Experiencing God - "Knowing You" [Intellectuals]

Intellectual: Intellectuals draw near to God through their minds.
Like any amateur blogger, I fell off the wagon and got behind on my writing....so today we're going to finish our discussion of the nine spiritual temperaments with a discussion about our final temperament, the Intellectual, or those who draw near to God through their minds and thinking.  
For intellectuals, "their minds are awakened when they understand something new about God or His ways with his children, then their adoration is unleashed.  They may feel closest to God when they first understand something new about him." (Sacred Pathways, Thomas 20)

One example of that kind of experience happened to me when I was taking a class on the Book of Romans.  It was a short, Jan-mester course that required me to just immerse myself in the book.  The topic of discussion that day was Romans 8, specifically the ending verses of the chapter.  I remember us talking about sin and I was thinking about the depth of sin in my life.  Until that time I had lived a life of fear of "What side of the fence was I going to be on this day?"  It was a tug of war between possessing a great confidence in God's love to times where I doubted if God even loved me at all.  And then we read Romans 8:35-39 which concludes with "nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus."

I remember driving back home after class that day just weeping.  God had spoken something deeply to me about his love that I hadn't received otherwise.  This moment for me was a "head" moment, an intellectual breakthrough about the depth and breadth of God's amazing love.  I realized it was a love that had forgiven me once and for all on the cross.  A love that would never separate itself from me.
 

Have you ever had that kind of experience where you possibly heard something in a sermon, or read something in a book, or figured out something in that Bible verse that revealed something about God to you?
 

Importance of Intellectualism

Knowing about God, and having wisdom about God is an important part of the faith process.  Faith takes on every aspect of the human experience, and though faith in itself is not a rational experience there is an element of knowledge that is important.  

The majority of our quest for knowledge about God comes from our search of Scripture.  I have mentioned before that in contrast to what our movement of Churches of Christ has been, contemplatives view the Bible as a source to experience God.  Contemplatives believe within the Bible covers we encounter God's love and grace which allow us to be in his presence.  

However in the Restoration Heritage, my personal tribe of faith, we have often viewed the Bible more as a text book with facts and doctrines to be extrapolated and examined. Though I belive reading the Bible only in that way is not healthy, we need people like that in the church who can help us come to deeper and fuller understandings of who God is and what he is doing in our lives.
  

"Knowing You" by Graham Kendrick

   
The Proverbs
The book of Proverbs in the first several chapters outlines the importance of wisdom and its pursuit in one's life.

Take some time to read Proverbs 1:1-7 and Proverbs 2:1-10 and read how Solomon valued knowledge and wisdom.

I think that as we learn more about God, we more capable of understand and discerning his will.  Just like we generally interact different with people who we don't know versus those who we share deep relationship with, so we must come to spend more time getting to know God so that we can better interact and experience him.  
 

However, when we receive wisdom and understanding we have to remember to keep ourselves in our proper place.  As the writer of Proverbs has already said several times in just the two passages we have read, that the "fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge."  That is not to say that we should be afraid of God, but rather we should understand that God is far and beyond anything our human brains would be able to comprehend.  Therefore we must remember the purpose of knowledge, and also remember to remain humble in our pursuit of wisdom and knowledge. 

A Couple of Dangers

• Gnosticism

One very important danger we must be aware of when pursuing God with knowledge is equating knowledge and wisdom with salvation.  As you read through a number of the letters of Paul you'll see him over and over rebuking the early Christian heresy of "Gnosticism."  

In short, the Gnostics believed that to to receive salvation from God, one must achieve a secret knowledge of who God is.  With this secret, or special knowledge (the Greek word for knowledge is gnosis), they believed they would be liberated from the evil creation and saved by God.  

Do you see what this would bad?

In pursuing knowledge we must remember it is not our knowledge of God that saves us, rather it is a relationship with God that saves us. 

• Other Dangers

We must also be on guard against things like pride and the love of controversy.  You have met these people, or maybe you have been these people.  When I was in college we had one guy who thought it was his duty to ask as many questions as he could to make the professor look stupid.  This guy wielded his knowledge like a sword hoping to slay whoever stood in his way.  Forget the fact that these professors have poured their lives into their subject matter.  Because this particular student had read a book about it the previous summer he thought it was his role to bash whichever professor just happened to be in his way that day.  

And unfortunately we do have people like these in our church circles.  They are those who have just enough knowledge to hurt someone.  Knowledge and wisdom, used inappropriately, can become more of a hindrance in the church than a help, as God intended it to be.  

Developing as an Intellectual
So when you think of intellectuals, I bet most of us go right to those who are bookworms.  And it's true that intellectuals are probably heavy readers since reading is a practice of obtaining knowledge. However, there are a number of different ways one can develop as an intellectual.  Let me give you a few other ways you might could experience God on this level.  

a.  Listen to sermons of instead of music on the radio - This has become a new favorite practice of mine.  When I owned my recording studio back in Abilene my business partner and I would always get a little burned out listening to music all day.  Often times it included listening to the same song, or even the same part of a song several hundred times.  You do that enough and your brain starts to hurt.  So to "cleanse" my hearing palate I would listen to sports radio, but here's the important thing about knowledge of sports headlines....nothing.  There is no benefit for me knowing who was traded to who or what team is leading any given sports division.  In reality sports radio is entertainment, not education though sometimes I viewed it as such. 

So I decided to adjust my love for sports talk radio and have begun to listen to sermons and classes most days as I drive.  It is an easy and accessible way for me to gain knowledge and be nourished in this temperament.  That's something anyone can do.  Two of my favorites right now are Wes Crawford and Jonathan Storment.

b.  Read Scholarly Blogs - The internet has brought scholasticism to a whole new level.  No longer can you only read about theology and scripture in library books, but now you can get quick hits of knowledge that are so incredibly helpful in pursuing knowledge.  Some of my favorites are a publication called Wineskins (wineskins.org), Leaven (a scholarly publication put out by Pepperdine University), and Patheos (an online source for articles on faith and theology).   
 
c. I would be remiss if didn't give you a couple of authors that might be of interest to you - My absolutely favorite author is NT Wright who is our generation's leading New Testament scholar.  He has written more about the Apostle Paul than anyone who would care to know.  Any of his books are interesting and will challenge you. Another favorite resource of mine is Daniel Migliore.  I regularly use his book Faith Seeking Understanding.  About every six months I pull this book down and read a chapter.  And in nearly every sermon I have preached I have pulled something from this book.  Brain McLaren is another scholar I highly recommend who has a number of challenging works on Christian living and practice.  If your interested in Church History, especially Restoration History (where my roots run), anything by Doug Foster, Leonard Allen, or Richard Hughes is worth your time and money. 

e.  Finally, study your BIble - It's hard to ignore the old standard NIV Study Bible.  It is an excellent resource by itself, but also a number of commentaries and encyclopedias could be helpful in your pursuit.  Here are a couple I recommend:  The Transforming Word Commentary in one volume put out by ACU press. The Mercer Bible Dictionary is another resource I always have on the table as I write sermons or Bible Classes.  It is a treasure trove of biblical information.  

