Eugene Peterson, Translator of The Message

Renewal Ministries Northwest 2014

Renewal Ministries is a ministry of the church for the church. In our increasingly secularized culture sometimes we need a discerning word from attentive and alert friends to chart our way, make decisions, and hear a fresh word of encouragement. RMNW provides a wise and personal presence for us. Eugene Peterson, Translator of The Message RENEWAL MINISTRIES NORTHWEST Who are we? What do we do? We all need time and space set apart from our daily lives to be alone with God! At Renewal Ministries Northwest we provide this for individuals, congregations and church leadership. We offer guided prayer retreats and other ministries that assist us to: grow in intimacy with God through prayer and reflection on Scripture; receive God s healing grace from sin and brokenness; and discern God s best by learning to listen to the voice of Jesus for life and ministry. PRAYER RETREAT MINISTRIES Guided Prayer Retreats Half-day, full-day, and overnight guided prayer and teaching retreats provide extended time apart to slow down and be still in God s presence. Participants engage in the time-honored prayer practices of the church, such as solitude, silence, and meditation on Scripture. Teaching and guided prayer exercises, based in Scripture, are provided to assist with prayer. Participants receive renewed strength and direction for life and ministry. 5-Month Prayer Retreat This retreat adapts the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola into a 5-month format that can be integrated into everyday life. The exercises are not merely a set of theological propositions: they are a series of prayerful meditations on Scripture that help us to clarify and deepen our experience of God s love and our devotion to Jesus Christ. Participants meet together one Saturday morning per month, and are provided with prayer guides for daily prayer for the weeks in between. 2

TEACHING RETREATS AND EDUCATION Devotional Curricula & Companion Retreats Quality Biblically-based devotional guides assist in praying through the seasons of Advent and Lent. These guides augment seasonal Advent and Lenten Prayer Retreats which can be offered to particular congregations who desire to launch the journey with a retreat (visit www.renewalminnw.org for samples). Educational Classes Customized Adult Christian Education Classes on a variety of topics related to discernment and prayer. Ministry to Youth & Young Adults Classes, retreats and training for youth and young adults helping them learn the art of Christ-centered discernment and prayer in both corporate and personal contexts. MINISTRIES OF DISCERNMENT The Art of Choosing Well for Individuals and Leadership Teams Does your leadership team need guidance from God for next steps in your life together in community and/or mission? In order to choose well in times of decision or transition, we can engage in the practice of spiritual discernment to discern what God wants and how to go forward with what God wants. In prayer, with the help of the Spirit of Christ, we can listen for God s word for us and be assured that indeed we have heard! We offer guided discernment sessions for individuals, small groups, and leadership teams who seek to discern God s direction for life and ministry. Spiritual Direction RMNW is a trusted Christ-centered source for helping those who long to grow in intimacy with God be more attentive to the ways God is present and active in their everyday life. Helping discover how God is speaking into questions about faith, prayer life, vocational life, and relationships. These are times in our journey with God when we need guidance, encouragement and help to discern the work of the Spirit of Jesus in our lives. Our pastors are gifted spiritual directors who will share the spiritual journey, help direct heart and mind to the presence of God and listen to the One voice we long to hear; the voice of Jesus Christ. Healing Prayer For those who struggle with persistent feelings of fear, discouragement, inadequacy, shame, grief, unworthiness, resentment, anger, hopelessness, guilt, sadness, and loneliness. God has great compassion and wants to free us from the burdens we carry. Renewal Ministries has prayer teams to help hurting people receive healing through prayer and experience the fullness of life Jesus promises in the midst of pain and disappointment. Call and Vocational Discernment For those who are in a season of vocational or life transition; who are contemplating the questions like: What is my particular call now? or, In this season of my life, how is God inviting me to engage in meaningful work and/or service? or, What is the defining purpose of my life? God calls us first to himself, to know him intimately and to follow as Jesus leads. Renewal Ministries offers classes and/or retreats to help participants engage with God about vocational questions and to respond faithfully as God leads. To learn more, hear stories of renewal & endorsements, visit www.renewalminnw.org 3

