- 7-Sept-08
- What is the vision of my being a Christian, a disciple of Jesus?
- Some thoughts:
- A disciple is all excited about the Master
- The Master is really a master in all areas of life (think about what that means). Just one more popular example of Jesus' impact on world history is reflected by the fact that we write the year 2008 Anno Domine (the year of the Lord: that's Jesus!) in most areas of the world. Even your computer knows that. This honor would certainly not be given to any only interesting preacher or lunatic who walked in the hills of Galilea 2000 years ago.
- A disciple wants to know all there is to know about the Master, that means s/he will study all the primary sources, that is the gospels, and know especially well the "Sermon on the Mount", the most famous "inaugural" speech the Master delivered. Of course there is a lot more to study, starting from the Bible through the ages of faithful disciples of Jesus, many of them heroes in their own right.
- A disciple is all about becoming like the Master, s/he will try to do "what" Jesus did "how" he did it. A good way of thinking about this quest is to ask the question "What would Jesus do if he was I?"
- A question for contemplation this week:
- What is one area of my life that isn't quite "Christlike" and where do I see a need to become more like Jesus? Ask yourself this question prayerfully. You may also want to talk to a trusted friend about this. Sometimes others see our needs more clearly than we do.
- 14-Sept-08
- Vision - Intention - Method/Means: As a student I may have the vision to become a High School teacher or engineer or doctor. Before entering college I am not yet what I envision to be. Certain transformative steps have to occur. For me to reach my goal successfully, I will have to have a clear vision of that goal (it may have to be refined as I go), then I have to submit to a substantial training program (college) which in turn will require me to apply a number of means (e.g. homework).
- How does this process apply to my vision to live as a disciple of Jesus? Do I have a vision for this? Do I even think I need to have a vision here?
- In the following classes we will investigate these questions together in more detail. Everyone will have the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of his or her perspective and we will investigate some practical steps that can help us bring about some needed change in our lives.
- Here are some of the upcoming topics: What could it mean to "habitually" do the will of God? Can I develop "godly" habits? What are the general patterns of personal transformation? Do you know means that would be especially helpful for personal transformation? How can we be free and obey God at the same time? What does it mean to me that Jesus is the Master and I am a disciple?...
- The schedule below reflects what we have covered in class if the date is in the past, and what we are planning to cover in the future meetings. We may spend more or less time on each topic as needed.
- 21-Sept-08: Without a compelling and clear goal, no meaningful direction is possible... The vision of being a disciple of Jesus is described by Him in the Sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7). Trust in Jesus will bring us to being the kind of person who lives his life from a "Kingdom Heart", that is who lives free of contempt and anger, is free from domination by sexual lust and disgust, is free of desire to dominate and control verbally, is free from grudges, is able to love enemies, does not perform for human credit, does not trust in physical substances like money, ...
- This is a strong and wonderful vision that we have to keep firmly in front of us if we ever hope to grow closer to it. We will spend more time on the "how to" later, but it is here, with this vision, that the life of the disciple of Jesus begins. This week immerse yourself in the reading of Matthew 5-7, the "vision-speech" of the Master, and start making notes how His vision would relate to you.
- Read the Sermon during this week and plan to continue re-reading it throughout the semester. We will need this to be able to engage in a meaningful discussion about what it means to us.
- 28-Sept-08: After having read the "Sermon on the Mount" during last week, we will have a look together at Jesus inaugural speech where he lays out His vision of living in God's world. This is what Jesus really got excited about. This is what we get excited about as His disciples as well.
- If not everybody had a chance to actually read the Sermon between meetings, we will do so together before moving on.
Rather, we will meet each Sunday with the one main teaching goal that together we learn how to better use the Bible to hear God speak to me personally. As the one teaching tool towards this end we will explain and use the format of Lectio Divina (read elsewhere in this blog an/or click here if you want to learn more about it). This tool is a time-proven and rich approach to "hearing God" and we fully expect that it can provide a lifelong benefit to any student if applied well.
We will use texts from the Gospel Matthew. We encourage students to read and study on their own terms the whole gospel of Matthew throughout the semester. The list below shows the chapters from Matthew from which the texts for the Lectio Divina will be taken. When you read the text at home for you own study, pay particular attention to how individuals "hear" God speak in their own lives.
Each Sunday we will allow time in small group sessions to reflect on the learning and experiences the students had with "hearing God" throughout the week, if any.
- 28-Sept-08: We looked at the 1st step of Lectio Divina, "Lectio - Listening to God". Our symbol for the first step is a door. As we open the bible we open the door into the room where the Master (God) is awaiting us. He is talking. We get tuned into his voice. We listen for a word directed to us.
- We practiced Lectio with Matthew 5:1-12 (Beatitudes)
- 5-Oct-08: We looked at the 2nd step of Lectio Divina, "Meditatio - Ruminating". Our symbol is the cow. As she chews on what she was eating long afterward, we "chew" on the word (verse) we received from God in the first step (above) and hold it in the context of our current life situation.
- We practiced Lectio Divina with Matthew 1:18-21. We looked at Joseph in the context of “hearing God”: What is it about Joseph that he heard God speak? What does the text tell us about Joseph’s character? For example, Joseph was righteous (1:19) and considerate about the well-being of Mary before taking steps divorcing her (1:20). How does Joseph's experience of hearing God compare to your own experience?
- 12-Oct-08: We looked at the 3rd step of Lectio Divina, "Oratio - Answering". Our symbol for this step is the ring that stands for the promise that I will stay with you through the good and the bad times "till death us do part". We promise God to do his will. We practiced Lectio with Matthew 3:7-17
- 19-Oct-08: We looked at the 4th step of Lectio Divina, "Contemplatio - Resting in God". Our symbol is a boat. It is found in the story told in Matthew 8:18-27 when Jesus sleeps in the boat while a storm is raging. Jesus rests in the presence of God the all powerful and all good ruler of the universe. This is a perfect place for Jesus to be. Suggested reading for this Sunday was Matt 5-7.
- This concludes the teaching of Lectio Divina. Enjoy practicing it.
- For enrichment of your prayer time, especially the "resting in God" part, try the following prayer, commit to it every day as a bear-bones minimum ... commitment to God whom we love with all our hearts and mind and strength ... to spend at least five minutes in conversation with Him everyday. No exceptions. We will plan our day around these five minutes, not the other way around. One way to fill this short time is as follows: (This suggestion is inspired by Father Larry Richards)
* 1st minute say "I am sorry" because yes, I have not been living up to his expectations
* 2nd minute say "I surrender" (not my will but your will be done)
* 3rd - 5th minute say, "Hold me" and remain silent. Finish the time with the Lords prayer.
- 26-Oct-08: Suggested reading for this Sunday Matt 8-10
- 2-Nov-08: Suggested reading for this Sunday Matt 11-13
- 9-Nov-08: Suggested reading for this Sunday Matt 14-16
- 16-Nov-08: Suggested reading for this Sunday Matt 17-18
- 23-Nov-08: Suggested reading for this Sunday Matt 19-22
- 30-Nov-08: Suggested reading for this Sunday Matt 23-24
- 7-Dec-08: Suggested reading for this Sunday Matt 25
- 14-Dec-08: Suggested reading for this Sunday Matt 26
- 21-Dec-08: Suggested reading for this Sunday Matt 27
- 28-Dec-08: Suggested reading for this Sunday Matt 28
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