I hope that you will seek out tools to help you better understand God in this way.  As we mentioned, I believe that the more you humbly seek God through intellectual thought the more you come to understand his will and desire for the world.  

Experiencing God - "Be still and know that I am God." [Contemplatives]

Have you ever said "I wish I could just have more quiet time with God?"  Why do you think that we say that?

I believe that "quiet time" with God is one of the more highly sought after spiritual practices that people desire today.  There are countless numbers of books, sermons, websites, calendars all devoted to helping us develop a more meaningful quiet time devotion with God.

I think if any of us are envious of any temperament, it's probably the contemplative temperament.  Contemplatives are usually finely tuned into to the "God-channel" in their spiritual lives.  They know where the exact frequency is, and have a deep experience of God in their lives.  And for most contemplatives you can see it, right?

You can just tell by interacting even just a few moments with a contemplative that you are in the presence of someone who is deeply connected with God.

There are a couple of people who come to mind who have had a significant impact on my life when it comes to this temperament.  David Pounds was my college minister while attending the Broadway Church of Christ in Lubbock, Texas.  There were several occasions where David would minister to me by going out to the lake and just reading Psalms.  I remember one day in particular where we went out to one of Lubbock's lakes and sat on the abandoned railway bridge that overlooked it.  David taught me to pray with my eyes open, looking and marveling at all the things God was doing around me.  He taught me as a college student that slowing down and taking time to be with God is crucial to healthy spiritual living.  The other influential contemplative in my life was my spiritual formation professor, Ethan Brown.  Dr. Brow taught me about all of this we have been discussing in terms of spiritual modes.  He had a deep understanding of Christian formation and placed high value on allowing God to shape us into his image.  In my interactions with Dr. Brown, he showed me the importance of balance between being with God and learning about God.  I'm sure you have people in your life that you could list as well who have influenced your life in the way these two have mine.  

Contemporary worship music has done a really good job of guiding us into a contemplative mindset whether we know it our not.  We sing songs like "In the secret, in the quiet place...I want to know you more."  Or things like "Your love is extravagant and your friendship is intimate."  But it's not only contemporary songs but also some oldie-but-goodies.  One popular hymn says 

"I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses
The voice I hear calling on my ear 
the Son of God discloses 
And he walks with me and he talks with me
and he tells me I am his own 
And the joy we share as we tarry there none other has ever known"

 All of these songs, and the hundreds of more like them, call us to a life lived in the presence of God, seeking his face, and worshiping him in his holy presence.  

In our class we surveyed a number of Biblical examples such as Psalm 63 where David speaks about his deep relationship with God and his desire to know God more fully.  We also looked about Luke 10:38-42 which tells the story of the time when Jesus visited his friends Mary and Martha.  We know this story very well, but in terms of the contemplative temperament Jesus teaches us that Mary chose well.  We know that she desired to be in Jesus' presence, even though it was "not kosher" for her to do so.  And lastly we looked at Jesus, himself, who often withdrew to solitary places, such as in Mark 1:35-39, to pray and be with the Father.

I loved one particular commentary I read during this study which basically said if solitary was practiced by Jesus, then we sure better be practicing it ourselves!!

Lectio Divina

One spiritual practice that always ushers me into a more contemplative experience with God is the practice of Lectio Divina.  This practice is a devotional reading practice that uses Scripture to open up our hearts to hear God speaking into them.  The practice itself varies from person to person, but here is the basic process:

Find a passage of Scripture that you would like to meditate on for a time.  One of my favorites is John 15:1-8. 

Get settled and use these steps as your guide through the passage.

1) Silencing - As you begin, to try and remove those things that hinder you, quiet your mind, and get to a place where you are open to receive the words of God.  Maybe you will want to close your eyes, or bow your head.  Take a few deep breaths and prepare to hear the words of God speak to you.

2) Reading -  Begin a slow gradual reading of your selected passage allowing the words to resonate and settle in your heart.  If a word or phrase catches your attention, let it linger...don't rush to get to get the next "thing."

3) Meditation - Read the passage for a second time, and this time listen for the words that connected with your life right now.  Ask the question:  "What is this Word from God speaking into my life at this moment?" 

4) Pray  - Read the passage once more, continuing to listen attentively to what God is speaking to you. Has God invited you to respond to this passage in some way?  Allow the Scripture to lead you in prayer as a response to those things God has spoken to you in this time.

5) Contemplation - Having let the words of God speak to you, take a few moments to just rest in his presence and love.  Allow these words to sink deeply into your heart so that they will go with you throughout the rest of the day.  Return to them and remember them in the coming hours.

This is a great practice!  For me, it always breathes new life into the text and allows God to speak deeply to me.  This week, I hope that you will find comfort and peace in God's abiding presence in your life.  May you be filled with joy and overwhelmed with God's goodness as you seek his presence.    

Experiencing God - "Celebrate good times! COME ON!" [Enthusiasts]

Let's do a little activity together.  Grab a sheet of paper and separate it into two columns.  In the let column write down all of the things you can think of when you think of a party.  Think about who, what, and why.

You probably wrote things like food or cake, singing, laughing.  You probably thought of birthdays or anniversaries.  Parties are a happy and fun place to be.  Now in the right column I want you to write about church.

Was there any crossover? Do you see a difference?  For a lot of people going to church is more like attending a funeral on a weekly basis than a party.  Isn't in funny that we often times struggle to celebrate the best news the world could ever know?  
That's not to say that there isn't room in worship for more solemn experiences, but for the most part we have trouble when it comes to celebrating the work of God in our lives, especially in worship. 

Today we are going to be looking at the Enthusiast temperament which draws near to God through celebration.  These people are our firecrackers when it comes to worship.  They are filled to the brim with the joy of the Lord and just exude celebration in their lives.  I like being around these types of people.  These are our fun loving, fun having friends who know how to throw a good party.  

It's unfortunate that Christians struggle to find places and ways to celebrate in their lives because the Bible is chock full of examples of celebration.  

 The Israelites knew how to celebrate things.  They celebrated all sorts of things that Yahweh has done.  In Leviticus 23, God instructs Moses on how to celebrate properly.  Throughout the chapter the Lord describes in detail the many feasts that the Israelites are commanded to observe.  So that I don't have to type all of it out, here is a handy informational video!

