Holy Week Meditation 2008
It is in our brokenness that we meet God. We have no place for God when we are standing tall and defiant. As we pick among the shards of our broken ego, we discover the delusions that enslaves us, the lust that chains us and the lies that blinds us. It is with these broken shards that God rebuilds us. Only if we allow him to. There are some who clings to their brokenness, reviling in their pain. Others remain broken, afraid to move on for fear of more breakings. God picks up our brokenness and fashions our wholeness where the egg of his son will be born, in the ground of our being.
It is in our needfulness that we touch God. In our innermost self, where we are vulnerable, scared and naked, do we realise our need for God. A need than can only be satisfied by him alone. As a drowning man clings to the hand that can draw him to safety, we cling to the hand of God. As Peter realise from the depth of his soul, "where do we go? Only you have the word of life." In our needfulness, God fills us with his Spirit.
It is in our trust that we experience God. Trust is not easy to give because we have been hurt so often. The pain of wounded trust does not heal easily. The greatest pain comes from those whom we love the most. We must have enough faith to launch into the unknown. As a child leapt from a height, trusting her father will catch her, we too must trust to jump, confident that we too will be caught. Trust is giving up control to another. As an innocent infant rests in the arms of his mother, we too rest in the trust of our loving father in heaven.
It is in our living that we enjoy God. Some will stand on mountains and experience the awesome power of his greatness. Others may labour in valleys, tilling the soil. Yet, most growth occurs in valleys, where transforming moments occurs. Our life is a succession of moments. We must live only in these moments, only in the present. If we are really present to the moment, we shall experience joy. Many of us miss joy because we are too busy with the future moments or the past. Joy is the here and now; as your eyes scan the written text, the sensation of your body, the background noise and your emotional state. And with these moments, you will see God smiling. No moments too insignificant or too great for God for in him we move, live and have our being.
soli deo gloria
Labels: Christian spirituality, Lent
Worship Gestures
“What are you doing? Sign language?” asked disciple junior grade Ah Beng of disciple senior grade Ah Kong. “Making the sign of the cross,” replied Ah Kong knowingly.
“Why?" Ah Beng asked again, reaching out for the last piece of bread on the table. They were having dinner in a large wooden shed. The simple wooden shed is the site for the Annual Conference of Desert Fathers, Mothers, and Hermits. Usually the hermits attend by proxy.
“Abba Isaac is doing it, that’s why” replied Ah Kong with an air of superiority. “I saw him making the sign of the cross over his bread just before he eats it.”
“Does that make it holy bread?” asked Ah Beng with an air of innocence. “You trying to be funny,” Ah Kong asked suspiciously, rolling up his sleeves.
“No fighting,” said Abba Isaac to his disciples, “What are you two arguing about?”
“It’s this sign,” Ah Kong answered making a motion of his hand over his body, up down, then side to side.
“What sign?” asked Abba Isaac with a surprised look on his face, “why are you waving your hand like that?”
“I am doing the sign of the cross like you did before you say grace” replied Ah Kong.
“Ah so,” nodded Abba Isaac understanding. “first, stop waving your hand when you make the sign. Watch me.”
Holding three fingers together - thumb, forefinger, and middle finger - Abba Isaac demonstrated to his disciples how to make the sign of the cross.
“The three fingers symbols the Trinity; Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The two fingers on your palms represent the two natures of Christ, human and divine. When you drop your hand from your forehead to waist, it represents Christ’s descend to earth. The upward movement is the resurrection. I do this to remind myself of Our Lord”
“But Abba Mathenius uses two fingers only,” said Ah Kong, “I saw him.”
“Abba Mathenius’ uses two fingers to signify the two natures of Christ and the three fingers on his palm, the Trinity. Notice how he makes the large cross over his whole body,” explains Abba Isaac. “He said it reminds him of God’s vastness.”
“How about Abba Rinardo?” chipped in Ah Beng, not wanting to be left out. “He crosses himself from left to right. Or Abba Andropus. He crosses himself from right to left.”
“Maybe Abba Andropus is left handed.” Ah Kong said.
“Abba Rinardo is from Rome. The Roman Catholics uses the left to right movement which is the left cross. With that gesture, his followers signify that they do not wish to be on Christ’s left but rather be at Christ’s right side. Remember Christ’s parable on the goat and sheep? The goats will be on Christ’s left and the sheep on Christ’s right on the day of judgement. You do not want to be a goat on the day of judgement. Understand?”
