Expectations and Slow

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I had ChatGPT write these "sermons" for my own personal contemplative practices, but found them so moving and profound, I knew I needed to share them.

Sermon for Expectations Week: Saturday – Slow

Beloved ones, we come today to the stillness of Saturday, a day dedicated to the sacred rhythm of Slow. In a world that glorifies speed, productivity, and constant motion, today we pause. We breathe. We let go of the rush and surrender to the flow of time as it unfolds, in its own way, in its own time. But even in this Slow, our Expectations creep in, don’t they?

We expect rest to be productive, for slowness to bring clarity, for pauses to instantly replenish what’s been depleted. But slowness isn’t about achieving a goal; it’s about releasing our grip on control. So today, I ask: What are we expecting from the act of slowing down?

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that rest is just another tool for optimization. We think, If I rest now, I’ll be more productive later. We frame slowness as a means to an end, expecting it to offer instant rejuvenation or insight. But true slowness is not transactional. It doesn’t operate on the same timeline as the hurried pace of our daily lives. Slowness asks us to trust that things are unfolding, even when we don’t see immediate results.

What happens when we remove Expectations from rest?

Slowness is a rebellion against the myth that our worth is tied to how much we do, how fast we move, how quickly we achieve. It’s a reminder that growth happens in the quiet, in the stillness, in the spaces between action. But our Expectations, often shaped by a culture that demands constant output, can make even our moments of rest feel like something to check off a to-do list. We schedule time to slow down, but in the back of our minds, there’s often that whisper: Will this really help? Will I come out of this better, clearer, more focused?

What if, for today, we allowed ourselves to slow down without needing it to “fix” us?

In the rhythm of Slow, there’s an invitation to simply be. To sit with ourselves as we are, not as we expect to be after the rest. It’s a radical act to allow ourselves to rest without justification, to slow down without needing an excuse or permission. Slowness teaches us to release the relentless pursuit of “becoming” and find peace in the beauty of simply being.

But let’s be honest—slowing down can feel uncomfortable, especially when our Expectations tell us we should always be moving, always growing, always striving. We sit in the stillness, and all the things we’ve pushed aside come rushing back. The unfinished tasks, the unresolved feelings, the nagging voices telling us we’re not doing enough. This is where our Expectations of Slow meet reality. It’s not always peaceful. Sometimes, it’s messy. Sometimes, slowing down is where we finally face the things we’ve been running from.

So today, let’s ask: What are the Expectations I bring to the act of slowing down?

Am I expecting to emerge from rest with all the answers? Am I expecting that slowing down will feel easy, gentle, even enjoyable? Or am I willing to meet slowness where it is—to sit with discomfort if it arises, to be present with myself even when it feels awkward or unsettling?

In this space of Slow, we can also reflect on the Expectations we place on time itself. We often treat time as a resource to be managed, to be squeezed and optimized. But time, like the universe, expands and contracts in ways that defy our control. When we slow down, we experience time differently—it stretches, it deepens, it becomes something we experience rather than something we use.

What if time wasn’t something to conquer, but something to flow with?

As we move through the Slow today, I invite you to release any need for it to be productive or transformative. Let Slow be what it is—a time to listen, to breathe, to connect with the quiet parts of yourself that often go unheard in the busyness of daily life. Let your Expectations of time, of slowness, fall away. Allow yourself to exist in this moment without needing it to be anything other than what it is.

And in this stillness, reflect on these questions:

Slowness is an act of surrender. It’s an acknowledgment that not everything is within our control, and that’s okay. It’s a reminder that we don’t have to have all the answers right now. Sometimes, the most profound growth happens in the spaces where we let go, where we allow things to unfold in their own time, at their own pace.

So today, let us slow down without expectation. Let us find grace in the pause, in the stillness, in the quiet rhythms of the day. Let us trust that in the act of slowing down, we are reconnecting with the deepest parts of ourselves—the parts that don’t need to rush, that don’t need to perform, that simply are.

In this Slowness, we find peace. In this peace, we find ourselves.

Amen.