Now, while there are parts of these celebrations that are very solemn and reflective, all of them are rooted in the wonderful things God had done for the nation of Israel.  It was cause for celebration and joy!

 

Read through the Psalms and you will undoubtedly see the songs that celebrate the wonderful things that God has done in his peoples' lives. 

We know David had a heart for celebration, not only from the Psalms, but also from this really funny account we get in 2 Samuel 6:12-15.  The Ark of the Covenant, Israel's prized possession, had be rescued from the hands of the Philistines.  Michal, one of the daughters of Saul, was watching this parade and sarcastically rebuked David's behavior. I love David's response in vs 22 where he says "I will become even more undignified than this!"  Now that is an Enthusiast!!  (Also that makes a great worship song.)

Skip over to the New Testament and count the number of times Jesus attends a party, eats dinner with someone, or talks about a banquet, party, or wedding.
In Luke 14 and 15 alone, there are over 9 different parties/celebrations mentioned. Jesus began his ministry, we are told in John 2, at a wedding celebration which is a detail that I don't think should be overlooked.  

However the most recognizable of the Party Parables comes at the end of Luke 15 where Jesus is telling us about the kingdom of God is like a son who disowned his father but came back when he had nothing left. The end of the story is one we know well, but have trouble in practicing, the father throws a huge party for his son who was once lost but is now found. 

And like Jesus, Enthusiasts understand the importance of a celebrating the things that God is doing.  

But as we have said Christians have not done the best job at celebrating.

 I think that there are a couple of things that are going on below the surface that have hindered our celebratory spirit.  

a) More often than not, our focus for parties is often focused on ourselves.  Birthday parties, anniversaries, accomplishments, sporting events, etc...all of these focus on things that we have done.  Now don't hear me say that those things shouldn't be celebrated, but we do celebrate a lot of things that are mostly meaningless.  

The Ancient Jewish people, as we have seen in our quick review of Scripture had deep meaning and purpose behind their celebrations.  They are all focused on the things that God has done in the life.  Not those things that they did.  

Think about how different church would be if we took the time to really celebrate those things that God has done in our lives.  Not just singing a "happy-clappy song," but actually having a party, say when someone gets baptized, or when God provides a great victory in the life of the church such as getting out of debt or providing an unimaginable ministry opportunity, or celebrating the work of God in mission work.  

 It's going to take a systemic change in our hearts to begin that transformative work of celebrating the things God is doing versus the things that we do, but I think the reward would be awesome as we make that shift.  

 b) We have been desensitized to the supernatural work of God.  It's really easy, as we just mentioned, to look at the things that "celebration-worthy" and say that we are the ones who accomplished those things.  Part of being an Enthusiast is having the eyes to see and the ears to hear what God is doing in the world around us, and then having the proper response.

 c) Proper response is one of the major aspects of the Enthusiast temperament.  It's really funny (not in the "ha-ha" way) to see people often so disinterested and unenthused during worship.  We sing a number of songs that say things like "Clap your hands" and "Shout Hallelujah" but instead we give God a "golf-clap" and nothing more than a "yip."  To increase that spirit of celebration in our collective worship we will nee to start cultivating a sense of celebration and mystery in our personal worship.
As we have just discussed there are a number of different things we could be doing to develop this sense of celebration in our lives.  In her handbook of spiritual disciplines, Adele Calhoun opens up the book with the discipline of Celebration.  

Under the Spiritual Exercises portion of her book she lists a number of ways to grow and practice this discipline of celebration: 

 -Identify that place where you most readily connect with God and visit it frequently and be aware of the joy it brings you. 

  -Get involved in an art music, painting, crafting, dance, something that brings you great happiness and use it as a form of worship. 

  -Throw a dinner party or a celebration in honor of someone and make a special effort to remind them of how precious they are to God. 

In our world it is incredibly easy to get downcast and depressed.  Just turn on the TV for 15 minutes and you'll see all sorts of things to be sad about.  But let's not forget that even in the midst of those things, God is still at work and is full love, joy, peace, and hope.  We believe that God is in the process of making all things right, and that one day it will be complete.  And "Every small experience of Jesus with us is a taste of the joy that is to come." (SDH , 27)  Heaven is celebrating and God is inviting us to join the party. So let's set our minds to live with a greater joy and hope.  

Experiencing God - "I could care more." [Caregivers]

Moving on to our next temperament, we will look at the experience of caregiving.  Gary Thomas in his wonderful book on spiritual formation, Sacred Pathways, defines this temperament as "those who love God by loving others."

 

Caregivers ask "What if Jesus really meant it when he said 'love your neighbor as yourself?'"

 

"For caregivers, giving care isn't a chore, but a form of worship" [SP, 135]

When our world thinks of caregivers, one cannot help but think about Mother Teresa.  She was, hands down, one of our generation's most popular and well know caregivers.  I cannot think of anyone more loving and compassionate than Mother Teresa.  In her time on earth, she gave the world a number of quotes, but unlike so many today she actually lived out her sound bytes.  One of her quotes that I really like is this: 

 

“I am not sure exactly what heaven will be like, but I know that when we die and it comes time for God to judge us, he will not ask, 'How many good things have you done in your life?' rather he will ask, 'How much love did you put into what you did?” 

At the beginning of this study some 8 weeks ago, our class discussed Jesus' words where he's asked which is the greatest command.  Jesus responded that we should love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and that has been the bulk of this class' discussion (spiritual formation as a holistic experiences).  But to the surprise of those in the passage Jesus chases that command with another command "Also, love your neighbor as yourself."

 

The very core of God's desire for us is to love him with all that we have, but also to love others with just as much intensity.  

Every week we have laid out a spread of biblical examples of each temperament, but with this temperament I only want to simply look at the words and example of Jesus.  No one else in the entire Bible was able to love and care for others as perfectly as Jesus did.  So get your Bible out and let's recount some of those wonderful stories where Jesus gives us crystal clear examples of how to properly love and care for others.  

 

Feeding of the 5000 [Mark 6:35ff] - We are all really familiar with this story, but I find it so interesting that Mark points out that Jesus had "compassion on the people."  Jesus saw that there was a very physical need that had to be met and he supplied them with that need.  When it comes to caregiving, it doesn't get much more basic than that.  For the caregiver, simply providing someone with food is a worthy spiritual practice, whether that person be homeless and without food or simply a friend with whom you want to share a meal.  

 

Children and Jesus [Mark 10:13ff] - A little later in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is tending to the people as he so often did, and parents began to bring their children to him.  I love this passage of scripture because I can just see the love Jesus has in his heart for these small children.  It's hard to imagine that Jesus was a grumpy middle-aged man while taking children on his knee.  You have to think that Jesus had a great personality for the children to want to be around him.  Not to mention that children in that culture were not as endeared as they are in our culture.  This story shows us yet again how Jesus interacted and cared for those whom the world had all but rejected.  His actions are filled with love and compassion. 