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Rev. David Rohrer is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. Dave Rohrer grew up in Southern California where he graduated from UCLA in 1979 and Fuller Theological Seminary in 1982. He and his wife, Mary Ann, were married in 1986 and they have two children Justin (26) and Laura 22). Dave was ordained as a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1982 and has served four congregations since ordination. In 1994 the Rohrer family moved north to Seattle when Dave was called to be Pastor of Adult Ministries at University Presbyterian Church. In January 2013 Dave was installed as pastor of Emmanuel Presbyterian in Bothell. In addition to his role as pastor of Emmanuel Dave also serves with the PC (USA) as a Program Mentor in the Company of New Pastors. He is also currently serving as adjunct faculty at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary in their Doctor of Ministry program. In February of 2012 InterVarsity Press released his first book The Sacred Wilderness of Pastoral Ministry: Preparing a People for the Presence of the Lord. HOW TO USE THIS PRAYER GUIDE The following devotional guide is intended to be a blessing to you and/or your church or fellowship in any way you may choose to use it. Among the possibilities will be: Basis for launching the Renewal Ministries Northwest Lenten Prayer Retreat (reservations required). Consider supplementing your Lent study by attending this retreat. Individual prayer, study and reflection Family Devotional time Small Group study and sharing Teaching tool for your Sunday School or Adult Education class Personal Spiritual Growth This guide is available to download and duplicate for a suggested donation. Those using this material for group study or church-wide ministry are asked to make a pro-rated contribution to Renewal Ministries Northwest (www.renewalminnw.org) based on the number of copies that will be made for distribution. This donation is so that we may continue to offer quality resources. 4

OVERVIEW OF THIS LENTEN GUIDE TO PRAYER The Lenten journey begins with a reminder of our great need and ends with the proclamation of what God has done to meet it. On Ash Wednesday we hear: You are dust and to dust you will return and we are reminded of the limits of mortality and our utter dependence upon God. On Easter Sunday we hear the proclamation He is risen! and we are invited to take up the new life God is calling us to in Jesus Christ. In our observance of the season of Lent we give ourselves the opportunity to replay the great drama of salvation and consider our place in that story. We recognize our sin and our need for rescue. We remember God s offer of himself to us in love and respond in repentance and gratitude. Lent affords us the opportunity to contemplate what it means to be a recipient of God s love and then consider how we are going to respond. It invites us to both explore our hunger and taste and see that the Lord is good. It gives us the chance to once again consider the question of whether or not we are going to let God love us. This Lenten guide to prayer is built around the theme of Letting God Love Us. As we explore and pray through biblical texts from the Book of Hosea, the Gospels and the Psalms our goal is to hear and respond to God s offer of love. This is not a Bible study as much as it is an opportunity to listen to the voice of God in Scripture and consider our response. It is about listening for God s invitations and reflecting on the ways in which we are both open and resistant to those invitations. To pray the scriptures is essentially the process of letting the Bible read us. Each week there will be a text from the prophet Hosea, a Gospel story that depicts Jesus way of encountering people, and a Psalm. The book of Hosea is all about a wayward people who are rejecting God s love and God s indefatigable persistence to pursue them in love nevertheless. The Gospel stories selected are about people who encounter Jesus and have to decide what they are going to do with his invitation to life. The Psalms are selected with a view to how they give us words by which we can respond to God s invitation. There is both an individual and a small group component to the Guide. In either case, those using the guide are encouraged to begin during the week following Ash Wednesday (March 5 th ) and finish sometime during the week following Easter (April 20). A new weekly exercise begins each Wednesday. For individual use, each day is organized around a time of morning and evening prayer. The Morning Prayer time will center on the practice of lectio divina (lit. Divine Reading or praying the text of Scripture) and the Evening Prayer time will make use of an Ignatian prayer exercise known as the Examen. Instructions for both of these practices are included in the Guide. Small groups have a choice as to how they interact with this material. They can either center their meeting around the practice of lectio divina on one of the texts for the week or work through some reflection questions on the Gospel reading for the week. The key to using this Guide is to be gentle with yourself: Use as much of it or as little of it as is helpful to you. These exercises are designed with a view to helping us to listen for and respond to God s invitations to us. You are the best judge of which aspects of this Guide are most helpful to you in the achievement of this goal. 5

