For more general information on the purpose of this class we recommend reading our vision statement.
[4 Jan (Sergio)]: Introduction
The four ways in which the incarnate Christ came to the world of his time and in which he has been coming to the world ever since through his disciples:
- Jesus Christ as my Savior/Warrior: he forgives my sins and sets me free
- Jesus Christ as my Teacher/Wise Man: he teaches me wisdom and guides me into truth
- Jesus Christ as my Lord/King: he lives at the center of my life
- Jesus Christ as my Friend/Lover: he understands and comforts me
In which of these four ways do I know Jesus best? In which of these four ways is Christ expressing his life through me? In which of these four ways does Christ want to express his life through me? What are my comfort zones, where do I need to be challenged?
During the course of this class we will approach the above questions as suggested in the Spiritual Formation Workbook (above). We will engage in practical steps to better prepare our hearts and minds to receive answers as we strive for more balance in our daily lives. Six areas of our spiritual diet are recognized in particular:
- The need for prayer, which corresponds to a contemplative life style
- The need for holiness, which corresponds to a virtuous lifestyle in thought, word, and action
- The need for empowerment by the spirit of God, which corresponds to a charismatic life style exercising spiritual gifts through ministering and healing
- The need for compassion, which corresponds to an action-filled life style helping others less fortunate then I
- The need for God's word as the essential food to live by, which corresponds to a listening lifestyle ready to share what is heard with anyone who is hungry for God (evangelistic)
- The need for incarnation, which corresponds to a holistic lifestyle showing forth God's presence in everything I am doing
If you want to be better prepared for a lesson, start with studying the Gospel reading and if time allows do some research on the historical examples mentioned (see below).
Exercise 1:
Some Bible texts to show how Christ is a Savior/Warrior (Matthew 27:14.34), Teacher (Matthew 5-7), Lord (Matthew 8:23-27), Friend (John 11:5.35-36)
Which of these four roles have you experienced the most and do you understand the best?
In which would you like to see yourself grow stronger?
Exercise 2: Which are my comfort zones?
(1) love to be at work, (2) feel comfortable with group of close friends, (3) enjoy playing sports, (4) cherish being at home in my garden or reading, (5) like to be with large groups of people
Exercise 3: Which areas of Jesus’ life are you most familiar with?
(a) praying, (b) striving against sin, (c) ministering and healing in the power of the Spirit, (d) showing compassion, (e) proclaiming the good news and reading the Scriptures, (f) uniting the physical and the spiritual
The above six areas (exercise 3 a-f) are reflected in six historical movements that emphasize a particular aspect of the life of Jesus: (a) contemplative, (b) holiness, (c) charismatic, (d) social justice, (e) evangelical, and (f) incarnational movements.
Exercise 4:
Estimate where you are in each area on the wheel spokes (click here to view the wheel). Place dots at those points; then connect the dots from spoke to spoke to form a ring around the hub
Be thankful for what you have and look at your opportunities for growth. Do not be discouraged! It is very rare to find a person who is strong in all six areas. Hopefully this Spiritual Formation class will help you become stronger in areas that you previously saw as impossible. In our small groups we don’t all share the same strengths and weaknesses: let’s build upon each other’s strengths!
[11 Jan (Tony)]: Practicing the prayer-filled life 1/2 (contemplative tradition)
Contemplative: Spending time with God in prayer and meditation
Gospel reading: Mark 14:32-36
[18 Jan (Sergio)]: Practicing the prayer-filled life 2/2 (contemplative tradition)
Historical example: Desert Fathers and Mothers (4th century)
Exercises in the Contemplative Tradition (choose one to practice before the next meeting):
- Set aside five to ten minutes each day for prayer: Find a time in your schedule that is free of interruption, when you can turn your thoughts to God. You may want to read a Bible verse and meditate on it, or you may want to spend the time talking with God about your needs and concerns. The idea is simply to set aside your busy activities (or not start them) and turn your attention to God.
- Spend five to ten minutes each day in silence: Carve out a time that is free form interruption and use this time to be silent. Very close friends can communicate without words; try this with God. Enjoy God’s presence.
- Spend 30 minutes each day praying the “Devine Office”: The Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office is the official set of daily prayers used for example by the Roman Catholic Church to be recited at the canonical hours by the clergy, religious orders, and laity. It consists primarily of psalms supplemented by hymns and readings. If you have a access to the web you can go to divineoffice.org (listen to podcast) or to www.universalis.com (reading on the web and download a year’s worth of reading).
- Read selection from a devotional book: Find a book on the spiritual life that interests you. It may be a devotional classic such as Oswald Chamber's My Utmost for His Highest. However, instead of reading what you select simply to understand it, read it “with God,” knowing that God is there in the room with you. Discover God in the reading.
- Pray the same prayer for ten minutes each day: There is a tradition in the Eastern Church called “hesychasm,” (Greek: quiet/solitude) which is the practice of repeating a simple prayer over and over: The idea is to focus your thoughts on God so that God can enter our heart. You might like to try the “hesychastic” prayer “Lord Jesus Chist, Son of God, have mercy on me,” or use a verse from a psalm – perhaps “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Ps: 51:10).
- Write an original prayer: Take time to write a prayer as if it were a “letter to God.”. Beginning with “Dear God,” tell God your hopes and dreams, your worries, your needs. You may even want to confess your sins and ask for forgiveness. Most important, use the prayer to open the lines of communication between yourself and God. Do not write the prayer as though it would be read by others someday. Like a personal journal, keep your prayer confidential so that you have the freedom to be honest. Once you are done, read and pray it every day until our next gathering.