The Man with Leprosy [Luke 5:12ff] - This is one of my favorite healing stories because of some the nuances and details we get.  First off, I love this man's humbleness.  I think he gives us an example of how to come before God asking "if you are willing."  And I love Jesus' response as the text says "He reached out and touched the man and said 'I am willing.'"  Holy cow!  The fact that Jesus would touch this man rings all sorts of warning bells in the Jewish culture.  First, the guy is unclean by Jewish standards because of the leprosy.  Second, he has a disease that spreads by touch. We should probably note that due to this man's disease it is likely that no one had touched him, or been near him (besides other lepers probably), in some time.  And then comes Jesus, full of compassion, love, and grace who reaches out and touches him to heal him. 

 

All throughout the Gospels you see Jesus do this sort of thing and the Gospel writers do a really good job of pointing out those times when Jesus reaches out and touches someone.

We could point elsewhere in the Bible to others like Paul who talks about being the body of Christ, and bearing one another's burdens. We could look at James who tells us that true religion is the one that tends to the widows and orphans.  We could point to the passages of scripture that teach us love, kindness, gentleness, and hospitality.  The list cold go on forever.  Christianity is a caring religion.

 

It boils down to this:  Love God. Love others. 

 

I mentioned a book called The Art of Neighboring in a post a while back talking about time.  This book has really awakened me to be a better caregiver in my life.  It simply asks "What if Jesus really meant it when he told us to love our neighbors?"  Not love everyone who could be my neighbor, but actually loving my real, 100 feet away from me neighbors. 

So, I really stink at this.  As in introvert I would much rather keep to myself and ignore those around me, trying not to make eye contact.  And because of my selfish desire to keep to myself, others are at risk of not hearing the Gospel. 

The authors of this book give us a really fun and revealing activity that I would like to challenge you with today as we talk about being caregivers.  They present a simple block map and ask that you begin filling out the names of those 8 neighbors closest to you.  Maybe take a few minutes and print one out for yourself and give it a whirl....I'll wait! 

 

How well did you do?  How many spots could you fill in?

 

I've lived in this neighborhood for just a little over a year, and could probably only do about 6 houses, but a few weeks ago I could only do a couple.

The authors of the Art of Neighboring suggest that just taking that first step and learning peoples' names opens up so many new doors to the share the love and compassion of Jesus Christ.  I highly recommend this book, and hope that you will check it out.
 

I close with a very short story that I once heard told by Lynn Anderson.  In one of his sermons I heard a while back Lynn talked about a time back in the 70s when the HIV Aids virus had just come on the scene.  He told the story of a man who came to him at his church in Abilene having been one of the first diagnosed in the city.  As you could imagine this man he was scared and ultimately dying.  To make a longer story short, this man came to Lynn and requested that he pray and to place his hands on him.  And the best part is Lynn did.  He continues the story that after he had finished praying, this man looked at him with tear stained eyes and said "That is the first time anyone has touched me in the past year without wearing rubber gloves."  

 

That is what is means to be a caregiver, and I believe that is being Christ to the world.  So today, let us go out and touch the untouchable, love the unloveable, and be the hands and feet of Christ to people who the world has forgotten.  

Experiencing God - What Would God Protest? [Activism]

What would God protest?

 

We normally don't think of God as an "activist" but as you look deeper into scripture you will find that God is constantly fighting for those at the bottom.

 

I've fallen a little behind on the blogging but am going to pick up on our discussion of the nine spiritual temperaments as outlined by Gary Smalley in his book Sacred Pathways.

 

Today I want to write briefly some thoughts I shared in class about the activist temperament.  The heart's desire of an activist is "Where can I find purpose in life by working with God?"

 

Those who expresses themselves spiritually through Activism find they are closest to God when they are doing something.  These are people who find God in the homeless shelters, in the eyes of the neglected, abused, and forgotten.  Their hearts cry out for justice, mercy, and compassion for all people.

Now don't confuse this with a "works-based" salvation.  The Activist it is not about impressing God or impressing people with their charitable works, rather they are driven by a hope to encounter God.  The Activist knows that God is about of movement and action and is not a god who is sleeping or removed from the world.  They believe that the Kingdom of God is present and active in the world and that we are called to be working in it as agents of mercy and grace.  

The Activist also hopes to be changed during whatever act they are performing.  Not changed by the act itself, but because God is encountered through it.  

 

The Activist knows that God is a one of justice, fairness, and compassion, yet acknowledges that we live in a world that is filled with oppression, inequity, and estrangement.  They also know that the world is not as it should be.  God has another plan and that He has called us into action to see the Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.  This dichotomy allows opportunities for the activist to serve God.  

 

The term we use to describe this mentality is "social justice."  These folks, fueled by spiritual passion to see the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven, will stand up for people in the public assembly, engage in marches or protests, write letters to elected officials, and will confront the "powers that be" in the name of righting wrongs for the sake of the Kingdom of God.  This is not to say that those involved in political activism are all spiritual, and that all of those who are spiritual activists are political.  However, when considering the activist temperament we have to realize that there is indeed an element of politics involved, even though some of us don't necessarily like that.   

 

Those in the activist mode seek out God's politics and fight for them with fervency.  

 

They feel most alive spiritually when they have a chance to join with God in acts of compassion.  If we are talking about the Church as parts of the body, like the Apostle Paul does, these people are the hands and feet. 

 

Throughout the scriptures we encounter God's messengers declaring justice, mercy, and compassion.

 

For instance, Moses stood as God's mouthpiece before Pharaoh declaring that he free the Israelites.  We know from scripture that Moses was actually pretty reluctant to serve in this role, but God used him despite his inadequacies.  

 

Later on in Israel's early history the prophets Elijah and Elisha became the advocates for justice in the nation of Israel.  "Elijah displayed great courage in his confrontation with Ahab and the prophets of Baal." (SP 118).  Elisha  stood before the future King of Aram, Hazael, who would do terrible things to the people causing Elisha to weep at the thought.  

 

If you really want to experience those who are seeking justice in the world, you can't skip over the words of the later prophets.  One of favorites is the prophet Amos.  Israel has gotten mixed up in some crazy stuff and God is just pouring it on them.  This is what the prophet Amos says:  

 

“For three sins of Israel,
    even for four, I will not relent.
They sell the innocent for silver,
    and the needy for a pair of sandals.