SOME BACKGROUND ON THE BOOK OF HOSEA The book of the prophet Hosea is one of the most passionate books of the Old Testament. It is a book that blends two stories of unrequited love: God s love for Israel and Hosea s love for his wife Gomer. At certain points the distinction between these two stories is clear. At other points the two stories become the same story and invite us to reflect on the tragedy of betrayal, and the triumph of love. Hosea s story is the story of a man who is married to an unfaithful wife. The first three chapters of the book tell this story. Hosea s wife Gomer is referred to as a wife of whoredom or one who pursues other lovers. As this unfaithfulness persists Gomer gives birth to three children who are probably not Hosea s biological children and who are given names that speak of Israel s increasing alienation from God (see Hosea 1:4-9). In spite of Gomer s unfaithfulness, Hosea chooses to remain faithful and pursues his wife in order to win her back. What is clear as we read these first three chapters is that Hosea s pain is an image of God s pain. It is out of the empathy that develops in his own tragedy that Hosea is empowered to be God s prophet in the midst of Israel s story. In his role as prophet he gives witness to the power of God s love and the tragedy of Israel s choice to reject that love. Israel s story is set in the 8 th century BC. Israel, or the northern Kingdom, is in a time of economic abundance and political turmoil. The Kingdom of Assyria is bearing down on them from the north and in fear of falling to Assyria the leaders of Israel make a political alliance with Egypt. Instead of trusting God they begin to trust in their chariots and play a game of power politics, pitting Assyria and Egypt against one another in the hope of protecting themselves and avoiding a fight. They also continue to struggle with the temptation to court other gods. The old story of syncretism and idolatry is played out once again as Israel questions whether this God they met in the wilderness can actually care for them as the urban and agrarian society they have become. So Israel joins themselves to other gods, and mirror Gomer s unfaithfulness and adultery as they play the whore with these gods who can never fulfill them. It is in chapter two of Hosea that we see a masterful blending of the two stories. The passion of Hosea expresses the passion of God. A very human story gives witness to God s story with us. The feelings of a man who has been betrayed mirror the passion of a God who has been ignored by, but keeps pursuing his people nevertheless. Here in chapter two we are also introduced to the major themes that will be worked and reworked throughout the book. These themes point to the pattern of sin, repentance and reconciliation that is played out over and over in the pages of Scripture. The Interplay between Wrath and Love: A quick overview of Hosea might suggest to some that this is not a book about God s love but a book that seethes with God s anger and wrath. Yet a close reading points to the way wrath and love are flip sides of the same coin of God s passionate pursuit of his wayward children. As Christians we understand this as we contemplate the Cross of Jesus. As I once heard a Benedictine monk put it: The wrath of God is the love of Jesus Christ. There is nothing more oppressive than being loved steadfastly by one whose love you do not want. Hosea is a book 6

