Imaginative Prayer: Feeding the Multitudes

This is a contemplative practice inviting us to consider Christ's invitation to follow him. It comes from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. This particular practice was led by Father Michael Sparough in 2017, and we spent time with it in our gathering on 11.08.2026.

The gospel is the good news of God's saving work in the world, and how we understand that work is essential for our spiritual journey. How we articulate the gospel shapes who we understand God to be and who we are in relation to God. It shapes the way we follow Jesus and how we join the Spirit's kingdom work in the world. In other words, how we understand the good news of Jesus guides all that we do as a church community. In this series, we will explore some foundations of the gospel. This week, Jason Feffer considers the ways in which we are shaped by the story of the Gospel.

The gospel is the good news of God's saving work in the world, and how we understand that work is essential for our spiritual journey. How we articulate the gospel shapes who we understand God to be and who we are in relation to God. It shapes the way we follow Jesus and how we join the Spirit's kingdom work in the world. In other words, how we understand the good news of Jesus guides all that we do as a church community. In this series, we will explore some foundations of the gospel. This week, Juliet Liu kicks off our teaching series with an exploration of the ways that the Gospel is communal.

Have you ever considered how fascinating the disciples are as characters in the Gospels? We often read these stories with our focus on Jesus, but how often do we pay attention to the disciples' perspective? Throughout the Gospel narratives, the people who followed Jesus are 'representative characters.' In so many ways, they stand in for us as we try to understand and be formed by the ministry and presence of Jesus. In this series, we will contemplate six stories from the Gospels through the eyes of the disciples. How did they understand the teaching and ministry of Jesus? How did they respond, and how are we invited to consider our response to these stories from the life of our teacher? We will learn from these stories, and we will use our imaginations to enter into them. The spiritual practice of imaginative prayer gives us an opportunity to meet with Jesus as we respond to his presence and ministry. This week, Jason Feffer invites us to explore our own reasons for following Jesus, as we dig into the Bread of Life discourse in John 6.

This imaginative prayer is focused on Jesus and his conversation with the rich young ruler.

Have you ever considered how fascinating the disciples are as characters in the Gospels? We often read these stories with our focus on Jesus, but how often do we pay attention to the disciples' perspective? Throughout the Gospel narratives, the people who followed Jesus are 'representative characters.' In so many ways, they stand in for us as we try to understand and be formed by the ministry and presence of Jesus. In this series, we will contemplate six stories from the Gospels through the eyes of the disciples. How did they understand the teaching and ministry of Jesus? How did they respond, and how are we invited to consider our response to these stories from the life of our teacher? We will learn from these stories, and we will use our imaginations to enter into them. The spiritual practice of imaginative prayer gives us an opportunity to meet with Jesus as we respond to his presence and ministry. This week, Dr. Malcolm Foley explores Jesus's conversation with the wealthy ruler and with his own disciples in Luke 18.

In this imaginative prayer, we watch as Jesus is approached by a Roman centurion asking for his servant to be healed.

Have you ever considered how fascinating the disciples are as characters in the Gospels? We often read these stories with our focus on Jesus, but how often do we pay attention to the disciples' perspective? Throughout the Gospel narratives, the people who followed Jesus are 'representative characters.' In so many ways, they stand in for us as we try to understand and be formed by the ministry and presence of Jesus. In this series, we will contemplate six stories from the Gospels through the eyes of the disciples. How did they understand the teaching and ministry of Jesus? How did they respond, and how are we invited to consider our response to these stories from the life of our teacher? We will learn from these stories, and we will use our imaginations to enter into them. The spiritual practice of imaginative prayer gives us an opportunity to meet with Jesus as we respond to his presence and ministry. This week, Jason Feffer guides us through a conversation about Jesus's interaction with the Roman Centurion in Matthew 8.

In this imaginative prayer written by Joan Kelley, we find ourselves on the boat with Jesus and the disciples in the midst of a storm.

Have you ever considered how fascinating the disciples are as characters in the Gospels? We often read these stories with our focus on Jesus, but how often do we pay attention to the disciples' perspective? Throughout the Gospel narratives, the people who followed Jesus are 'representative characters.' In so many ways, they stand in for us as we try to understand and be formed by the ministry and presence of Jesus. In this series, we will contemplate six stories from the Gospels through the eyes of the disciples. How did they understand the teaching and ministry of Jesus? How did they respond, and how are we invited to consider our response to these stories from the life of our teacher? We will learn from these stories, and we will use our imaginations to enter into them. The spiritual practice of imaginative prayer gives us an opportunity to meet with Jesus as we respond to his presence and ministry. This week, Dr. Dennis Edwards takes a look at fear and faith in Mark's account of Jesus calming the storm.