They trample on the heads of the poor
    as on the dust of the ground
    and deny justice to the oppressed.
Father and son use the same girl
    and so profane my holy name.
They lie down beside every altar
    on garments taken in pledge.
In the house of their god
    they drink wine taken as fines.":

(Amos 2:6-8)

Likewise the prophet Isaiah declares God true justice to the rebellious nation of Israel.  

 

When you spread out your hands in prayer,
    I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
    I am not listening.

Your hands are full of blood!

Wash and make yourselves clean.
    Take your evil deeds out of my sight;
    stop doing wrong.
Learn to do right; seek justice.
    Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
    plead the case of the widow.

(Isaiah 11:15-17)

 

In this passage, and others that closely mirror it, we see the importance for true justice and mercy in our world.  We also gain and understanding that our worship is meaningless if it is not supplemented with living in mercy, grace, and true justice. 

In the New Testament, James writes about this idea:

 

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror  and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. (James 1:22-26)

 

You will recall that just a little bit later in that letter from James he makes the case that faith without works is dead.  Our good works cannot save us, but are rather a response to the call of the Kingdom of God.

 

When considering the activist temperament one must be on guard against a couple of dangers that can easily distort the spiritual experience. 

 

Elitism-Christians activists run the danger of taking on "holier-than-thou approach to life."  If presented in the wrong spirit, the activist can make a people feel really crappy about themselves and the ways they live.  Maybe that's more on the hearer, but I believe it is the responsibility of the activist to present God's cause with gentleness and compassion.  Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:16 as he is sending out the disciples.  He tells them to be as "shrewd as serpents, and gentle as doves."  Often times, activists are the voice of Christianity in our world and sometimes I wish our contemporary Christian activists would think before they talk.  There are many well-meaning activists who are actually doing more harm than good because they forget to choose their words wisely in a news driven world that is ready to pounce on any bit of controversy.  If we present our message from a place of humbleness, compassion, and gentleness I believe more people will be willing to hear it.  Now there will be times for harsh criticism, but if we present the message of God from a place of haughtiness and excessive piety, it's highly likely that the message will be rejected from the offset.  

   

Burn Out - For the temperaments of activism and caregiving, which are "pouring out" temperaments, burn out is a very real danger.  One could advocate for a cause for years and years and only see minimal change.  And in our fast paced, instantaneous culture people demand results.  So if you are an activists:  Pace yourself.  Remember that ships don't turn on a dime.  Also, activists, nourish other temperaments.  Dip into one of the other "wells of living water" and experience God in other ways so that you can be poured into once in a while.  The best activists understand the importance of a well balanced spiritual diet.

 

Some resources that I suggest in terms of activism are the books God's Politics by Jim Wallis, Everything Must Change by Brian McLaren, and The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne.  There are many, many others but these are a few of my favorites.  Also, if you really want to get charged up I highly suggest investing in some music by Derek Webb (my personal favorite is She Must and Shall Go Free).  Derek is a wordsmith with the ability to pair challenging words with captivating melodies.  So be sure to check it out! 

Hermits for Jesus [Ascetics] - Experiencing God on a Whole New Level

Ascetics: 
Ascetics draw near to God through solitude and simplicity

 

As expected I missed a couple of posts, so I am having to back track slightly to catch up with our class schedule. 

"Our culture has a difficult time understanding the ascetic temperament.  We admire these people, but we often suspect them of religious fanaticism, which we see as a cousin to mental illness."  (Sacred Pathways; 96)  The ascetic temperament is the practice of self-denial in an attempt to draw closer to God.  It is a highly disciplined temperament that makes use of the spiritual practices such as fasting and simplicity.
  

If could be said that the ascetic temperament is the "monastic" temperament of the group.  It leans towards "solitude...simplicity, and deep commitment."  Ascetics are a group of people that I think we all highly respect, but more often than not we think are a little "odd-ball."

Courtesy of http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~robert/Aed.htm

 

Out of all of the temperaments we will be discussing, I think that asceticism is probably the most foreign to us.  We live in a world that is deeply connected and is constantly flowing with information.  It is a culture that plays "fast and loose" with that information.  It is deeply complex and rarely provides us with clear black and white distinctions.  If we are honest with ourselves, I think that we rather enjoy being connected to others and to this information.  However in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life, I think all of us have desired times of quiet and simplicity to be a part of our regular spiritual practice.  There have been numerous times when I would love to get away from all the emails, phone calls, and news feeds but I'm just sucked back in.
 

And so, God fights all the noise in our world, trying to get our attention.  What would happen if we slowed down, separated ourselves from the constant pipeline of activity in our lives, and committed ourselves to simplicity and solitude.  

 

What kind of things would we hear then from God if we put away the distractors and really listened?  

 

As with a number of the other temperaments, the Bible provides us some very clear examples of this type of spiritual practice. 

The Nazirite Vow - Numbers 6:1-9

The basic definition of this vow is no wine ( or grapes), no cutting of hair, to keep their distance from corpses or grave (even those of their relatives).  It was a time of extreme devotion to God for approximately 30 days, although there are those who chose to become permanent Nazirites.  You might recall two of the most popular Nazirites in the Bible:  Samson and Samuel.  Both lived consecrated and dedicated lives to God within the guidelines of this vow.  In return for their extreme devotion, they received extraordinary gifts from God.  

John the Baptist

Many interpreters think John the Baptist identified himself as a Nazirite, but the evidence is far from conclusive.  From the Gospel of Luke we know that the angel prophesied that he would not take any wine or drink.  We also know that he lived a life of extreme devotion to God.  Regardless of if John the Baptist was actually a Nazirite, we can conclude that he was deeply devoted to his calling and clearly fits within the ascetic temperament.
 

Jesus 

Jesus displayed many ascetic tendencies as well through out his ministry.  We know that he went through 40 days of fasting in the desert (Lk 4:1-13; Matt 4:1-11).  We also have examples of Jesus retreating to solitary places to pray, such is the case in Mark 1:35-39, however the most intense example of that would be the prayer given at Gethsemane.  As we have mentioned several times, Jesus is the supreme example of holistic living, because he exhibited all of these temperaments.  

 

Paul

We know that after his conversion, Paul was a deeply devoted follower of Christ.  In addition to what we know about his already deep devotion to the Gospel, there is evidence in Acts 18:18 that Paul had taken what seems to be a Nazirite vow.  The text here says that before he shipped off for Syria he cut his hair to "fulfill a vow he had taken."  Also, we see in Acts 21:26 that he and several of his colleagues went to the temple to "give notice of the date when the days of purification would end."  Again, it appears that Paul had consecrated himself for a period of time to intensely devote himself to God's work.   

