Spiritual Practice of the Week:  Is Jesus my pal?
Christian icons have historically been of stories from scripture in visual form. In the early church, many people couldn’t read or didn’t have access to the scripture texts, so the icons were a reminder of the stories of faith. Today icons are still used extensively in the eastern and orthodox churches as well as in other religions. An icon is also a way for the artist to worship and pay homage to their faith and the stories within that faith. The use of icons is an integral part of the worship experience at Taize, the ecumenical community in France, as a way to tell stories in a service with few words.
The icon below is of Jesus with St. Mina and is prominent at Taize. The image of Jesus with his arm around his disciple tells of seeing Jesus as our friend.

Christ and Saint Mina. A 6th-century icon from Egypt (now in the Louvre, Paris, France)

This icon practice involves spending time in prayer with the icon. Set the icon on a table with a candle and the instructions below for an individual or a spiritual practices experience. Sit comfortably on the chair and breathe deeply in and out a few times, stilling your mind.
Focus on the icon before you.                                               
What do you notice about the icon?                                                
How do you see your connection with the life of Jesus?                          
What does it mean to you to be a follower of Jesus?
What would you say to Jesus if he were as a trusted friend in your life today?
Take a pen and a slip of paper and write down some of your thoughts about who Jesus is to you.

For more information on the taize community:  www.traize.fr

© This prayer practice and all of those on the Sunday Morning Blog Post can be found in:  "Go Deep: Spiritual Practices for Youth Ministry" Wood Lake Publishing.
Doris is the Youth Director for the United Church of Canada in BC and the Director of World Pilgrim: Global Education and Awareness Travel.