“Ai yah, there is no sheep in China, only goats!” exclaimed Ah Beng.
“Stupid!” shouted Ah Kong, whacking Ah Beng on the head. “Jesus is speaking figuratively.”
“Oh,” Ah Beng whispered sheepishly.
“Abba Andropus,” continued Abba Isaac as if nothing has happened, “is from Russia. The Russian Orthodox Church’s gesture from right to left symbolises Christ descended from heaven to earth and to the Jews on the right and he now have passed to the Gentiles on the left.”
“We don’t do that,” said Ah Kong smugly, “we are Protestants!” “What are we protesting against...” Ah Beng started to say. “That’s a misconception,” Abba Isaac interrupted, “Abba Martin Luther prescribe using the sign of the cross. The Anglicans and Lutherans are still using it today.”
“Shall we cross left to right or right to left?” wondered Ah Beng, “Ah, I know-lah, left cross one day, right cross another day. Left, right, left, right.”
And Abba Isaac sighed.
**
For many of us, worship is the section of Sunday service where we sing hymns or songs to the accompaniment of musical instruments and PowerPoint sceneries. Worship is more than that and should encompass the whole of our lives. It is more than using our mouths to sing. It should involve our mind, heart, spirit and body. Not many of us realise how our bodies are also involved in worship. It may be as simple as closing our eyes while we sing, or opening our hands, or lifting our arms. During prayers, we lean forward and close our eyes. When we feel the Lord’s presence, we may have an intense desire to kneel, or even lie prostrate on the ground. All these are indications that our physical bodies are involved in the act of worship. These are our body language of worship. And consciously or unconsciously it may help us to worship better.
During its long history, the Church understands that our bodies worship together with our mind, spirit and soul. That is why Church developed liturgy in the worship services and certain practices. These practice or action reminds our body of their language of worship. In other words, it primes our body for worship. Making the sign of the cross is one. Nobody knows when and how it originates. It does, however, help some people to recall their body language of worship. The great Church Father John Chrysostom said, “You should not just trace the cross with your finger, but you should do it in faith.”
Reflection Questions
1. What is your body language of worship? To identify it, think of what posture is most helpful in your worship. Is it sitting, walking, kneeling, lying prostate or on your back? Does lighting a candle or incense helps? Discover your body language of worship and experiment with other postures too.
2. Which aspect of your church worship service reminds your body of worship? Is it during the singing, listening to the sermon, taking part in the Holy Communion, or reading the Bible during scripture reading? How will you use this to enhance your worship encounter?
3. The body language of worship connects thinking and doing. Which liturgy or parts of your church’s worship service reminds you of God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit? Using the sign of the cross is one of the ways some Christians use to remind themselves of the Trinity. What practices or rituals do you use to remind yourself of the presence of the Trinity?
Father God,
We thank you for creating us as body and spirit. We thank you for our bodies-whatever shape, size and colour. As the psalmist said, our bodies are beautifully and wonderfully made. We thank you for this fantastic creation. Teach us to worship you in spirit and in truth. Teach us to worship you with our bodies as well as our minds, souls and spirits.
AmenSoli Deo Gloria
Labels: eReflection, Spiritual Formation
Role of Education and Discipleship in Spiritual Formation
Educational activities in Christian faith communities and discipleship are the means in which the dynamic processes are harness for holistic Christian spiritual formation. Educational activities and discipleship provides the framework of the matrix for the dynamic processes to work.
All educational activities in Christian faith communities should recognize that everyone is different and has different learning styles (LeFever 2004). Adult learning is different from the way a child learns (Vella 1995; Vella, Berardinelli et al. 1998; Knowles, F.HoltonIII et al. 2005). This form of learning recognizes the different developmental stage theories. Activities planned for children should be different than those for adults. Even adult learning activities should be customised. Educational activities in Christian faith communities also recognizes that all learning is life-long.
Johnson identified the education process as,
First we must decide to become Christian. Next we must submit ourselves to prolonged instruction and initiation. We must give ourselves over to the Story, begin to participate in it; only then do we really begin to understand! Credo ut intelligam: I participate fully in order that I might understand.”