that speaks of God s pursuit of a people who are running from him. It is the picture of a God that won t give up this pursuit. Of course the Cross is the ultimate expression of this kind of passion. The outstretched arms of Jesus on the Cross both mirror our brokenness and invite us to receive God s embrace. Idolatry and Unrequited Love: If the Bible has a catch all description of the stem cell or basic essence of human sin, idolatry would be one of the contenders for that title. The first two commandments address this sin and the last words of John s first epistle warn against it. The book of Hosea equates idolatry with the betrayal of adultery. The prophet accuses Israel of being in bed with other gods. The result of this idolatry is that God s love for his people goes unclaimed. In Hosea the one true God who wants only to be in relationship with his people is like a lover spurned and his people act as if this love had never been offered. Wilderness and Learning to Love: The wilderness plays a central role in the Bible and Hosea is no exception to that rule. The wilderness is both the place of judgment and the place of encounter. It is the place where everything is stripped away and yet also the place where God s people hear things with a clarity that is unmatched in any other place. In Hosea the wilderness is both the place where God discovers Israel but also the place where he sends her to wean her away from her other lovers. Restoration and Resting in Love: One of the great themes in Hosea is the restoration of relationship with God. This passionate God who keeps pursuing and wants to be reconciled to his people, promises to effect this restoration. Like the prodigal son in Jesus parable who comes to his senses, Israel is depicted as the woman who returns to her first husband because it was better with me then than now. The words of the prophet are an invitation to Israel to rethink their choices. He invites them to grow in their knowledge of God, to turn toward and pursue relationship with God. In this sense Hosea is a book that calls us to pray. A warning, like the disclaimers hastily spoken before a TV show meant for mature audiences, ought to be printed at the beginning of the book of Hosea. The prophet s unabashed use of sexual imagery is at times startling. Yet this choice to tell it like it is, expresses the truth that fulfillment is rarely found in the pursuit of multiple lovers. Hosea s invitation is to seek the security and freedom that can only be found in the context of a relationship marked by the exclusivity of covenant love. This is what makes Hosea such a suitable text for Lent. All of the Lenten themes: identity and love, temptation and sin, wrath and judgment, repentance and reconciliation, are played out in the book of Hosea. God s invitation to relationship, our failure to trust and the miracle of God s relentless pursuit in spite of our waywardness, are all a part of the story of salvation, and the book of Hosea invites us to reflect on our place in that story. [Note: if you would like to read more on the book of Hosea a good source is Tradition for Crisis: A Study in Hosea, by Walter Brueggemann.] 7

INTRODUCTION TO THE PRAYER EXERCISES USED IN THIS GUIDE It could be said that the work of prayer is primarily the task of awakening to the presence of God. When we pray we come to attention. We direct our attention to the truth that our lives have everything to do with God and we seek the mind of God as we reflect on our own lives. Prayer is work because in most cases when we engage in it we are redirecting our attention to God. We are exerting the energy necessary to turn from the things that dull our awareness of God and reorienting our lives around the truth that every moment has everything to do with the Living God. Lectio divina and the Examen are tools we can use to awaken to God s presence and so prepare to hear and respond to God s voice. Lectio Divina Lectio divina or spiritual reading of the Bible is an ancient practice within in the Church. As Protestants we tend to stress the use of our intellect in the reading and study of the Scriptures. This is a strong and valuable part of our tradition. However, we can also use the Bible as a tool for prayer, a way of listening to God and answering God. Lectio divina is a means of doing this. As such, it is not an exegetical or historical analysis of the text. Rather, it is the work of allowing the text to speak to our hearts, and then responding to God in prayer. Lectio Divina for Individuals Using lectio divina as a private prayer practice is a very gentle way to allow the words of scripture to percolate into your imagination. There are a variety of ways one can do this but the basic premise of this practice is to read until something hits you and when it does to simply sit for a while with that word or phrase. As you ponder that word ask yourself some questions: what stands out in your mind, what feelings do you have, what invitations do you hear from God, what resistances do you have to accepting this invitation or what joy wells up in you as you ponder accepting what God is offering? It is helpful for some people to record their answers to these questions in a journal. Teachers of this practice often talk about four stages: 1. lectio or reading: Gently read the text listening to it with the ear of your heart. Don t try to figure it out, study it or analyze it. Simply allow it to make an impression on you and note the word or phrase that has become most prominent for you. 2. meditatio or meditation/rumination: Sit with the word or phrase that has made an impression on you. To ruminate means to chew. In more than one place in the in the Bible God s written word is likened to food. This stage is about tasting the text and allowing your imagination to savor it. 8