 

In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul makes a case that the physical body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and should be consecrated to the work of God.  (1 Cor. 6:19-20) 

In his book, Sacred Pathways, which has been the guide for us in this study, Gary Thomas talks about the "Three Worlds" of the ascetic.
 

Solitude 

There are things that in our world that fill us up and there are those things that deplete and empty us.  That is true for us spiritually as well.  For me, on a Sunday morning that I lead worship or preach, I have completely emptied myself spiritually, emotionally, and physically.  By the time I get home on Sunday afternoon I am completely wiped out.  Those are spiritually "emptying" practices.  So when I empty myself I need to be refilled.  I have found that times of quiet and solitude are the ways I can refill, especially in terms of my introversion.  When I slow myself down enough to be aware of God's presence in my life I find myself being filled by the Spirit, kind of like a battery recharge.  For me that may be 30 minutes of just being alone, or using my day off to just be still and unplugged.  But Asceticism is more than just trying to add stillness and solitude, it is purposeful and structured stillness.  

Just like if you were lost in the forest, you wouldn't run around as fast as you can trying to find a way out.  Survivalist tell us that we need to slow ourselves and reorient ourselves to True North and gain our bearings.  This time of solitude can help us reorient ourselves back to the way of Christ.

Simplicity

In our last post, we discussed how sensates use their God-given senses to awaken themselves to deeper, more meaningful experiences in worship.  For the ascetic, the opposite is true.  The ascetic is trying to remove themselves from their senses because they know that those things around us can often distract us from our true focus in worship.  I will be really honest with you, I have created collective worship gatherings that have caused more distracting than they have focused our hearts on God.  Even in an a cappella tradition, the music can often get in the way of worship.  There are a number of experiences I have had where the simplest song was the most profound.  

There is just something about getting away from all the noise and clutter that is in our lives.  In our personal lives maybe that means giving up some of the time we spend in front of a screen, or spend on extra work.  Maybe it's eating simpler foods, or wearing less elaborate clothing.

We are living in a culture that is consumed with consuming.  I have often wondered what my life would be like without the many amenities that I have at my disposal.  I try to make conscious decisions on a regular basis to get away from the technology that I am so consumed with.  I love technology, but at some point it begins to take you over.  A couple of practices I've been led to the past several years are the practices of slowing and unplugging.  Slowing is simply a practice of valuing time and trying to be present in life's moments.  Unplugging is just what is says, that is removing oneself from the burden of technology for a given period of time.  For some people, simplistic living may look a simple as cutting the cable at your house, for others it could be moving to an different house entirely!

One book I highly recommend is a fun and challenging book by the name of 7:An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker (co -pastor at Austin New Church).  It's a humorous and enlightening look at her journey to a more simplistic lifestyle by take 7 months focused on doing 7 things per month...such as only eating 7 foods, only wearing 7 pieces of clothing, etc...It was an incredibly challenging book for my wife and I and we suggest it as you look at ways to implement more ascetic-esque practices in your life.

 

Discipline/Strictness

The element that really sets asceticism a part from it's cousin temperaments is the amount of discipline and strictness that comes with it.  When we hear those words we often cringe, but what if we reclaimed those words as a means to love God through obedience and self-denial.  

The ascetic practices harsher discipline and stricter living in order to cut down on the consumption the world is trying to sell us to create space for love of God.  Historically speaking "Ascetics lived strict lives of self-denial so that they would be free to contemplate God.  Without self-denial, sins of the flesh arose and made it impossible for the Christian to focus on communion with God." [SP 102]

The spiritual disciple of fasting is probably the most recognized of the ascetic practices.  Fasting can take on a number of different forms from food to technology to physical activities such as silence.  "Fasting reveals to us how much time and thought is taken up by transitory matters."  Last week we discussed the use and value of observing the Christian Calendar and one of the main events of that calendar is the season of Lent (begins March 6th this year) in which many choose to give up something to better devote themselves to holy living.  The past couple of years I have taken up the practice, and I have to tell you that it certainly helps keep you focused.  The caffeine headaches, growling stomachs, and times of quiet are very physical reminders of your devotion to God.  So as you consider experiencing God on new levels, maybe consider fasting during the Lenten season this year. 

One Important Note

Because it will be a little bit repetitive, I won't speak much to the dangers Gary Thomas speaks to in the book.  However there is one that I want to make special mention of in terms of asceticism.  In the movie, The Da Vinci Code there is a scene where we see one of the characters whipping himself in imitation of the floggings of Christ.  We should mention that this is a sickness, not a spiritual practice.  Another cultural example comes from the X-Men 2 movie, where we are introduced to a mutant named Nightcrawler that has given himself tattoos as a reminder of the many sins he has committed.  I firmly believe that inflicting unnecessary pain on oneself is not within the love and grace of God.  It's at this point that we move well beyond the Circle of Sensibility and into unhealthy, un-Christ-like practices.  Healthy ascetics seek to restrain natural desires that take our minds away from the work of God, but do not do so in ways that are harmful to themselves or others.  

 

So to recap, asceticism removes all of those things that are unnecessary in our lives and create space for the movement of the Holy Spirit.  If you are a dominant ascetic, I hope you are taking time to practice some of these things.  I would love to introduce you to more practices that might be helpful for you.  If you are not a dominant ascetic, consider starting small.  Maybe consider fasting during the season of Lent, or trying to do without some of your daily amenities.  Above all, use these practices to allow God to speak to you through the noise and busyness of life.  

Resources: 

Living Jesus - Randy Harris (especially the sample rule in the back of the book)

The Irresistible Revolution:  Living as an Ordinary Radical - Shane Claiborne

Through Painted Deserts - Donald Miller (not really an ascetic book, but they do take a cross country trip in a Volkswagen Van...so it kind of counts.)
"Creating a Rule of Life" - Wil Ramsey (Wil is a good friend of mine from college who writes an excellent blog about spiritual formation.  Please go and check out his other work!)

 

Experiencing God - A Conversation with Dr. Christine Longhurst

Today, I want to continue our look at the study we have been working through concerning the nine spiritual paths outlined by Gary Thomas in his book Sacred Pathways.  This past week in our Sunday class we looked at the Traditional temperament identified as experiencing God through the use of "ritual and symbol."

In our class time, using Dr. Thomas' thoughts as our guide, we looked at the various forms of worship expression in this temperament.  Thomas identifies those as ritual, symbol, and sacrifice.

We focused mainly on the the first two.  Ritual, such as creating sacred rhythms of prayer and worship through the use of liturgy, or observing the Christian calendar, helps us create a fixed point in which we can focus on God.  Likewise, symbols are physical reminders of God's presence in our lives.  Both serve a crucial role in the life of a traditionalist.

