Christian Practices, Part 3 – Bible Reading

Often Christians question what God wants them to do, who God wants them to become, and how they should live. I understand this dilemma and the desire to have a “word from the Lord” for one’s life. I’ve felt painfully in need of direction from God many times in my life.

But of course, we do have a Word from the Lord, we do have guidance from God about what to do, who we should become, and how we should live – it’s called the Bible. At this suggestion many Christian balk, roll their eyes, or state with complete honesty, “yeah but I don’t read the Bible” or “I’m not sure about the Bible.” Despite the struggles of some believers with Holy Scripture, it has been the experience and witness of Christians for over 2000 years that God speaks and guides through the pages of the Bible.  

That’s why Christian teachers and pastors, especially in the Protestant Tradition, have so emphasized personal, daily Bible reading. When we refuse to study or read Scripture we are in essence refusing to listen to the voice of God. Yes, learning to read the Bible well takes some effort and practice. Yes, God does not always leap out of the pages of the Bible and speak to us, whether audibly or in our hearts, but none the less God still speaks.

The Bible makes it clear that we are to “Love God” and “love our neighbors” that we are to “go make disciples” and that we are to give “cheerfully” and that we are to talk with our children about the ways of God when we are at “home” and “on the way.”

In other words, the Bible provides us with plenty of guidance about how we should live and the kind of people we should be becoming by the grace of God.

As you seek to become a better student of the Bible here are some things to keep in mind:

1. The difference between academic and spiritual study. Yes, these two forms of study can go together, but for Christians we are primarily seeking to hear from the Spirit of God through the pages of the Bible for our life and the life of others. There are countless stories of men and women going to college and taking an academic course on the Bible which instead of building up their faith actually weakens it. So seek out Bible study opportunities and Bible study materials that have a spiritual focus.

2. If you’re just starting, focus on reading smaller sections a day. There are no bonus points for reading through several chapters a day. The point is engage with the section of the Bible you are reading and to prayerfully consider what God may be saying to you.

3. Don’t only study the Bible by yourself. The Bible is a book meant for a particular people, God’s people. Find a Bible study group to participate in.

4. Get an understanding of the big picture of the Bible, once you understand the major storyline and movements of the Bible understanding smaller sections is much easier (shameless plug here). 

Wherever you are in relation to daily Bible reading don’t give up, keep at it, and dive deeper into the mystery of God’s Word.

Christian Practices, Part 2 – Corporate Worship

Worship is more than an event, a church activity or collection of songs. As human beings it is in our spiritual DNA to worship. We were created to worship and to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ in particular.  We miss out on a large part of what it means to be human when we do not worship, or when we worship wrongly, or when we worship in shallow and superficial ways (see here for example).

There is much talk in the Church today about being “purpose-driven” or “missional” or “evangelistic” or “cool” or “civic minded” or “whatever” but first and foremost the purpose of the Church (meaning you and me, we are the Church as Christians) is to glorify God. Glorifying God involves more than worship, at least worship in the corporate sense that I am discussing here, but it certainly must included it.

According to the Book of Common Prayer , “in corporate worship, we unite ourselves with others to acknowledge the holiness of God, to hear God’s Word, and to offer prayer, and to celebrate the sacraments.” Worship in this sense cannot be done alone. Yes, we can worship “privately” as it were with prayer and praise on the golf course, out in the woods, or wherever, but we cannot worship in the corporate sense by ourselves. If we fail to worship with others, we fail to worship as God intends.

Sometimes there is talk of making worship more entertaining or relevant or useful, but while there is a pinch of a point to be made from these suggestions worship is not meant in any primary sense to be entertaining or relevant or useful. The point of worship is to adjust our focus from ourselves, our joys and concerns, and to focus on the life of Almighty God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is to unplug from “me” and to connect with “we” while focusing on “thee.”  

The regularity of corporate worship is extremely important as well. Weekly corporate worship is important not only because of its implications for the development of relationships in a congregational family, but because we as fallen human beings need to be regularly reminded of who we are as God’s people. In the Anglican tradition there is an emphasis on more frequent corporate worship, even daily worship, which some are still striving to live out today (see here). 