[25 Jan (Tony)]: Practicing the virtuous life 1/2 (holiness tradition)
Holiness: Having pure thoughts, words, and actions, and overcoming temptation
Gospel reading: Matthew 4:1-11
[1 Feb (Sergio)]: Practicing the virtuous life 2/2 (holiness tradition)
Historical example: John Wesley's "Holy Club", Methodist (18th century)
Exercises in the Holiness Tradition (choose one to practice before the next meeting):
- Pray for the Holy Spirit to purify your heart and mind; then listen: In bringing about change, God works from the inside out and he works via the Holy Spirit. Set aside a substantial amount of time (say, one hour) for a deep and heartfelt prayer. During that time, ask God to purify your heart and mind through the power of the Holy Spirit. The key to the effectiveness of your prayer will be your willingness to surrender control of your life to God. Ask God to search your heart to see if there is any hidden evil in your life or any activity that God wants you to quit. Then listen. When you have a sense of what God wants to free you from, pray that the spirit will purge that sin – even the desire for it – from your life. Holiness is born in prayers like these.
- Respond to temptation with the word of God: Jesus overcame the devil’s temptations by holding fast to God’s commandments. Memorize those three responses (Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:16, 6:13), and when you are tempted by the enemy to (1) gratify selfish desires, (2) doubt God’s power, or (3) seek wealth, power, or fame, respond to the temptation with the corresponding verse of Scripture. Jesus used the power of God through Scripture to defeat the devil, and so can we.
- Try a twenty-four hour partial fast: Jesus fasted in the wilderness to gain spiritual strength. When we fast, we are saying no to the uncontrolled appetites of our body and thereby gaining mastery over them. The practice of fasting also reveals hidden traits – anger, selfishness, inability to delay gratification, laziness, and so on – which can become areas for change (and growth) in the future. A simple way to begin is to fast from lunch to lunch, skipping dinner and breakfast in between. After eating lunch on the first day, do not eat a full meal until lunch on the second day. During the twenty-four hours drink plenty of water, and at mealtimes drink a glass of fruit juice if you want. Remember, in the fasting you are “feasting” upon God.
- Practice these two disciplines for “taming the tongue”: What we say reveals what is in our hearts. That is why Jesus said that it is not what goes into the mouth but what comes out that defiles a person (Matt. 15:11). In other words, what we say makes us “unclean.” James also reminds us of the power of words (James 3:5-12). Like fire they can refine or destroy. The following disciplines will help you monitor the things you say and gain some control over the awesome power of the tongue. (A) Go a day without saying anything negative: In the morning ask the Holy Spirit to “set a guard over your mouth” (Psalm 141:3), preventing you from saying anything negative. Be ruthless about this! Do not let even the slightest hint of criticism or judgment come out of your mouth. You may find yourself in situations that call for an honest appraisal; for example, you may be asked what you think about something. Be honest, but do not be critical. Instead, search for ways to be positive about everything around you and be ready to give compliments as often as you can. (B) Go a day without saying anything that is dishonest: Jesus said of Nathaniel that he was a person without “deceit”. What a compliment. Deceit is dishonesty, double-talk, falsehood, shading the truth, manipulating words, and the like. Pray that the Spirit will make your heart pure and honest and alert you to anything that is less than forthright. Do not manipulate your words; let your “yes” be “yes” and your “no be “no”. Note: In both of these activities you will find a great sense of release. Our negative words hurt not only others but ourselves as well: they affect our spirit.
[8 Feb (Florence)]: Practicing the spirit-empowered life 1/2 (charismatic tradition)
Charismatic: Welcoming the Holy Spirit while nurturing and exercising my spiritual gifts
Gospel reading: John 14:15-17, 25-26; 15:26-27; 16:7-15
[15 Feb (Sergio)]: Practicing the spirit-empowered life 2/2 (charismatic tradition)
Historical example: Beginning of the "Quaker" movement led by George Fox (17th century)
[22 Feb (Florence)]: Practicing the compassionate life 1/2 (social justice tradition)
Social Justice: Helping others less fortunate than I
Gospel reading: Matthew 25:31-46
[1 Mar (Sergio)]: Practicing the compassionate life 2/2 (social justice tradition)
Historical example: Dorothy Day, 20th Century, New York, USA
[8 Mar (Tony)]: Practicing the word-centered life 1/2 (evangelical tradition)
Evangelical: Sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and reading the Scriptures
Gospel reading: Luke 4:16-20a; 42-44
[15 Mar (Sergio)]: Practicing the word-centered life 2/2 (evangelical tradition)
Historical example: Billy Graham (20th century)
[22 Mar (Florence)]: Practicing the sacramental life 1/2 (incarnational tradition)
Incarnational: Unifying the sacred secular areas of my life while showing forth God's presence
(Moravians, 18th century)
Gospel reading: Luke 13:10-17
[29 Mar (Sergio)]: Practicing the sacramental life 2/2 (incarnational tradition)
Historical example: Dag Hammarskjöld (20th century)
[5 Apr (Sergio)]: Review and wrap-up of the six traditions (see above)
[12 Apr (Easter)]: (no class, tbc)
[19 Apr]: PERLS, presentation with John Wegner, Susan Phillips, Brian Larson
[26 Apr]: (tbd)
Last updated 2/21/2009:
Added reference to "Streams of Living Water". Changed historical example for Social Justice from Francis of Assisi to Dorothy Day. Added exercises for contemplative and spirit-empowered life.
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