3. oratio or prayer: Let this word draw you into the presence of God. How is it God s word to you and what word or words do you offer in response? The word you have heard is an invitation to dialogue with God. At this stage you accept that invitation. 4. contemplatio or contemplation: Rest in God s presence. The Word spoken to us and leads us into the silent and wordless place of simply enjoying the presence of the one who gave us the word. All this said, beware of trying to slavishly adhere to or work through these stages. Lectio Divina is primarily about using the scriptures as a way to come into God s presence and simply hang out with God. Gentleness is the key. Let the word speak to you. Lectio Divina In Small Groups Another way of practicing Lectio Divina is to do so in the context of a small group. As you consider the assigned text in your groups use the following process to guide you. 1. Choose a text of no more than 4 to 6 verses in length. Appoint three readers in the group. Have everyone else in the group close their Bibles. The point is hearing the word, not reading it. Begin with silence. After a moment of silence have the first reader read the text. During the reading listen for the word that has your name on it, the word that captures your imagination or attention. 2. When the first reading is complete, go around the circle and have each member of the group share his/her word with the others. Say, "The word for me today is:." 3. When the sharing is complete return to a period of silence before the second reader reads the passage. During the reading pay attention to the feeling or emotion that you associate with this word. Following this reading go around the circle once and share this feeling with the group. 4. When the sharing is complete, return to a period of silence before the third reader reads the passage. During the reading listen for an invitation to you that is contained within the word or the text. Ask: what is God's invitation to me in this text? Following the reading share that with the rest of the group. 5. At the end of this final cycle, take 20-30 minutes to have each member of the group spend some time in solitude and silence. This is a time of prayer and it may take a variety of forms. Some may wish to go for a walk, some may wish to journal. Choose a place and a posture that seem best for you. 6. At the end of this time for individual reflection, call the group back together and share with one another about your time of prayer. What have you heard? What have you learned? How have you been encouraged, assured or challenged? 9

The Examen The Prayer of Examen is an ancient prayer practice that is used to assist us in preparing to enter into authentic and transparent prayer with God. You may use the Examen questions below to help you reflect on your day; revealing the state of your heart and mind as you enter into communion with God through Christ. For centuries people have participated in St. Ignatius Spiritual Exercises (16th century) which assist us in developing an intimate relationship with God. Ignatius suggested that God speaks to us through our deepest feelings and yearnings, through what he called, consolation and desolation. Consolation is whatever helps us connect with ourselves, others, and God, that is, fullness of life in the Spirit of Christ. Desolation is whatever disconnects us from God, others, and ourselves; draining us of the life and love of God. Ignatius recommended that at the end of our day or as we enter a new day we review the day and return to our deepest moments of consolation and desolation. To do this we simply become aware of God s presence and invite the Spirit of Christ to help us reflect on our day. We quiet ourselves and ask: For what moment today am I most grateful? For what moment today am I least grateful? There are other ways to ask the same question. Choose only the questions that work best for you. Using too many questions may complicate your time of prayer but here are a few other questions you might use for your Prayer of Examen: When did I give and receive the most today? When did I give and receive the least today? When today did I have the greatest sense of belonging to myself, others, and God? When did I have the least sense of belonging? When did I feel most alive today? When did I feel life draining out of me? This simple process is one that you can use every day after you have turned out the light and are ready for sleep. It is a way to live into the Hebrew rhythm of the day that begins with sunset ( and there was evening and there was morning the first day Genesis 1:5). As we move into sleep we move into that part of day where we take ourselves out of the way and are most receptive to the grace of God. In sleep we begin our day because in sleep we are sustained and ministered to by God and so prepared for the work that will greet us in the day light ( I lie down and sleep, I wake again, for the Lord sustains me. Psalm 3:5). You may actually fall asleep in the process of praying the Examen. Don t worry about this or try to fight it. Let these questions simply guide you in a process of praying backwards through your day and thus lead you into a discovery of where you both received and missed God s blessings in the day. Many prayerful people have found direction for their days and for their lives by identifying these moments. The Examen will enrich your prayer life as well as your everyday life and relationships. 10