If you aren’t worshipping in community now make a first step and starting searching for a parish home. If you aren’t worshipping weekly strive to make that commitment in your Christian life. If you are worshipping regularly, dive deeper into the act of worship itself and protect yourself from the dangers of just going through the motions.

What else is important about corporate worship?

What dimensions are missing from my comments above? 

Christian Practices, Part 1 - Prayer

During Lent I will be exploring six basic practices of the Christian faith. These practices are indeed basic, one might say, fundamental to the Christian life. Lent is a good time to review the basics of Christian living and the whys and the hows of what we do and believe. Today I’ll be looking at prayer.  

Prayer is almost a universal language in the human race. Even those who do not profess to believe in any particular religion or spiritual system often pray. Prayer is at the heart of the Christian life because it is in prayer that we are able to develop our relationship with God. Prayer has often been described as conversation between God and humanity (sadly, many of us do most of the talking, giving God no room to say anything!).  

Prayer is more than speaking or thinking thoughts directed to God, however. The Episcopal Church’s Book of Common Prayer defines prayer in this way, “Prayer is responding to God, by thought and by deeds, with or without words.” I remember the first time I read this definition I was struck by two things. First, that prayer is always a response to God. We sometimes think we are the ones initiating prayers, starting the conversation, sending the spiritual e-mail if you will, yet, in fact, God is the one who is always trying to get our attention. Our prayers are always a response to something God has done, stirred in us, or gifted us with.

Second, I was struck by the idea that prayer might be offered by deeds and even without words! Choosing to respond to an angry comment with love and patience can be a prayer if we are mindful that we are responding to God’s invitation to “turn the other cheek” and to “love our neighbor as ourselves.” Praying without words brings us into the realm of Christian meditation and contemplation. There are ways of praying with images (click here for more info on imagery and prayer), there are also ways of praying without words or active thoughts – simply enjoying the presence of God (click here for more information on Christian contemplation).  

Lent is a time to work on our spiritual fitness. There seems to be a general consensus among the great spiritual writers of the Christian tradition – Catholic and Protestant –about what a healthy prayer life should look like. Here it is, in my own short form:

1. A growing Christian should pray every day. 

    2. This daily prayer should have two major expressions.

A.    A daily, scheduled private time of prayer with the Lord. This could be five minutes in the morning where you pray over your day, for your loved ones, and read some Scripture to center yourself.

B.     Little prayers throughout the day. This would include things like praying grace at meals (silently is ok in public, aloud is important at home with friends or family), but would also include short prayers offered to God in the context of daily life, such as “Lord, the kids are going crazy today. Help me and them to calm down.” “God, Bill seems to be having a tough time at work today. Help him and help me to help him.”  “Jesus, help those in that car wreck and the medical personnel who are trying to save their lives.” “Father, what a beautiful day, sunny and mild. Thank you!”etc.  

Much more could be said about prayer (see here for example, or here), but the important thing is to be praying on a regular basis. If you aren’t, stretch yourself to pray more. If you are praying regularly, stretch yourself to learn to pray in new ways.

What else would you recommend in terms of developing a stronger prayer life?

Lent Begins

Today marks the beginning of the forty day season of Lent.  Modeled after the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert tempted by Satan, Lent has historically been a time for Christians to shape up spiritually, confess their sins, and get right with God and their neighbors. Lent is also a time of getting ready, ready to celebrate Christ’s death and resurrection on Easter Sunday. Lent is a time to push away distractions (there will be plenty of them!) and give some attention to our souls, to our spirits, and to our God (learn more about Lent from the Archbishop of Canterbury by clicking here).

I think for many Christians the first stumbling block to a meaningful Lent is a lack of planning. If you haven’t already, today is a great day to sit down prayerfully with your spouse, a friend, or on your own and think about how you will observe Lent. A simple plan can be the channel through which God grows your faith this Lenten season.

What is your plan for Lent this year?

No Name Christians?

Tomorrow (according to the Episcopal calendar) is the feast day of Saint Matthias the Apostle. You will recall, that Judas Iscariot, in addition to betraying Jesus, also committed  suicide, leaving eleven apostles in charge of the early Church.  