(Johnson 1989, 149)
Educator Thomas Groome has a similar approach in his “Shared Praxis” which has as its components: (1) present action, (2) critical reflection, (3) dialogue, (4) the Christian story, and (5) the Vision. (Groome 1980,207-208). Concerning vision as the final component, Groome writes, “ I intend the metaphor Vision to be a comprehensive representation of the lived response which the Christian Story invites and of the promise God makes in that Story.”(Groome 1980,193). Both Johnson and Groome envisage the role of learning is to incorporate the learner’s own story into the Christian story.
Religious educator Andrew Grannell queries about the need of having formative activities such as education and discipleship if transformation is by the Holy Spirit (1985). His query arises out of a revolution in educational theorising brought on by Fowler’s “Stages of Life” and Loder’s “Transforming Moments.” Fowler’s faith development theory fits in with formation. Though Johnson rejects faith development theories, her formative schema is based on some staging or growth structure (1989). Loder’s transforming moment fits in with Groome’s vision metaphor.
I believe that the issue about formation and transformation can be reconciled by understanding the way Johnson and Groome understand time. Johnson approaches learning in linear (kronos) time while Groome’s emphasis is kairos time. (Groome 1980, 5-17). It will be difficult to compartmentalise learning into past, present, and future learning in a linear fashion. The only linear aspect of our lives is our chronological age. Groome is correct in placing learning in the present. For him, present means “present of things present, the present of things past, and the present of things future.” (Groome 1980, 5-17, 185; Augustine 1963, 219). This is important because though we must not forget the past nor ignore the future, learning belongs solidly in the present. Formation activities are linear (chronos) but are punctuated by transformation events (kairos). Both are necessary because formation activities produce the context for transformation to occur. This is what Grannell called a “paradox” for both continuing formation activities and instantaneous transformational moments are essential to spiritual formation (Grannell 1985,397-398).
Educational activities in Christian faith communities is not just classroom or seminar based but learning that takes place in communities of faith that meet regularly for the studying of the bible, for sharing, mentoring, modelling, hospitality, crises management, and reflection. It involves full participation of all members.
This type of learning is full commitment, full involvement and “getting our hands dirty” type of learning. It is also involve opening our eyes to the wider perspective of the Christian Story. It also happens during crisis and other events when Loder’s transforming moment occurs (Loder 1989).
Discipleship training and discipling should be conducted concurrently with other educational activities in Christian faith communities. Discipling, as is shown by Collinson involves smaller groups of people and its curriculum is more focused on disciple making (Collinson 2004). Frequently as Hull has done, it is for a limited period of time until a certain learning objective is achieved (Hull 2006).
Both educational activities and discipling will be the venues where the dynamic process elements of story telling, heart commitment, incarnational living, liturgical worship, community oneness, and transformational learning are taught, reflected upon, contextualise, and incorporate into the Christian formation of individuals and Christian faith communities.
Bibliography
Augustine (1963). The Confessions of Saint Augustine. Norwalk, CN, The Easton Press.
Augustine, S. (1997). The Confessions. London, Hodder & Stoughton.
Collinson, S. W. (2004). Making Disciples: The Significance of Jesus' Educational Methods for Today's Church. Carlisle, Cumbria, Paternoster Press.
Fowler, J. W. (1995). Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning. New York, HarperCollins.
Grannell, A. (1985). "The Paradox of Formation and Transformation." Religious Education 80(3): 384-397.
Groome, T. H. (1980). Christian Religious Education: Sharing Our Story and Vision. San Francisco, CA, Jossey-Bass.
Hull, B. (2006). The Complete Book of Discipleship: On being and making followers of Christ. Colorado Springs, CO, NavPress.
Johnson, S. (1989). Christian Spiritual Formation in the Church and Classroom. Nashville, TN, Abingdon Press.
Knowles, M. S., E. F.Holton III, et al. (2005). The Adult Learner: The Definitive Classic in Adult Education and Human Resource Development. London, Elsevier.
LeFever, M. D. (2004). Learning Styles: Reaching Everyone God Gave You to Teach. Eastbourne, England, NexGen.
Loder, J. E. (1989). The Transforming Moment. Colorado Springs, Helmers and Howard.
