Water, Wind, Earth, & Fire:
The Christian Practice of
Praying with the Elements
A six-week study
Led by Rev. Vince McGlothin-Eller
We live in a time when our relationship to the natural world has never been more important to the survival and flourishing of all beings. When we recognize ourselves as a part of the earth community, as the scriptures and mystics have encouraged us to do for centuries, then we begin to see the profound mystery at work in the depths of our souls is the same sacred mystery at work in the natural world. Contemplative presence to nature transforms our daily choices so we become conscious of how to live within the matrix of creation in life-giving ways.
Organized around "The Canticle of the Creatures" by St. Francis of Assisi, Water, Wind, Earth, and Fire is the first book to consider the ways in which praying with the natural elements can enliven Christian spiritual life. Teacher, artist, and Benedictine oblate Christine Valters Paintner offers concrete suggestions and guided contemplative exercises; for instance, she suggests that readers take time to "watch the sunrise or sunset and breathe in the beauty of the fiery sky. Contemplate what those beginnings and endings have to say in your own life." Readers benefit from Paintner's extensive training in theology and Benedictine spirituality, as well as her unique work in bringing the expressive arts to spiritual direction.
Framed by sessions that will help us enter into a commitment to be good stewards of God’s creation, the four central sessions will focus on one of the primal elements of wind, fire, water, and earth. We will look at the ways we connect to the divine through the different elements and have a focused time of prayer to listen for God’s word.
The book is available in standard paperback and electronic versions and can be purchased from your favorite book retailer.