THE SCHEDULE The passages of Scripture for each week have been chosen with some attention to thematic unity between them and with a view to the ways they call us to listen for and respond to God s offer of love. As you read these texts listen for the invitation God issues through them. But let them invite you to listen to your life as well. How do they mirror your own joy or resistance to God s invitation? How do they read you? There is a rich feast in these passages of Scripture so don t expect to consume the entire meal in one day. Like a person at a buffet line consider well what will fit on your plate and take your time to enjoy each bite. You can always go back for more. Week 1: March 5-11 Hosea 2, John 4:1-42 (Jesus and the Samaritan Woman), Psalm 63 Week 2: March 12-18 Hosea 4:1-10, John 3:1-21 (Jesus and Nicodemus), Psalm 50 Week 3: March 19-25 Hosea 6:1-6, John 5:1-18 (Jesus and the man by the pool of Bethsaida), Psalm 40 Week 4: March 26-April 1 Hosea 8:1-14, Luke19:1-10 (Jesus and Zacchaeus), Psalm 32 Week 5: April 2-8 Hosea 10:1-12, Luke 18:18-30 (Jesus and the Rich Ruler), Psalm 62 Week 6: April 9-15 Hosea 11:1-9, John 13:1-11 (Jesus and Peter), Psalm 81 Week 7: April 16-22 Hosea 14:1-9, John 20:1-18 (Jesus and Mary Magdalene), Psalm 42 11

WEEK ONE, MARCH 5-11 The Source of Abundance Hosea 2 John 4:1-42 (Jesus and the Samaritan Woman) Psalm 63 Morning Prayer: Set aside at least 20 minutes in the morning every day to work through the following exercise. Opening Sentences: Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. (Psalm 90:14) Read Psalm 63 Read through either Hosea 2 or John 4:1-42. Identify some portion of one of these texts that speaks to you. Spend time with this portion of scripture in the practice of lectio divina. Be especially mindful of the invitations you hear and your response to those invitations. In other words, what do you hear God saying and how does that word either encourage you or threaten you. What is compelling and attractive? Is there something in this word that you find repelling or to which you are resistant? If it is helpful to you, write your thoughts in a journal. Record where your thoughts have taken you and write out your response to God. Blessing: May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13) Evening Prayer: Pray the prayer below and then turn out the light and pray the Examen. My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. (Psalm 63:5-8) 12

SMALL GROUP EXERCISE, WEEK ONE Each week groups can choose between one of the two exercises below. Depending on the desires of the group you can choose between working through a set of reflection questions on the Gospel story for the week or doing a group lectio divina exercise on the suggested passage from Hosea or a passage of your choice. Individuals in the groups are encouraged to use the exercises in the Guide in their own daily prayers. If your group members all commit to doing this you may want to start your group sessions (beginning in the second week) by sharing with one another about what has happened for you as you have prayed the scriptures during the previous week. Feel free to design the opening and closing of your group according to the desires of the members of the group. Lectio Exercise Using Hosea 2:6-10, or a passage of your choice, work through the group lectio divina exercise described in this Guide. Reflecting on the Gospel Story Appoint a reader or readers for the group after a brief time of preparatory silence read John 4:1-42 out loud to the group. Work through the following questions as a group: OR Identify all of the characters in this story. Notice the dynamics between the characters. Identify the insiders and outsiders and how those positions change depending on perspective. How do the dynamics between Jews and Samaritans, Jesus and the woman, Jesus and the disciples, and the townspeople and the woman have an impact on what folks assume and what they can see and not see? As Jesus and the woman spar with one another they are using the same words to speak of different things. What is the woman talking about and what is Jesus talking about? At what point does the woman understand what Jesus is actually talking about? What is it that opens her eyes to this deeper meaning? How does the woman initially resist the invitation Jesus is issuing and what does Jesus do to bring her back to the issue at hand? What are the indicators that this encounter with Jesus is a life changing event for the woman? How is the woman at the beginning of the story different from the woman at the end? What caused the transformation? As a group discuss some of the contemporary implications of the themes of this story. Share with one another examples from your own experience in the following areas : 13

o o How has a discussion of a religious issue or a theological principle proved to be a way to avoid rather than encounter God? How has the work of God in someone s life challenged the label you affixed to them? How has this story been living water to you? Was there a phrase in this story that you found especially meaningful, assuring or provocative? If so, share that with the group and why it made an impression on you. 14

Renewal Ministries Northwest www.renewalminnw.org February 2014 15