Reclaiming Our Christ- Centered Lutheran Devo8onal Heritage

Transcription

1 Reclaiming Our Christ- Centered Lutheran Devo8onal Heritage 31st Biennial Conven8on of the Arizona- California District Chaparral Suites ScoBsdale, Arizona June 9-11, 2014

2 Reclaiming Our Christ- Centered Lutheran Devo8onal Heritage Session 1: Drawing our devo8onal life from the gospel Session 2: Growing in the gi0 of medita5on on the Word Session 3: Growing in the gil of Word- focused prayer Session 4: Growing in the gil of tes8ng

3 Amos 8:11-12 The days are coming, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I will send a famine through the land not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. 12 Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it.

4 Romans 10:5-10 Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: The man who does these things will live by them. 6 But the righteousness that is by faith says: Do not say in your heart, Who will ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 or Who will descend into the deep? (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9 That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are jus8fied, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

5 Kleinig s Three Truths on Which Christian Medita8on Is Based Ø The risen Lord Jesus is present with his disciples of all 8me just as he promised (Mt 28:20) Ø Christ s Word has life- giving and life- sustaining power because it is inspired and filled with the Spirit (Jn 6:63) Ø We are already fully loved and jus8fied children of God in the life, death and resurrec8on of Jesus, through faith in him we stand in grace (Ro 5:1-2)

6 How do I find the 8me?!?!? Sisters & brothers acknowledge the challenge Finding 8me that is quite and personal yet knowing I m not going to fall asleep in the middle of my devo8on at 11:00 at night. Finding enough quiet 8me for pondering without interrup8on and being consistent each day with a 8me of day. The greatest challenge for me is taking the 8me and not thinking about other tasks that need to be done. I work 14 hours a day and have a husband and kids. I want to have more 8me to spend in God s Word by myself, but I don t even get to use the restroom by myself!

7 Impact of Having a Set Time Each Day on Frequency of Personal Devo8onal Time 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% Set Time No Set Time 5% 0% Zero One Two Three Four Five Six Seven

8 Here s how I find 8me! Sisters & brothers offering encouragement Remembering that God is s8ll in control. Reminding myself that receiving from God is what enables me to do what he calls me to do. I ve learned more about myself the longer that I m a pastor. The 8me for me to have my own personal reading is right away in the morning. If I don t do it right away, I ve got a million reasons not to do it. Schedule the 8me, rule your calendar. Literally scheduling this 8me in my daily planner as if it is a real appointment.

9 How do I stay focused? Sisters & brothers acknowledge the challenge Thinking about the responsibili8es of the day and not slowing down to reflect and enjoy the voice of God. Taking 8me to ponder. I seem to be in a hurry to get to other tasks that I fail to soak it all in. Finding that quiet 8me /place away from kids, wife, people, interrup8ons, phone, etc. Short aben8on spam (sic) J

10 Here s how I stay focused. Sisters & brothers offering encouragement Do it before I ve even thought about my schedule or shuffled papers on my desk or opened my lap top. Two minutes of quiet, s8ll 8me ( medita8on unfocused) before star8ng really allows me to fully focus when study begins. Stay away from and phones. Get away from the office. I also like to go into the sanctuary because then I m not tempted to get side tracked. Make sure it is quiet and I have coffee.

11 Here s how I stay focused. Sisters & brothers offering encouragement Time crawls in a good way. I ve found my 8me absorbed and flying by quickly when I m worrying about comple8ng admin stuff or phone call follow up or what might seem like mundane ministry items. Time in God s Word never seems like lost 8me. Maybe that s because I tend to do it in our sanctuary away from cell phone, internet, landline, but that s the most peaceful 8me of my day. The opportunity to meditate and ponder a por8on of Scripture has been a blessing. I wrestle as said above with thinking ministry as I read it, instead of some8mes what is needed personally for the fight to wage the bable as Paul describes. Yet, when the focus is there, the reward is incredible. Of course, a trophy of the Spirit s grace.

12 What does it mean to meditate on Scripture? How can I understand and apply it? Sisters & brothers acknowledge the challenge Never really taught what it means to meditate. Going through it too quickly. Just reading the words and not really thinking about them aler reading them. Some8mes it hits home directly, but I struggle with it some8mes not making sense or hiung home. At 8mes I end up with more ques8ons than answers as I study. My greatest challenge is wondering if I m thinking the right kind of thoughts about Scripture I wonder if I m way off base, or if I am geung what the Bible is saying. In other words, is the meaning I m geung the meaning the original author intended?

13 God s Timing Is Always Perfect! Write My words in your heart, and meditate diligently on them; for in 8me of tempta8on they will be very needful. What you understand not when you read, you shall know in the day of visita8on (The Imita.on of Christ, 99).

14 What Does It Mean to Meditate on Spend ten minutes reading through the excerpt from Eat This Book: a conversa4on in the art of spiritual reading by Eugene H. Peterson provided for you (pages 20-23). (This is not an endorsement of this whole book!) Begin joung down answers to the three ques8ons listed on your outline that we will discuss together. God s Word?

15 In His Word Jesus Comes to Serve You! When you open the book containing the gospels and read or hear how Christ comes here or there, or how someone is brought to him, you should therein perceive the sermon or the gospel through which he is coming to you, or you are being brought to him. For the preaching of the gospel is nothing else than Christ coming to us, or we being brought to him. When you see how he works, however, and how he helps everyone to whom he comes or who is brought to him, then rest assured that faith is accomplishing this in you and that he is offering your soul exactly the same sort of help and favor through the gospel. If you pause here and let him do you good, that is, if you believe that he benefits and helps you, then you really have it. Then Christ is yours, presented to you as a gil ( A Brief Instruc.on on What to Look for and Expect in the Gospels, Luther s Works, Volume 35, 121).

16 Weaving a Wreath of Four Strands Luther s pamphlet wriben for Peter the Barber.

17 Devo8onal Tools Others Are Using: The Minister s Prayer Book (John Doberstein) Treasures Old and New (John Jeske) The lessons for the week from CW/CWS Prof. Brug s reading plan OT or NT book of the month 3 year reading schedule (WELS web site) The Daily Bible (F. LaGard Smith) Treasury of Daily Prayer (Scot Kinnaman) Today s Light Bible (Jane Fryar)

18 Other Devo5onal Tools: Chris8an Worship Catechism Lutheran Confessions Devo8onal orders of service in CWS Hymns and songs of the liturgy

19 Be S8ll My Soul! O God our Father, by your mercy and might, the world turns safely into darkness and returns again to light. We place into your hands our unfinished tasks, our unresolved problems, and our unfulfilled hopes, knowing that only what you bless will prosper. To your great love and protec8on, we commit each other and all those we love, knowing that you alone are our sure defender, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Chris.an Worship: New Service SeIngs, 54)

20 Session #2 Wrap Up Take a moment to capture any aha s from this session. Ten copies of A Simple Way to Pray are available as a gil from your seminary to the first ten who ask!