Living by a Rule of Life
Our City Centre Minister, Judith Marshall, reflects on the value of living by a rule of life…
There are two types of ordained ministry in the Methodist Church - Presbyters and Deacons. We all train together and are ordained to serve the church for our whole lifetime. Each type of ministry has its own focus – Presbyters are ordained to Word and Sacrament (such as Holy Communion), and Deacons to Prayer, Witness and Service.
Perhaps what is less known, is that as well as being part of an order of ministry, Deacons belong to a Religious Order – The Methodist Diaconal Order. This means we live by a Rule of Life.
I wonder what you think of when you hear the word ‘rule’.
As someone who has a shadow side which likes to be rebellious and break rules, when I first became part of the MDO, I wasn’t too keen on the phrase ‘Rule of Life’. Maybe I just don’t like to be told what to do!
However, according to their definition, rules are something that are generally considered good for us because they provide a sense of order, predictability and safety. They should help maintain fairness and peace and serve as a framework for behaviour, ensuring accountability and respect.
And this is how I came to understand living by a Rule of Life as a Deacon in the Methodist Church. I see the Rule as a spiritual framework, a pattern which restores and nourishes me, rather than a set of rules to restrict or deny life.
Being part of the MDO means we have a communal sense of identity and belonging, a collective responsibility, a mutual accountability and a shared life of prayer. The Rule is a framework which binds our dispersed Order together and enables us to live out our lifelong calling to prayer, witness and service, both on an individual level and as a community.
For me, prayer is what binds us together the most. Unlike many religious orders who live in community with each other, we are geographically dispersed and don’t see one another very often, so we rely on our prayer diary. This diary lists three or four individual deacons each day, with their photograph and their prayer requests. My prayer day is on the 21st and I find it such a rich blessing of encouragement knowing I am being held in love and prayer by my siblings in the Order. Also, at times when I am struggling spiritually, I am reassured by knowing I am carried and sustained by my Diaconal family.
We also follow a daily pattern of prayer much like other religious orders – think Benedictine, Franciscan etc. Recognising we are dispersed and are unable to physically meet together for prayer at set times of the day (like for example Benedictine monks who gather to pray six(!) times a day), we have a simple Daily Prayer designed for morning prayer, and an Examen at the end of the day. Again, as with the rest of our Rule of Life, these prayers are intended to be flexible and adaptable to our own situations and patterns of ministry and family life.
Every morning as I say our daily prayer, it grounds me and encourages me, knowing that others are joining me from afar. But when we gather as Area groups or at our Annual Convocation and say the prayer together, it fills me with joy and a deep sense of community.
I believe it’s good for any Christian community to have times when they join together to pray. It creates a shared sense of unity and purpose and reminds us that we are part of something bigger than ourselves.
So at Leeds Sanctuary, I offer the invitation to join 'Sacred Space' in our office at 9.30am every Thursday. We follow the Northumbria Community Morning Prayer liturgy (the Northumbria Community is another dispersed Religious Order). Our time together includes set prayers, daily bible readings and meditation, listening to Taize music and a space to be still.
Anyone is welcome to join us. Please email me for further info.