Moltmann (1995). The Coming of God: Christian Eschatology. Minneapolis, Fortress.
Saunders, S. (2002). ""Learning"; Eschatology and Spiritual Formation in New Testament Christianity." Interpretation 56(2): 155-167.
Vella, J. (1995). Training Through Dialogue: Promoting Effective Learning and Change with Adults. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass.
Vella, J., P. Berardinelli, et al. (1998). How do They Know They Know? : Evaluating Adult Learning. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Ware, B. K. (2000). The Inner Kingdom. New York, St Vladimir's Seminary Press.
Labels: Christian education, Discipleship, Spiritual Formation
Transformational Learning
Transformational learning occurs through the processes of formation and transformation. Formation is the ordinary educational and discipleship activities we use in churches. Formation consists of the catechumenate process that leads to baptism followed by the discipleship process after.
Transformation occurs through what Loder calls “the logic of transformation” and consists of five steps: (1) a conflict arises and persisted in spite of what the human spirit do to try to resolve it, (2) an interlude for scanning for solution involving both conscious and subconscious searching, (3) an insight arises and is felt powerfully, (4) there is a release of psychic energy built up during the search (an “aha” or moment), and (5) interpretation and a reality check of the insight. When the Holy Spirit is behind the transformation, Loder named the process “convictional knowing.” (Loder 1981, 217-220; 1989, 93-122) and transforming moments. Convictional knowing is when the self meets the Holy and is transformed
[1]. Convictional knowing is the work of the Holy Spirit (Loder 1989,93-122).
First, Parker Palmer in a lecture, The Violence of our Knowledge, a “transformed understanding of knowing” involving four components:
(1) All learning is personal.
(2) All learning is communal because truth can only come out of conflict as we interact and conflict with one another in all aspects of our lives.
(3) All learning is reciprocal because while we are seeking truth, truth is also seeking us. Palmer describes it as a “reciprocal dance between the knower and the knowing.”
(4) All learning is transformation because knowing truth will transform us. (Palmer 1993)
Palmer’s transformed understanding of knowing is not transformational. The two disciples on the Emmaus road had the law and the prophets explained to them. They were told the truth but were not transformed. They did not recognise Jesus until he revealed himself to them (Luke 24:13-35). True transformational learning involves an encounter with God. Knowing truth is not enough, encountering Truth is. This will be in agreement with Kenneth Leech’s thinking when applied to theology that “all true theology is about transformation, about changing human beings and changing the world, in and through the encounter with the true God.” (Leech 2002)
Second, for transformation learning to take place, there must be appropriate intentional teaching or instruction. Educator Wenger argues that “learning cannot be designed” but accepts that learning takes place in appropriate environments that fosters learning (Wenger 1999,225). Therefore teaching or instruction must be given in a suitable learning environment, age appropriate, sensitive to life’s crises, stages of faith, clear to understand, and have its foundation in the bible. The Bible must be central in transformational learning. Walter Bruegemann insists that “the educational process, faithfully carried out, can be performed by those who submit to the canonical process.”(Brueggemann 1982 ,7 (italics author’s). By the canonical process, Bruegemann means that Bible interprets Bible in a hermeneutical move that breathe fresh life into biblical theological knowledge. Steve Kang coming from the same direction adds that this reading must be done from the perspective of the kingdom of God. He notes that “it is through such careful reading of the Bible, in the context of such a kingdom in the church, that spiritual formation of believers must take place.” (Kang 2002, 138). Both Brueggemann and Kang agree that it is only as we understand the interactions of the Christian story and our stories that we come to the true understanding of the text.
Finally, transformational learning is not only cognitive but encompasses the whole person. Transformational learning fulfils the goals of Christian spiritual formation which is the growth of Christ life in us, the formation of a people of God, and our partnership in the redemptive work of God (Loder 1981,93-122). This learning interconnects with the other dynamic process elements of spiritual formation as a holistic approach to learning.
BibliographyBrueggemann, W. (1982). The Creative Word: Cannon as a Model for Biblical Education. Philadelphia, Fortress Press.
Endnote[1] James Loder postulates a human being has four dimensions: self, world, void and the Holy. Loder, J. E. (1989). The Transforming Moment. Colorado Springs, Helmers and Howard. p.68-92)
Labels: Learning, Spiritual Formation