After Jesus’ death and resurrection the first Christians thought it necessary for there to be twelve apostles. From among those who had been with Jesus during His earthly ministry they presented two candidates for apostleship: Joseph, called Barsabbas, and Matthias. They cast lots (perhaps a better system for election to high office in the Church than we presently have) and the lot fell to Matthias.

Matthias is only mentioned by name in Acts chapter 1. The rest of his life and his apostolic ministry are never referenced again in the New Testament. Yet, the Church acknowledges Matthias as a saint. His faithful, unsung, largely unrecorded life was recognized as being of great value to Christ and His Church.  This is good news for the vast majority of us as Christians, whose lives of service and commitment to Christ will never be recorded, written about, or made into a major motion picture.  

Our aspiration must be to serve Christ faithfully over the years of our lives, whether many or few, hoping not for earthly fame, but merely that our names will be listed among those welcome in heaven. 

Do we Stand for Anything?

This Friday the Episcopal calendar features the feast day of Martin Luther, the great Protestant reformer from sixteenth century Germany. Luther, when brought to trial for heresy and ask to recant (take back) his teachings, is reported to have concluded his defense with these words, “Here I stand, I can do no other. God help me. Amen.”  In the sixteenth century such rhetorical heroism could result in censure, imprisonment, or even death. Luther is certainly not the only example of a Christian who believed strongly enough in something that he was willing to take a stand for his faith, even if his stand was unpopular with some. This makes me ponder. What about my faith would I be willing to go on trial for? What about your faith would you be willing to go on trial for?

Going on trial is a rather exceptional sort of instance (for North American Christians anyway), so perhaps a softer question is in order, “are we willing to place our two metaphysical feet on the ground for anything related to our faith?”  My experience is that church people are often willing to take stands on issues like the color of the carpet, the personality of the pastor, and whether or not a beloved tradition will be continued. I’m not saying that these things aren’t important or don’t merit some attention (in some cases minimal attention albeit), but what about doctrine, belief, our creeds, the existence of God, will we stand for any of these?  

Or, are we simply content to allow others to stand for us? Maybe the reality is more tragic, namely, that we are so lukewarm in our faith that nothing about Christianity could move us to our feet except the closing hymn of the service?

Where would you stand? 

Reforming North American Christianity, part 7

Well, this is my last post in this series on “Reforming North American Christianity.” This series has prompted some interested conversations, both on the blog, and off the blog. The sociological landscape of North America has shifted, and I believe this requires we make some adjustments to our Christian way of life. I’ve talked about the need for more quiet, more silence, a greater comfort level with being different, and most recently, to thinking of ourselves as missionaries in a post-Christian society.

In particular, I believe a renewed emphasis on lay spirituality will be required if any sort of reformation is to take place. No doubt ordained members of the Body of Christ have been used by God in important ways over the centuries, but at the heart of the Christian faith is the ordinary man or woman of God. Across Christian denominations there are different perspectives on the roles of clergy and laity (and whether in fact there should be such distinctions at all), but surprisingly, in the last sixty years there has been a remarkable agreement by most of the major Christian traditions that the laity are the primary ministers of the Church.

I love the priesthood and being a priest, so I am not calling for an abolishment of the clergy or seeking to invite clergy bashing here. Yet, if reformation is to happen, we must return the focus of the Christian faith from the majesty of the sanctuary to the lowliness of the sidewalk – to the addresses of our daily lives. This means we must not view worship as an isolated event from the rest of our week, but instead, view worship as a launching pad for our week and for our lives. In some liturgical churches the final hymn of the service is called a processional (yes, just like the first hymn, no typo here), meaning that as the worship “service” ends, the real work of serving God begins as we process out into our everyday lives with their challenges, joys, chaotic interludes, and predictable routines.

Besides all this, a reformation of the laity will require:

1.      An acknowledgment that every Christian is called to be a theologian, meaning that every Christian is called to understand their faith and do some serious thinking about it.  

2.      A stronger equipping role by local congregations, helping lay people think through, often at sophisticated levels, what it means to be a Christian in the world. What is particularly needed here is helping Christians sort out what it specifically means to be Christian in a particular vocation or season of life.

3.      Regular dialogue between those serving within the gathered church and the vast majority of Christians (the scattered church) living for Christ out in the world (at home, school, work, in the midst of family life, friendships, etc.).

What am I missing here?