt)
Slow Living | Wendell Berry
excerpt from BrookRoot.com
The concept of "slow living" is central to [Wendell] Berry's philosophy. It involves taking time to appreciate and engage with the natural world, cultivating patience, and valuing experiences over material possessions. Slow living encourages us to savor the simple pleasures of life, such as cooking a meal from scratch, tending to a garden, or walking in nature.
This approach counters the fast-paced, consumption-driven culture that dominates modern society. It promotes a more deliberate and thoughtful way of living, where we are more connected to our surroundings and more aware of the impact of our actions.
By slowing down,
we can reduce stress,
improve our mental health,
and live more sustainably.
more about The Berry Center
Be still and listen
to the voices
that belong
To the streambanks
and the trees
and the open fields.
There are songs
and sayings
that belong
to this place,
By which it speaks
for itself
and no other.
excerpt from "A Poem of Hope" by Wendell Berry
from Sacred Moments Vol 2:3, Intimacy with Creation
The practice of giving thanks is an important spiritual practice. Naming the blessings that God gives us with a heart full of gratitude can deepen our faith and bring us closer to God. Through prayer, meditation, singing, and sharing with others, we can express the many ways we are thankful for the things that really matter.
from Sacred Moments Vol 2:4, Gratitude
To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us — and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him. Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference.
— Thomas Merton quoted in Words of Gratitude by Robert A. Emmons and Joanna Hill
from Sacred Moments Vol 2:4, Gratitude
To hear recorded Psalms from Windsor Presbyterian's growing Psalm Treasury recorded by members of our congregation.
Click the button below - WPC Psalm Treasury
from Sacred Moments Vol 3:1, Praying the Psalms
Sacred Moments gives us a chance to stop, to cease, to savor, and to contemplate—such a gift! I am grateful for this labor of love gracing my inbox and yet I have to admit how much I struggle to allow myself a few minutes to simply sit with the images and words.
It takes a certain discipline to put down the to-do list and slow down, to read and ponder and re-read.
In a world that values production, time-management, and optimization, pausing and allowing ourselves a few minutes to be aware of God’s presence is a rare and beautiful thing.
It feels a little indulgent.
And it is vital.
Common Threads
What makes a moment sacred? Though each issue of Sacred Moments has had a different theme, looking through this retrospective issue has helped me see some common threads. The first is that the sacred is so close—all round us, all the time.
It is in our noticing that something truly becomes sacred.
We hope you have savored this issue of Sacred Moments and that it stays with you. Perhaps you will print out one of the quotes and put it on your mirror or memorize one of the poems or scripture passages.
by Pastor Shamaine Chambers King