Concerning liturgy and sacred rhythm, I am privileged to introduce you to one of my "distant mentors," Dr. Christine Longhurst.  Dr. Longhurst received her undergraduate degrees at the Mennonite Brethren Bible College as well as the University of Winnipeg.  She then went on to receive a Masters' Degree in Music from SMU, and a Masters' from Perkins School of Theology in Dallas.  In 2006, she received a Doctorate in Worship Studies from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies.

She has taught courses on worship and music at many prestigious academic institutions, and continues to write and teach about worship and music to faith communities in Canada.

I came into contact with Dr. Longhurst through her blog, re:Worship, which is what you might describe as an anthology of worship resources.  Though she is does not consider herself a "traditionalist," she has created a wonderful resource that combines the use of the Christian Calendar and ancient practice with a contemporary slant.  Her resource has allowed me to dig deeper into the traditionalist temperament in a way that other resources have not provided.  There is not a day that goes by that I don't access something on the re:Worship blog.  I cannot recommend it enough.

re:Worship Blog

So, without further ado, here are Dr. Longhurst's comments:

Here are some thoughts in response to a few of your questions.  I thought I’d begin with some introductory comments, so that you can get a sense of the context out of which I’m responding:

I come from the Mennonite Brethren tradition, which is part of the larger stream of Anabaptists who came to the fore during the religious reformations of the 16th century.  Ours is a “free church” tradition, with no set liturgy and a strong emphasis on the personal relationship between God and the believer.  We are communally-driven, non-hierarchical in polity, and believe that the church is made up of a priesthood of believers, all of whom serve the church with their varying gifts and abilities.  Pastors function as shepherds and spiritual care-givers rather than “leaders” per se.  We believe we are called to serve the world, to care for justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. (Micah 6).

So, I’m not at all sure I fit the single “traditionalist” mold that you are exploring.  In fact, when I took the You’ve Got Style survey of spiritual temperaments [...] my results were more than a little mixed!  In case it’s helpful, this is what I got:

Ascetic             20
Activist            20
Traditionalist  18
Intellectual      18
Naturalist        17
Sensate            17
Enthusiast       16
Caregiver        16
Contemplative 14

With that in the background, here are some answers to your questions:

1) How did the idea for your blog, re:Worship, come about?
In the spring of 2011, I found myself with a few months of free time. My husband (an avid blogger) had been encouraging me to do some work online, and so I decided to give it a try.  I’ve spent a good part of my life in pastoral ministry, so I decided to experiment with a blog of resources for people working in worship ministry.

I’ve often been frustrated looking for worship resources on the internet. There’s so much good material available for planning and leading worship, but much of it is hard to find.  You often have to dig deep into each individual blog or website to find something useful.  Text this Week, for example, does a great job of making sermon resources available to preachers (commentaries, articles, illustrations), but they only do a passable job of worship resources (prayers, litanies, confessions, benedictions, etc.).  I thought we could use a blog or website that aggregated those types of resources, and made them more easily available to worship leaders/worship planners/pastors.

The re:Worship blog was not conceived first and foremost as a personal spiritual resource, although many people tell me they use it that way.  Instead, it was conceived as a resource for corporate worship—the weekly conversations that take place in worship between God and God’s people.

Here are a few of the key convictions that have shaped my approach to the blog:

Biblical worship is corporate worship.  Contrary to what we see in a lot of North American churches these days, the faith Jesus calls us to is not merely a private, individual faith.  Although we are each invited into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, God’s purposes in this world are primarily accomplished through the covenant community.  It’s through the people of God that God makes his presence and his purposes known.  And so Jesus’ invitation to us is an invitation to something much bigger than our own personal experience. It’s an invitation to step out of our private world, and join God in what He is seeking to do in the wider world.

In the same way, biblical worship is not primarily individual worship—something that takes place between God and each separate individual.  In the Bible, worship is a corporate experience – a conversation between God and the gathered community.  When we come together for worship, we set aside our own specific needs and interests (and even concern for our unique spiritual temperaments!), and join as one to listen to and respond to God.

My motivation for working with the various worship elements on my blog (calls to worship, benedictions, litanies, and prayers) is rooted in my concern that worship be practiced and understood as a communal event—something we do together with others.  The resources on my blog are chosen with that goal in mind.

Loss of Scripture in worship. I’ve become increasingly concerned about the lack of scripture in corporate worship. Many congregations read very little scripture—often just the text for the sermon.  That’s a problem, because worship is not just our response to God.  Worship is also God’s revelation to us.  In essence, it’s a dialogue between God and the gathered community.  Scripture is one of the primary ways in which we hear God’s voice in worship, and are reminded of God’s story—the story of creation, covenant, incarnation, redemption, and re-creation.  So much contemporary worship centers on our story rather than God’s story.  We come to worship looking to bring God into the story of our personal lives, rather than allowing God to draw us out of our own concerns and needs and into the story of what God is seeking to do in the world.  As Christian Smith (sociologist at Notre Dame) has discovered, many North American Christians see God primarily as a cosmic butler/divine therapist – there only to meet our needs.  (We see so much of this attitude in contemporary worship music—songs that celebrate God for being “enough for me”—as if God’s “value” can be measured according to our need!)  Rooting our worship in the Word of God is one of the primary ways we have of keeping God’s story (rather than our story) central.  It is one of the primary ways we affirm that worship is not something we do for ourselves—to serve our personal agenda—but something we do with God and with one another.  Scripture keeps drawing us back to the purpose and plan of God, which is much bigger than our personal needs and desires.

That is why scripture is at the heart of this blog. I believe that rooting our spoken worship leading—our prayers and comments—in the content and imagery of worship helps keep us grounded in God’s story, and helps keep our worship focused on God rather than simply our own private needs and concerns.

My choice to follow the weekly scripture readings suggested by the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) was entirely practical:  it allowed me to know exactly which scripture readings were being looked at by churches around the world each week. (My own congregation only occasionally follows the RCL.)  [If your class is not familiar with the RCL, it is a three-year cycle which suggests four scripture readings for each week: one from the Psalms, the Old Testament, the Gospels and the Epistles.  Pastors/worship planners are free to use some or all of those readings.  The lectionary approach to using scripture is a very ancient one, and was used by the synagogues of Jesus’ day as well as by the earliest Christian churches.]

This April (2014) I will have completed  the three-year lectionary cycle, which means that I will have worked through many biblical texts in both the Old and New Testaments.

Since my own denomination doesn’t use the RCL, I’ve been careful to also provide scriptural indexes for the prayers and readings.  That way churches that don’t use the RCL can still access scripture-based resources without having to understand or follow the lectionary system.  So, for example, a worship planner working with Psalm 8 can check the Old Testament Call to Worship Index (or Prayer Index or Confession Index or Benediction Index), and find worship resources inspired by the content and imagery of that particular Psalm. The indexes are by far the most popular posts on the blog.

A need for good worship resources.  In my experience, many pastors and worship leaders have very little training in worship planning and leading. Pastors-in-training often spend significant time at seminary learning how to preach, but relatively little time learning about corporate worship itself.  When they enter ministry, most of them tend to leave worship planning and leading to the music people…who are often great musicians, but who also often know little about worship and liturgy[i] (see footnote below). What happens?  The music people simply do what they know best:  lead music.  But the spoken aspects of worship – the way we gather the people (calls to worship), the way we acknowledge the presence of God among us (opening prayers/invocation), the way we speak the truth before God and hear God’s words of forgiveness (confession/assurance), the way we lift up our world to God (prayers of intercession), and the way we close our worship gatherings (with the blessing of God on each one – benedictions) – these important movements of corporate worship are often ignored altogether.  I’ve discovered that many pastors and worship leaders don’t even know where to begin.  So I hoped that a blog liked re:Worship might give them some idea about how to understand and use these important pieces of the worship dialogue.

I don’t know how many people simply take something off the blog and use it verbatim in worship.  That’s rarely my approach. Instead, I allow the ideas and the language to inform and inspire my own preparation, and then re-think those ideas to fit my own congregation and circumstances.

2) In your opinion, what are the benefits of following the liturgical calendar in terms of spiritual growth?
 
The way we use our time is just about the best indication we have about what really matters to us.  We always find time for the things we consider important.

Just as the use of scripture in worship reminds us that God’s story should be the focus of our worship, so observing the liturgical calendar reminds us that God’s agenda—God’s time—has a greater significance than our own. 

Following the liturgical calendar—from anticipation (Advent) to the birth of Christ (Christmas), the ministry of Christ among us (Epiphany), the journey to the cross (Lent), God’s ultimate act of redemption (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday), and the gift of the Holy Spirit/birth of the church (Pentecost)…and then the season of Ordinary time in which the church works out its call and mission in the world…we relive God’s story, over and over again.

The earliest Christians understood the value of the liturgical calendar, and they used time as one of the building blocks of worship.  God’s story changed the way they viewed the past, present and future.  And one of the ways they bore witness to this new reality was by re-ordering time.  (Although you’ve just asked about the liturgical calendar – i.e. the church year – the early Christians also told God’s story on a daily and weekly basis.  But that’s another conversation!)

3) How has the use of liturgy deepened your personal experience with God?
 
You might already have picked up on the fact that my decision to use “liturgical resources” in worship is not really about my personal experience with God.  That is, it’s not so much a stylistic preference as it is a means to an end—to enable the people of God to worship with integrity and truth, and to ground their worship in the story of who God is and how God acts in the world (as known through scripture).

That said, I’ve discovered that “liturgical resources” such as the ones on my blog often deepen my insight and understanding of God’s Word.  Careful thought has gone into reading and understanding the scripture passage(s) in question, and careful thought has also gone into the preparation of the readings and prayers.  That doesn’t always happen when we pray spontaneously – and I speak from plenty of personal experience!

4) How do you respond to those who oppose pre-written prayers? 

I’ve always regretted the unfortunate division that has occurred among Christians—between those who prefer established liturgy and written prayer, and those who stress intimacy and spontaneity in prayer.  One side wonders how authentic worship can happen when you are using the words of others instead of your own.  The other side wonders how worship can be effective if you’ve given little or no advance thought to what you’ll pray for.

I’ve decided I need both.  I just look at the example of Jesus.  He certainly participated in the liturgical prayers of the synagogue.  The Bible says he went to the synagogue every Sabbath as was his custom (Luke 4:16).  And he would certainly have participated in the private devotions expected of every good Jew: reciting the Shema twice every day (from Deuteronomy 6:4-9 “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one God….” followed by Deuteronomy 11:13-21 and Numbers 15:37-41).  Jesus also would have observed the three hours of prayer each day (morning, afternoon and sundown), reciting a prayer and a series of benedictions each time.  And when the disciples asked him to teach them how to pray, he gave them fairly clear instructions about what to include – which we have in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13).

On the other hand, we know that he also had an active extemporaneous prayer life: we read that he often went off by himself to pray, including on the night he was betrayed and arrested.  We also have his beautiful high-priestly prayer in John 17.

Certainly, Jesus whole-heartedly embraced both “liturgical” and extemporaneous prayer.

The truth is, even those of us who pray “spontaneously” still choose our words from tradition—it’s just an oral tradition rather than a written one.  Pastors and worship leaders know how easy it is to fall into the same oral patterns.  (If you’re in doubt about that, try recording the prayers you hear in worship for a few weeks, and then compare their content and language. You’ll be amazed at the similarities from week to week.) In many ways, our ‘spontaneous” prayers are just as grounded in traditional patterns as are written prayers.  Thomas Howard once wrote, “Spontaneity is impossible sooner or later; there only remains for us to choose which set of phrases we will make our own.”

So we all inherit patterns for praying and preaching, and unless we consciously and deliberately refresh and expand our patterns, we tend to preach the same sermons and pray the same prayers over and over again.  That is why many of us find it helpful to look around for inspiration.  It’s not a matter of praying someone else’s prayer as much as it is a matter of allowing the shape and content of that prayer to inform and enrich our own prayer.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches.  William Willimon once wrote: “…the real issue is not liturgical versus free prayer or formal versus informal prayer.  The issue is whether or not our forms are functional or dysfunctional, whether they do an adequate job of communicating for the congregation. … [The] two forms of public prayer—free and liturgical prayer—are not mutually exclusive....They represent two ways of being with God. … These two forms of prayer complement one another when used with an awareness of their differing values.”

As much as I value spontaneous prayer in worship, it’s not really something I can post on my blog!  But I trust that worship leaders can find inspiration and insight for their spontaneous prayer through reading, praying, and absorbing the written prayers of others.

Well, that’s probably more than enough from me!  Hope something here is helpful!

Christine
 _______________________________________________________
[i] ) By liturgy, I just mean the shape or pattern of worship.  All of our churches have a specific order of worship, whatever we call it.  (I have yet to find someone who can’t sketch out their typical order of worship in under two minutes!)  The word liturgy comes from two Latin words, which essentially just mean “the work of the people.”  So “liturgy” doesn’t actually refer to any particular approach to worship – just worship generally. 

A huge thank you to Dr. Christine Longhurst for devoting her time to share with me her passion for worship, and for providing us with great insight.

Please be sure to check out the re:Worship blog, as well as Dr. Longhurst's other resources, Songs for Worship and Contemporary Psalms.